This 1881 map reveals that Henry Hoffman built his brewery at an ideal location for the era--on a hillside. In order to make German lager, it was necessary for brewers to keep the fermenting brew at a very low temperature. Before the development of refrigeration, large quantities of ice were needed to accomplish this task. By building ice houses into hill sides, as Hoffman did, the ice, kept cool by surrounding earth, lasted longer. This was critical to the success of the lager brewing process.
Image courtesy of Cleveland Public Library, Digital Map CollectionDownload Original File
