Kelly & Baker Brewery: 1866-?
Kelly & Woefel Brewery: ?-1868
Woefel & Molter Brewery: 1868-1876
Nicholas Molter/What Cheer Brewery:
1876-1877
Molter & Oehm/What Cheer Brewery: 1877-1885
N. Molter's & Sons/What Cheer Brewery: 1885-1895
Henry T. & J.N. Molter Brewery/What Cheer Brewery: 1895-1897
Henry T. Molter/What Cheer Brewery: 1897-1911
Consumer's Brewing Co.: 1911-1920
This small brewery began life as the Kelly & Baker Brewery around 1866. It
was located just outside the city of Providence on Spectacle Pond in Cranston, Rhode Island. Today, this location is known
as Molter's street, a dead end drive located in a neighborhood surrounding the famous Rhode Island landmark,
Twin Oaks Restaurant.
Over the years, this brewery would undergo numerous name changes. The first occurred within
two years after the brewery's inception when Baker sold his principle shares of the business to Andrew
Woefel. This transaction resulted in the business being known as the Kelly and Woefel Brewery.
In 1868, Nicholas
Molter, a former butcher and sausage maker, bought out Charles Kelly. Appropriately enough, the brewery became
known as the Woefel & Molter Brewery.
Nicholas Molter was a prominent German-American
within the local community. He would have a tremendous influence on the brewery's future and would build it into
a successful Rhode Island enterprise. He became the brewery's sole proprietor in 1876. When this occurred, the
Nicholas Molter Brewery had offices at 115 and 117 Pine Street in Providence. It was also known at that
time as the What Cheer Brewery. German-American in origin, it produced traditional lager beer. Although the original
brewhouse burned down in 1876, it was rebuilt that same year under Nicholas Molter's supervision.
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| Nicholas Molter Trade Card |
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| Molter's Lager Brass Sign |
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| Photograph Bar Exterior featuring a Nicholas Molter Sign |
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| Photograph Fournier's Hotel featuring a Nicholas Molter Corner Sign |
Over the years, additional partners in the company would come and go which resulted in
additional name changes to the brewery. In 1877, Nicholas Molter took on a partner, Henry H. Oehm, and the brewery became
known as Molter & Oehm, Proprietors of the What Cheer Lager Beer Brewery. By 1885, Nicholas Molter would completely
take over the brewery with his sons, Henry T. and John N. Molter. While still known as the What Cheer Lager Beer
Brewery, it also went by the name of the N. Molter & Sons Brewery.
In 1895, Henry T. and John N.
Molter took over the brewery from their father. The N. Molter's Sons Brewery / H.T. & J.N. Molter Brewery
/ What Cheer Lager Beer Brewery would have offices at 14 - 20 Potter Street in Providence and would continue to be known for it's
production of What Cheer Lager Beer.
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| 1897 H.T. & J.N. Molter Lithograph Calendar |
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| Beer Wagon Photograph H.T. & J.N. Molter - Cotton Centennial Celebration |
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| Corkscrew Bottle - H.T. & J.N. Molter |
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| Stoneware Bottle - H.T. & J.N. Molter |
Later in 1897, Henry T. became the sole proprietor of the What Cheer Lager
Beer Brewery. In addition to their traditional What Cheer Lager Beer, the brewery would begin brewing Princess
Ale around 1905. These two products were "Guaranteed to be ABSOLUTELY PURE" and they were "Brewed Especially
for Families and Recommended by the Medical Profession". At this time, the brewery's office was located at the brewery
in Cranston. The brewery would also add Molter's Lager Beer, Superb Pale Ale, and Superb Dark Ale to their lineup
of brews, all of which were available by the bottle.
| Henry T. Molter Brewery |
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| Cardboard Lithograph Clock Advertisement |
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| What Cheer Brewery Tip Tray |
In 1911, the brewery would change it's name to the Consumer's Brewing Co.. Consumer's
would produce both lager and ale. It became famous for it's Minster Lager Beer.
| Consumer's Brewing Co. |
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| Porcelain Flange Sign Excavated from an early 20th C. trash pit in Seattle Washington |
It has been said that Henry T. Molter quit the brewing business in 1915 and became involved
with the manufacturing of silk. Whether this or the enactment of prohibition closed the brewery's doors,
they would never be reopened.
Sadly, the brewery building was recently torn down, despite having been used
as a scrap metal facility for many years. Of course, when it finally dawned on us to take a photograph of it, we found it
was gone. Rest in peace What Cheer Lager Beer.
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| What was left of the Brewery in 2006 |
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| H. T. Molter Homestead c. 1888. 1447 Westminster St., Providence. Providence Preservation Society |
