The brewing of beer in Troy, it would seem, began as early as 1793, in a brewery belonging to Colonel Stephen J. Schuyler. The first established of the nine now in the city is that of Kennedy & Murphy, on Ferry Street, east of Fifth Avenue. On a part of its site Charles Hurstfield and Thomas Trenor erected a small brewery in 1809. In 1823, Read & Armstrong purchased the property. Their successors were Read, Armstrong, & Co., 1832; Read & Son, 1837; M. P. Read & Brothers, 1841; Read & Brothers, 1847; Arba Read, 1856; Read Brothers, 1857; Dunn & Kennedy, 1867; and Kennedy & Murphy (William Kennedy and Edward Murphy, jr.), Novembr 1st, 1867. The extensive brick buildings of the Excelsior Brewery, on the south of Ferry Street, are fitted with all the modern inventions and conveniences for malting and brewing ale and porter.

Garryowen Brewery

The Garryowen Brewery, on the west side of River Street, between Hutton and Hoosick streets, covers nine building lots. The malt-house and the brewery-house, two imposing brick structures, six stories high, were severally buillt in 1877 and 1881. Each is provided with the latest improved machinery and apparatus for making ale and porter.

The firm of Fitzgerald Brothers was formed on October 1st, 1866, by Michael, John and Edmund Fitzgerrald. On the withdrawel of Michael in 1870, John and Edmund continued the business. Since the death of John in 1885, Edmund has conducted it under the name of Fitzgerald Brothers. The firm's predecessors were James Lundy, who, in 1852, began brewing at No. 461 River Street; Lundy & Ingram, 1853; Lundy & Kennedy, 1855; Lundy, Dunn & Co., 1857; Dunn & Kennedy, 1859. Four of the nine breweries brew ale and porter, and the others lager beer. The total product of 1890 was 205,232 barrels of ale, porter, and beer.

Stanton Brewery