Buckeye Beer
Bringing Buckeye Back Home
One of the more interesting stories throughout Toledo’s beer history originates nearly 200 years ago with the legendary Buckeye Brewery. Established in 1838, Buckeye Brewery was famous for its Buckeye lager and a beer called “Lite.”
MillerCoors, one of America’s brewing giants, eventually bought Buckeye Brewery because it wanted the rights to produce Buckeye’s “Lite” beer, but unfortunately, Buckeye lager was placed on the backburner as the company began focusing on production of Lite. Fun fact: Miller “Lite” is now trademarked and is the only beer that carries that specific spelling.
Upon the birth of Maumee Bay Brewing Company, the owners noticed Buckeye lager had been pushed aside. Our deep connections and ties to Toledo mean a lot to us, and as well to our previous owners.
They approached MillerCoors with an offer to buy Buckeye lager back, and it was accepted. We were bringing one of Toledo’s most storied beers home.
Buckeye lager was officially back where it belonged: brewed and produced by a local Toledo company. It remains one of our flagship beers to this day, almost two centuries later.
While historic and revered, Buckeye has evolved and changed over the years. We now have the full exclusive rights to produce the beer, but we’ve adjusted the recipe (slightly) to be more modern and inclusive of today’s highest-quality ingredients.
The new recipe is very similar to the original recipe, but we’ve introduced a few new ingredients to make it taste even better. Next time you join us in the taproom or brew pub at Maumee Bay Brewing Company, order a Buckeye lager. With the first sip, you’ll taste generations of history and the pride we take in brewing one of our region’s most beloved beers.