Carol Stoudt Establishes Stoudts Brewing Company

In 1987, Carol Stoudt established Stoudts Brewing Company in Adamstown, Pennsylvania. She created a 30-barrel brewhouse alongside the family’s existing restaurant and beer garden and operated the brewery as its sole proprietor. Stoudt trained in brewing, worked with experienced brewing advisers, and became directly involved in production, sales, and the management of the new company. Stoudt was among the earliest women to lead a brewery during the revival of small-scale American brewing and is widely identified as the first female sole proprietor of a brewery in the United States after Prohibition. Her German-style lagers and other beers earned national recognition, while her visibility as an owner and brewmaster provided an important example for women entering the modern brewing industry. Stoudts Brewing Company remained in operation until her retirement in 2020.