Scott (Brown County)

• Joseph Bress? (Bregs?) (1868)
• Leopold Schilling (1872?)

Excise records list Joseph Bress (Bregs) as a brewer in Scott in 1868 and Leopold Schilling in 1872. Neither seems to fit with any of the other breweries in Brown County. Neither is listed in the 1870 census, and it is not clear that they operated the same brewery.

Shawano (Shawano County)

• Godfried Keuhl (1868–1869?)
• Godfried Keuhl & George Dengel (1870?)
• George Dengel (1871–1884)

Godfried Keuhl started a small brewery in Shawano before the better known breweries were established. The Shawano County Journal announced in June 1868: “A Brewery will soon be established in this village. We understand that Godfried Keuhl, a cousin of Wm. Keuhl, will put up his brewery apparatus on Wm. K’s premises in the course of a couple of weeks. He calculates to get to work and manufacture good beer by the first of October.”2101 The brewery was never large, and the early reports by R. G. Dun & Co. indicate that Keuhl had already taken on George Dengel as a partner. Dun claimed their “Means [were] not large” but they were honest. The 1870 population census places Dengel in Richmond Township, so it was likely that his brewery was on the west side of Shawano. By 1871, Dengel was on his own (Keuhl appears in the 1870 census in Oshkosh), and he was in a similarly precarious financial situation for several years, but by the end of the 1870s he was more stable. The only known production figures for his brewery are 250 barrels in 1878 and 292 barrels in in 1879. In 1880 the brewery was still a relatively small operation: brewer George Klaber lived with Dengel, and Dengel’s son Herman may also have worked in the brewery. Dengel had a malt house, and presumably provided a good market for local farmers. Dengel remains in business and industry records through 1884, but disappears after this point. Dengel died in 1899 at the age of seventy-six.2102

• E. Raddant & Bro. (1883–86)
• Emil T. Raddant (1886–1898)
• Emil T. Raddant Brewing Co. (1898–1920)
• Shawano Specialty Co. (1928–1933)
• Shawano Brewing Co. (1933)
• Milwaukee-Shawano Brewing Co. (1933–34)
• North Side of Fifth Street Between Lincoln and Andrews

In February 1883, Emil T. Raddant arrived in Shawano “with exactly 40 cents in his pocket” and announced his intent to build a brewery in Shawano that spring. His two-story frame brewery included a malt house, though this was the site of the first reported accident at the brewery—the malt house floor gave way in March 1885, sending 1,500 bushels of barley into the ice house below. Raddant recovered from this mishap and expanded his brewery rapidly, until it was praised (with the standard, exaggerated claim) as “one of the largest breweries north of Milwaukee, worth perhaps $15,000. . . .”2103

By the mid-1890s, Raddant’s brewery was powered by steam, and included an ice house with a slide from the adjacent mill pond. Raddant continued to improve his plant, though in one case it almost cost him his life. While superintending construction of a new brick brewery in 1898, he was steadying a load of brick when the hoist lifting the brick caught “a heavy gold ring he wore” and hoisted him fifteen or twenty feet off the floor. The barrow of bricks then tipped and dropped Raddant to the floor with the bricks on top of him. Luckily, he escaped with only a broken ankle and a lot of bruises.2104 He recovered enough to run a losing campaign for mayor of Shawano the next year as an independent candidate, part of what was described as “a sharp dash by the beer interests to defeat the mayor. . . .”2105

In 1905, the Raddant family sold out to a corporation headed by August Anderson, though Raddant remained as brewer. (Anderson’s company also owned and operated the brewery at nearby Cecil.) As usual, newspaper accounts praised the new ownership while implicitly criticizing the former proprietor, claiming “Within a short time a large corporation, with ample capital to handle the business satisfactorily, will be organized.” The next year Emil T. Raddant “retired from business,” and moved to Portland, Oregon, “where he will engage in business . . .”—a strange definition of retirement! Raddant was also reported to be starting a brewery in Tuscon, Arizona, though this projected business never came to fruition. William Buche came over from the now-defunct brewery in Cecil to assume brewmaster duties at the Raddant brewery.2106

The brewery continued to develop during the next decade. While the company eliminated its own malt house in the 1898 remodeling, they soon added bottling facilities, and by 1912 the company was important enough that the Wisconsin & Northern Railroad was granted permission to build a spur into the city to serve the brewery and the municipal power plant.2107 The company was making soft drinks well before Prohibition as a way to broaden their product line.2108 In 1910 Raddant installed a grain-drying plant to make livestock feed from the spent grain. Raddant Brewing also appears to have had at least some other real estate interests, including the Hotel Gillett in the village of that name.2109 The company purchased a four-wheel-drive truck for deliveries in 1913—during its test run the truck carried a six-ton load sixty-four miles in less than seven hours.2110 The advent of Farmers Brewing Co. as a local rival made these improvements critical. Raddant Brewing Co. was forced to engage in a beer war and to make a rival offer of stock to purchase tanks to increase capacity.2111

During Prohibition, Raddant Brewing received a license to brew near beer, however the brewery was raided in 1924 and the license was revoked. The plant was then purchased by a company who proposed to turn it into a candy factory. However, this plan did not go through and starting in 1928 William Buche and Paul Schardt used the brewery to manufacture soft drinks and operated as wholesalers of candy and gum under the name Shawano Specialty Company.2112

After Prohibition, two attempts were made to restart the brewery. The first, under the name Shawano Brewing Co. was led by Paul and Alma Schardt and former brewmaster William Buche. This company did not go into production, and denied that it had been sold to outside investors, but a new firm, Milwaukee-Shawano Brewing Co. incorporated in 1933 and actually began brewing late that year. This company went out of business in May 1934, and the managers were sued in 1936, in part on the grounds that one of the managers was in prison at the time and had defrauded investors.2113

• Farmers Brewing Co. (1914–1920)
• Farmers Brewing Co. (1934–1948)
• Van Dyck Brewing Co. (1948–1950)
• 713 South Main Street

In 1913, local investors began seeking investors to start a second brewery in Shawano. The Shawano County Advocate was skeptical, noting: “It is not known that Shawano needs another brewery, but people seem to believe that there is considerable money to be made in conducting a brewery, so another company is to be organized and a brewery built in the near future.”2114 While the new firm was to be known as Farmers Brewing Co., there was no indication in any of the press reports or company statements that the brewery would be substantially owned by farmers, or conducted for their particular benefit. However, there were more than 150 shareholders of the $50,000 worth of shares, which suggests that a fairly large number of them made relatively modest investments.2115

Farmers Brewing Co. was an example of the last generation of pre-Prohibition breweries: rather than starting as a small family business it started as a relatively large brewery financed by a corporation founded by diverse stockholders. This method was the only way in which a new business could be competitive quickly enough to make a profit. While production figures are not available, it seems to have established a local market for its beer, and built a bottling facility in 1914 to meet the demand.2116 (Labels for Farmers Brewing are also pictured in Chapters 3 & 4.)

When Prohibition arrived, Farmers, like local rival Raddant Brewing, obtained a license to make near beer as well as soft drinks.2117 The brewery was raided in 1922 after strong beer was found in circulation. The company’s defense was that the strong beer had left the brewery by mistake, and that they kept beer of “pre-Volstead strength for the use of employes [sic] who were working, in the belief that the law did not prohibit this practice.”2118 Somehow Farmers retained or regained its brewing permit, since it had a valid permit when the plant was raided again in 1932. Conrad Vollant, president and brewmaster, was arrested while loading six cases of beer into an automobile, and a truck driver from Green Bay was arrested with twenty-seven half-barrels of beer in his truck. At the time the brewery was one of the largest wildcat operations in northern Wisconsin, and supplied markets around the region with real beer. Newspapers in several cities reported the raid with more than passing interest, such as the Manitowoc Herald-Times, which claimed “It is known that trucks from that company have made periodical visits to Manitowoc for many months.”2119 The resulting padlock order delayed the plans of Farmers to return to making real beer, since the order remained in place for several months after beer was relegalized.2120 As a consequence, Farmers Brewing did not return to brewing real lager until 1934. During the 1930s, the company typically produced between 7,000 and 10,000 barrels per year, with sales noticeably higher during the summer months. The most dramatic event during this period occurred in 1939, when burglars “chiseled through a brick wall a foot thick” to steal $400 in cash and checks from the vault of the brewery.2121

After World War II, production slipped, and the brewery sought new ways to increase their market. In 1948, the brewery entered a contract with Van Dyck Beer Company, a beer sales company in Chicago, to provide beer for the company, and changed the name of the brewery to Van Dyck Brewing Co. However, the Chicago firm cancelled the contract in 1949, allegedly because the Shawano brewery “failed to meet specifications of the so-called ‘Holland formula.’” The Chicagoans moved their business to Rahr Green Bay Brewing, and attempted to prevent the Shawano brewery from using the Van Dyck name. The brewery actually owned the Van Dyck label, though, so they obtained an injunction and were allowed to continue temporarily to operate as Van Dyck Brewing. However, in 1950 a federal judge ruled that the Shawano brewery was no longer allowed to use the name. In addition, brewmaster and general manager Kurt Gaida was charged with piping beer to a different building for bottling to avoid federal taxes, as well as reusing tax stamps. The brewery in Shawano ceased making beer in late 1949, and was in bankruptcy proceedings in 1950.2122

As of 2017, the main building of Farmers Brewing was still standing on Main Street in Shawano.

Sheboygan (Sheboygan County)

• Gutsch Bros. (1847–1878)
• Leopold Gutsch (1878–1885)
• Adolph F. Gutsch (1885–88)
• Gutsch Brewing Co. (1888–1920) (A. O. Gutsch Co.) (1912–1920)
• Gutsch Products Co. (1920–26)
• Manitowoc Products Co. (1926–1933)
• Kingsbury Breweries Co. (1934–1962)
• G. Heileman Brewing Co. (1962–1974)
• 1012 New York Avenue

Twin brothers Leopold and Francis Gutsch came to Sheboygan in 1847 after working for a year or two at a brewery in Cincinnati (though another source claims they came straight to Sheboygan). They started a brewery that year, which is generally considered the first in Sheboygan.2123 Their brewery developed a strong reputation for quality and integrity early on. The reports of the R. G. Dun & Co. credit evaluators were filled with phrases like “Busy, hardworking, money making little Dutchmen,” and “Hardest working little Dutch devils in the County” (“Dutch” and “Dutchmen” were common corruptions of the term “Deutsch” or German).2124 Evidence indicates that Gutsch was shipping beer on Lake Michigan during the early 1850s, because an 1853 newspaper item reported that most of the output of the Gutsch and Binz breweries was intended for the Chicago market.2125 It appears that their export market extended to the west by the late 1850s, since an article discussing the beer situation in Superior noted that a brewery in that village would “be the means of keeping much money among us, that otherwise would go to Milwaukee or Sheboygan.”2126 The Gutsch brothers had a permanent presence in Chicago at least as early as the mid-1860s—their brother Anton, who had worked with them for a while in Sheboygan, moved to Chicago and opened a branch office which he conducted until his death in 1867.2127 The brewery was a large one by standards of the place and time: The 1860 census of industry reported that the brothers had $15,000 invested in the brewery, employed seven men, and produced 3,000 barrels in the previous year.

The early years did not pass entirely without hardship. The Gutsch brewery was destroyed by fire in April 1860—insurance was about one third of the estimated $10,000 loss. Some temperance advocates rejoiced, and the Fond du Lac Weekly Commonwealth exulted that “A ten thousand dollar Brewery was destroyed in Sheboygan by fire, a few days since. We accept it as another evidence of the fact that a good Providence reigns, and the he is still not unmindful of the true welfare of the Sheboyganders.”2128 During the 1860s Konrad Schreier passed Gutsch Brothers as the largest brewery in Sheboygan and was soon almost twice the size of the older brewery. Gutsch’s production apparently did not return to 1860 levels until the 1880s.

The Gutsch brothers were interested in expanding their market, and were selling beer in Milwaukee at least as early as 1872. By 1874, their trade extended “throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.” One laudatory article praised their lager, “the recipe for which has been handed down at great expense and trouble from the time [of] King Gambrinus.”2129 Some of the beer was shipped by boat from a warehouse near the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge. Attempting to join the ranks of the major shipping breweries carried risks, however. In 1890, Gutsch Brewing got caught up in the beer war in Chicago, and at one point was accused of starting the war by cutting prices to $4 per barrel, an allegation denied by company president C. B. Henschel. Gutsch was one of the signatories to an agreement to sell beer for $8 per barrel (though with an allowable discount of no more than 25 percent).2130 The most distant market for Gutsch Brewing appears to have been Puerto Rico, where the brewery shipped fifty cases of Liebotschaner in 1898—presumably for the enjoyment of U.S. troops occupying the island.2131 Shipments to the South apparently continued at least through 1910, based on an unusual circumstance reported in American Brewers’ Review:

A [railroad] car which was recently received from the south by the Gutsch Brewing Co. of Sheboygan, Wis., contained a negro who had made the ten-day trip with nothing to exist on but a case of bottle beer. It seems that the car was sealed while the negro was sleeping inside. He has been sent back to the south.2132

After Adolph F. Gutsch bought out his father Leopold in 1885, the company went through several ownership changes in the next decades, while still retaining the Gutsch name. The Gutsch Brewing Co. was incorporated in 1888, and Adolph’s father-in-law Charles B. Henschel (Henschell) bought a share in the company.2133 Gutsch Brewing was targeted by a strike and boycott in 1891 (as was Konrad Schreier). Workers demanded an eight-hour day and a closed-shop provision in their contract. Brewers settled for a $5 per week wage increase but demanded workers leave the union. Gutsch fired men who refused to leave the union, which earned them the condemnation of the Federated Trades Council.2134 In 1894, Gutsch Brewing made a voluntary assignment for bankruptcy protection, even though assets far exceeded liabilities. Henschel reported that the $100,000 “failure” resulted when Wolf Refigerator Co. of Chicago “failed to furnish cooling apparatus,” and $25,000 worth of beer spoiled. But it was also reported that Henschel wanted to get out of the beer business, and that this was simply a way to sell the company. (Since Henschel remained with the firm until 1909, this was ultimately not the reason.) Even though production in 1894 was a modest 9,332 barrels, it was an indication of the importance of Gutsch Brewing that the failure was noted in newspapers from New York to Montana. However, this was merely a temporary condition, and the company was reorganized in 1895 with no perceptible change in business.2135 (Another label from this period is pictured in chapter 4.)

Like many other larger breweries, Gutsch Brewing controlled properties other than their brewery. One example was Standard Hall, which the company purchased in 1908 for $7,000.2136 They also held a number of saloon properties, and in 1909 added to their Sheboygan holdings by purchasing some of the Oconto Brewing Co. saloons in Sheboygan when the latter company left the market.2137 Gutsch Brewing opened a new branch office in Chicago in 1910, solidifying their market in the Windy City, and was one of the largest out-of-town breweries operating in Milwaukee.2138 Owning saloons brought other problems, however. In 1915, a saloon at 1501 South Eighth Street owned by the brewery was the site of a murder, which exposed other corruption at the establishment. Gutsch Brewing took control of the saloon and pledged to run a clean house under new management.2139

One feature that Gutsch shared with a few other breweries was an inventive owner. Alfred Gutsch was responsible for several small innovations at the brewery, but in 1911 he devised a system to cycle the unburned gasses from boiler exhaust through the system again to provide additional fuel and reduce emissions. His system first was placed in use at the brewery, but was intended for wider use on railroad locomotives.2140

Gutsch Brewing Co. was unusual among breweries of comparable size in that it did not do its own malting. They had a malt kiln which seems to have been used briefly during the mid-1880s, but it appears that when the brewery converted to steam power in the late 1880s the malt kiln was abandoned shortly afterwards. While the boiler house did not replace the malt kiln, the brewery was landlocked and had little room to spare, so a malt house sufficient for the size of the brewery was not feasible on the site.

In 1909, C. B. Henschel and his son retired from the business and A. O. “Allie” or “Ollie” Gutsch took control of the family business again. Ollie Gutsch, grandson of Leopold, had been brewmaster for the previous ten years and was respected in Sheboygan as a businessman as well as a brewer.2141 The brewery employed around one hundred people at this point, with a minimum wage of $15.25 per week, which was relatively high for the time. In an article opposing prohibition, it was also noted that the company also employed from time to time “contractors, carpenters, masons, tinsmiths and machinists. In addition there is [sic] a large amount of wagons to be kept in repair and new ones added every year.”2142 In 1909, Gutsch Brewing Co. made a public offering of bonds bearing five percent interest, creating yet another link with the community.2143 The company was not ready, however, to expand their line into soft drinks, and at one point in 1910 placed an announcement in the Sheboygan Press indignantly and firmly denying that any such plans were in the works.2144

Like many breweries of similar size, Gutsch Brewing had regular newspaper ads in their market, and like their rivals, ads often focused on health claims. In 1910, ads for Gold Schaum bottled beer proclaimed it “An invigorating tonic for a tired brain. A tonic that immediately dispels that tired feeling. Something to build you up after a hard days work.”2145 That fall, Gutsch launched a campaign for its Liebotschaner premium beer, but these ads concentrated instead on the quality ingredients and brewing traditions—the labels proclaimed that this brand had been made since 1848.2146 In late 1910 Gutsch introduced yet another label, Lifestaff, and purchased a new wagon for delivering this brand. Lifestaff would later be advertised as “The Long Storage Beer,” though why that was considered a benefit was not said.2147

The most noteworthy piece of pre-Prohibition advertising by Gutsch Brewing Co. was the installation of an “automatic electric sign” in Sheboygan on Eighth Street. Proposed in late 1910, it consisted of “a large bottle which is turned in a pouring position with is contents running into a glass,” with hundreds of electric light bulbs creating the pouring motion. However, the sign was damaged by fire shortly after being installed when the motor that controlled the light switches burned out. The sign was apparently short-lived since the Sheboygan street car company placed a sign in that location in 1912.2148 Gutsch also advertised its products by way of a new delivery truck—custom built by the Kissel Kar company.2149

It seems that all the expenditures may have been more than the company could afford. In 1911, Gutsch Brewing Co. was again in financial trouble, and shut down for a time. The name mentioned most often as a potential buyer was a familiar one, C. B. Henschel. Henschel was still the principal bondholder, and in January 1912 he took control of the company again, though A. O. Gutsch was one of the incorporators and the company retained his name. A new brewmaster, Fred Blust, was brought in from Pocatello, Idaho, and Gutsch Brewing had its own beer back on the market in April 1912.2150 Later that year, the company embarked on an expansion program to boost capacity and improve the bottling department. (The new bottling equipment was the first of that model to be installed, and visitors from as far away as Amsterdam and Buenos Aires came to inspect the facility.)2151 The capacity of the brewery at this point was 80,000 barrels per year, which was delivered over a range of about 200 miles—placing Gutsch Brewing as a regional brewery.2152 However by this point the brewery was not controlled by Sheboygan residents anymore—President Alfred Henschel lived in Chicago and Secretary Robert Heysen (C. B. Henschel’s son-in-law) was from Milwaukee.2153 The brewery continued to have multiple beers on the market: in 1913 they offered both Easter Brew and bock beer during March.2154

Gutsch continued to supply spent grain to farmers, but in 1915 they installed a drying machine and offered dried grains for sale both at the brewery and at feed stores. The brewery emphasized the benefit to farmers, since dried grain could be stored and farmers would not have to get wet malt from the brewery daily.2155

During World War I, Gutsch Brewing contributed to the war effort, and in June 1918 sponsored an advertisement encouraging donations to the local War Chest with the vaguely Marxist slogan “From every patriot according to his ability—to every worthy cause according to its needs.”2156 But of greater concern both to Gutsch Brewing and Sheboygan was the brewery closing order and approach of Prohibition. At the end of 1918, Gutsch Brewing employed thirty-five men full time and owned about fifty saloon properties. An article in the Sheboygan Press noted that not only would the brewery be nearly impossible to convert to other purposes, but the closing of the saloons would lower real estate prices and rental rates throughout out the city.2157 Breweries also faced the loss of experienced skilled employees. Fred Blust, brewmaster at Gutsch, was said in early 1919 to be leaving to take charge of the Brahma brewery in Rio de Janiero (though this move was not as remarkable as it may seem because Blust had worked in Rio prior to coming to the United States). However, he was prevailed upon to remain in Sheboygan. During Prohibition he continued his training, and returned to Germany for three months for postgraduate studies in Berlin. The Sheboygan Press hoped he might “return with some salvation formula for Sheboygan, which will comply with the prohibition laws of the country.” (He later left Sheboygan, but only as far as Milwaukee.)2158

Shortly after the brewery shut down order took effect, Gutsch began to advertise Gutsch Special, a near beer which was supposed to be “refreshing and invigorating.” However, both Gutsch and Schreier continued to make some real beer and made hesitant deliveries of it as the lawyers worked out exactly how Prohibition was to be enforced.2159 The respite was brief, and Prohibition shut down business in Sheboygan as it did elsewhere. There was a brief period when it appeared that beer could be sold for medicinal purposes in 1921. Gutsch was prepared to start brewing again and to sell the 2,000 barrels they still had on hand, but this too came to nought.2160

Gutsch Brewing sought to survive Prohibition with a number of enterprises. In 1921 they purchased equipment for a large ice manufacturing operation, which was heralded as a source of jobs as well as pure ice.2161 They continued to make near beer, including special editions for most major holidays. (A Gutsch Root Beer bottle is pictured in chapter 6.)

In 1924, they launched a competition to name a new cereal beverage in an attempt to create publicity for the new product. (The winning name was “Tipper,” but no labels are known for this product.)2162

Gutsch was one of the rare breweries to suffer a strike during Prohibition when half of the thirty employees walked out over a dispute involving the discharge of one of their members.2163

One of the most important brewery ownership changes of the Prohibition era, a period which saw very little investment or merger activity at all, occurred in 1926, when Manitowoc Products purchased Gutsch Brewing. The owners of Manitowoc Products represented three of the most important families in the brewing history of that city: Daniel C. Bleser, Guido R. Rahr, and Otto H. Senglaub. Manitowoc Products faced increased demand for their “exceptionally good grade of near beer” (Kingsbury Pale) from as far west as Wyoming, and needed the additional capacity that the Gutsch plant would provide. A new company called Gutsch Products was created, though it was completely controlled by Manitowoc Products.2164 Even more unusual was the need to expand the brewery during Prohibition, but in 1930 Manitowoc Products erected a new warehouse for bottled beer the corner of North Tenth and Wisconsin. The new facility was needed because of increasing demand for Kingsbury Pale, which was now sold in thirty-nine states, and “a carload of Kingsbury Pale was shipped to Hollywood, leading moving picture stars demanding this particular beverage.” The popularity of Kingsbury Pale also meant that one hundred men were employed in Sheboygan at what was still locally referred to as Gutsch Brewing—as many as at any previous point in the company’s history.2165 (Additional information about Manitowoc Products may be found in the Manitowoc breweries section.)

The return of real beer was a boon for Gutsch Products, as the Kingsbury label made a smooth transition to Kingsbury Pale Beer and Old Style beer was added (briefly) to the product mix. By mid-1934, Gutsch employed 115 people and had eleven delivery trucks, and claimed production of 300,000 barrels per year.2166 While the company name was changed to Kingsbury in 1933, the Gutsch Products name was still used locally for a few more years. The name change became effective in July 1933, and the company planned to list its stock on the Boston, Chicago, and New York stock exchanges.2167 (Additional information about of kingsbury Breweries, Inc. is found under the Manitowoc listing.) After the company filed for bankruptcy in 1936, a group of Manitowoc and Sheboygan investors led by brothers William H. and Felix T. Pauly purchased a large block of shares in the company to keep the ownership local. William Pauly would eventually be elected chairman of the board and Felix would become treasurer. (Felix’s great-grandson Grant later opened 3 Sheeps Brewing Co. in Sheboygan.)2168

Despite the fact that plans for breweries on the east and west coasts fizzled, the Kingsbury name continued to have a nationwide presence after repeal. In 1941 the company named Larcade Distributing Co. its agent in Corpus Christi, Texas, and the beer was distributed throughout the Upper Midwest.2169

During World War II, breweries were limited in the number of miles that trucks could drive and the number of deliveries allowed in any one week. However, to meet demand during the Christmas season of 1943, Kingsbury resurrected one of the old Gutsch brewery wagons and brought in a team of prize-winning Belgian draft horses to make deliveries in the city.2170

After World War II, Kingsbury continued to be one of the most important regional breweries in the Upper Midwest. Sales grew from over 84,000 barrels in 1952 to an estimated 255,000 in 1959. In March 1959, Kingsbury purchased Sioux City Brewing Co. of Iowa, which was at the time the largest brewery in Iowa with a capacity of 160,000 barrels. (A label from the Sioux City branch is pictured in chapter 8.) O. H. “King” Cole said that this purchase would allow Kingsbury to expand its distribution in portions of Iowa, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and Minnesota that were “not previously reached.” However, in January 1960, Kingsbury itself was purchased by Heileman Brewing Co. of La Crosse. Heileman acquired 51 percent of the shares by purchasing the holdings of the Pauly family for nearly $400,000. Heileman left the management of Kingsbury intact, and the takeover was a friendly one. Heileman’s main reason for the purchase was to acquire the well-established Kingsbury Pale and use it as the company’s popular price beer, rather than trying to develop and market a new brand at the La Crosse brewery.2171

Unlike many brewery buyouts, Heileman intended to use the Sheboygan brewery at full capacity, rather than just acquiring the labels and razing the brewery. Heileman proposed multiple expansions of the brewery, including one in 1969 to move production of its newly-acquired Blatz label to the Kingsbury plant.2172 However, the brewery was threatened with closure in 1970, as the expansion was not as successful as hoped, and a maintenance shut down put ninety-three of the breweries 140 employees out of work. Union leaders alleged that the shut down was simply a measure to “’scare’ workers in advance of new contract talks and to avoid payment of holiday overtime pay.”2173 Local 277 of the Brewery Workers and Malsters Union went on strike for eleven days in 1971 during a contract dispute, but the brewery stayed in production until 1974, making Kingbury products as well as Blatz and Drewry’s beers. In February 1974, Heileman announced that it was closing the 127-year old brewery for good. (Additional information on the last years of Kingsbury in Sheboygan is found in chapter 8.)

• Christopher Hoberg (1847?–1854?)
• “River Street Between Fourth and Fifth”

Christopher Hoberg is believed to have started a brewery (and a general store) in Sheboygan around 1847. Some sources claim that his brewery was the first in Sheboygan, though the precise date is disputed and other sources give the honor to the Gutsch brewery. While his brewery was reported to be on River Street, the 1850 population census recorded his residence in Lyndon Township, well to the west of Sheboygan proper.2174 Son John Hoberg founded Hoberg Paper Company, which would later give the world Charmin toilet paper.

• Jacob Muth (1848–1850?)
• Muth, Binz & Bros. (1850?–52)
• Binz Bros. (1852–1861)
• August Binz (1861–67?)
• Koepl & Gruebner (1867–68)
• Henry Gruebner (1869)
• Thomas Schlachter (1870–1880)
• Thos. Schlachter & Co. (1880–83)
• Michigan Avenue between Fourteenth and Fifteenth

Jacob Muth started his brewery around 1848, and by 1850 it was large enough that he had three other brewers boarding with him (though not large enough to have production recorded in the 1850 industrial census). The Binz brothers, August and Jacob (sometimes listed as Joseph) joined him in 1850. Though many sources claim the Binz brewery dates to 1856, this refers to their brewery built after the 1855 fire. The Binzes apparently joined the firm just after the 1850 census, since an August 1850 advertisement in the Dutch-language Sheboygan Nieuwsbode for 3,000 bushels of “Garst” (barley), for which the usual highest prices would be paid, was placed in the name of “Brouwerij van Muth, Binz & Gebroeders.” (The Gutsch brothers requested 6,000 bushels at the same time.)2175

Muth appears to have left for Burlington in 1852, and the Binz brothers carried on. In 1853 they purchased a lot near their brewery to build a malt house and a beer cellar. Their business must have been fairly extensive at this point, since an article in 1853 claimed that the combined output of Gutsch and Binz was worth about $25,000 per year, much of which was shipped to Chicago (presumably on Lake Michigan).2176 Their brewery and residence were destroyed by a fire in October 1855 which started in the malt house and spread to other buildings. While the fire department was called, it did not reach the scene until it was too late, and one of the firemen was run over by the engine and killed on the way to the fire. There was no insurance at all on the property, and the only item of value saved was a small trunk belonging to Mrs. Binz, which was believed to have been stolen after the fire.2177 August and Jacob rebuilt immediately, though it is possible that they rebuilt on a new location, since some of the accounts place their brewery on Ontario near Twelfth Street at the time of the fire.2178 However, sources agree that the rebuilt Binz brewery was on the site of what eventually became Born’s Park on Michigan Avenue.

The new brewery prospered, according to the reports of R. G. Dun & Co., which said they were “. . . able men, do a g[oo]d bus[iness] and may be set down as entirely safe.” Interestingly, the brothers had no real estate listed in their names in the 1860 population census, nor did they appear in the industrial census of that year. By 1861, Jacob had left the business, and August carried on alone. However, at this point the business ran into financial difficulties, and by 1863 the brewery was placed in the name of August’s father. The Dun investigator reported in 1867 that Binz was “Busted & gone to Chicago.”2179

The next few years of the business sometimes called the Sheboygan Brewery are less well documented. A city directory of 1868 lists Frank Koepl and Henry Gruebner as the proprietors of the brewery at this address, and the excise records seem to support their acquisition of the brewery sometime in early 1867. (However, the 1867 excise record appears to read Goldener, and a 1930 obituary for one of Gruebner’s sons indicates that Henry sold his share in the brewery to a Mr. Gildner2180) Gruebner appeared in the census records on his own in 1869, but in 1870 the brewery passed into the hands of Thomas Schlachter. The Dun records claimed he had “quite an extensive brewery,” but in the early years he struggled financially before “striving away” and becoming more stable in the middle of the decade. His highest known production was around 800 barrels in 1870, but he usually brewed between 200 and 500 barrels, depending on whether he had a full year of brewing or not. The brewery burned in 1872, and yet again in 1878, but Schlacter was now in good enough shape to rebuild the brewery in brick. However, it appears that the continued expense of rebuilding took its toll on Schlachter’s finances, and by 1880 he was considered a poor credit risk. By 1883 he was out of business. According to one account, the brewery equipment was moved to Chicago where it was used in the Keeley brewery.2181

After Schlachter left the business, the land on which the brewery stood was incorporated into Born’s Park, and the brewery became a recreation hall. The hall served as an armory during the Spanish-American War and was used as a sanitarium in the early twentieth century based on the claim that the waters from the mineral waters contained radium (considered a remedy at the time). The building later became 99 Hall, hosted a variety of dances and other events and finally became a tavern and social center under a number of names until finally being destroyed by fire in 1988.2182

• Schlicht & Wellhoffer (1854–56?)
• Schlicht & Schreier (1856–1872)
• Konrad Schreier (1872–1895)
• Konrad Schreier Co. (1895–1930)
• Sheboygan Brewing Co. (1930–34)
• 1504 New Jersey Avenue

The origin stories of the brewery that would eventually become Konrad Schreier Co. vary as to the year of founding and the original founders. Most sources give the date of 1854 as the founding, though a few claim 1856. Some of the confusion appears to be related to when Konrad Schreier joined the firm. One history from 1912 held that Schreier did not arrive in Sheboygan until 1856, and a reminiscence published in 1921 holds that Leonard Schlicht built the brewery, and brought in George Wellhoffer (Wellhoefer) as a partner before Schreier joined the business in 1856.2183 Schlicht’s brewery was already an important community center: when the city of Sheboygan announced the building of a new road in 1856, the contracting for the grading was organized at the brewery.2184 By the 1860 industrial census, Schlicht & Schreier had increased production to 500 barrels, which at the time was third most in the city.

The prosperity of Schreier & Schlicht suffered a setback in 1866. Their new steam-powered brewery was destroyed by fire less than a month after completion, with the insurance of $2,000 nowhere near enough to cover the estimated $20,000 loss. The insurance seems not to have been updated to cover the value of the new brewery.2185 Schlicht & Schreier rebuilt quickly, and bigger and better than before. Their new brewery was one of the very few steam-powered breweries in Northern Wisconsin, and by 1870 they had passed Gutsch Brothers for the largest brewery in Sheboygan—producing 3,200 barrels to the Gutsch’s 2,500. The establishment employed many hands: four additional brewers boarded with Schlicht and a few more with Schreier. In 1872 the partnership dissolved, and Leonard Schlicht took over management of the brewery’s saloon until his death in 1875. By 1876, the R. G. Dun & Co. credit evaluator described Konrad Schreier as the “Beer King of the City” and affirmed that the brewery was making money.2186

Schreier began offering bottled beer at least as early as 1877, when the contract was given to Adolph Lebermann, who continued to serve as Schreier’s bottler for at least the next sixteen years. (Lebermann was also Sheriff of Sheboygan County during the 1890s.)2187

The constant improvement of a regional brewery was not always easy. In 1895, Schreier Brewing sought a new source of brewing water. Their attempt to drill a new artesian well cost thousands of dollars, and was not successful until they finally struck a “copious stream of water at the depth of 1,800 feet.”2188

The result of all the improvements was a brewery that was important to the health of the local economy. In an article answering calls for prohibition, the Sheboygan Press argued Konrad Schreier Co. was

. . . operating a brewery and a malting house, and employing a hundred men, all at prices equally as high as paid by the other brewery [Gutsch, which had a minimum weekly wage of $15.25]. This concern with a reputation of sixty years has gone forward increasing each year. The men employed there have built their homes and it can be said that no enterprise in Sheboygan has done more for this city than this same company. The money is invested here at home and the growth of these institutions means a great deal to Sheboygan.2189

In 1896, Konrad Schreier Co. was incorporated, with Konrad Schreier and his sons-in-law A. P. Steffen and Louis Testwuide as the officers. The absence of “Brewing” from the name indicated that the malting operation was at least as important as the brewery, if not more so. Schreier malt was distributed throughout America, and the Sheboygan Press occasionally noted shipments to new or distant markets, as in 1900 when Schreier shipped three carloads to Pennsylvania.2190 Konrad Schreier remained at the head of the company until his death in 1903, when his son Herman then took over.2191

In order to maintain the local market against strong competition, Konrad Schreier Co. needed to produce a variety of brands, and to advertise them. In 1907, Schreier advertised four regular brands of bottled beer: Edelbrau, Perfection, Select and Pilsiner [sic], as well as “Our Celebrated Bohemian,” which was only available around the Christmas holidays.2192 Schreier also brewed bock beer (which they called Pilsener Bock). In 1908 sales were limited to three days in early June—rather late for bock season.2193

Like most brewers of the era, Schreier also depended on pseudo-medical testimony in their advertisements. In 1908, an ad proclaimed:

Medical men always display a decided preference for Edelbrau. Long practical experience of human diet has taught them its healthful superiority. They know it is a true and most delicious liquid extract of the farmer’s hops and barley; that it is always properly aged and sterilized; hence cannot hurt them or ferment in the stomach. They are also well aware that hop juice calms the nerves, and acts as a tonic; while the alcohol is an efficient digestive and a generator of energy.2194

While overstated, these ads made no claims not being made by other brewers. Other ads of the time period urged customers to choose Schreier’s beer because “it is a home product, made by home labor.”2195

Schreier took advantage of the interest in modern technology in their advertising. In 1911, the brewery ordered 500 “transfer pictures” from the Meyercord Company of Chicago, which depicted a night scene of the East Side of Sheboygan, with “a modern air ship” (dirigible) with a search light trained on “a huge bottle of Edelbrau in the foreground.”2196

One of the largest disasters in Sheboygan history struck the malt house of Konrad Schreier Co. in June 1911. A fire that started in a malfunctioning fan spread throughout the eight-story malt house and the enormous elevators, causing more than $250,000 damage. Luckily the local fire department, augmented by crews from Manitowoc, was able to protect the brewery and the downtown business district, so the catastrophe was limited to the malting complex. Insurance covered about 90 percent of the loss, and rebuilding started immediately.2197 The rebuilt malt house had a capacity of 1,500,000 bushels per year, to go with a sizeable brewery with capacity to brew 75,000 barrels of beer each year. The brewery had its own electric plant, and the brewery was “fitted with all the latest appliances and improved machinery,” in the common claim of the era.2198

Schreier Co. also took the lead in building concrete roads in Sheboygan, partly to beautify their section of the city, but also to make sure that the roads would be strong enough to support the new, heavy trucks the company was using for deliveries.2199

The approach of Prohibition threatened all breweries, but those with significant malting operations were doubly vulnerable. By 1918, Konrad Schreier Co. was brewing 42,000 barrels of beer and malting approximately 800,000 bushels of barley each year, most of which came from farmers in the vicinity. Schreier employed sixty men in brewing and malting, and the Sheboygan Press pointed out that many of these were older men who had worked their entire lives in this industry, and who would have a harder time finding work in a new field.2200 Schreier continued to bottle beer into 1919, using up the stock on hand.2201 However, as Prohibition approached, Schreier Co. bowed to the inevitable and began advertising “New Edelbrau,” a non-intoxicating malt beverage. The company continued to market this beverage for several years, but ads in 1923 seemed to recognize the limits of this product by urging customers “Don’t be skeptical or doubtful. It’s Great.”2202 Edelbrau seemed to have become an accepted product, and Schreier decided in 1926 to introduce a dark “Muenchner Style” near beer, which was advertised as “made from a full 5 percent brew.”2203 By August 1920, the company had refitted the brewery to manufacture and bottle soft drinks, which were on the market in mixed cases in time for the Christmas holidays. The company offered the usual ginger ale and root beer, as well as Grape Smash, Cherry Blossoms, and Green River, “the Original Snappy Lime Drink. In 1922, Schreier added Choc-Lo, a chocolate soda product.”2204 It added numerous other flavors throughout Prohibition, though the most unusual was probably Hop-Blossoms, which appeared in 1924 and was advertised as a tonic to be served with meals. The company continued to experiment with new labels throughout Prohibition, introducing Brewmaster Special in 1928, which was packaged in pint bottles rather than the standard 12-ounce or 7-ounce bottles.2205

Because Konrad Schreier Co. had emphasized malting for many years, it had options during Prohibition that brewery-only businesses did not have. The company built a flour mill to the west of the elevators, and began to make “cereal products.” In 1925, Emil Mohr Bakery of Sheboygan advertised a new whole wheat bread that was made “out of the improved whole wheat flour made by the Konrad Schreier Co.”2206 Like many breweries, the company also turned portions of its plant into cold storage: in 1928 Herziger Sausage Co. leased enough space to store and dry 75,000 pounds of sausage.2207

While the company diversified its product line, it also started to sell off its many saloon properties in the city, despairing that beer would return anytime soon. It also sold its beer warehouses in outlying villages such as Kiel.2208 Schreier Co. even had occasional supply bottlenecks during the Prohibition era: in November 1926, they advertised asking customers with empty cases and bottles to arrange to return them to the factory “as we are in urgent need of cases and bottles.”2209

In 1930, Manitowoc Products, which already owned the former Gutsch brewery in Sheboygan, needed even more capacity to meet the continually expanding demand for Kingsbury Pale near beer. They sale of the brewery portion of Konrad Schreier was closed in October 1930, and the Schreier plant began to brew Kingsbury Pale and Lifestaff (a Gutsch label that Manitowoc Products continued) and continued producing Dublin Dry and Lemon Dry soft drinks. Konrad Schreier Co. continued to control and operate the malting portion of the business.2210 Later that year, a new company was formed, Sheboygan Brewing Co., which took over the malt and soda business of Schreier Co. and had its offices in the Schreier complex. This business was not simply another name for the Manitowoc Products-owned brewery, since Sheboygan Brewing continued to brew Edelbrau and Muenchner rather than Kingsbury Pale. However, the incorporators of this company included Daniel Bleser and O. H. Senglaub, who were directors of Manitowoc Products. Confusing the issue further was the fact that a number of soft drinks continued to be advertised under the Schreier brand for a few months, but eventually the products were converted to Sheboygan Brewing labels.2211

Upon the return of beer, Sheboygan Brewing Co. converted the Edelbrau label back to real beer, and by mid-1934 the company was employing forty people and operating seven delivery trucks. However, the plant’s capacity of 150,000 barrels was much more than this company could possibly use.2212 But Kingsbury needed the capacity, and on 1 July 1934, Kingsbury Breweries Co. officially took over the Sheboygan Brewing Co. plant. Occasional advertisements or mentions of Sheboygan Brewing Co. continued even into 1935, but the company ceased to brew under that name in 1934.2213 Brewing did not continue at the former Schreier facility very long, as Kingsbury focused on upgrading the former Gutsch plant instead.

• Rheinhart Able (1860?)
• Fourth Ward

Rheinhart Able is so far known only from the 1860 population census. Since he had real estate of $1,000 it is unlikely he was employed by the Binz brewery (also in the Fourth Ward).

• Ernst Ninmann (ca. 1860)
• Fourth Ward

Like Rheinhart Able, Ernst Ninmann appears in the 1860 population census as a brewer, but nowhere else. He does not have any real estate listed (but neither did Binz). His son Rudolf was listed as an apprentice brewer, which suggests that he may have worked for his father, but they both may have been employed by one of the other Sheboygan breweries.

• Wellhoffer & Buckle (1856?–1867?)
• George Wellhoffer (Wellhoefer) (1867?)
• Wellhoffer & Keanitz (1867–68)
• George Wellhoffer (1868–1870?)
• Edmund Ohse, Sheboygan Brewery (1870?)
• Ohse & Runkel (1870)
• Kleiber & Runkel (1870–71)
• Kroos Brewery
• William Kroos (1872–74)
• Richard Weidenser (1874–75?)
• Kuhl & Koppert (1875?–77)
• Martin Kuhl (1877–79)
• Calumet Road and Twenty-fourth Street

George Wellhoffer (spelled various ways) and August Buckle began brewing near the toll booth on the Calumet Plank Road sometime prior to 1857, since they were included in that year’s state business directory. Their brewery grew quickly and in 1860 they produced 700 barrels of beer. The mid-1860s are poorly documented, so it is not clear at what point Buckle left the business, though he was at a brewery in Plymouth by 1867 at the latest. The excise records indicate that Wellhoffer was on his own by May 1867, though he had a partner on and off during the late 1860s. However, the R. G. Dun & Co. records indicate that that Wellhoffer was being foreclosed in late 1870, which fits with his last appearance in the excise records.2214 Wellhoffer stayed in the brewing industry even after leaving his brewery—in the 1875 Sheboygan city directory he was listed as the brewer for Frank Tasche’s small white beer brewery.

In the 1870 industrial census, the brewery appeared under the name of Edmund Ohse, and was a significant operation. The brewery represented an investment of $8,000, employed three men and one youth, and produced 900 barrels of beer (as well as 3,000 bushels of feed and 100 gallons of yeast). Again, the transfers of management are not clear during the early 1870s, and it is not clear whether Runkel and Kleiber purchased shares in the brewery or were leasing from another owner.

William Kroos purchased the brewery in 1872, and was considered to be a reliable businessman who was also in the produce business.2215 Kroos’ time at the brewery appears to have ended about the same time as a fire that destroyed the brewery in March 1874. The fire department was never called to the scene, but the insurance of $4,000 was estimated to be enough to cover the damage—a rarity among breweries of that time.2216

Richard Weidenser (various spellings) may have owned the brewery for a brief period after the fire. In October 1875 the Milwaukee Daily Sentinel mentioned that this veteran of Milwaukee’s South Side Brewery had purchased the “Dickson” (presumably Dick) brewery in Sheboygan Falls. While there is little other documentation of this move, it seems to indicate the point at which he left the brewery on Calumet Road.

The next documented owners were Kuhl and Koppert, who took over sometime prior to 1877. In 1877 this partnership dissolved and Martin Kuhl took over the business on his own. The final appearance of this brewery in the news was in September 1879, when the Milwaukee Daily Sentinel reported that “Kull’s [sic] brewery, owned by C. M. Limprecht, just outside city limits, burned. . . .” The building was reported to be unoccupied at the time, though whether this means that no one was in the building, or that the building was vacant is not clear. The R. G. Dun & Co. reports confirm that Kuhl was out of business by the end of 1879.2217

• August Thamer (1872–76?)
• Ontario Avenue and Twelfth Streets

August Thamer first appeared in the excise records in June 1872, though through a transcription error was listed as Robert. The 1875 city directory corrected the first name, but gave different last names in the business and personal listings (Thamur and Thomas, respectively). His business was described as a “small beer manufacturer” and Schade’s listing of brewers recorded his production in 1875 as twenty barrels—a small producer of small beer.

• Frank Tasche, Weiss Beer Brewery & Saloon (1874?–77?)
• Eighth Street North of Niagara Avenue

Frank Tasche first appeared in the excise records in April 1874. His small weiss beer brewery and saloon also appeared in the 1875–76 Sheboygan city directory. The evaluators for R. G. Dun & Co. in December 1876 considered his business too small to be extended much credit. His business disappears from the records after 1876, though he may have operated through 1877, given the date of the Dun report.2218

• Augustus Goebel (1875?–76)
• Superior Avenue and Twelfth Street

The R. G. Dun & Co. credit reports are the only source so far for the brewery of Augustus Goebel. The evaluator reported in June 1875 that he had “very [small] means.” At the end of 1876 he added that Goebel had “Played out and moved away.” The 1875 Sheboygan city directory included a listing for Augustus Goebel, but with a pottery at Superior and Twelfth. He may have shifted into brewing with little success (but could have made his own beer bottles).2219

• Hops Haven Brewhaus (2003–2010)
• 1327 North Fourteenth Street

Hops Haven, opened in 2003, brought brewing back to Sheboygan after a nearly thirty-year absence. Owner and brewer Jeff Kolar refurbished the 100-year old Wigwam Mills building to create a 70,000-square-foot pub. Some of the sub floor removed during the renovation was reused for tables in the bar. Kolar previously was the brewer at Port Washington Brewing Co., and he brought several of the PWBC brands with him to Hops Haven. The restaurant featured a collection of breweriana, much of it donated by local collectors. In addition, the restaurant was the site of many local meetings and hosted live music. The business closed due to financial difficulties in 2012, but the brewery part became 3 Sheeps Brewing Co.2220

• Three Sheeps Brewing Co. (2012–present)
• 1327 North Fourteenth Street (2012–16); 1837 North Avenue (2016–present)

Grant Pauly was not excited by his family’s concrete business and found more fulfillment in homebrewing experiments. Brewing was in his blood, as his great-grandfather Felix Pauly had been an owner and officer of Kingsbury Brewing Co. for many years. So when Hops Haven Brewhaus went out of business, Pauly arranged to take over the brewery portion of the building and 3 Sheeps Brewing began operation in 2012. As with many new breweries, for the first several months they produced only draught beer, but were bottling by the end of 2012.

Pauly’s approach to beer was described in the original company slogan—“One off of Normal.” The beers are designed to be enjoyable, but with some difference in ingredients or process. The original beers included Enkel (a Belgian table ale), Baaad Boy Black Wheat, Rebel Kent (an amber ale) and Really Cool Waterslides IPA (now called simply Waterslides). Over time, 3 Sheeps introduced new seasonal beers, barrel-aged beers, and the Nimble Lips, Noble Tongue series of experimental beers.

The enthusiastic reception for 3 Sheeps beers eventually forced the company to seek larger quarters. In 2016 they opened a new brewery with a spacious taproom on North Avenue. This made it possible to introduce canned beer, which they did in 2017 with three brands: Waterslides, 3 Sheeps Pils, and Fresh Coast Pale Ale. In 2017, 3 Sheeps also embarked on a rebranding campaign including new label designs (in which sheep were less prominent) and a new slogan: “Brewed with Heart & Science.”2221

• 8th Street Ale House (2013–present)
• 1132 North 8th Street

The 8th Street Ale House had a reputation as a great craft beer bar before they decided to start brewing their own beer in 2013. Brewer Eric Hansen started brewing on a five-gallon system in the prep kitchen in the basement. As the beer became more popular, they moved the brewery into the building next door and expanded to a one-barrel system.

Brewing for a beer bar presents special challenges. While 8th Street currently reserves eight taps for Hansen’s beers, he has to be able to justify why the bar manager should choose his beers over a popular “guest tap.” When the Ale House hosts a special event like a “tap takeover,” some of the house beers may be taken off line temporarily. Some guest taps will duplicate styles like Scotch Ale or Amber that are brewed in house, but Hard Roll Hefe has replaced all other outside hefeweizens. Seasonal styles range from New England IPA to Russian Imperial Stout.2222

Sheboygan Falls (Sheboygan County)

• Charles Osthelder (1853–1863)
• Joseph Osthelder (1864–1874)
• Near Broadway Street at Foot of Buffalo Street

Charles (or Carl) Osthelder moved to Sheboygan in 1851, and worked for a time as a cooper. In 1853 he moved to Sheboygan Falls, and started a brewery there.2223 (Though a 1915 remembrance by Joseph Osthelder claimed that Charles rented a brewery owned by Michael Rothmann.)2224 In December 1855 the brewery was destroyed by fire, though the stables and the family dwelling were saved.2225 Apparently he was not only sufficiently insured but received excellent service from Aetna Insurance Co.; he was featured in an ad endorsing the company the following March.2226 The brewery was modest in size, producing 400 barrels in 1860. Charles’ son Joseph worked in the brewery, and two hired brewers lived on the premises. According to one rather flowery biography, “After putting aside his text-books [Joseph] became identified with the brewing business, in which he was interested at the time of his enlistment. . . .” One of his duties was delivering the beer, which was often done with teams of oxen. He was often armed during his trips, for protection from wolves and to safeguard the cash used to pay local farmers for barley—once as much as $500.2227 Joseph served as part of General Butler’s army that occupied New Orleans until 1864, when he received an honorable discharge and returned to Sheboygan Falls, “interesting himself again in the brewing business, in which he continued until 1874.” Charles Osthelder had died in 1863, and it is unclear if the brewery had continued to operate while Joseph and his brother Charles Jr. were absent. Charles Jr. also worked in the brewery but later went to Milwaukee with Fred Muth to work as a beer bottler. (Osthelder advertised that he bottled beer for Best, Blatz, Melms, and Lill in the 1867 Milwaukee city directory, though Sheboygan sources claim he did not move to Milwaukee until 1868.)2228

The brewery burned again in September 1869, though insurance covered the majority of the $5,000 loss.2229 Production during these years was typically between 100 and 200 barrels per year. One unusual note is that the 1870 industrial census listed one female employee, though this person cannot be identified from the population census. Joseph continued to operate the brewery until 1874, when he closed it and opened a saloon in downtown Sheboygan Falls which later became Koene’s Korner and still later Ye Old Corner Tavern. The building still stands as of this 2017.2230

• Henry Dicke (1860?–67?)
• Margaret Wissman (1867?–68)
• Liebner & Ortmayer (1868–69?)
• Ortmayer & Kappelbaum (1870)
• S. Ortmayer (1870–71)
• Henry Dicke (1871–75)
• Richard Weidenser (Wiedensen) (1875)
• Durow & Herber (1875–78)
• David Durow (1878–79)

The origins of Henry Dicke’s brewery are not as clear as its well-documented ending. Henry Dicke (or Dick) is listed in the 1860 population census as a wealthy wagon maker, but his son Frederic was listed as a brewer, and may have run his father’s brewery at the time. According to an 1862 map of Sheboygan County, Henry Dicke appears to have abandoned the wagon business and moved into brewing full time.2231 This appears to have been temporary, however, because by the 1870 census he is again recorded as a wagon maker, and seems to have leased the brewery to a series of proprietors. The excise records do not include Dicke from 1867 to 1871, but during that time Wissman, Liebner, Ortmayer and Kappelbaum all appear in Sheboygan Falls. Evidence that this was all the same brewery is suggested by a 1921 retrospective which lists this brewery as Dix & Luebner, which is likely an alternate spelling of Dicke and Liebner.2232 The entry in the 1870 industrial census was listed under Ortmayer and Kassebaum, and produced 340 barrels with the aid of one employee and two horsepowers.

Henry Dicke appears to have taken the brewery back in 1871, since he reappears in the excise records in September. He operated the brewery for a few years until selling it to Dick Weidenser “until recently of the South Side Brewery” in Milwaukee.2233 However, Weidenser’s apparently managed the brewery only a short time, since the firm of Durow and Herber soon took over the brewery, and the R. G. Dun & Co. credit report of September 1877 noted that they had been in business about two years at that point. The Dun evaluator did not recommend the business for credit, since both proprietors drank “too much of [their] own [manufacture].” Herber left the business in 1878, and Durow continued on alone.2234

The brewery came to an ignominious end in 1879. The Milwaukee Daily Sentinel reported

“An important seizure was made by the internal revenue officials Saturday [11 November]. A few days since it was reported that the large brewing establishment of David Durow, of Sheboygan Falls . . . not making proper entries in the brewer books; with buying stamps that had been once used, and with retailing beer without a license. A warrant for the arrest of Durow was placed in the hands of the United States Marshal. Durow had considerable reputation in business circles where he is known.”

A month later, Durow pled guilty, and the property was sold early in 1880. The sale of the stock netted only $71.53, since the beer was “a bad brew and only fit for hog feed.” Since no buyer was willing to bid enough for the beer to pay for the revenue stamps, forty barrels were dumped “into the purling waters of the Sheboygan River.”2235

Shullsburg (Lafayette County)

• Shullsburg Brewery
• Philip Marx (1851?–1867?)
• Miller, Marx & Co. (1867?)
• Marx & Wagner (1870?)
• Wagner & Mahoney (1871?–1872)
• Thomas Mahoney (1872–1874?)
• Mahoney & Stephens (1874–1880)
• Jacob Blotz (1882–85)
• John Schock (1885–1890)
• Carl Steiner (1890–93)
• Wm. Buexton (1893–95)
• Moritz Hoffmann (1895–1902)
• Fred W. Langenberg (1902–3)
• Shullsburg Brewing Co., Louis Zimmerer (1903–5)
• Shullsburg Brewery (Shullsburg Brewing Co.)
• Michael Littel (1905–1910)
• Gustav Varrelmann (1910)
• Fred W. Goetz (1910–12)
• Frank O. Moesmer (1912–14)
• Ludwig Meindl (1914–16)
• North of Shullsburg on Modern County Road O

As early as the founding of the Shullsburg Brewery was, it was still a relative latecomer in the mining region where Mineral Point had a brewery in 1835 and Elk Grove in 1836. Philip Marx may have started brewing as early as 1850, but he was clearly functioning by 1851 at the latest. His brewery produced 500 barrels with the aid of three men in 1860. The reports of the R. G. Dun & Co. credit evaluators provide the most detailed records of these early years. A report in early 1857 claimed he had been “in the brewery business about 6 years,” and as early as 1853 he was said to be “Doing a good bus[iness].” The evaluators duly noted that Marx was “a large consumer of his own beer,” and that he was “still making beer and drinking it” but that he was still an honorable and “economical[,] industrious German.” As late as 1862 the evaluator confessed that “’Lager’ has not killed him yet.” Perhaps the most noteworthy feature of the early years of this brewery was that, according to Dun & Co., he had gone out of business in late 1862 or early 1863 “on account of Govt. Tax”—making him one of the very few brewers in the Upper Midwest who can be documented as having been pushed out of business by the excise tax imposed to fund the Civil War.2236

The Shullsburg Brewery changed hands more often and at a faster rate than all but a few Wisconsin breweries, and these changes are poorly documented or even conflicted. Marx appears to have returned to brewing after the war, since he appears in the excise records with various partners. However the brewery seems to have gone in and out of business frequently over the next several decades, and the plant sat idle several times during ownership changes. Thomas Mahoney was associated with the brewery for almost a decade, but lost the business in late 1879 or early 1880, perhaps in part because, according to the Dun Co. records, the U.S. government seized the brewery for making illicit whiskey. The Dun & Co. evaluator also noted that “The old brewery they are running is not first class.”2237

The frequent ownership changes continued through the next decades, though Mortiz Hoffmann provided several years of continuity. Louis and Anna Zimmerer and Fred Langenberg filed articles of incorporation for Shullsburg Brewing Co. in September 1903, but this version of the company lasted only about two years.2238 In June 1910, American Brewer’s Review reported that Michael Littel had sold the property to Gustav Varrelmann, formerly brewmaster at Wainwright Brewing of Pittsburgh. It noted that the brewery had been closed for about eight months, but that Mr. Varrelmann planned to “run the brewery on modern lines.”2239 Varrelmann incorporated the company, along with Millicent Varrelmann and F. C. Mueller, but he did not stay long.2240 Varrelmann’s name has not been found in local sources, and the next known proprietor is Fred Goetz.

Shullsburg Brewing Co. served a local market, and had to fight to keep that. The company purchased an advertisement on a 1904 map of Lafayette County in which the brewers of Pure Pilsner and Bohemian Lager announced “Bottle Beer a Specialty,” but nearby ads touted the products of Mineral Spring Brewing Co. and Blumer’s Monroe Brewery—and Blumer’s ad even included a sketch of the brewery.2241

The brewery closed sometime in 1916, which was announced in American Brewers’ Review in December.2242 As of 2017 the brewery building still stands.2243

• Schmidt & Schulte (1867–68)
• Severin Schulte (1868?–1875?)
• Schulte & Lauterbach (1876–79?)
• Rosalie Schulte (1879?–1887?)

Excise records and the credit reports of R. G. Dun & Co. indicate that there were two breweries in Shullsburg, though occasions when both were in full operation at the same time were rare. Severin Schulte first appears in the excise records in July 1867 with a partner named Schmidt, he then operated the brewery on his own for several years. According to the Dun records, he started well and did a large business. (The 1870 industrial census reported that he made 1,000 barrels of beer, and perhaps an additional 100 barrels of “cream” ale, though this section is barely legible.) However, by 1870 he was “heavily in debt but is persevering and hard at work.” The evaluator opined in 1872 that Schulte would have trouble getting out of debt “unless . . . the RR [railroad] is built thro’ here.” He still managed to pay his bills, but in 1876 opted to sell a half share in the brewery to [Peter?] Lauterbach.2244

Lauterbach was a local farmer who “sold a farm” in 1876 and put the money into the brewery. However, the partners were unable to eliminate the debt, and in July 1879 their brewery was seized “for making illicit whiskey. ‘Exploded.’”2245 Production had already dropped to 303 barrels in 1878 and a mere 159 the next year.

Rosalie Schulte appears to have taken over the brewery in 1879, or perhaps the brewery was placed in her name to avoid creditors. This business change somehow was not reported in Western Brewer until 1885.2246 Her brewery was still listed in the 1887 Wing’s Brewers’ Annual, but this is the last appearance of this brewery in the records.

Sigel Township (Wood County)

• John Pelisell (?)

Historian Wayne Kroll lists John Pelisell as the operator of a farm brewery in Sigel Township in Wisconsin’s Farm Breweries. He was listed as a farmer in both the 1860 and 1870 population censuses (spelled Peliselle), but it is not clear how long or how often he brewed.2247

Silver Creek (Sherman Township) (Sheboygan County)

• Herman Seifert & Co. (1866?–69?)
• Herman Seifert (& Bro.) (1870–72)
• Seifert Bros. (1872–73?)
• Julius Seifert (1874–1881)
• Charles Hamm (1881–1903)
• Near Modern State Highway 144 and Camp Awana Road

Local tradition holds that Herman Seifert started his brewery in Sherman Township “toward the end of the Sixties,” which is supported by his appearance in the excise records in January 1867 (which suggests he started operations late in 1866). Seifert made 180 barrels of lager and 222 barrels of “beer” in 1870—enough to supply a local market but much smaller than the breweries of nearby Sheboygan and West Bend. The “& Co.” appears to have been Herman’s brother Julius, who lived next door to Herman and was also listed as a brewer in the 1870 population census.

The changes in business name seem to be mostly cosmetic or meaningless, since both Herman and Julius were active in the business during the early years. Production remained modest: 316 barrels in 1871 and 259 the next year. However after Julius became sole proprietor in 1874, production gradually increased until he manufactured 672 barrels in 1878. However, it appears that any expansion of the brewery at this time caused him financial difficulty.2248

In 1881, Seifert sold the brewery to Charles Hamm, who the R. G. Dun & Co. agent rated as “Honest and attentive, a good brewer.”2249 Industry directories from the 1880s list Seifert and then Hamm as both producing weiss beer, which may also have been the cheaper “beer” listed in the 1870 industrial census. Both the 1884 and 1887 Wing directories claim Hamm was also bottling, which would have been essential for weiss beer, but he may also have been bottling lager at this point. Sometime in the late 1880s Hamm also added a malt house, which he continued to operate into the 1900s.

Around 1903, Hamm built a new plant just to the east in Random Lake, and moved the equipment to the new site. It is clear from maps and local descriptions that Hamm actually built a new brewery in a new location, and this was not simply a change in the mailing address for the same location, (even though he kept the name Silver Creek Brewery at the new site).2250

Slinger (Schleisingerville) (Washington County)

• Jules Schleisinger (?)
• August Lehner (1856?–1861?)
• John Klingler (1861?–1873?)

The early years of the first brewery in the region of Schleisingerville (later Slinger) are not well documented. Wayne Kroll has identified Jules Schleisinger and August Lehner as early brewers in this location.2251 August (or Andreas) Lehner (Leinhardt, Lekner) appears in several sources as a brewer in Cedar Creek from the mid-1850s through the early 1860s. He produced 300 barrels in the tax year ending in 1860 and sold them for $2,000.

Kroll also indicates that John Klingler was the next brewer at this site. Klingler is slightly better documented. He appeared in the excise records from 1867 through 1872, and the 1870 industrial census reported that he sold 200 barrels of beer. The brewery was still a small one, with one horsepower and three employees, though one of these was reported as a “youth.” While it was common for younger family members to work in the breweries, it was not often reported in the census, which means this may not have been a relative. John Klingler left his brewery in Polk Township around 1873, but he remained in the industry, since the 1880 population census indicated that he was employed as a brewery worker in Milwaukee.

• Benedict Kornburger (1868–1870)
• Lehman Rosenheimer (1870–77)
• Storck & Hartig (1877–1884)
• Chas. Storck & Co. (1884–88)
• Chas. Storck (1888–1895)
• Chas. Storck’s Brewery (1895–1903)
• Estate of Chas. Storck (1903–4)
• Storck Brewing Co. (1904–1912)
• Storck Cooperative Brewing and Malting Co. (1912–13)
• Storck Brewing Co. (1913–1920)
• Storck Products Co. (1933–1953)
• Storck Brewery, Inc. (1953–58)
• 201 South Storck Street

The research of Otto Tiegs has helped clarify the ownership changes in the early years of what became the Storck Brewing Co. Benedict Kornburger built a brewery on the south side of Schleisingerville (later Slinger) in 1868, selecting a site near the La Crosse Railroad line.2252 In the early years the brewery did not operate year-round. The 1870 industrial census reported that the brewery had been in production for seven of the previous twelve months, and had produced 130 barrels of beer—about two thirds as much as John Klingler’s nearby older brewery.

In late 1870 Kornburger sold the brewery to local businessman Lehman Rosenheimer. (Kornburger’s name remained in the excise records through 1871.) This new acquisition was only one of Rosenheimer’s many enterprises—a business directory on a county map from 1873 lists “L. Rosenheimer, Prop. of Brewery and Saloon, Manuf. of Harness, and Dealer in Country Produce, Dry Goods, Groceries, Clothing, Crockery, Boots and Shoes, Agric. Implements, Lumber.”2253 Rosenheimer put his son John in charge of the brewery, and Tiegs argues that the access the Rosenheimers had to materials and markets helped build their brewery. The brewery was still a small one by standards of the area, with a capacity of around 500 barrels per year and production in 1875 of 208 barrels.2254 The Milwaukee Daily Sentinel added confusion to the story of this brewery in January 1872 when it reported “Kronenbergers brewery, at Schleisingerville, has passed into the hands of Mr. John Enes, of this city [Milwaukee].”2255 This announcement was either premature or erroneous, since no other source indicated that Enes in fact took over this brewery.

H. Charles Storck and William Hartig met while employed at Val. Blatz’s brewery in Milwaukee, and in 1877 purchased the Schleisingerville brewery for $5,000 from Rosenheimer, whose health was deteriorating. Storck and Hartig began to improve the brewery and increase capacity. Around 1883 they added a malt house to the complex. However, Hartig wanted to own his own brewery, so in 1884 he sold his share of the business to Charles Ehlert for $6,000. The parting between Hartig and Storck was friendly, and the families remained close for many decades. Storck also wanted to own a brewery outright, so he worked for four years to buy out Ehlert’s shares.2256

Storck continued to expand his brewery, and the 1895 Wisconsin industrial census reported that Storck produced around 6,000 barrels, some of which was shipped as far as Stevens Point. H. Charles Storck died in 1903, and his sons took over the brewery. They incorporated the company as Storck Brewing Co., built a new brewhouse and bottle house, and began a modest expansion to their advertising program to compete against the Milwaukee breweries and other local firms. One noteworthy form of advertisement was at the local movie house, where the theater projected a promotional slide for Storck’s beer on the screen during intermissions. Like most other brewery owners in small cities, the Storcks were all active in other local business and municipal government. It was during August’s term as village president in 1921 that the name Schleisingerville was changed to Slinger.2257

Business was strong through the beginning of World War I, but the Storck brothers anticipated Prohibition and began to develop other product lines to survive the dry years. Storck Products Co. became well known for their ice cream, which was produced both in Slinger and at a branch plant in Beaver Dam that was formerly R. H. Martin Bottling Works.2258

The Storcks did not give up brewing completely, however. While they never marketed a near beer, they continued to make real beer. (The company had been denied a near beer license several times.) Brewing equipment was hidden among the ice cream vessels, and serving equipment in the brewery taproom could be hidden quickly. While some of the beer was served locally, some was shipped to Hartford and Milwaukee. Eventually the size of their operation caught up with them, and the brewery was raided in March 1926. Agents confiscated 2,348 gallons of beer, and claimed “the chief source of Milwaukee’s real beer has been stopped.” In July the brewery was padlocked for one year, which prevented them from using the premises at all during that time.2259 The Storcks took an even bigger risk during 1922, when they allowed (if that is the correct word) Chicago mobsters to use the brewery for three weeks as a “gypsy” distillery. Henry Storck was ordered to keep family and employees away from the brewery during that time, but at the end of the three weeks the equipment had all been replaced and there was no sign of the temporary distillery.2260

Storck’s legal troubles delayed their brewing permit when beer was re-legalized, but they were soon back in business, and began to seek markets in Milwaukee as well as the local area. During World War II the company reached a more unusual market: Storck supplied beer to German prisoners of war confined at the camp near Hartford. Wartime shortages required the brewery to recycle many inputs, and to use high school students to take the positions of other employees who were working in war plants or serving in the military.2261

After World War II, Storck Products continued to have strong sales in Milwaukee until a falling out with one of the larger beer depots in the city led to a loss of business. However, it was Milwaukee beer depots that ultimately provided the cash necessary for badly needed upgrades. The postwar beer shortage left many retailers without sufficient stock to meet demand, and some Wisconsin breweries were being purchased by out-of-state distributors and the production was shipped to distant markets. Elmer Keller, a member of the Uihlein family and former manager of Capital Brewing in Milwaukee, headed a group called Associated Beer Depots, which purchased Storck Products in 1946 for $175,000. The new owners retained Ray Storck as manager, but made significant upgrades in the equipment, especially in the bottling house.2262

However, by emphasizing the Milwaukee market, the new management alienated residents of Slinger, who had supported the brewery for decades. Local residents could not buy Storck beer even for special occasions, and when sales in Milwaukee started to slide after the shortages eased, Slinger customers refused to buy the beer again. New brews and labels also flopped and the company was in financial trouble. Matters were made worse in 1951 when a fire caused $30,000 of damage to the boiler room and adjacent buildings.2263 The brewery’s new brand—Storck Club beer, not only earned legal action from New York’s Stork Club, the red ink on the labels dissolved in the rinse water, coated the insides of the bottles, and resulted in a red-tinted beer. Ray Storck left the company in 1952 after a disagreement with management, ending the family association with the brewery that stretched back to 1877. Storck Products was well placed to benefit from the 1953 brewers strike in Milwaukee, both because of its proximity and because it already had distribution channels in the city. Storck ran double shifts, produced a record 30,000 barrels of beer, and even sold beer in Milwaukee County Stadium at Braves’ games. However the return of Milwaukee beer precipitated the breakup of Associated Beer Depots, and the brewery was sold back to local owners. Gene Schall had been working in the brewery and as a delivery driver, and he and his partners worked to rebuild the company’s reputation in its home town. The brewery rathskeller was reopened, the company hosted numerous events at the brewery, and even considered packaging beer in cans (which did not come to pass).2264

However, old equipment and limited capital eventually caught up with Storck Products. In 1953, one of the old cypress aging tanks was put under too much pressure and exploded, killing employee Norbert Nineck and injuring Jake Mergenthaler. In 1954, old equipment resulted in a bad batch of beer which was not only shipped by the brewery, but was also resold after being returned by retailers. This caused permanent damage to the company’s reputation around Wisconsin, which was exacerbated when Storck was forced to withdraw from its Illinois markets because of a dispute over inspections. The company also alleged that other brewers were sabotaging shipments of Storck beer by skunking it. The company went bankrupt in 1958, with production down to about 800 barrels a month. Sales in Slinger were not enough to compensate for discount pricing used to remain in more distant markets. Portions of the brewery building still remain, and parts of the brewery were used in other structures—such as the top of the brew kettle which was converted into a fireplace shelter at Slinger’s Little Switzerland ski hill.2265

Soldiers Grove (Crawford County)

• Driftless Brewing Co. (2013–present)
• Rural Excelsior (2013–14)
• 102 Sunbeam Blvd E. (2014–present)

Chris Balistreri and Michael Varnes-Epstein observed that “We [Driftless Brewing Company] were born in a barn, literally,” in what they lovingly referred to as “the rural middle of the middle of nowhere.” Balistreri began homebrewing in 1987 with a friend who was trying to found a homebrew club. However, the distance between members and their need to concentrate on their farms and other businesses made it difficult to keep the club active. But Balistreri kept brewing, and with Varnes-Epstein and co-founders Scott Noe and Cynthia Olmstead decided to move to the next level. They started brewing in a barn in rural Excelsior between County Highways F and X. Their twenty-gallon brew system made just enough to have some bottles on sale in the Gays Mills and Viroqua co-ops, but they did not want the dead end road their brewery was on to become a metaphor for the business.

In 2014, Driftless Brewing Co. moved to a former grocery store in Soldiers Grove. The village offered a loan for Driftless to acquire a one-barrel brewing system, and the brewery began a period of gradual but sustained growth. From fifty-one barrels in 2014, they grew to 102 barrels in 2016 and project 125 for 2017.

The brewery takes its name from the “Driftless Region” (which escaped glaciation in the Ice Age). In recent years, the region has become a magnet for people interested in organic farming, solar energy, and local sourcing of everything from food to building materials. The owners of Driftless Brewing share these values, and have made a special effort to source not only their ingredients but also other inputs and contracting from as close to the brewery as they can. The idea of local beer has been embraced by the community, and while the population of the area is not dense enough on its own to support a larger brewery, enough visitors come through the area that Driftless has not been able to make enough beer to supply the demand. They are planning for a new brewhouse with a fifteen-barrel system that will enable them to take care of their local markets and eventually expand distribution to larger cities along Interstate 90. The beers brewed so far by Driftless range from seasonal lagers to saisons brewed with local fruit, and from sessionable blonde ales to Solar Town barrel-aged stout. The latter took its name from a project undertaken by Soldiers Grove in 1979 when the village mandated that all twenty new downtown buildings use solar power. Many of the beers are brewed with certified organic ingredients, though they have not yet sought organic certification for the entire brewery.2266

Somerset (St. Croix County)

• Oliphant Brewing (2014–present)
• 350 Main Street #2

Oliphant Brewing’s eye-catching graphics and name were designed to start conversations, and the beer brewed by Trevor Wirtanen and Matt Wallace encourages the discussion. The pair brewed their first batch of homebrew in 2010, and the next year they decided to start their own brewery. They were able to lease a former 7UP bottling plant in Somerset, which meant that some of the design features required for breweries, such as a drainage system, were already present.2267

The beers produced by Oliphant represent the major beer styles and then some. Some beers, like Prizza Demon, are styles less commonly seen in America (in this case an English-style mild ale suitable for enjoying “after a spin in the tardis”). Others incorporate unusual ingredients into traditional styles like Hobotown 2.0 (a gose aged in tequila barrels with sea salt and lime). Some simply transcend style, like Milkman Manbaby—a “German-style milk stout,” whatever that is. (These three examples were consecutive entries on the taproom list in August 2017—showcasing the variety of styles.)2268 Crowlers of Oliphant beers became available in beer stores in 2016, and in 2017 Oliphant began selling beer in four-packs of 16-ounce cans.

South Grove (Sharon Township) (Walworth County)

• William J. Arnold (1856?–58?)

Historian Wayne Kroll includes William J. Arnold in his list of Walworth County farm brewers, and Arnold is listed in the 1857 state business directory.2269

Sparta (Monroe County)

• Ignatz Furst (1857–58)
• Shaw & Nye (1858–1861)
• Nelson Nye (1861–62)
• Loomis Parrish (1862–63)
• Louis Whipple (1863–66)
• Merrill & Walsath (1866?–67)
• A. W. Lynn & Bro. (1867?)
• Montgomery and Court Streets

Ignatz Furst has traditionally been listed among the brewers of La Crosse in the mid-1850s, based on a listing in the 1857 state business directory. However the research of Richard D. Rossin Jr. so far has failed to turn up any evidence of Furst owning property or a business in La Crosse. Rossin’s research has, however, shown that Furst purchased property in nearby Sparta and built a brewery in 1857. Furst’s tenure was brief, since he sold the brewery in December 1858 to Nelson J. Nye and Spicer Shaw for $1,000. Nye appears to have been the brewer while Shaw provided the most of the initial capital.2270 The brewery attracted notice from visitors, and a correspondent to the Daily Milwaukee News reported that “Shaw and Nye have an extensive ale brewery in successful operation [in Sparta].”2271

Shaw sold his share of the brewery to Nye in 1861 for $4,000, which seems to indicate that the brewery had been improved in the previous three years. The R. G. Dun & Co. credit evaluator praised Nye as “economical and attentive to bus[iness].” However, Nye’s turn as sole proprietor would also be short, since he died in February 1862 of consumption (though the Dun & Co. reports claimed he died by drowning in June!).2272 Following his death, Loomis Parrish, a native New Yorker like Nye, purchased the brewery for just under $1,500. Parrish took on a partner later that year, D. J. Matteson, who actually managed the brewery. However, a few months later Parrish sold the brewery to another New Yorker, Louis Whipple. Whipple apparently stayed in Otsego County, New York, and let his son-in-law Matteson manage the brewery. The brewery was known as Parrish and Whipple for a while during 1863, so either Whipple had a share in the brewery before purchasing it outright, or Parrish maintained a share in it for a while longer. The new owners expanded the brewery in 1863 with a new cellar and other improvements including their own cooperage. Whipple advertised his “Celebrated Sparta XXX Cream Ale” with orders to be addressed to Matteson at the brewery. But the revolving door of management continued, and in March 1864 Parrish leased the brewery again and Matteson left for Idaho, possibly for the small mining rush occurring at that time.2273 Whipple put the brewery up for sale in early 1865, advertising the brewery as “one of the best located breweries in the state, with everything convenient, and has gained a good reputation. A rare chance is offered for a good Brewer.”2274

However, the proposal drew no purchasers, and Parrish continued to lease the brewery until 1866, when he moved to Baraboo to start a brewery there. Management then passed to H. A. Merrill and Mr. Walrath, who appear in excise records as soon as existing records begin in 1867, but were there at least by October 1866, when the Sparta Eagle reported a runaway accident “near Merrill’s brewery.” In April 1867, Alexander W. and James H. Lynn leased the brewery and continued to brew and bottle ale for a brief period under the name A. W. Lynn & Bro. The brothers advertised enthusiastically, calling their product “The Best Ale West of the Lakes,” though in one ad they placed their brewery at the corner of Maine and Montgomery streets, which Rossin has pointed out do not meet. They produced thirteen barrels of ale in May and twenty-six in June, but disappear from the records after that point. The property was turned into a soap factory in 1870, and at this writing the property is occupied by the local Masonic Temple.2275

• Sparta City Brewery, John N. Wagoner (1866–1875)
• Northeast Corner of Benton and Main Streets

In 1865, saloon owner John Wagoner purchased land at Benton and Main Streets on which he began constructing a brewery. In 1866 the brewery was completed and he sold his saloon to concentrate on brewing. By April 1868, the evaluator of R. G. Dun & Co. reported that Wagoner was making money.2276 The 1870 industrial census indicated that Wagoner had made 650 barrels of beer in his horse-powered brewery with the assistance of two employees. He claimed to have $10,000 invested in the brewery, which was relatively high for a brewery outside an urban center.

However, the 1870s were less kind to Wagoner. Production began to drop: to 392 barrels in 1871 and 351 in 1872. These were still respectable totals for a brewery in his situation, but the Dun records indicate that Wagoner was starting to have financial difficulty. The evaluator noted that he “manages to get along all the time, is naturally a good bus[iness] man but drinks too much beer. . . .”2277 Wagoner placed occasional ads in local newspapers, but since he served a local market, additional advertising was probably not necessary.2278 Wagoner’s setbacks soon became more dramatic. In December 1873, the upper floor of his brewery collapsed from the weight of 1,500 bushels of barley, injuring two workers. The final blow came in April 1875 when his brewery was “almost entirely destroyed” by fire. The fire department was called and arrived, but was unable to save the brewery. The Sparta Herald reported that there had been no fire in the brewery for several days, and drew the usual conclusion that arson (or “incendiarism”) was the cause of the blaze. This account also notes that Wagoner’s windmill was among the structures destroyed, which suggest that he was using wind power for at least some of his needs. This fire also indicates the perils of researching from newspapers of the era. The Herald reported that damage was between $10,000 and $12,000 with insurance of $3,500 from the Hartford company and $2,500 with Ætna. However, papers from Eau Claire to Milwaukee added a zero to the insurance amounts and estimated the loss at $60,000—an impossible figure for a small brewery at that time.2279

Wagoner attempted to rebuild, but did not have the funds to revive his business.2280

Sherman Township (Spencer) (Clark County)

• Joseph Mayer (1878–79)
• Eichert & Frothinger (1879)
• Kuethe & Eichert (1879–1881)
• Kuethe & Walter (1881–82)
• John Walter (1882–89)
• Northeast Corner of Section 12, Sherman Township2281 (South of Modern State Highway 98 and West of Fairview Avenue)

The earliest known mention of the Spencer brewery (which was actually located just west of Spencer across the Clark-Marathon county line in Sherman Township) appeared in the Stevens Point Journal in December 1876, which announced “Two Germans have recently completed a brewery near the village [of Spencer] and will shortly be turning over barley in a liquid state at 5 cents per glass.”2282 It is not clear exactly who these men were or how soon they went into production. They likely included Joseph Mayer, who was listed at Sherman in Salem’s directory as having produced 234 barrels in 1878 and 207 in 1879.

The brewery is much better documented during the 1880s. The R. G. Dun & Co. creditor assessor reported that the firm of Fred Kuethe and John Eckert (Eichert) were doing a good business, but that in 1881 the firm had dissolved and Kuethe’s new partner was brewer John Walter. In 1882 Walter became sole proprietor, but ran into trouble almost immediately. In September 1883, federal agents seized Walter’s brewery for reusing tax stamps. Some newspaper reports provided the confusing information that the brewery was “owned and operated by Philip Scheiffer,” which is inconsistent with local and industry sources. In spite of rumors that the brewery would be confiscated and sold, Walter paid the fine and made a rapid recovery.2283

The Spencer brewery was situated in an area with few breweries, and was able to develop markets in larger cities such as Marshfield that had no brewery. The Marshfield Times lamented that fact:

The brewery at Spencer, with a capacity of about 1,200 barrels yearly, and which has been in existence for several years has proved a paying investment to the proprietors, a valuable acquisition to the town and put hundreds of dollars in the pockets of farmers in that vicinity.2284

The Wisconsin industrial census of 1885 reported that production was actually 1,300 barrels, and much of that was in fact shipped to Marshfield, where Walter had a saloon near the Clarke House billed as the “Headquarters for the Spencer Brewery.” Spencer beer was also available at celebrations such as the Marshfield Fourth of July picnic.2285

Unfortunately, Walter’s time in Spencer came to an end in February 1889, when his brewery, malt house and residence were destroyed by fire. The Milwaukee Sentinel reported that the insurance of $5,000 would only cover half the $10,000 loss, and claimed (inaccurately) that “It was the only brewery between Stevens Point and Ashland, and was doing a large business. It will undoubtedly be rebuilt as soon as possible.” However, Walter elected to move rather than rebuild, and took over the Theresa Leinenkugel brewery in Eau Claire.2286

Spring Green (Sauk County)

• Frederick Frenzel (1872–1882?)
• South Side of West Monroe Street at Wood Street

Frederick Frenzel moved to Spring Green from his farm outside Sauk City in 1872. Later that year, he purchased three lots near the intersection of West Monroe and Wood Streets, where he built his new brewery (following the one he owned in Sauk City). Excise records show Frenzel produced about three barrels of beer per month from February to May 1872, so he either was still producing some beer on the farm, or had begun brewing in Spring Green before he owned the property (the excise entry listed his location as Spring Green). The former is more likely, since the purchase price of $40 per lot seems to indicate there were no structures on the properties when Frenzel purchased them.2287 Frenzel was listed in the 1873 American Brewers’ Guide at Spring Green, but with no reported production prior to May 1872.

Frenzel’s brewery was not listed in any of the brewing industry directories of the 1870s, nor does he appear in the excise records after 1872. However, he was still listed as a brewer in the 1880 population census. Local brewing historian Richard D. Rossin Jr. suggests that Frenzel probably continued brewing off and on until he retired in 1882. The brewery remained as a private dwelling until the 1960s, and local accounts claim that the cellars were used for illegal distilling during Prohibition. The building was demolished in the late 1960s or early 1970s and the remaining tunnels were filled.2288

Stephensville (Outagamie County)

• Geo. Wunderlich (1866–67)
• Charles Graetz & Co. (or R. Graetz & Co.) (1868–1877?)
• Anton Fischer (1881?–1889?)
• Near Pew Road and Tremont Street

The R. G. Dun & Co. credit reports indicates that George Wunderlich had a new brewery erected by November 1866, and was in production close to that time. His business was modest, but he was doing well enough to receive a positive credit rating. However, by the next year, the Stephensville brewery was operated by brothers Rheinhard and Charles Graetz (or Gratz).2289 Their brewery was a small one, and produced about 115 barrels in the 1870 tax year.

The 1872 state business directory lists both Wolf, Wunderlich & Co. and Graetz & Co. as brewers, however it is unlikely that there were two breweries in operation at the same time. It is more likely that Wolf & Wunderlich briefly resumed control of the brewery during 1871 (perhaps for financial reasons) and that the Graetz brothers were able to return the next year. There is no indication in the Dun records that Wunderlich returned to active management of the brewery for any significant length of time, and these records also indicate that Graetz & Co. were still operating the brewery at least through 1876. A map of Outagamie County from 1873 lists the Graetz brothers as proprietors of the brewery, and shows the Wunderlich family focused on their lumber business and other enterprises (a state supported by the 1870 population census).2290 The fact that the 1873 American Brewers’ Guide directory shows no production through May 1871 and only fifty-seven barrels the next year also seems to indicate that the Graetz brothers were not operating the brewery in 1871.

It is not clear when Graetz family control ended, but it was sometime prior to 1880 since they were not represented in the census of that year, and neither was the next proprietor of the Stephensville brewery, Anton Fischer. He was included in Tovey’s 1882 directory, suggesting he may have been open at least part of 1881. He was listed as a new firm in the May 1885 issue of Western Brewer, but these listings often lagged behind events.2291 Fischer was still in Wing’s 1887 directory (as a brewer of less than 500 barrels) and in the 1888 state business directory, but disappears from the records after this.

Sterling Township (Bad Axe P.O.) (Vernon County)

• Justus Groh (1867–69)
• Wacker & Groh (1869–1871?)
• Section 20, Sterling Township

Justus Groh built a brewery in Sterling Township in 1867, and it appeared in the excise records that December. The same records indicate that Reinhard Wacker joined the business sometime between May and October 1869. The brewery was never large: its production in 1870 was only about 200 barrels. The fact that Wacker & Groh had only invested $900 in the brewery and it didn’t even have horsepower support the idea that it was a small operation. A county history from 1907 recounted: “Justice [sic] Groh and Reinhard Walker [sic] erected a brewery in the town, on the Lidie branch of the Bad Ax river, in 1870 [sic], but after being in use about two years it was allowed to go to decay.”2292 The last appearance of this brewery in the excise records is in 1871, but it may have operated for a few months in 1872.

Stevens Point (Portage County)

• Frank Wahle & George Ruder (1857–59)
• Frank Wahle (Wahle & Smith?) (1859–1867)
• Lutz & Ellinger (1867)
• Andrew Lutz & Bro. (1867–1880)
• Andrew Lutz (1880–1897)
• Gustav Kuenzel, Stevens Point Brewery (1897–1901)
• Gustav Kuenzel Brewing Co. (1901)
• Stevens Point Brewing Co. (1901–1924)
• Stevens Point Beverage Co. (1924–1958)
• Stevens Point Brewery (1958–present)
• 2617 Water Street (street numbers have changed over time)

The first newspaper references to a brewery in Stevens Point came in 1856, when a report announced: “A brewery is being built there [Stevens Point] for the accommodation of the Pineries. They now obtain their regular supply of lager from Fond du Lac.”2293 There is some historical question as to precisely when the brewery started operations—long historical tradition says 1857, but local historian Kevin Knitt suggests that it may have been in business before then. (A brewery ad from 1938 cited 1855 as the year Wahle built his brewery.)2294 They apparently built a following quickly, since the Stevens Point Pinery reported on Christmas Day of 1857:

There is a Stevens Point institution which is probably not so generally known as it should be: we allude to the ‘Stevens Point Brewery’ of Messrs. Ruder & Wahle, some half mile out of town on the Plank Road. Commencing in a small way at first, these gentlemen have extend’d their works, and furnished them with apparatus and skillful hands till their Establishment is quite respectable, producing a really first-rate article of Lager. They are contracting for a further extension of their cellars and other rooms. Those fond of this delightful drink can be assured they now have no need to go abroad for their supplies.2295

The description of their expansion above seems strange if it was all done in one year. Perhaps in the excitement over their prospects, one newspaper reported inaccurately that Wahle and Ruder had purchased the brewery in Weyauwega. The brewery advertised their “Stock Ale, Lager Beer, Malt, Hops & Yeast. All orders from abroad promptly attended to. All kinds of Grain good for cattle and hogs always on hand.”2296 George Ruder left the firm in 1859 and founded his own brewery in Wausau, though he was still listed in Stevens Point in the 1860 population census.

According to some listings, Wahle brought in one Mr. Smith as a partner, though the timing is not clear. Advertisements in the Pinery in 1861 named Wahle as sole proprietor, as did an article about the business, yet Wahle & Smith appeared in a state business directory as late as 1872, long after Wahle sold the brewery.2297 It is possible that the Smith listings were a misprint.

In 1867, Frank Wahle sold the business to Frederick Ellinger (or Illinger) and Jacob Lutz. According to an 1895 history, Lutz had worked at the brewery for five years before he took a share in the ownership.2298 Ellinger only remained in the business for a few months, sold his share to Andrew Lutz, and by the beginning of the next year the firm was known as Lutz and Bro. (though both Jacob and Andrew were each sometimes given top billing, depending on the source).

By 1870 the Lutz brothers maintained a narrow lead over local rival Adam Kuhl—296 barrels to 274. The brewery was in operation year-round and employed four men (and one horsepower). While Kuhl passed Lutz Bros. in the early 1870s for a few years, the Lutz brothers responded by expanding their brewery and by the end of the decade were producing several hundred barrels a year more than Kuhl.

The census of 1880 showed that the Lutz household in Stevens Point was large—and confusing. Andrew and his wife Elizabeth shared their home with four hired servants (two of whom were listed as brewers) and several family members: brother Jacob, sons John and Jacob and nephew Jacob. The presence of three Jacobs sometimes made it difficult to tell which a newspaper article was referring to. H. B. Phillen, who was apparently a federal revenue collector as well as a correspondent for the Grand Rapids Reporter, gave this whimsical account of a visit to the brewery:

. . . we struck Lutz’ Brewery where Uncle Andrew and the infant hold for the edification of the inner man. . . . He [Jacob] kicks the beam at little less than 300 pounds, . . . in any position he is a boy of the right stamp, and never travels inkegnito [sic]. His jollity and good nature are proverbial, and he pays Uncle Sam about $100 a month for keg plasters . . .2299

The situation became a bit less crowded and complicated when brother Jacob sold his share to Andrew and moved to Grand Rapids (now Wisconsin Rapids) where he and brother David purchased the brewery of Nicholas Schmidt. The Stevens Point brewery was occasionally called A. Lutz & Son or A. Lutz & Bro., but local sources simply called it Lutz’s brewery for the next seventeen years.

Andrew continued to add to his brewery, and added other businesses as well. In 1881 he purchased “the pop manufacturing apperatus [sic] of John Knauf and the machinery has been removed to the building near the brewery, where George Lutz [Andrew’s son] will run the pop business in connection with the beer trade.”2300 Thus the production of soft drinks by the modern Stevens Point Brewery has a tradition nearly as old as the brewery. Lutz also had a smokehouse on the brewery property (which was broken into in 1896 and a large quantity of ham and bacon was stolen).2301

By 1895 Andrew Lutz was in his seventies, and was looking for a way to retire. Apparently none of his children wanted to take over the brewery, so he sought a buyer. The first rumor of a sale occurred in March 1895, when the brewery was reported sold to Louis Leidiger of Milwaukee for $21,000. However, this sale did not go through (reasons were not published) and Leidiger purchased the Ruder brewery at Merrill instead.2302 Two years later, Lutz finally found an appropriate buyer. Gustav Kuenzel of Milwaukee, who was reported to have “held responsible positions in some of the largest breweries in that city” purchased the brewery and related property for $14,000. The brewery was producing approximately 3,000 barrels per year at the time of the sale. Kuenzel started improving the property almost immediately, building a new barn the same month. He completely rebuilt the storage cellar over the winter of 1897-8 so there would be enough capacity for the beer to lager for a full three months and so that the water from melting ice would drain better. The brewery did not install artificial refrigeration until 1908, so prior to this beer was “hauled to an underground storage plant at McDill” southeast of Stevens Point. There was also a saloon and beer garden near the caves, and these were popular destinations for area residents, and some customers walked all the way from Stevens Point for a fresh beer.2303

Gustav Kuenzel was unable to work for a while during the summer of 1901, which may have influenced his decision to sell the brewery that October. Michael Littel of Green Bay was the head of a group which purchased the brewery for $14,000, with the usual plans to “greatly improve the plant.” The new owners filed articles of incorporation for the Stevens Point Brewing Co. within a month. They then closed the brewery for repairs and improvements, and began to produce beer again the next spring, though beer was not ready for sale until the end of June.2304 Some of the stock was held by employees of the company, and occasionally this stock was offered for sale.2305 Because the brewery was such an important part of the community, meetings of the board of directors were big news, and the minutes and remarks of the president were sometimes published verbatim.2306

The new company continued to make soft drinks as well as bock beer, which typically was released around Easter. The increasing demand for the company’s product and the profits earned therefrom encouraged the company to launch a complete overhaul of the brewery in 1907. Chicago brewery architect Richard Griesser drew up the plans for the remodeled brewhouse, and Stevens Point Brick Company was asked to supply 250,000 bricks for the expansion. Among the improvements was a new power house twice the size of the existing structure, artificial refrigeration, and a new loading platform along a new side track of the Green Bay & Western Railroad.2307 The additional capacity enabled the brewery to lager its bock beer for six months in the new glass-lined tanks, though it was still available only in limited quantities.2308 In 1908, the brewery introduced two new flagship beers: Pink’s Pale and Pink’s Crystal, both available in bottles. These two brands were named after brewery manager Nicholas Gross, who was known as “Pinky.” For a brief period the company used rhomboid shaped labels similar to those of Schlitz, with the slogan “The Beer that Made Milwaukee Furious,” but Schlitz sought an injunction and forced Stevens Point to change the labels. A Milwaukee columnist reprinted the label in the Sentinel with a poem describing the supposed anger of the Milwaukee beer community over the competition from Stevens Point, concluding

The concern expressed by Milwaukee breweries seems misplaced since Pink’s was not distributed outside the Stevens Point area.

Stevens Point Brewing had a quality control scare in 1909, when several batches of beer with an off flavor were released. Dr. John E. Siebel came up from Chicago to examine the premises, and found the culprit to be a leak in the brine-filled cooling coils in the keg racking room. The company ran front-page ads explaining the problem, and imploring customers to continue their patronage.2310

Throughout the 1910s, Stevens Point Brewing continued to increase their advertising and to modernize their operations. In 1914, Point purchased its first delivery truck, a three-ton four-wheel-drive model built at Clintonville, Wisconsin. In order to make the transition, teamster Ed Lutz went to the factory for two weeks to learn about the mechanics and operation of the truck prior to becoming the driver. The truck was nearly wrecked the same month it arrived when it proved too heavy for a section of road that collapsed under it. The truck was towed out and continued on. Another truck was purchased from a Milwaukee manufacturer in 1915, and these vehicles were likely the reason for an ad placed by the company in 1915 offering for sale eight horses. Some horses remained in use, especially in winter when some beer was delivered by sleigh. One team of horses took fright and took flight, dumping off the sleigh box with a shipment of case beer. It is a testimony to the durability of the cases and bottles of the era that only a few bottles were reported broken.2311 Also in 1914, the company built another expansion, this time a new “fireproof” office and bottling plant.2312

When the United States entered World War I, Stevens Point Brewing led the way in demonstrating patriotism by purchasing $5,000 of Liberty Bonds. The company sponsored a full-page ad in April 1918 to back the Third Liberty Loan.2313 However, the brewery was subject to the same restrictions as other businesses, and was forced to close for a time in January 1918 when an order limiting the use of coal went into effect.2314 The brewery returned to production, but was forced to cease brewing again in December when wartime prohibition went into effect. The board of directors reported at the 1919 annual meeting that enough product remained to supply customers for several months, but the fate of the brewery and its twenty employees after that was unclear.2315 The company converted to making near beer, and in 1921, the shareholders voted to purchase new equipment for soft drink manufacture. Stevens Point Brewing was one of many firms that was ready to make real beer again when Secretary of Treasury Andrew Mellon issued regulations which appeared to allow beer to be sold for medicinal purposes by prescription, but this proved to be a false alarm and no such market developed.2316

Even though most of the company’s production was in soft drinks, the name of the business was not changed until March 1924, when new ownership changed the name to Stevens Point Beverage Co. The new president, Ludwig Korfmann, and vice president, Chris Kurth, were both from Milwaukee, though other Stevens Point residents retained their positions or their stock. Korfmann spoke highly of the prospects for the city and the company, and had special praise for the water from the Plover Hills basin, which he claimed was an important factor in his investment.2317 The corporate entity Stevens Point Brewing Co. was not officially dissolved for a few more years, but all the business was conducted under the Beverage Co. name.2318 The new company sponsored softball and bowling teams throughout Prohibition (and after) to build goodwill in the community.

Stevens Point Beverage was raided by federal agents in June 1928, and forty-eight half-barrels of beer were found in the keg racking room. This appears to be the only time that this brewery fell afoul of the law during the dry years.2319

With the election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Stevens Point Beverage began to prepare the brewery for the imminent return of real beer. The company had not been making its own near beer for the previous three years, but had “handled near beer under the name ‘Point Special’ as a jobbed product.” (Special was brewed at Stevens Point when it was first introduced in 1929.) However, Point Special was slated to be the name for the new bottled beer, rather than returning to the “Pink’s” brands from before Prohibition. The company expected to spend several thousand dollars reconditioning the brewery, as well as buying raw materials and containers for the new product. The return of jobs was also welcome during the Great Depression—the company employed only five men at the end of 1932, compared with twenty-four during the peak years of 1916 and 1917.2320 When Roosevelt signed the Cullen Act, brewmaster George Eggenhofer and Calvin L. Korfmann took turns blowing the steam whistle at the brewery. Eggenhofer also shaved off his beard, which he had been growing for three weeks “asserting he would not cut off his whiskers until the president signed the beer bill.”2321 Even when beer came back (see chapter 7), the company purchased advertisements to remind customers that they were continuing in the soft drink business.2322 Point bock returned in 1934, and later that year Eggenhofer brewed special light and dark beers for Thanksgiving (which could be purchased in cases of half light and half dark).2323 The “Big Charlie” package (normally ½ gallon, though one gallon labels exist) was first advertised in 1935, and was named after brewery manager Charles Schenk.2324 In 1937, ads began proclaiming that Point beer was “Union Made and Union Delivered.”2325

Stevens Point Beverage was profitable enough in 1939 to purchase new pasteurizing and bottling equipment, as well as a system to capture carbon dioxide given off during fermentation and use it during bottling. Point also introduced a new beer that year to show off the new brewing processes using a new formula, and launched a contest to come up with a name for it. Anyone could enter, provided they sent in seven labels of what was tentatively called “Prize Beer” with each proposed name. More than 3,000 entries were submitted, and the winning entry was Amber Cream. However, company officials decided to alter the name to Amber Prize (though the original contest winner was still paid).2326 Amber Prize appeared in “Steinie” bottles, as did Point Special.

Stevens Point Beverage installed equipment to package beer in cans in May 1953. Rather than using cone-top cans, Point started with flat-top cans, and general manager Phil Shibilski noted that this “installation was the second of its kind to be put in service in this country in a small brewery.” Canned beer did not begin to appear in newspaper advertisements until early 1955.2327 In the late 1950s, the company identity started to re-emphasize brewing. An ad celebrating its “leap day” anniversary in February 1956 stated that the firm was “now known as the Stevens Point Brewery or Point Brewery,” though that name had been used in ads since 1954.2328 However, the Beverage Co. name remained in use on labels until 1960.

From 1947–1973, output never fell below 30,000 barrels per year, but never exceeded 41,000.2329 Point continued to survive by supplying its Central Wisconsin market with a single brand of beer (not counting bock during the spring). In 1973, Point Special was the top-rated American beer in a taste test sponsored by Chicago columnist and personality Mike Royko. In the following years, Point Special became a national cult, the brewery expanded production and capacity, and eventually developed into an important regional brewer. (Additional information on this period is found in chapter 10.)

With its capacity and market expanding, the brewery increased the number of products offered. The soda line expanded with Diet Root Beer, Vanilla Cream Soda, and Black Cherry Cream. As of this writing, Point has added Kitty Cocktail, which has a ginger ale base with maraschino cherry and lemon-lime flavors. Meanwhile, the beer offerings were burgeoning as well. In 2004, Point acknowledged the trend toward hoppier craft beers with their new Cascade Pale Ale. Four years later, Point created a series of seasonal beers, ending decades during which Point Bock was the only true seasonal beer. The seasonal that gained the most national attention was the summer wheat beer Nude Beach, which featured a label with beach goers shielded by conveniently placed surfboards, coolers and towels. Novelty aside, the beer went on to earn medals at important beer competitions. By the early 2010s, Point had expanded into Alabama, Georgia, Texas and North Carolina, and was the second-largest craft brewery based in Wisconsin.2330

Expanding markets led to even more expansions of the brewery. In 2013, Point launched its fourth expansion in four years; this one included a second brew kettle in addition to additional fermenting capacity. This boosted capacity from 120,000 to 150,000 barrels per year.2331 Point also brought back the “Big Charlie,” though the 2012 version was a 16-ounce can rather than a half-gallon bottle. Other Point beers, including Nude Beach Summer Wheat also came out in the 16-ounce cans, which were popular with craft beer drinkers. The Whole Hog line grew to five beers (though some earlier brands were phased out), and new summer, harvest and winter variety packs were introduced containing creative beers not otherwise available. The James Page label purchased from a defunct Minneapolis brewery was renamed JP’s to produce “adventurous brews with a twist” such as Yabba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter and Casper White Stout (seemingly a contradiction in terms). Much of the credit for Point’s continued success was due to long-time brewmaster John Zappa, who guided the brewhouse through the changes from a single-beer brewery in 1977 to the IPA-filled product line of 2015.

As of 2017, Stevens Point Brewery was the twenty-fourth largest craft brewing company in the United States, and the thirty-second largest brewery overall, with production in 2017 of 125,000 barrels (after a high of 142,000 in 2015).

• Haertel & Kemmeter (1864–1865?)

Rumors of a new brewery in Stevens Point began in 1863, when The Pinery reported that plans were underway. It was more than a year later that The Pinery was able to report that Hartel & Kemmeter had opened a new brewery on Main Street.2332 This would be a different location than the later Kuhl brewery, and it is possible that Kemmeter joined Kuhl later at the Prentice Street site. A 1958 history of brewing in the area claims that Hartel & Kemmeter was in fact a different business.2333

• J. Kemmeter & A. Kuhl (1866?–67)
• Adam Kuhl (& Estate) (1867–1885)
• Illenberger & Ritter (1886–88?)
• Stanley E. Kellar (1890?–92)
• Charles & Fred Kuhl (1892)
• Brown and Prentice Streets

The firm of J. Kemmeter and Adam Kuhl first appears in the excise records in January 1867. Since they were taxed on nineteen barrels that month, it is possible that they were in full operation late in the previous year. This partnership dissolved in May 1867, and Adam Kuhl became sole proprietor of the brewery. By 1870 Kuhl was well established and was making nearly as much beer as the much older Lutz brewery. Kuhl only employed three men, but he had two horsepower to Lutz’s single horse. Kuhl’s production generally remained between 500 and 800 barrels per year during the 1870s, and his brewery was a popular gathering place in Stevens Point.

After the death of Adam Kuhl in July 1883, his widow Christine leased the brewery to experienced brewers rather than turn the business over to her sons right away “to give her sons an opportunity to attend school.” By 1884, Kuhl’s brewery was a significant steam-powered plant. The Kuhl estate started building a soda water factory across Prentice Street to the east of the brewery in 1883 which was also available for bottling beer.2334 The first lessees were George Illenberger and Mr. Ritter of Milwaukee, who took possession on New Years’ Day 1886. However the story gets confusing here, because in March 1886 the Stevens Point Daily Journal reported that John Sheer and George Ellenberger [sic] had purchased land “south of 4th street between Prentice and Smith streets for a new brewery.” However, there was no 4th Avenue at Prentice and Smith, and the existing Kuhl brewery was between Smith and Prentice. Whatever the case, no new brewery was built on that site, though Illenberger later built a new brewery on Michigan Avenue.2335 Mrs. Kuhl continued to improve the property, and in 1886 built a large new residence on the lot to the south of the brewery.2336 It is not clear if Illenberger held the brewery for the entire period of his lease since the Kuhl brewery was still mentioned in occasional newspaper accounts in the late 1880s, though this may have been casual use of a recognized local name. Illenberger appears in Wing’s directory of 1887, and the size given for his brewery suggests it was the larger Kuhl plant rather than his Michigan Avenue enterprise, and his obituary said he operated the Kuhl brewery for about three years.2337 In 1890, Mrs. Kuhl leased the brewery to insurance agent Stanley E. Kellar, who operated it for two years. By 1891, some of the grain storage and lodging facilities on the Prentice Street side had been converted to an office and an attached saloon. Kellar also dug a new cistern to contain waste from the brewery “thus entirely dissipating the disagreeable order [sic] that had of late been complained of in that vicinity.” In August 1891, Kellar was accused by the local W.C.T.U. of selling beer to a minor, though there was no evidence and the case was thrown out.2338

In February 1892, Kellar left the brewery business and the brewery lay dormant for about a month. In March, Charles and Fred Kuhl announced plans to restart the plant. Fred had been working for Falk, Jung & Borchert in Milwaukee, and returned to Stevens Point with a fine reputation as a brewer. However, in August the brewery burned down. Fred Kuhl and David Lutz, who were sleeping in the building, managed to escape. While estimates of the damage varied from $12,000 to $18,000, insurance only covered about one third of the damage, and the Kuhls decided not to rebuild.

• George Illenberger (1890?–93)
• Neuberger & Ritter (1893–95)
• Frank Michalski, Neuberger & Ritter lessees (1895)
• 522 Michigan Avenue

George Illenberger built a new brewery prior to 1891 on the east side of Stevens Point. While the building was of brick construction, in other ways the brewery was rather basic—it did not use steam power which was in common use by then, and did not have a malt house. The date of construction has been difficult to pin down. Illenberger apparently was still leasing the Kuhl brewery until at least 1888, though one much later history claims that he started the Michigan Avenue brewery in 1888, but the brewery was completed and in operation before the publication of the 1891 Sanborn insurance map in October.2339

Illenberger only operated the brewery for a short time. In November 1893, Neuberger and Ritter took over the brewery, and Steve Neuberger moved his family from Minneapolis to Stevens Point.2340 Illenberger (or Ellenberger) stayed in the industry at the Lutz/Kuenzel brewery until his retirement in 1900, though he returned briefly in 1901 when Gustav Kuenzel was laid up and ended up working until a few months before his death in 1906.2341 The new proprietors apparently added a malt house, since they advertised their business in early 1895 as “Neuberger & Ritter, Brewers & Maltsters.” They adopted the name “Central City Brewery” for their business, which had a capacity of fifteen barrels per day, and proclaimed their motto was “Purity and Strength.”2342 In early 1895, Frank Michalski purchased the brewery, but Neuberger stayed on to operate the brewery. The new management appeared to be moving aggressively into the void created by the destruction of the Kuhl brewery, and Michalski installed a new boiler to power the brewery in 1895. They also staged promotions like entering a large float in the Eintrachts Verein parade, “with the proprietors and assistants seated thereon, and there seemed to be no lack of homemade beverage to quench the thirst of the inner man.”2343

A catastrophic fire struck the Central City brewery in late June 1895. Four men, including Neuberger, were in the brewery and managed to escape, but the brewery, two houses and a barn were destroyed, together with all the contents including a new delivery wagon. The fire department was late to the scene because “[A]n attempt to turn in an alarm by telephone proved fruitless, the night operator claiming that she was unable to understand what was wanted. After the fire had been burning for some time, Albert Kostush mounted a bicycle and rode to engine house No. 2, and No. 1 was given the alarm from there.” Michalski’s insurance was less than $5,000, and the damage was considerably more, and he decided not to rebuild. Stone from the foundation of the brewery was later used for the Curran & Wiesner building.2344

• Polish Brewing Co. (1908–1913)
• National Brewing Co. (1913–17)
• Corner of Wisconsin and Wood

There had been only one brewery in Stevens Point since 1895, and the possibility of a second brewery was tempting to investors. In this era, saloonkeepers were looking for options to paying prices they considered too high demanded by large breweries. In addition, members of the growing Polish American community were seeking more economic influence. Portage County and Stevens Point had a large community of Polish immigrants, and in 1907 they were approached about buying stock for a new brewery. The first attempts drew little support: in January Frank Boyanski of Grand Rapids (now Wisconsin Rapids) held a meeting to assess interest in a new brewery. Boyanski had been associated with Grand Rapids Brewing Co., but left in a dispute and had sued that business, and had also been at a brewery in Antigo. Only eight people attended the first meeting and only one was prepared to commit to buying a share for $100. A subsequent meeting encouraged more interest, and between sixty and seventy people purchased stock in Polish Brewing Co., which was incorporated in March 1907. The company selected a site at the corner of Wisconsin & Wood, convenient to the Wisconsin Central and Green Bay & Western tracks as well as to the city sewer.2345

The company did not actually start production until 1908 according to annual reports. Some of the delay was caused by the inability to attract bids for construction that were within the parameters set by the company. However, building eventually commenced and the brewery was in operation.2346 Unfortunately, they had only produced for a few months before the brewery was struck by a destructive late-season tornado in November 1908. The newly built bottling works was demolished, and a portion of the brewhouse roof was found near the corner of Main and Prentice, about a mile away.2347

Polish Brewing Co. rebuilt, though they had trouble keeping brewmasters in Stevens Point. In March 1911, Jaroslaw Ondracek left to take over as manager of Hillsboro Brewing Co., in which he was already a stockholder. His brother Frank moved back from Chicago to take over brewing duties, but he then moved back to Chicago in May 1912. Polish Brewing hired Reinhardt Ernest Eggert from (appropriately enough) Warsaw, Illinois.2348 Eggert was married in June 1914, and in November short ads for the brewery announced that a new brewmaster (later identified as A. Wismeth) had arrived from Marshfield. Wismeth himself left in 1916, and a third Ondracek, Garry, came from Antigo to assume brewing duties.2349

In 1913, shareholders met to consider changing the name of the company from Polish Brewing Co. to National Brewing Co. While descriptive, the former name may have limited the market, which the latter certainly did not. The final vote was 267 shares in favor of the change and three against.2350 The new name did not protect the company any better from wind damage. In April 1913 a new seventy-foot smokestack was installed to replace the previous stack which had been damaged by a heavy wind storm.2351 The change did not help business enough and by early 1916 a committee was appointed to oversee reorganization of the company. In March, the stockholders met to decide whether to close the brewery or to raise an assessment to keep the business going. The business continued, but the lack of capital caused delays in maintenance, and this resulted in a loss that the struggling brewery could not absorb. In August 1916, the company was forced to dump 523 barrels of beer that had spoiled, most likely because they aging vats had not been coated properly with shellac in three years—a process that was recommended every year. The condition of the vats was exacerbated by the hot weather and the fact that the refrigeration plant had not been working properly for some time. The loss was estimated at $3,556.40 (at a prevailing price of $6.80 per barrel) which the company could ill afford. The event provided some humor for others: The Daily Journal waggishly noted “Wisconsin river fish below Stevens Point cannot complain of being ‘dry’ for a day or two at any rate, in view of the 523 barrels of beer dumped into the stream by the National Brewing Co. Wonder how a fish looks when he is ‘tight?’” Another 150 barrels were dumped later in the week, and it was reported at that time that the vats would have to be replaced entirely.2352

In February 1917, the stockholders met and decided to close the brewery and turn the plant to other uses, considering the recent decline in business and the fact that the brewery could not turn a profit at such a small scale, as well as the likelihood that prohibition was on the way. Some stockholders also alleged that the brewery had been mismanaged from the beginning, even though sales started well. After closing, the brewery was used as a bakery and for storage, and was razed in 1994.2353

• Isadore Street Brewing (1998–2000)
• The Keg (2000–4)
• 200 Isadore Street

Isadore Street Brewing opened in 1998 in downtown Stevens Point, near the university campus. In 2000, new owners changed the name to The Keg to suggest more of a college-town bar atmosphere. Ronald and Carol Gorski produced just under 200 barrels in 2001, but despite the local popularity of the beer, the brewpub closed in 2004.2354

St. Francis (Milwaukee County)

• St. Francis Brewing Company (St. Francis Brewery & Restaurant) (2009–present)
• 3825 South Kinnickinnic Avenue

St. Francis Brewing Co. began brewing in 2009 in a suburb southeast of Milwaukee and on the northeast corner of General Mitchell International Airport. St. Francis took advantage of their saintly name by naming their beers after the seven deadly sins: lust, wrath, greed, envy, sloth, pride, and gluttony. (Pride and Gluttony are both rotating seasonals.) Other special and seasonal beers are named with religious themes as well. (The brewery’s rewards program/pint club equivalent is called the Frequent Sinner Card.) In 2013 St. Francis began bottling their beer—brewed and packaged at Sand Creek Brewing in Black River Falls. In 2015, St. Francis was considering expanding to a site in the Menomonee Valley for a new brewery with packaging capabilities, but cost proved prohibitive and they decided on a more modest plan adjacent to the brewpub.

The most interesting initiative by St. Francis Brewing to date is their partnership with Milwaukee County Parks in Milwaukee’s Craft Beer Garden at Humboldt Park in the Bay View neighborhood. The beer garden, established in 2014, features St. Francis beers, though in 2017 each Friday was devoted to a “tap takeover” by a different Wisconsin craft brewery.2355

Stoughton (Dane County)

• Vik’ing Brewpub (2015–present)
• 211 East Main Street

‘Vik’ing Brewpub opened in 2014, at first with beers made at House of Brews in Madison, then in 2015 added beer made on their own 3.5 barrel system. While ‘Vik’ing features a fanciful representation of a Viking ship as the bar, the name actually comes from the name of co-owner, Vik Malling. Stoughton celebrates its Norwegian heritage, but was also a stronghold of “drys” throughout much of its history, so it not surprising it took until 2015 for a brewery to open there. Among the regular beers is Soot in My Eye Black Rye IPA, which is based on Malling’s problems pronouncing Syttende Mai, the Norwegian national holiday.2356

Sturgeon Bay (Door County)

• Hugo Seidemann & Bro. (1867-?)
• Hermann Seidemann (1872–79)
• Leidiger Bros. (1879–1887)
• Hagemeister Brewing Co. Branch (1887–1920)
• Schonbrunn Brewing Co., Inc. (1933–38)
• 3879 Bay Shore Road and Georgia Street

The first positive evidence of a brewery in Sturgeon Bay is in the excise records of October 1867, when Hugo Seidemann was listed as a brewer in Sevastopol, the township just north of downtown Sturgeon Bay. Seidemann is listed as a beer brewer in the 1870 populations census (unfortunately the 1870 industrial census for Door county is unreadable, so it is not clear if he brewed enough to be listed or not). It appears that Hugo sold the brewery to brother Hermann in 1872.2357 Hermann is listed in Schade’s 1876 directory as having brewed 475 barrels in 1874 and 339 the following year. Production kept declining, since Salem’s records for (the misspelled) Lindemann show 225 barrels in 1878 and 207 in 1879.

The R. G. Dun & Co. records state that Seidemann rented his brewery to George Brockford in 1878 for a period of five years, but either this arrangement was cut short or never came to pass, since in 1879 Louis Leidiger and his brother Ernest rented the brewery.2358 Louis was an experienced brewer, who had started brewing at age thirteen in Sheboygan, worked for several years in Milwaukee, later in Omaha and Sioux City, and finally back in Milwaukee, where he remained until moving to Door County in 1879.2359 While some sources suggest that the Leidigers took over the brewery of Arnold Wagener, both the location of the brewery and the fact that the Leidiger brothers were listed as brewers boarding with farmer Herman Seidermann [sic] in the 1880 population census support the conclusion that the Leidigers purchased the brewery in Sevastopol.

The Leidigers purchased the brewery within a few years, and by 1884 were “doing a large business” according to the Dun & Co. evaluator. They produced just under 700 barrels in the 1881-2 tax year, which was twice as much as the other brewer of Sturgeon Bay, Arnold Wagener.2360

In 1887, Hagemeister Brewing Co. of Green Bay purchased the Leidiger brewery for $5,000 to acquire extra brewing capacity. Louis Leidiger later took over the former Ruder brewery in Merrill. Al Hagemeister moved to Sturgeon Bay to take over management of the plant, which operated under the Sturgeon Bay Brewing Co. name.2361 The plant does not appear ever to have had its own malt house, and probably brought in all the necessary grain from the Green Bay branch. By 1907, capacity of this branch was 10,000 barrels, and it supplied “the trade in the northern country up as far as Houghton.”2362 A wind storm struck the brewery in 1910 and caused $5,000 of damage to the boiler house, the brewhouse and several out buildings.2363

In 1917, Hagemeister Brewing was looking into alternative beverages, and decided that cherry juice would be a profitable alternative to grape juice—especially given the importance of cherries in Door County. The company was prepared to invest more than $10,000 in creating and promoting the new drink, but the company ultimately decided not to pursue this product.2364 During Prohibition, the company operated briefly as the Sturgeon Bay branch of Hagemeister Products Co., but Hagemeister dropped this business completely within a few years and the Sturgeon Bay branch seems to have shut down even earlier (perhaps as early as 1921).

After Prohibition, several parties showed interest in restarting the brewery. In July 1933, the Manitowoc Herald-Times reported that the brewery had been sold to Robert Seider of Chicago, despite the fact that “a group of Door county men” held an option on the property. A few days later, the sale was closed and Robert Schoenbrunn, attorney for Seider, announced that repairs were already underway and that he hoped to have beer on the market in at most two months. One question that was unanswered at this point was whether the new company “expects to cater principally to the local trade or is brewing for the Chicago thirst.”2365 (The Door County tavern owners who lost out on the Hagemeister plant planned their own brewery “in the heart of the city” with a capacity of 150 barrels, but these plans did not come to pass.)2366 Seider (or Seiter) was a police officer in Chicago, and along with police Sgt. John Orgel, he quit the force to operate the brewery.2367 Why the brewery was run under Schonbrunn’s name (and misspelled) suggests Seider was unable to get a license to operate in Wisconsin.

In fact, the brewery sent nearly all its production to Illinois, but the brewery operated only intermittently. (The Fort Dearborn brand would have much more appeal in Chicago, where the historic fort had been, than in Door County.) Brewing historian John Steiner argues that much of the beer sold under the Schonbrunn name was actually produced in Chicago.2368 Despite reports that the company changed its name to Sturgeon Bay Brewing Co., the name was never changed and all official records still used the Schonbrunn name.2369 At one point the Sturgeon Bay brewery occasionally produced over 400 barrels per month in 1936, but by 1937 and 1938 it was rare for the brewery to produce more than 100 barrels in a month. The last recorded sales were in October 1938, and the brewery appears to have gone out of business at that time.2370

• Wagener Bros. (1874–1882?)
• Main Street near Spruce (Modern First Avenue near Nebraska Street)

The Wagener Brothers, William and Nicholas A., started their brewery in 1874, just too late to be included in the surviving excise records. Nicholas (sometimes called Arnold, his middle name) served in the 5th Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War, and afterwards went to Nebraska to work in a brewery there. He then traveled throughout the west, but returned to Wisconsin, where in 1873 he took a position in the Blatz brewery before moving to Sturgeon Bay. William was a veteran of the 16th Infantry, suffering wounds at Murfreesboro but returned to carry the regiment’s colors at Lookout Mountain.2371 Their brewery was a small one, brewing just sixty-two barrels in 1875. The brothers increased production during the next few years, reaching 469 barrels in 1879. However, the brothers did not have a smooth path to prosperity. In 1876, the brewery was raided and D. M. Whitney, the U.S. Marshal, “arrested Arnold Wagener, and looked around for his brother, who was not to be found. He also seized their brewery. They are charged with selling ‘crooked beer.’ They are sons of the crooked whisky Wagener of Mishicott.”2372 Despite this brush with the law, both brothers served as sheriffs of Door County, first William and then Arnold. William died in November 1878, though the firm continued to be known as Wagner Bros. since his widow was part of the business.

This brewery continued through at least 1881, since Arnold is still listed in the 1880 population census as a brewer and is still in Tovey’s 1882 directory (which was sometimes a year behind). The R. G. Dun & Co. credit reports indicate he was out of business by July 1882, and may have been some months before. However, federal records indicate that Wagner Bros. [sic] purchased tax stamps sufficient for 333 3/8 barrels in the year ending April 30 1882, so they may have been in business into 1882.2373

Some accounts claim that Leidiger Bros. took over this brewery. However, this clashes with the fact that Leidiger and Wagener were both listed as brewers in the 1880 population census and the 1882 Tovey directory, as well as the 1882 revenue stamp records. In addition, Leidiger was listed in Sevastopol and Wagener in Sturgeon Bay, which seems to indicate that Leidiger took over Seidemann’s brewery, not Wagner’s. The Seidemann/Leidiger/Hagemeister brewery was clearly north of the city and on the bay, but there had to be another brewery in downtown Sturgeon Bay, which was probably Wagener’s. The existence of a brewery on Main Street comes from a passage in a 1917 history of Door County, which related this tale:

Just across the street from the Advocate is the site of the first county courthouse. Adjoining this on the southeast was Leidiger’s brewery. The courthouse was a two-story building with a basement. The basement was used for a saloon, which was very convenient for the court and jury. However, it was customary for the jury to provide itself with refreshments in another manner. After O. E. Dreutzer had harangued the jury into a real bellicose attitude, the jury would retire into its sanctum sweating under the collar. A rope would then be dropped to a side door of the brewery and a keg of beer hauled up. After due investigation of the contents of the keg the verdict would be returned.2374

The location does not appear to fit Leidiger’s brewery, which was nowhere near the old courthouse. It is possible that Leidiger had a brewery saloon at this location, but it seems more likely that this was Wagener’s brewery, and the account from forty years later confused the names of the two brewers.

• Cherryland Brewery (1987–1998)
• Cherryland Brewpub (1998)
• Sturgeon Bay Brewing Co. (1998)
• 341 North Third Avenue or 560 Gordon Road

In 1987, Tom Alberts and Mark Feld brought brewing back to Door County when they founded Cherryland Brewery in the 1914 Oliver Station railroad depot on the Green Bay and Western line. Cherryland was typically classified as a brewpub since it was associated with Del Santo’s Restaurant. In keeping with its setting, Cherryland’s most notable beer was Cherry Rail, a lager made with cherry extract that garnered a silver medal at the 1991 Great American Beer Festival. All of the lagers were brewed at Dubuque Brewing Co., but the ales were made in Sturgeon Bay, as were the beers intended for consumption on the premises.

The attention brought by Cherry Rail made Cherryland an attractive partner for a venture that proposed creating a “beer-of-the-month club” selling American craft beers in Japan. (This plan never came to pass.) At its peak, Cherryland sold about sold about 3,000 barrels of beer per year. However, starting in 1998, the brewery was sold and Cherryland contracted the brewing of all its beers, first to Dubuque Brewing in Iowa, then to Hinterland, though the beers were still sold at the restaurant in Sturgeon Bay.2375

• Starboard Brewing Co. (2014–present)
• 151 North 3rd Avenue

Amanda and Patrick Surfus wanted to bring a local brewery to Sturgeon Bay, and opened Starboard Brewing Co. in October 2014. As Starboard employee Steve Rice put it: “[A] town should have certain things, its butcher, its baker, its candlestick maker, and its brewery. Sturgeon Bay is finally complete again.”2376 In 2016 they produced 95 barrels on their one-barrel system. Starboard does not have any particular flagship beers, but produces a variety of different styles. In August 2017, the beer list included everything from an American pale ale to a rhubarb saison and Wood Stock Ale, brewed with sap and spruce tips.2377

Summit Township (Dousman/Golden Lake) (Waukesha County)

• Jacob Grubb (1858–1871)
• Adam Grubb (1871–74)
• Michael Silverling (1874–75)
• John Link (1875–1881)
• Mrs. Margaret Link (1881–82)
• Louis C. Kuhry (1883–88)
• Section 31, South of Modern U.S. Highway 18.

Jacob Grubb appears to have started brewing around 1858 just south of Golden Lake in Summit Township. He appears in the 1870 census of industry as a brewer of sixty barrels. This earned him $480, which was actually below the $500 threshold required to be listed in the census. His small brewery was powered by hand, and he was the only employee. His son Adam took over in the fall of 1871, according to excise records and the 1873 industry directory, which listed him as brewing eighty barrels in the year prior to May 1872. Little is known about Michael Silverling’s tenure at the brewery. By 1875 John Link had acquired the brewery. Link expanded production significantly—producing 368 barrels in 1878 (but only 238 the next year). He operated it until his death in 1881, after which his widow Margaret took charge of the brewery. A few years later she either sold it or leased it to Louis C. Kuhry (Kouhry) who continued to run the brewery for a few more years. The entry in Tovey’s 1882 directory indicates that the brewery had a malt house, but subsequent entries in Wing’s directories do not include a malt house.

Superior (Douglas County)

• Louis Kiichli (1859–1869)
• Klein & Co. (Klein & Decemval), Superior City Brewery (1869–1875?)
• 346 West Second Street (1859–61)
• Central Park, Third Street and Sixth Avenue (also given as L Street and Third Street) (1861–1875?)

Louis Kiichli (various spellings) is believed to have started brewing in the Twin Ports around 1859.2378 Local historian Tony Dierckins has uncovered the earliest mention of Kiichi’s brewery: he advertised as a “’manufacturer and wholesale and retail dealer in lager beer’” in August 1859.2379 He moved to a new location in 1861, though unfortunately the newspaper article that announced the beginning of production did not indicate the location. It did, however, confirm: “The beer made there is of much better quality than the last two brewings at the old place.”2380 Kiichli’s location is confused by his listing in the 1860 population census as a resident of Duluth. The commute in 1860 would have been much more difficult than in the modern era.

His new brewery still may not have been large enough, since an ad that ran from 1864 through 1868 noted that Kiichli “keeps constantly on hand and will furnish to order Old, New and all kinds of Beer and Ale, Usually manufactured in this vicinity.” (Emphasis added.) Where any beer not “manufactured in this vicinity” came from was not stated. Kiichli also had a butcher shop in Superior, and was later elected county clerk. The R. G. Dun & Co. credit evaluator reported that Kiichli worked hard and made money despite not having much capital. His wife helped out in the saloon, and “they work well together in making & saving money.” The last entry for Kiichli in the Dun records was in 1868 but he may have continued after that.2381 In 1933, old settler John Bardon described Kiichli’s beer as “’a fine product—with plenty of body to it.’”2382

In 1869, Kiichli sold the business to Jacob Klein and Klein’s brother-in-law Victor Decemval (or Descimval). They enlarged and improved the brewery, including a new beer cellar. Advertisements in the Superior Times announced that they would deliver their beer “around the head of Lake Superior or along the Northern Pacific Railroad,” though at that time the Northern Pacific was still in the very early stages of construction so this did not enhance their delivery range very much.2383 Production at their renamed Superior City Brewery dropped from 469 barrels in 1871 to 167 the following year, but ads for the brewery continued to run in the Superior Times through October 1875.

• Thomas Shiels (Shiels & Sizer) (1865?–1870)
• John Walbourne (Walbram) (1871–72?)
• Thomas Shiels (1873?)
• Nemadji River near Modern Thirty-first Avenue and Second Street

The R. G. Dun & Co. reports indicate that Thomas Shiels, recently of Buffalo, New York, was building a brewery in Superior. His first appearance in the excise records was in May 1870, and the next month he paid tax on seventeen barrels of beer. However, historian Tony Dierckins suggests that the “Nemadji Brewery” may have been open as early as 1865. Henry Sizer was associated with Shiels in the business, apparently as the bookkeeper. Long-time area resident John Bardon recalled in 1933 that Shiels’ “beer was wonderful. The red iron[-]impregnated waters of the Nemadji imparted to this beverage health giving qualities rivaling ‘Ayres’ Cherry Pectoral,’ ‘Vinegar Bitters,’ or Lydia Pinkham’s vegetable compound.” The Dun records indicate that Shiels “sold out” in late 1870 and the company was out of business for a few months.2384

In late 1870 John Walbourne came from Detroit and leased the brewery. The article in the Superior Times announcing the change reported “Mr. W. has made many valuable improvements in and about the establishment,” suggesting that he had been in possession for some months.2385 He is listed (as Walbram) in the excise records starting in April 1871, and was reported to have made “‘many valuable improvements in and about the establishment, and those who know prounounce his beer first class.’”2386 Walbourne does not appear in any other records after 1871, and Dierckins found that Walbourne died in a duck hunting accident in October 1872. Shiels took control of the building again, though may not have resumed brewing. Bardon reported that the equipment from a Superior brewery was sold to the Kreimer brewery in Duluth, and the timing appears to fit the Nemadji brewery better than the Superior City brewery. In June 1873, Shiels offered a $10 reward for information “lead[ing] to the arrest and conviction of the parties that removed the plank platform from my Brewery on Left Hand river,” suggesting that he was at least interested in maintaining the plant at this date. A passing reference in the Superior Times indicated that it was still standing in 1877.2387 Some sources suggest that this plant was in operation as late as 1884, but this appears unlikely.

• West Superior Brewing Co. (1891–1901?)
• 215 Hammond Avenue

The West Superior Brewing Co. was established in 1889, though it does not appear to have begun production until 1891.2388 Its founders were Bernard Schwanekamp and Johan Joseph Hennes, who were brothers-in-law. The plant consisted of one three-story frame building and two single-story frame buildings and employed seven men, of whom three slept on the premises in 1892. The Rascher insurance map of that year listed the capacity of the brewery as 9,000 barrels per year, though there is no evidence production ever reached that level. West Superior Brewing “signed the scale of the Breweryworkers Union No. 158” in 1898, and contributed two half-barrels of beer as prizes for the Superior Labor Day games in 1899 (for the winners of the “running high jump” and “running hop, skip and jump.”)2389 Other than that, this business was seldom in the newspapers, and very little is known about its operations. The company last appeared in the city directory of 1900, and historian Tony Dierckins discovered that West Superior was absorbed by Northern Brewing Co. in 1901.2390

• Klinkert Brewing Co. (1890–98)
• L. Rueping Co. (1898)
• Northern Brewing Co. (1898–1920)
• Northern Brewing Co. (1933–1967)
• 702–724 North Eighth and Catlin

John A. Klinkert was an experienced brewer who had graduated from the Brewers Academy at Frankfurt, Germany, and worked for fifteen years in Milwaukee, including six years as foreman at Best. He then sought his fortune as a partner in Red River Valley Brewing Co. in Fargo, Dakota Territory, where one of his partners was Louis Rueping. Rueping’s family owned a malt house and other businesses in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.2391 When North Dakota became a state and wrote prohibition into its constitution, the partners decided to move to Wisconsin and start a new brewery in a place more hospitable to beer.2392

Klinkert Brewing’s market extended beyond the Twin Ports. The company had an agency in Fargo, North Dakota, which was logical because of Klinkert’s ties to the area. However, since North Dakota was a dry state, this arrangement could yield only limited revenue.2393

There were apparently disputes between the partners prior to the dissolution of the partnership. In 1894 Rueping sued to have a receiver appointed for the company, but this suit was discontinued in 1895.2394 Klinkert ultimately sold the brewery to Rueping in January 1898. Mayor Louis Erhart of Fond du Lac was reported to be involved as well, and indeed Erhart was one of the incorporators of the new Northern Brewing Co., along with Louis, Frederick R., and Fred J. Rueping. (The brewery was known as L. Rueping Co. for the brief period prior to incorporation.) The early newspaper reports claimed that Klinkert planned to retire, but this was clearly intended to mask the differences of opinion as he proceeded to start Klinkert Brewing and Malting in February. Erhart was mayor of Fond du Lac in 1897, but left after one term to become manager of Northern.2395 Erhart remained manager of the company until he retired in 1917, at which point Louis McKinnon, who had worked his way up through the company by managing the Fond du Lac branch and the Fond du Lac malt house, took over.2396

Because Northern started as a larger corporate brewery rather than a small family business, it had the advantage of obtaining up-to-date equipment relatively early. They purchased hand-me-down glass-lined storage tanks from Anheuser-Busch in 1909, and installed modern bottling and kegging equipment.2397 The brewery was located on a railroad line, which made shipping much easier. By the mid-1910s, the brewery’s capacity was increased to 20,000 barrels, fifty men were employed, and Northern’s flagship Blue Label beer was popular throughout the region.2398

Northern Brewing signed on with Breweryworkers Union Local 158 in 1898, and continued to identify as a union shop thereafter.2399 Northern sometimes acted more like a regional brewery than a small local firm, such as when it opened a branch in Virginia, Minnesota. The Virginia office was open just over a year, however.2400 Northern also had a branch office in Fond du Lac, which made sense given the Fond du Lac roots of the officers of the company.

When Prohibition arrived, Northern closed down, and the Fond du Lac-based management moved back south. The new owners applied for a near beer permit in 1922, and started production that November. The company made near beer and root beer for the local market. Northern Brewing was raided in July 1924, when a brewery worker was stopped with five kegs of beer in his car. Northern’s brewing permit was revoked that November, and the brewery remained out of commission until 1933.2401

In 1933, Northern Brewing Co. reopened under the management of Rudolph Peterson, who began to remodel and upgrade the brewery. Among the new additions was a pasteurizer, brought in to comply with a short-lived Wisconsin law which required package stores to sell beer at room temperature. Pasteurization increased the shelf life so the stores could compete with taverns. Northern was not ready to sell beer on New Beer’s Day, partially because the company could not acquire the federal permit right away. However since Peterson was not involved with the company when it was raided in 1924, the permit was granted in July.2402

Northern brought back its Blue Label brand, though Premier-Pabst forced Northern to change the label.2403 The company kept Blue Label for a few more years, but eventually decided to call the flagship beers Northern Select and Northern Pale. The company suffered a more serious setback in July 1936 when Rudolph Peterson died of heat prostration while at the brewery. Without his leadership, the brewery became insolvent and was reorganized in 1938. New owner Victor Nelson was credited with running an efficient business and getting the company back on firm footing. Vic’s Beer, which came in screen-printed shorty bottles, was named after Nelson. The brewery introduced cone top cans in 1948 and continued to use them until flat top canning equipment was installed in 1953.2404

The new ownership invested in improvements, but still had difficulty growing. Part of the problem was retaining skilled employees. Northern had six different brewmasters between 1933 and 1943, which caused inconsistent brews. Finally, Joseph Hartel joined the company in 1943, and remained until 1961. Hartel was given credit for improving the recipes and using high quality ingredients. There were few labor problems, but Northern was shuttered briefly by a strike of Brewery and Soft Drink Workers Local 133 in June 1946, a walkout that also affected the three Duluth breweries.2405 The brewery also found trouble with state revenue officials, who in 1940 insisted that Northern stop using labels and advertisements which used the word “strong.”2406 The brewery was sold to Robert R. Rooney in December 1955, and Rooney encouraged Hartel to make flavorful beers with high quality ingredients. Rooney also wanted a beer with his name on it, so the company packaged the regular Northern beer in bottles with Bob’s Beer labels. However, new owners and managers in the early 1960s began to focus on cost cutting. Quality suffered and sales decreased, a trend made worse when a bad batch of Northern beer was shipped, causing many accounts to stop carrying Northern. Sales were still about 20,000 barrels per year through 1960, but after that they declined annually. The brewery closed in February 1967.2407

After closing, Cold Spring Brewing Co. of Minnesota acquired the trademarks and distribution rights of Northern Brewing, and continued to brew Northern for several more years. Since closing, the remaining portions of the building have been used for a variety of light industrial purposes.2408

• Klinkert Brewing and Malting Co. (1898–1908)
• Twenty-fourth Street and Scranton Avenue

The Twin Ports were a good market for beer, and several investors thought there was room for more breweries than were already in operation. In 1893, reports spread that Phillip Altpeter and his sons were making plans for “the erection of a large brewery at the east end” of West Superior reported to cost between $60,000 and $70,000.2409 While nothing came of these plans, an established brewer soon built a brewery in West Superior.

After John Klinkert left his brewery on North Eighth Street, he formed a partnership with Frank Pabst and started a new brewery on Twenty-fourth Street and Scranton Avenue.2410 The articles of incorporation were filed in February, and production started later that year. The brewery had some brief problems with the brewery workers union in 1900, when the union declared the beer was “unfair.” However the company disputed the claim and the union removed the unfair label. Klinkert’s relations with the union clearly improved, and his beer was one of the few local options available to saloons that wanted to serve union beer.2411

The brewery closed in 1908, and the Great Northern Railroad and the Northern Pacific Railroad purchased the site because it was between their lines and both companies wanted to expand their rail yards.2412

• Twin Ports Brewing Co. (1996–2006)
• Thirsty Pagan Brewing (2006–present)
• Choo Choo Bar & Grill
• 5002 East Third Street (1996–99); 1623 Broadway (1999–present)

Rick and Nancy Sauer established Superior’s first brewery since 1967 in the Choo Choo Bar & Grill in 1996. Sauer was already brewing at Rail House in Marinette, but he moved to Superior and commuted back to Marinette to continue brewing. In 1999, they moved from the Choo Choo to a location closer to downtown Superior, in the 1910 Russell Creamery building. The brewpub also served as a mini-museum for Duluth and Superior breweriana, largely from the collection of Pete Clure.2413

In 2006, Susan and Steve Knauss purchased Twin Ports Brewing, and soon changed the name to Thirsty Pagan Brewing (which maintained the TP initials). Rick Sauer remained as brewmaster at first. Thirsty Pagan continued its reputation as a great place for a pizza and a beer, but also became more family friendly. In 2012, Allyson Rolph replaced Nate MacAlpine as head brewer, making her one of the few female brewmasters in the state. (In 2017 Rolph was named one of the lead brewers at the new Earth Rider Brewery in Superior.)2414

Sussex (Lisbon Township) (Waukesha County)

• Weaver & Sims (1849?–1853)
• Stephen Stone & Co. (1854–57)
• Weaver & Stone Brewery (1857–1861)
• Ephraim Boots (1861–1878)
• Boots & Co. (1878–1880)
• Jos. Dvorak (1880–84?)
• Modern W239 N6638 Maple Avenue

The research of Michael R. Reilly of the Sussex-Lisbon Area Historical Society has cleared up much of the confusion about the early years of this brewery. James Weaver and Edward Sims first appear in the Lisbon tax and assessment records in 1849, and a brewery was recorded in the same records in 1850, suggesting that it was built in 1849 or perhaps late 1848. Around 1853, Stephen Stone replaced Sims, and James Weaver turned over his hops and brewery interests to his son Richard. The property was listed under several different combinations of the proprietors’ names during the late 1850s.2415

In 1861, Ephraim Boots became proprietor of the brewery, though Reilly’s research indicates that Boots did not actually own the property until 1864. Boots built up the business throughout the decade, and by 1870 was brewing around 350 barrels per year with three employees working year around. Boots maintained this level of production through the 1870s, and even increased it to 463 barrels in 1879.

It is most likely, given the English heritage of the proprietors, that the Sussex brewery produced ale for the first two decades. However, in November 1869 the Waukesha Plaindealer announced: “Mr. E. Boots, of the Sussex Brewery, is now furnishing lager beer to severel [sic] retail dealers in this village, and all pronounce it a first-class article.”2416 This seems to indicate a switch to lager, though it is possible he had been brewing lager earlier but was only just now shipping to Waukesha establishments.

The last years of the brewery are less clear. The R. G. Dun & Co. records indicate that Boots (or Boots & Co.) were still in operation through 1880, but by 1881 Boots was renting the brewery. The renter appears to have been Joseph Dvorak, who appears in Tovey’s 1882 brewery listing as the proprietor of the brewery in Lisbon. However, the Dun records claim that by December 1881 the brewery was closed and Boots was “busted.”2417 Boots left Sussex for Janesville, where he became a beer distributor, first for Schlitz, then for Blatz, and finally for Miller.2418 It is unclear how much longer Dvorak operated the brewery. Most references claim that he continued through 1884, though there is scant industry or local support for any date past 1882. Opening and closing notices in periodicals such as Western Brewer were sometimes published a year or more after the actual event.

• Bernard W. Hephen (1856?–1858?)

Bernard Hephen was listed as a brewer in the 1857 state business directory, but extensive research by Michael R. Reilly has failed to unearth any additional proof of his brewing operations or land ownership. Because his brewery was listed at the same time as Weaver & Stone’s business, it seems possible that Hephen was neither a predecessor nor successor to the other brewery.2419

Taycheedah (Fond du Lac County)

• Hauser & Dix, Spring Brewery (1856?–1864)
• Paul Hauser (1864–68)
• Hauser & Bechuad (1868–1871?)

The brewery of Paul Hauser and his various partners is not well documented. The county histories refer to it in vague but sometimes picturesque ways, such as the A. T. Glaze history from 1905, which recounted:

People who have passed through Taycheedah and up the ledge on the Sheboygan road have not failed to notice the ruins of a stone building near the road. The structure was erected for a brewery by Hauser & Dix, of Fond du Lac, with the intent to use the water from a beautiful spring across the road, and was named the “Spring Brewery.” The buildings now used by the Harrison Postal Bag Rack Co. at Sheboygan and Portland streets, were erected by the same firm as a place to store and handle the beer. But this business venture proved a failure, as the spring water at Taycheedah could not compete with the fountain water in Fond du Lac in making and selling beer.2420

Glaze’s account overstates the degree to which the business was a failure, since Hauser was there for at least fifteen years.

Hauser was listed as a brewer at Taycheedah in the 1857 state business directory, though a Fond du Lac directory from the same year list Hauser & Dix as proprietors of a lager beer saloon in the city of Fond du Lac. Hauser and Dix appear in the records of R. G. Dun & Co. in 1861 with indications that they were making money through 1864. In 1864 Dix left the business, and Hauser carried on alone, but with equally good credit ratings through 1866. In 1867 the Dun evaluator reported that Hauser had been “burned out,” but that he was well insured and was still worthy of credit.2421 The excise records indicate that Adolph Bechaud joined the business and remained until he started his own brewery in Fond du Lac. In 1871 Hauser & Bechaud appear to have started a brewery in Fond du Lac, since the entries from the excise records show a changed location, supported by later city directories. (The history of the business in Fond du Lac is under the entries for that city.) However, newspapers reported that the “extensive” brewery at Taycheedah burned in April 1872 with a loss of $14,000—an unlikely total for an abandoned brewery.2422 The fire brought a conclusive end to brewing at this location.

• John W. Whinfield (1856?–1876?)
• Fred Schroeder (1873?)

John Whinfield (Winfield) appears off and on in the records. He was listed in the first state business directory of 1857, and in a Fond du Lac directory as late as 1876, when he would have been well advanced in years (while the 1860 census lists him as 60, the 1870 version has him at 78). The 1870 census specifically mentions that he brewed ale, though it was probably not a full time occupation. He does not appear in excise records from 1867–1874, and the 1860 census lists his occupation as civil engineer. The 1870 census further confuses matters by placing his residence in the First Ward of Fond du Lac proper, though he may well have had a residence there and maintained his brewery in Taycheedah.

Fred Schroeder is listed as a brewer of weiss beer in the 1873 excise records. There is no evidence specifically linking him to Whinfield’s business, but it is possible that Schroeder rented or leased from Whinfield, explaining some of the gaps in the latter’s record. Schroeder may have had a short-lived brewery of his own. He does not appear to fit well as a successor to Hauser, whose brewery in Taycheedah made lager beer.

• Moritz Krembz (1867?–1868?)
• Taycheedah Road

Mortiz Krembz appears as a brewer in an 1868 county gazetteer, with his brewery on Taycheedah Road east of the tollgate.2423 By the 1870 census he is listed as a druggist, and in an 1872 city directory he was also listed as a chicory manufacturer, at the same address as his old brewery. The fact that Krembz was still occupying the same building in 1872 makes it less likely that Peter Severin took over the Krembz brewery in 1871.

• F. Peter Severin (1871?–1883?)
• Stamm & Severin (1871)
• Taycheedah Road

Peter Severin first appears in the excise records in May 1871 as a brewer of weiss beer, and he remains in the records for the next decade or so as either a brewer of weiss beer or as a bottler. The R. G. Dun & Co. credit evaluator listed him as a beer bottler in 1880 and 1881, and recommended against extending credit.2424 Philip Stamm had a weiss beer brewery in Fond du Lac, though it is possible that that Severin worked with Stamm for a while, or that Stamm had some of his beer made at Severin’s brewery. (See Philip Stamm under Fond du Lac.)

Theresa (Dodge County)

• Ulrich Oberle (1849–1854)
• Benedict Weber (1854–1864)
• Maria Weber (1864–1867?)
• Gebhard Weber (1867?–1906)
• G. Weber Brewing Co. (1906–1920)
• G. Weber Brewing Co. (1934–1961)
• Northeast Corner of Menominee and Henni Streets

Ulrich Oberle built the first brewery in Theresa in 1849. The settlement had become a popular stopping place on Wisconsin’s pioneer trails, and had an abundance of hotels and taverns for a small community. According to local tradition, the thick, stone walls of the brewery provided safety for the townsfolk during an Indian attack in the early years, though it appears more likely that this was an account of rumored attacks inspired by the Dakota War of 1862 hundreds of miles to the west in Minnesota rather than any real attack. Benedict Mayer was employed at the brewery (or may have been a partner in the business) from 1850 to 1852. If he was a partner, he may have sold his share of the brewery to Benedict Weber before leaving for New Fane in Fond du Lac County to operate a brewery and store.2425

In 1853, Benedict Weber became a partner in the brewery. A year later, Weber bought out Oberle, and took control of the company. Two accounts claim that when Weber took over the company he incorporated it and named it G. Weber Brewing Co. after his son Gebhard. However, the company still appears under Benedict’s name in the 1857 state business directory and the 1860 industrial census, and this would have been the earliest incorporation of a brewery in Wisconsin by more than twenty years—an unlikely step for a family business to take prior to the Civil War.2426 Weber’s brewery employed two men (probably both family members) and produced 450 barrels of lager beer in 1860, making this the largest of Theresa’s breweries by a slight margin.

The 1860s was a difficult decade for the Webers. The brewery was destroyed by fire in 1860, and Benedict rebuilt the brewery using stones from the burned out structure. While the building was still under construction, a tornado wrecked the foundation, but Weber persevered, and eventually completed the brewery and new malt house. Benedict Weber died from injuries sustained in a horse riding accident in 1864, and his family took over the brewery. According to several sources, Gebhard did not take full control of the brewery until 1873 or 1874, and his mother Maria Josephine Weber directed the business. Mrs. Weber hired experienced brewers to help run the business, including John Steger, who later had a brewery at Mayville, and Benedict’s nephew Jacob Binder, who later purchased the brewery at Neosho.2427 The brewery is absent from the 1870 industrial census and the brewery directories of the early 1870s, which make it difficult to assess production. However, by 1878 Weber’s brewery produced almost 1,400 barrels of beer, making it by far the largest brewery in Theresa and the nearby communities. The brewery grew some of its own hops on Weber farmland.2428

During the decades after the Civil War, Gebhard Weber upgraded the primitive, hand-powered brewery and around 1880 built a new brick brewhouse. In 1890, Weber added a new icehouse and the next year built a new storage cellar. Business appears to have expanded rapidly, since in 1894 Weber replaced the 1890 icehouse with a larger facility and remodeled much of the brewery. In addition, Weber bought the former Nenno brewery in Addison and used its cellars and saloon. The Webers incorporated the business at the end of this flurry of growth in 1896.2429

G. Weber Brewing Co. installed bottling equipment in 1907, which was necessary to compete with breweries in West Bend and other cities that were moving into the territory. The upgrades continued in the 1910s, when Weber added more bottling equipment, a new mash tun, and took advantage of the arrival of electric power in Theresa to run some of the equipment.2430

Gebhard Weber died in 1917, after more than half a century of involvement in his family’s brewery, and just before the arrival of prohibition. The brewery made malt syrup during Prohibition, but there were rumors that the tunnel that carried steam pipes under the road to heat the Weber house was also used to transport bottles of real beer from the brewery to the house. The bottles would then be packaged and shipped within the area. The Weber brewery was never raided during Prohibition, so either they were very good at concealing the operations, or the rumors were nothing more than that.2431

After Prohibition, Bert and Victor Weber sought financial help from two Milwaukee investors, Sam Chemer and Mark C. Hanna. Cornelius (Cornie) Weber, who still owned a share in the brewery, negotiated with the Milwaukeeans, and brought in Hanna as secretary and general manager of the business. With the new financial support, brewmaster Bert Weber was able to get the brewery going again by July 1933. The brewery was upgraded, and some of the upgrades were developed and built by Cornie, who was an electrical engineer, and Chemer, who was a mechanic. The workers at the brewery belonged to Brewery Workers Local 9-Branch 5, demonstrating the trend of workers at even the smallest breweries to be unionized in the post-Prohibition era.2432

The remodeled brewery generally produced between 5,000 and 10,000 barrels per year during the years after Prohibition. Weber’s production was fairly consistent, but these totals continued to slide down the rankings of Wisconsin’s breweries as smaller business closed. Weber’s business suffered a blow in 1945 when Mark Hanna was killed in a car accident. His hard work was responsible for the consistent level of sales, and he even shipped beer into Milwaukee for a few years. Hanna had been educated at the Boston Conservatory of Music, and in Theresa formed the Theresa Pioneer Band, which played at events in the area.2433

During the last years of the brewery owner Cornie Weber spent most of his time in Milwaukee, but made sure that the brewery was properly maintained. He also trained cellarman Gilbert Radtke to be the new brewmaster—at the time the youngest brewmaster in the United States. The brewery continued to be a gathering place for local residents who stopped in for a free beer, and Radtke made occasional special batches of beer for the American Legion and the firemen’s annual picnic. G. Weber gained some extra sales during the Milwaukee brewery strike of 1953, but sales were generally flat or declining. In 1958 Cornie Weber and Sam Chemer sold their interests in the brewery to Nathaniel Lemke and David Kincaid. Nathaniel’s wife Alice was appointed president of the company and held that post until the brewery closed in 1961. The new ownership changed the formula of Pioneer beer, and made some possibly ill-advised decisions about investments and expenditures. In 1960 the brewery was down to three employees: Radtke, bottling room superintendent Gebhard Weber (son of Victor) and driver and brewery hand Walter Zastrow. The brewery made less than 1,000 barrels, and was unable to compete in the modern beer market. The brewery was closed in March 1961, and was later converted into a distributor for Braumeister beer until Independent Milwaukee Brewing Co. closed in 1963. The Weber family got the property back in 1962, and kept the brewery intact until 1978, when it was sold to pay off past due property taxes. As of this writing, portions of the brewing equipment were on display at the Spring Green tourist attraction the House on the Rock, and a fermenter was brought to the Milwaukee Ale House and used as the centerpiece of the bar area.2434

• Hussa Brewery (1850?–?)
• Miller & Hartman (1856?–58?)
• Alois Heischmidt (1859?–1860?)
• John Embs (1867)
• Berthold & Co. (Berthold & Hartzhein) (1868–1870)
• M. Hartzhein (1870)

There are two Theresa breweries listed in the federal census of industry prior to the Civil War that do not fit well with the known chronologies. But census of industry records were generally accurate, so these need to be accounted for. The Hussa Brewery was listed in the 1850 census as producing 500 barrels of beer with three employees and $1,000 of capital. Unfortunately there are no relevant Hussa listings in the population census to support this entry. This was the only Theresa brewery listed in the industrial census that year. The brewery of Alois Heischmidt was one of three Theresa breweries included in the 1860 industrial census. Heischmidt’s brewery represented an investment of $1,200 and produced 400 barrels of lager beer with two employees. Neither Hussa nor Heischmidt fits with the Oberle or Weber timelines, but it is possible that Hussa could represent an earlier stage in the Miller & Hartman brewery and Heischmidt a successor. Three breweries was already a lot for a village of this size, and a fourth or fifth brewery would have been unlikely (though still possible).

Miller and Hartman were included in the 1857 state business directory as brewers in Theresa. Stephan Miller was listed as a brewer in the 1860 population census, but Heischmidt could have owned the brewery that Miller worked in since the census indicated that Heischmidt owned $850 worth of real estate and $75 of personal property, and Miller had nothing in either category.

The connection between Miller’s business and that of John Embs, who appears in the 1867 excise records is not clear in the documents, but is supported by historian Wayne Kroll.2435 Berthold and Hartzhein replace Embs in the excise records in March 1868, and M. Hartzhein (spelled Hartzheim) appears alone in 1870.

• Ulrich Oberle (1856?–1861?)
• John Quast (1867?–1889)
• Luhn & Asenbauer (1893–94)
• Gustav Luhn (1894–95)
• Luhn & Bandlow, Union Brewery (1895–96)
• Fred W. Bandlow, Union Brewery (1896–1910)
• West Rock River Street

Local brewery historian Michael D. Benter concludes that Ulrich Oberle remained with Weber as brewmaster for several years after selling the brewery, since he is still listed as a brewer in the 1860 census at a location near or next to Weber.2436 However, the 1857 state business directory lists the two as separate business, and while this source is sometimes questionable, the much more reliable 1860 census of industry also lists the two as separate businesses with different valuations and output totals. The brewery that later became the Bandlow brewery was located just west of Weber’s business, so it appears that Oberle started a new brewery after selling out to Weber. (Unfortunately the R. G. Dun & Co. credit reports which are often quite helpful in clearing up these cases either never evaluated the Theresa breweries or those records have been lost.)

If this is the case, Oberle may have started his new brewery a very short time after selling out to Weber. It is not clear when Oberle sold out for a second time, this time to John Quast. Quast appears in the first available excise records in 1867, and continued to run the brewery until his death in 1889. Industry directories show Quast produced around 350 barrels per year in the late 1870s. Quast did not have his own malt house, and there are no records of whether he purchased any supplies from his neighbor Gebhard Weber. According to a descendant of the Weber family next door, “Quast was about the only customer of his brewery.” The Weber family considered buying the property, but decided that there was no threat to their business and let the brewery lay idle for several years without purchasing it.2437

In 1893, carpenter Gustav Luhn purchased the brewery in partnership with Vinzent Asenbauer. In 1894 Luhn bought out Asenbauer, and ran the brewery on his own for a year. In 1895, Luhn brought in his brother-in-law Frederick Bandlow, and the new company became known as the Union Brewery. Bandlow took over the brewery on his own in 1896, and operated it until 1901 when the brewery was badly damaged by fire. The fire spread to the east and damaged several other buildings, but the wind kept the blaze away from the Weber brewery. Bandlow repaired the brewery and was in business soon afterwards.2438

In 1905, Bandlow considered starting a brewery in Lomira in 1905, but apparently the expansion of the Sterr malting operation into the brewing business persuaded Bandlow to stay in Theresa. He continued to brew until 1910, and then worked as a distributor for Gutsch Brewing of Sheboygan for a few years. The brewery was demolished in 1913 and a residence was built on the property.2439