Osseo (Trempealeau County)

• Northwoods Brewpub and Grill (2015–present)
• 50819 West Avenue

Northwoods Brewpub was running out of space in its Eau Claire location, especially since they were hoping to expand their packaging operations. Since prices for the type of space they needed were prohibitive in Eau Claire, Jerry Bechard began to look elsewhere. Nels Gunderson, a Chevrolet dealer in Osseo, had been interested in starting a banquet center in an old milk condensary in that city about twenty-five miles southeast of Eau Claire. Gunderson approached Bechard, whose Norske Nook restaurants started in Osseo, and asked if he would be willing to bring the brewpub to Osseo (and which would hold the liquor license for the event center). Bechard and his team looked over the massive building, and soon agreed to the move. About three months after beginning renovations, the new brewery was ready to go.

While brewpub traffic was similar to if not better in the new location, the biggest advantages were in the packaging. The first canning had been done on a hand-operated system that filled two cans at a time—the new system had a capacity of 100 cans an hour. As of 2017, Northwoods was phasing out their 16-ounce cans and moving to 12-ounce cans. With the new space, brewer Eddie Rogers introduced barrel-aging and sour beer programs.1813

Ottawa Township (Dousman) (Waukesha County)

• David Link (1860?–1873?)

David Link (or Lenk) was brewing on his farm in Ottawa Township at least by 1860, since he is listed as a brewer in the census of that year. As owner of $5,000 of real estate spread out over several parcels, and $600 of personal property, he was fairly well-to-do. Excise records indicate he brewed regularly during the late 1860s and early 1870s, though the 1870 census lists him only as a farmer. The few production statistics indicate that he brewed for local consumption—thirty-five barrels in 1871 and twenty-one in 1872 were not enough to spread his reputation much beyond Dousman. David’s son John later became a brewer in neighboring Summit Township. Link’s brewery disappears from tax records and industry publications after 1873.

Paddock Lake (Kenosha County)

• The Benjamin Beer Company (2014–15)
• 24425 75th Street

Jim Kennedy first opened the Benjamin Beer Company in September 2014 in Paddock Lake, west of Kenosha. The company was named after Benjamin Franklin. The site proved too small, and closed in July 2015. Kennedy looked for another Kenosha County site, but instead decided to move to downtown Racine, where it reopened in May 2016.

Palmyra (Jefferson County)

• John Buzzell (1856?–58?)

John Buzzell appears to have had a brewery here in the late 1850s.

• J. F. Smith (1856?–1858?)

Like Buzzell, Smith’s existence as a brewery is known from a single directory reference. Given the questionable accuracy of these early directories, it is possible that these two could have been saloonkeepers who brewed their own beer, farmers who had a small brewing operation, or they may not have brewed at all.

Paris Township (Kenosha County)

• John C. Custer (Custus) (1850?)

John C. Custer was listed as a brewer in the 1850 population census. While not definite proof that he owned a brewery, he was unlikely to have declared is occupation as brewer if he were not engaged in the trade, and there were no other breweries in the vicinity at which he could have been employed.

Pembine (Marinette County)

• Black Husky Brewing Co. (2010–present)
• W5951 Steffen Lane

In 2010 Tim and Toni Eichinger started one of Wisconsin’s first nanobreweries in Pembine, near the Michigan border. The rural location was also the home of their rescued sled dogs, and each label bore a picture of one of the dogs. When possible, the beer was selected to match the personality of the dog. Howler was used for bold beers; Rinki Dinki was the label dog for Pembiner: a small beer, named for a small town and a small dog. The remote location created difficulties not encountered by many other breweries. All ingredients needed to be ordered by mail, and the local market was very supportive but small. Much of the beer was shipped to Milwaukee, and since all beer was self-distributed, this made for a lot of long drives.

While the early brews were well-brewed interpretations of classic styles, over time the brews became much more distinctive, particularly the “Beware of the Dog Series.” Offerings included a Belgian Tripel, Smoke Monster Smoked Beer, Big Buck Brown Ale (with maple syrup) and the signature Sproose II IPA, made with spruce tips. Howler Imperial Pale was brewed with honey, and often with different hop varieties. Twelve-Dog Imperial Stout was available in regular and barrel-aged versions.

In 2010, production was about 100 barrels per year. But as the popularity of the beers grew beyond what the space in their log brewery could handle (production approached 300 barrels in 2015), the Eichingers decided to move to their brewery to Milwaukee to be near their son Jacob and his family, and to be nearer to their principal market.1814

Pepin (Pepin County)

• August Geisert (ca. 1860)

August Geisert moved from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin sometime in the late 1850s. He was listed as a brewer located in the Village of Pepin’s First Ward in the 1860 population census, but based on the fact that he had only $200 of real estate and $35 of personal property, his operation was undoubtedly a small one. Sometime after, he moved to Menomonie and started a larger brewery. His sons August and Louis later operated a brewery in Rice Lake.

Peshtigo (Marinette County)

• Ferdinand Hoppe (1872?–1875)

Ferdinand Hoppe is believed to have started brewing near Peshtigo in the early 1870s. The brewery was mostly likely established after the fire of 1871, since it does not appear in any accounts of the damage from the blaze. This brewery burned in late May 1875 and was not rebuilt.1815

Pewaukee Township (Waukesha County)

• Fox River Brewery, Jacob Goettelman (1854?–1862?)
• Fox River, Pewaukee

Jacob Goettelman operated a modest brewery in Pewaukee Township in the 1850s. The first known mention of the brewery appears in 1854 and was not directly related to brewing—constituents of Democratic State Senator George R. McLane met at the Fox River Brewery “to consider whether he acted properly by supporting” the Kansas-Nebraska Act.1816 Goettelman’s listing in the 1860 industrial census indicates that he brewed just over 100 barrels in the previous year, but more interestingly, that he employed one woman at the brewery. No one other than his wife Gertrude was listed in his household in the 1860 population census, so she may have helped in the brewery (for which she or the other female employee was paid $10 per month). Since Goettelman had no real estate listed in the population census, it is likely that he did not own the land the brewery was on, though he purchased some property in the area in 1861 with J. A. Wirth. Goettelman sold his share of the land to Wirth in 1862, which may have marked the end of his brewing at this site.1817

Pierce Township (Kewaunee County)

• John Frazier (Feezier, Vaser) (1876?–1879)

John Vaser of Pierce is listed in Salem’s directory of brewers as producing 110 barrels in 1878 and 47 barrels in 1879—figures that suggest he was running a small farm brewery. Wayne Kroll has identified Vaser as John Frazier, whose address was sometimes listed as Ryan’s Corners.1818 The Manitowoc Pilot reported in 1879 that “Feezier” had built a small brewery “a few years ago” but since had fallen on hard times and “of late he had few customers besides himself.” An incident in which he, while drunk, dipped his young daughter’s legs into hot keg rinse water, after which he attempted to poison himself, was probably the end of his brewing career.1819

Plainfield (Waushara County)

• D. Wilson (1856?–1858?)

Wilson’s Plainfield brewery was included in the 1857 directory but he was not listed in the 1860 census, so his brewery was most likely small and short lived.

Platteville (Grant County)

• J. F. Gluck (1851?–1852?)
• “Northeast part of town”

The Platteville Independent American began running an ad placed by J. F. Gluck in February 1852 noting: “The subscriber is making and keeps constantly on hand a first rate article of Beer at his Brewery in the north east part of the town of Platteville.” If this represents his earliest sales, he probably began construction of the brewery during the previous year. However, in April the brewery burned with a loss of $1,500. It is unclear whether Gluck rebuilt or not, since the ad remained in the Independent American until June 1852, but no further references to his business have been found to date.1820

• Platteville Brewery
• Centlivre (& Muesey) (1865?–1867)
• Centlivre & Beyer (1868–69)
• Denis Centlivre (1869–1871)
• John Kemler (& Hein) (1871–74)
• Briscoe & Rehmstedt (1874–78)
• H. F. Rehmstedt (1878–1882)
• Wedel & Helberg (1882–84)
• George T. Wedel (1884–86)
• John Kemler (1886–89)
• Hoppe & Mueller (1890–92)
• Fritz Hoppe (1892–1913)
• List Brewing Co. (1913–1920)
• Platteville Brewery, Inc. (1938–1941)
• 1001 East Mineral Street

The story of the Platteville Brewery was one of nearly constant ownership changes. Only Fritz Hoppe had his name on the business for more than ten years, and other owners came and went in various configurations.

Denis Centlivre was one of the very few Wisconsin brewery proprietors to have been born in France. (His brother Charles Louis started the Centlivre Brewing Co. in Fort Wayne, Indiana.1821) Newspaper reports suggest that his brewery was open as early as December 1865, though most local histories place the opening date later.1822 He had a short-lived partnership with Joseph Muesey, which ended in late 1867, according to newspapers and excise records.1823 Excise tax records indicate Centlivre remained on his own until he took on a partner named Beyer in late 1868. Beyer only stayed until September of the next year.

In 1871, local businessman John Kemler acquired the brewery through foreclosure, and ran it with partner John P. Hein. Kemler’s first stint as an active partner was disrupted by a massive fire in September 1871, which caused damage estimated between $10,000 and $20,000. The brewery was rebuilt as a more impressive stone structure, along with an ice house, a barn and dwelling. Production of the new brewery reached 420 barrels in 1872 (the American Brewers’ Guide made specific note that the previous year’s records had burned). In late 1874, Richard Briscoe and H. F. Rehmsted took over the brewery. While the 1881 county history reports that they purchased the brewery in 1875, the excise records place them there in October 1874 (though they may have been renting or leasing at first). Production surpassed 700 barrels in 1878, but they ultimately succumbed to the same fate as Centlivre, and Kemler took control of the property again. Rehmsted was retained as the brewer for a few years and the 1881 county history reported that production was around 1,600 barrels per year with a crew of eight men (at a combined monthly wage bill of $350).1824 In 1882, George Wedel took over the operations and expanded capacity to around 2,000 barrels per year. Sometime prior to 1884 he added malting and bottling facilities, and while subsequent industry directories do not include these features, they are shown on the 1885 Sanborn Insurance Map. (The bottle house was located inconveniently across the creek that ran across the northwest side of the brewery, but it was on Mineral Street.)

Kemler became the proprietor of the brewery for one more spell, but he died in January 1889. This set the stage for the longest period of stability in Platteville Brewing history. Fritz Hoppe owned the brewery for nearly a quarter of a century, during which he improved the brewery by adding steam power, and also replaced the ice house which was washed away in a September 1894 storm.1825 Hoppe apparently also engaged in fish farming: in 1895 he requested one hundred carp from the state fisheries commission which were most likely stocked in a pond near the brewery.1826 In the early twentieth century Hoppe built a new bottle house that was on the same side of the creek as the brewery and continued to upgrade the brewery equipment. Hoppe had a pigpen on the brewery property, making him one of the few brewers to continue to house livestock on the premises during the twentieth century—but they provided a ready way to dispose of at least some of his spent brewery grains.

In 1913, John A. List purchased the brewery, and ran it with his son Louis as brewmaster until Prohibition.

When Prohibition ended, William Brey, his wife Jeannette, and R. J. Brachman sought to bring brewing back to Platteville. They incorporated Platteville Brewery, Inc. in July 1933, but the business did not produce beer until the beginning of 1938.1827 However, the brewery never produced enough beer to be viable. Some of the amounts were ludicrously low: production seems to have peaked in 1939 at 1,580 barrels, which compares poorly with nearby Potosi’s nearly 37,000 barrels the same year (not to mention Schlitz’s 1.6 million barrels). The brewery had a tiny market outside Wisconsin—in July 1941 they sold $12.11 worth of beer in other states. The brewery closed for good in 1941, though the structure still remains and has been repurposed as a cheese factory.

• Pioneer Haus Brew Pub (UW-Platteville Dining Services Brewpub) (2004–2010)
• 1 University Plaza

One of the more unusual brewpubs in Wisconsin, though fitting for the state, was Pioneer Haus Brew Pub, located in the Pioneer Student Center at University of Wisconsin-Platteville. It was believed to be the only commercial brewery owned by a university, and gave students in the University’s homebrew club and biological science classes a chance to help brew the beer. The fact that the brewery was owned and operated by a university caused some delays with federal and state permits, since there was no precedent for such an arrangement. Brewer Tom Nickels, an experienced homebrewer, typically brewed a batch on the fifty-liter system every two or three weeks. The entire output, typically around ten barrels per year, was sold on campus at the Pioneer Student Center. For a while, the two Pioneer Haus brews—1866 Lager and Pioneer Pale Ale—outsold Miller Lite. Pioneer Haus was one of the smallest breweries in the country during its existence, and perhaps the smallest that brewed on a regular schedule. The brewery sold enough beer to cover expenses, but after several years the University decided to discontinue the experiment.1828

Plover (Portage County)

• O’So Brewing Co.
• 1812 Post Road (2007–2011); 3028 Village Park Drive (2011–present)

Marc Buttera and his wife Katina started Point Brew Supply in 2003. The store outgrew two locations, after which they moved to a location where they could act on their plan to establish a brewery. The name O’So comes from an old Polish exclamation, and is a tribute to the Polish heritage of the region. The brewing equipment, acquired from a variety of sources, was jammed into the space of the original brewery in a small suburban strip mall. While production in the first year was only 350 barrels, wide acceptance of several excellent beers helped the brewery grow much more quickly than they expected. In 2012 they moved to a much larger location in Plover. The new brewery still featured some hand-me-down equipment, including some horizontal fermenters previously used by Lakefront Brewery which O’So painted with large representations of characters from children’s shows: Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, and Barney.

With more space in the new facility, the O’So brewing team began to experiment with barrel-aged and sour beers. They aged their sour blonde ale on blueberries, cherries, peaches, and a combination of kiwis and cranberries. Other offerings in the Extreme Beer line included IPAs fermented with brettanomyces. They also created a number of “one-off” beers that were intended to let the brewing team experiment and have fun, though a few of them, like Black Scotch, were so popular they were brewed again.

O’So Brewing has made a concerted effort to be responsible members of the community. They shipped waste effluent to Stevens Point Brewery to be converted into methane, which significantly reduced run-off from the brewery. In 2012 they introduced Memory Lane, a pilsner dedicated to Marc’s grandfather who suffered from Alzhimer’s disease, and from which a portion of the sales were donated to Alzheimer’s research.1829

Plymouth (Sheboygan County)

• Sander & Schneider (1856?–1864)
• Andrew Schneider (1864–1884)
• A. Schneider & Sons (1884–1890)
• Mill Street North of Division

Adam Sander and Andrew Schneider started brewing in Plymouth in the mid-1850s, early enough to be included in the 1857 state business directory. An 1862 map of Sheboygan County listed them as brewers in Quitquioc—the name at the time for the eastern part of modern Plymouth. By 1860, Sander and Schneider had built production to 300 barrels, which sold for a local price of $4.00. In addition to 600 bushels of barley and 300 pounds of hops, the partners reported using 400 pounds of rosin for pitching their kegs. In 1864 Sander left to start his own brewery in Fond du Lac, and Schneider carried on alone. Schneider’s production was somewhat larger than his rival Weber, though Weber had a larger brew kettle according to the 1870 census of industry (eight barrels to fourteen barrels, respectively). Production in 1870 was just under 500 barrels, which would represent slow but steady growth (though intermediate figures are not available). The evaluators for R. G. Dun & Co. had high praise for the business, noting in 1865 “The brewery is doing g[oo]d bus[iness], has the reputation of making g[oo]d beer,” and reviews were equally good throughout the 1870s.1830 Production was typically around 500 barrels per year throughout the decade.

During the 1880s Schneider brought his sons Otto and Richard into the business. Otto had already been working in the brewery for several years; Schneider also typically had at least one hired hand living with him. At some point during the mid 1880s the Schneiders added a malt house (it was listed for the first time in Wing’s 1887 directory).

After it closed, the former Schneider brewery served as the local agency for Miller Brewing of Milwaukee, but the malt house remained in business under the name Schneider Brothers into the twentieth century.1831

• Buckle & Brahmer (Brewer) (1861–68)
• Gottfried Weber (1868–1882)
• Ferdinand Streblow (1884?–86)
• Plymouth Brewing Co. (1886–1894)
• Anton Schreiner, Schwanstein Brewery (1894–1902)
• Plymouth Brewing Co. (1902–1913)
• Plymouth Brewing & Malting Co. (1913–1920)
• Plymouth Brewing Co. (1920–23)
• Curtiss Co. (1923–1933)
• Plymouth Products Co. (late 1920s)
• Plymouth Brewing Co. (1933–37)
• 2–16 East Main Street

One account from 1913 claims that this brewery was originally built as a hotel and was sold to August Buckle (Buckel) and a variously named partner in 1868 or 1869, but this contradicts other sources, including excise records. Gottfried Weber acquired the brewery in 1868—his first appearance in excise records is in October of that year. There is a discrepancy with the R. G. Dun & Co. credit reports, which have “Brewer and Buckle” “[D]oing well” as late as June 1869, but they also have Weber brewing at this time.1832 There is little likelihood that Weber worked for the others, since data in the 1870 census shows him to be a wealthy man, with real estate of $4,500 and $2,000 of personal property. The 1870 industrial census was unusually precise about the Plymouth breweries, reporting that Weber had a fourteen-barrel brew kettle in his hand-powered brewery, with which he produced 150 barrels of “lager” and 300 barrels of “beer.” The latter sold at a lower price, but given the German brewer and market, it was unlikely to have been an English-style ale, but simply a lower-grade beer in the lager family. This is even more likely since he was only in business for seven months of the year, so was not taking advantage of summer months to brew ale.

Production ranged from about 250 barrels to about 450 barrels during the 1870s, and Weber’s reputation remained high through the 1870s—though he appears to have come upon financial difficulties near the end of the decade. The Dun reports indicate that he was out of business by late 1882, perhaps due to illness as he died in 1883. The brewery appears to have lain dormant for a number of months until it was reopened by Ferdinand Streblow in late 1883 or early 1884.1833 He was sole proprietor only briefly, since in 1887 the brewery was incorporated as Plymouth Brewing Company. Streblow was one of the original incorporators, as was Anton Schreiner (and James Cavner, who signed the documents with his “X” mark). This version of the brewery had a capacity of between 1,000 and 1,500 barrels per year, and had its own malt house. Plymouth Brewing dissolved in 1894, and Anton Schreiner became sole proprietor for the next several years.1834 Schreiner apparently had a good reputation among his fellows, since was elected vice president of the Wisconsin State Brewers’ Association when it was formed in 1900.1835 Schreiner sold his share of the newest incarnation of Plymouth Brewing Co. in 1903 but remained an important member of the Plymouth business community. (He returned to Germany in 1916, where he lived until 1921.)1836 Plymouth Brewing changed the name of the business to Plymouth Brewing & Malting in 1913 and made several major alterations to the plant that year, tearing down some of the older outbuildings and replacing them with more substantial structures.1837 J. E. Curtiss was president of the new company, and he remained an important leader through Prohibition.

In some ways, Plymouth Brewing was treated as part of the Sheboygan brewery community. In 1915, Plymouth joined with Gutsch and Schreier of Sheboygan (and P. Schoenhofen Brewing Co. of Chicago, which had a presence in the area) to establish a common deposit for cases, bottles, and kegs. The brewers claimed this was necessary to protect against lost or damaged containers.1838

During Prohibition, the brewery continued to make beverages for a few years, though they were not advertised heavily. The contemporary newspapers contradict the incorporation records, which show that the name of the business was changed to Curtiss Company in 1923, while newspapers in the late 1920s referred to the brewery as Plymouth Products Co. It made malt syrup for a time, but the brewery lost its smokestack to a storm in 1928, and when the boilers were in operation the smoke caused complaints in the neighborhood, so the city council prohibited emission of smoke from the factory until a new structure could be built.1839 This may have encouraged the company to find a new line of business, so in 1929 the company began cultivating mushrooms in the old cellar.1840

When beer became legal, Plymouth moved quickly to convert back to brewing. While it was announced at first that the Schaller Brewing Co. would take over the old Curtiss business, this company decided to go into distilling instead.1841 But a new business under the Plymouth Brewing Co. name formed and on 13 July 1933, a large ad in the Sheboygan Press announced “The finest fully aged Beer that it is possible to brew is now on tap for you at your favorite tavern.” Bottled beer, it added, would be available in a few days. The ad included a large photo of the brewery (complete with new belching smokestack) and a picture of the label for Plymouth Beer, which emphasized “Our Own Well Water Used Exclusively.”1842 For the rest of the year, the newspaper ads used the label as the ad design, with a bit of extra information about local distributors squeezed into the lower right. By early 1934, Plymouth was advertising its “High Power 5 percent Beer,” which sold for $1.65 per case or eighth barrel.1843 Production usually exceeded 600 barrels per month during 1936, and sometimes approached 900 barrels. Sales continued at this pace until June 1937, when they suffered a precipitous drop to less than 300 barrels per month. At this point, government auditors reported that the company’s records were “all balled up.”1844 After dropping to just over one hundred barrels a few months later the brewery was unable to remain in business, and discontinued operations in October 1937. The building was sold in 1943 to S & R Cheese Corp., which by the 1970s was the largest producer of Italian cheeses in the United States.1845

• Plymouth Brewing Co. (2013–present)
• 222 E. Mill Street (2013–present); 207 E. Mill Street (2016–present)

Joe and Nancy Fillion moved to Plymouth because they liked the area, but Joe also saw potential for small-scale brewing in the city. They opened their brewery and taproom in 2013 in a building dating to the 1870s that had previously served as a hotel, a small manufacturing business, a hardware store, a pizza place and several other businesses. The taproom is decorated with breweriana from the earlier Plymouth Brewing Co. (Joe contacted a descendant of the Curtiss family to get personal as well as legal approval for use of the name.)

When it became clear that demand had outgrown their original brewhouse, they acquired the former Reinhold Meyer building across the street for use as a production brewery and installed a fifteen-barrel system. This enabled Plymouth to increase production from about 130 barrels in 2106 to a projected total of about three times that volume in 2017. To date, Plymouth has done only limited bottling of varied brands—filling both 12-ounce and 22-ounce bottles by hand.1846

Port Washington (Ozaukee County)

• John Arnet (1844?–1850?)

John Arnet (who was listed in a later history as Leonard) was probably the first brewer in Ozaukee County, which in the 1840s was still part of Washington County. An 1881 county history claims “his was the only establishment of its kind then known outside of Milwaukee.” The brewery near his cabin “consisted of some half dozen posts driven into the ground, on these rested several cross-beams to which clamp-hooks were fastened, upon which were suspended two large iron kettles, in which he brewed his hops and other ingredients necessary to the manufacture of the foaming beverage.” He sold his beer for 3¢ a pint and is reported to have done a good business. Few details are known about his production levels, but he was still listed as a brewer in the 1850 population census, though not in the census of industry. (He was not recorded in Washington County during the 1840 census).1847

• Lakeside Brewery
• Jacob Moritz (1847–1874)
• Nicholas Welter (1874)
• Welter & Mallinger (1874–76)
• Henry Dix & Co. (1876–1881)
• Gottlieb Biedermann & Co. (1881–1903)
• Port Washington Brewing Co. (1903–1920)
• Old Port Brewing Co. (1933–1947)
• 419 Lake Street

Jacob Moritz appears to have commenced business around 1847. By 1860 he was producing 1,000 barrels per year, which made him one of the larger brewers outside Milwaukee. A decade later, output was up to 1,500 barrels, and he had added horse-powered grinding and pumping equipment to increase efficiency. The R. G. Dun & Co. credit evaluators reported several times that he was a good brewer and an honest man, but he was sometimes in financial trouble: once after the Panic of 1857, other times due to problems collecting bills (because of the “scarcity of money”).1848 Production dropped off in the early 1870s, and the brewery passed to new owner Nicholas Welter. He had little time to profit from his brewery before it was destroyed by fire in December 1874. The report of the blaze in the Milwaukee Daily Sentinel indicated that Welter was out of town at the time and was unaware of the disaster—hopefully his first information was not from a brief sentence in the newspaper.1849

Welter apparently relied on partners to finance his brewery—even more after the fire. In 1874 W. A. Tholen provided backing, and in 1875 John Mallinger (or Wollinger) sold his farm to enter the brewery business. Unfortunately, the Lakeside Brewery was now deeply in debt, and Mallinger assigned all his property to Nicholas Kemp, owner of a malt house in Port Washington.1850 For the next few years the brewery did business under several different names. In April 1876, Frederick Knoepple returned to brewing and operated the business until the summer of 1878. It was subsequently called H. Dix & Co., though the Dun records indicate that while Henry Dix had a half interest and operated the business, Kemp and Co. continued to own the brewery. This ownership team dissolved in 1881 and the brewery was sold to Gottlieb Biedermann and J. M. Bostwick, a local jeweler who provided financial backing.1851

Biedermann rebuilt the business, and by 1883 the Dun representative praised Biedermann as “the best here.”1852 He also expanded the facility, and by 1895 the steam-powered brewery had its own bottle house (and a brick barrel-pitching house to avoid further fires). The Biederman home was on land south of the brewery, across the creek, but a catwalk enabled Biedermann to cross over to the plant on Lake Street. The grounds also contained a lagoon into which all the spent grain and other waste was dumped, which reportedly “was only occasionally flushed out into the lake.”1853

Local histories give conflicting accounts of events after Biedermann left the business. However, the articles of incorporation indicate that Ludwig and Charles Labahn and George Blessing incorporated Port Washington Brewing Co. in June 1903. Under the new management team, the brewery added weiss beer to its list of products around 1906, and continued to brew it for about ten years.1854

George Blessing left for the Grafton brewery prior to Prohibition, and the Labahns amended their articles of incorporation to allow manufacture of non-intoxicating beverages and industrial distilling, in addition to “all business pertaining to a first-class brewery.”1855 Apparently they were serious about the brewery part, because Port Washington Brewing was one of the first to be raided by Prohibition agents during the dry years. The business was accused in 1921 of manufacturing and selling “large quantities of beer containing more than one-half of 1 per cent alcohol” and therefore the “brewery has become a public and common nuisance.” The Sheboygan Press reported of the enforcement campaign:

The relentless dry agencies of the government are reaching out along the west shore of Lake Michigan . . . grasping and crushing lawlessness, slowly moving north like a tidal wave smothering all opposition. The crest of the wave reached Port Washington yesterday. The Port Washington Brewing company plant was closed. Port Washington has been passed. The inexorable doom of the wets north of Milwaukee is sealed.1856

The company returned to business later under the name Premo Products Co., and remained operational until 1933.

Despite the trials of the dry years, the Labahn family held on to the business and was rewarded when beer returned in 1933. The company initiated a $35,000 remodeling program which included new bottling equipment and upgrades that resulted in the usual claim that it was “one of the most modern breweries in Wisconsin.” Thirty years to the day after Ludwig Labahn purchased the brewery, his son Herbert saw that Old Port Lager and Premo were on draught in time to mark the July Fourth holiday of 1933.1857 Release of bottled beer was delayed twice: first until the end of July, but that announcement came in an ad which featured a photo of a row of new fermenters commissioned from Dunck Tank Works of Milwaukee. The second delay was announced in early August, this time in an ad featuring an illustration of the new Vilter ice machine at the brewery. Yet another ad showed the brewery’s new fleet of trucks. The company was emphasizing its modern equipment, apparently in an attempt to compete with larger breweries, though all this technology wasn’t helping them get the beer to market. All of the ads made a virtue of the delay, pledging that only fully-aged beer would reach customers—appealing to those worried about breweries trying to cash in by releasing “green” beer.1858 The company promoted their beer in part through sponsorship of a fifteen-minute radio program on WHBL featuring German music and the comedy of Putzelheimer and Bummelfritz. The also sponsored both a baseball team and a football team under the name Old Port Lagers. (Admission to games in the Badger football league was 40¢ in 1934.1859)

All the new equipment seems to have tested the finances of the company. In 1934, Old Port Brewing advertised a public sale of stock with newspaper advertisements including a clip out form which potential investors could request information about the sale.1860 The brewery also reintroduced its bock beer in 1934, and made a point in advertisements of proclaiming that the beer was made by “100 percent Union” labor.1861

Old Port sought to expand their markets beyond state lines in order to stay profitable. Some beer was shipped to Illinois in the late 1930s.1862 In August 1943, P. W. Heinrichs of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, purchased Old Port Brewing, and operated it for three years. He installed new bottling equipment, and most of the beer was shipped out of state, primarily to Washington and Texas. (Heinrichs also owned Capitol Brewing of Milwaukee.) In May 1946 Heinrichs sold the brewery to a group of distributors from Utah led by Stanford Kershaw, who planned to ship most of the production to their state to alleviate the postwar beer shortage. But Kershaw died in May 1947, and in August the brewery was offered for sale. The City of Port Washington purchased the building the next year and used it for storage until electing to raze the structure in 1958.1863

• John Wittmann (1859?–1865)
• Margarethe Wittmann (1865–1880s?)
• George Wittmann (1867–1877)
• John Wittmann (Jr.) (1877–1894?)
• 532 North Harrison Street

John Wittmann (spelled variously) began brewing sometime prior to 1860. By that year he was producing 600 barrels in a horse-powered brewery—not unheard of for a first-year brewer, but it is likely that he had been brewing for at least a year before this. The $4,000 he had invested in the business also suggests he had more than one year to build up the plant. He was not likely in operation too much before then, because an 1880 report states that the family had been in business for about twenty years at that date.

In 1865, Wittmann died, and his widow Margarethe took over the business. While she would delegate management of the brewery to her sons as they came of age, sources indicate that Margarethe was in charge of the business. It is possible that the brewery lay dormant for a period after John’s death, but the R. G. Dun reports give conflicting accounts: first claiming that business was “carried on by his wife same as before,” but a year later said the business was “not doing much.”1864 Eldest son George was only fifteen when his father died, but appears to have begun operating the brewery soon after (though none of the family were listed as brewers in the 1870 population census). The 1870 census of industry reported production of 550 barrels, which indicates the family business had recovered well. In fact, under George’s management, production climbed to 1,209 barrels in 1875 before dropping back to around 600 barrels in the last years of the decade.

In 1878, George moved to Kansas, and John Jr. took over managing the brewery for his mother. According to Sanborn maps and industry directories, Wittmann’s brewery apparently never had a bottle house or a malt house. The company was usually listed under John’s name until the brewery closed in the early 1890s. By 1895 the brewery lay dormant, but the buildings stood for at least a decade and were used for storage.

• John Eggerer (1859?–1860?)

John Eggerer had a small brewery in Port Washington in the late 1850s and early 1860s. The $500 he had invested in the brewery was one of the smallest amounts recorded in that year’s census. During the year prior to May 1860, he produced one hundred barrels of beer at his hand-powered brewery.

• Frederick Knoepple (1859?–1860?)

Frederick Knoepple was listed as a brewer in the 1860 population census. The fact that he owned $1,500 of real estate and $1,200 of personal property suggest he was not an employee of another brewer. However, he was not included in that year’s census of industry, which suggests that he brewed on a scale too small to be recorded in those listings. Knoepple (or Knipple) would later return to brewing as an owner of the Lakeside Brewery from 1876–1878.

• Harbor City Brewing Co. (1996–2007)
• 535 West Grand Avenue

Jim Schueller worked at New Belgium Brewing Co. of Fort Collins, Colorado before moving to Port Washington to found Harbor City Brewing with his father Rod and brother Bob. When New Belgium co-founder (and Schuller’s cousin) Jeff Lebesch expanded his brewery, Schueller bought the redundant equipment and installed it in a former ice factory. Harbor City brewed a few mainstream ales, but also offered Raspberry Brown Ale, a version of Main Street Brown Ale that featured Oregon raspberries. Harbor City brews were distributed in most of eastern Wisconsin, parts of central Illinois, and Bloomington, Indiana. The company also experimented with selling Mile Rock Amber Ale in Florida, though this version was contract brewed at Joseph Huber Brewing in Monroe (and was pasteurized to withstand shipping). The Harbor City labels were acquired by Sand Creek Brewing Co. after the Port Washington brewery closed.1865

• Port Washington Brewing Co. (1996–2002)
• 100 North Franklin Street

Port Washington Brewing Co. was located in space leased from Smith Brothers Brewpub. Port Washington Brewing sold beer to Smith Brothers and distributed kegs to other accounts in Wisconsin. The brewery boasted of having the first complete brewery installation in the state by the W. M. Sprinkman Corp. of Waukesha and Elroy. In 1999, Port Washington Brewing contracted with what was then Pioneer Brewing in Black River Falls to produce their bottled beer.1866

Portage (formerly Fort Winnebago) (Columbia County)

• Fort Winnebago Brewery
• John M. Hettinger (1849–1867)
• Feiss & Jaeger (1868–69)
• E. L. Jaeger (1869)
• M. Hettinger & Co. (1869–1871)
• Nauer & Gloeckler (1871–75)
• John Hettinger (1875–76)
• Winnebago Brewery, Henry Epstein (1876–1901)
• Epstein Bros. (1901–1918)
• Jefferson & Canal (modern Edgewater)

The 1880 History of Columbia County, Wisconsin was unusually precise about the origins of the first brewery in what would become Portage:

On the 12th day of May, 1849, John M. Hettinger, with his family, arrived in Portage from Freeport, Ill. His first work was the building of a shanty, to protect his wife and children from the storms; then he built a brewery, and painted it red; and although he insisted upon calling it the Fort Winnebago Brewery, the people disregarded his wishes, and persistently styled it the Old Red Brewery. By the latter name it has ever since been known.1867

Whatever the name, the brewery was operated with success for many years, until Hettinger’s death.

It appears that the Hettinger family rented or leased their brewery in the late 1860s, because they disappear from the excise records for a few years. The firm Feiss & Jaeger first appear in the excise records in September 1868. The brewery was sometimes referred to as F. A. Feiss & Co. in the existing monthly records. In May 1869, Jaeger took over the brewery and operated it for a few more months. Under their proprietorship the brewery typically produced between ten and thirty barrels per month. Michael Hettinger reappears in the records in October 1869, and placed an ad that month that announced: “Having again taken possession of the well known Hettinger Brewery, I shall soon be prepared to supply customers with a Superior Article Lager Beer [sic]. The Highest Price for Barley will be paid, and a large quantity is wanted forthwith. Famers, bring it along and get your cash.”1868 Brother Matthias was also involved in the brewery for a time around 1870, when it produced 500 barrels, but after his death, the brewery went back to Frances, widow of John Sr.1869

Mrs. Hettinger retained the brewery only briefly, and sold it in late 1871 to Caspar Nauer and Barnard Gloeckler. Gloeckler was an experienced brewer, and “the new firm expects to manufacture a superior article of beer.”1870 Misfortune struck in 1874 when fire took the saloon and ice house, though not everyone was disappointed. A report noted that the saloon was “the only drinking resort in the Second Ward, and had long been an eyesore to residents of that ward, there was more interest manifested in saving the shade trees than the building.”1871 “Through some cause the property reverted again” to Frances Hettinger, and her son John Jr. ran the brewery until 1876, when the family sold the brewery to Henry Epstein.1872

Epstein moved to Wisconsin in 1866, and first was employed at the brewery in Pheasant Branch, then one in Madison, and finally as foreman of a Baraboo brewery before moving to Portage to take over the Red Brewery.1873 The brewery Epstein acquired was the smallest in Portage by a large margin, producing less than a tenth of what rival Haertel brewed in a year. But he made small improvements to the brewery over time and built up the business.

Increasing demand by the 1890s forced Epstein to plan an expansion that would bring his capacity to fifty barrels per day. The Wisconsin State Register reported: “Epstein’s brewery is well underway, and will be completed on contract-time [sic]. Brewing does not seem to suffer from stringency in money and the general trades depression,” referring to the Panic of 1893.1874 The new brewery was steam powered, and was part of a series of modernizations that included adding a bottle house in the early 1900s. Epstein Bros. remained in business until the approach of Prohibition. The company was sold at sheriff’s sale in 1920, and the site became the Purdy Rootbeer Co.

• City Brewery
• Charles Haertel (1851–1876)
• Charles Haertel Estate (1876–1880)
• Chas. Haertel Brewing Co. (1880–84)
• Eulberg Bros. (1884–1907)
• Eulberg Brewing Co. (1907–1920)
• Eulberg Products Co. (1920–1933)
• Eulberg Brewing Co. (1933–1958)
• Ziegler Brewing Co. (1950–53)
• 112–122 West Conant and Clark Streets

Charles Haertel began brewing at the northeast corner of Cook and Clark streets in 1852. His initial production of twelve barrels per week was insufficient to meet demand, so he built a three-story brick structure in 1855, and expanded it again shortly thereafter.1875 By 1860 he was producing 2,000 barrels per year at his horse-powered brewery, making it one of the largest in the state outside Milwaukee.

In 1862, Haertel began construction of a new brick brewery, since his existing plant was “becoming somewhat dilapidated.”1876 He built yet another major structure in 1865, with the help of Milwaukee architect Leonard Schmidtner (see chapter 4). The new brewery allowed him to expand production significantly. A visitor to the city reported:

The brewery of Mr. Haertel is worthy of especial mention. Mr. Haertel is the Melms of Portage, manufacturing some 2,500 barrels per year of a beverage which certainly approaches quite closely to the Milwaukee standard of lager. His brewery and store are large, ornamental buildings, and a source of just pride to the Portaguese [sic].1877

The store mentioned in the passage was the building known as Haertel’s Block, an impressive retail and office building next to the brewery. Haertel made an important addition in the late 1860s—an 1869 announcement indicated that he had bottled beer for sale, making him one of the very first lager brewers to do so.1878 Haertel’s brewery was an important stop for rising brewers. Among the most important of these was Peter Fauerbach, who married Haertel’s daughter Mary (Maria).1879

Charles Haertel Sr. died in 1876, and his son-in-law Jacob Best (not to be confused with the founder of the Milwaukee brewery) took over management of the brewery, though it remained under the Haertel name. Best added a new bottling plant that could package ten barrels a day (though as noted above this was not the first bottling of Haertel beer). Best was also among the first Wisconsin brewers to use paper labels on bottles, since an example is known that likely dates to the late 1870s.1880 Even with the death of the founder, the Haertel brewery produced an average of about 3,000 barrels per year during the latter part of the 1870s—among the largest in the state outside the Cream City.

Charles Haertel Jr. left brewing in 1884 and went into the hardware business, which he pursued until his death in 1888. Haertel leased the brewery to Adam and Peter Eulberg, who operated it as tenants until October 1892, when they purchased the brewery and the Haertel Block commercial building for $27,000—reputed to be “the largest real estate deal ever consummated in this county.”1881 Peter Eulberg trained as a brewer in Dubuque, and while Adam had been trained as a tailor, he had been a tavern owner in Dodgeville. (Descendant Dave Eulberg has chronicled the history of his family’s business.)1882

The Eulbergs paid close attention to the quality of their water. In 1890 they experimented with several different brewing waters—sending samples from the Wisconsin River, the city well, and the brewery well to Chicago for analysis.1883 Peter died in 1895, and Adam’s side of the family took over the brewery, though Adam himself died in 1901. His eight children incorporated the company in 1907, by which time it was one of the largest businesses in the city (its only rival was Portage Hosiery Co.) During this period the brewery, under the direction of president and brewmaster John Jacob Eulberg, had a fifty-barrel brewhouse with a capacity of about 15,000 barrels per year.1884 During Prohibition the family kept the business going by making malt syrup and near beer. They also purchased the nearby Crystal Bottling Works in 1918 and bottled soft drinks until they sold this business in 1940. The family diversified by owning and operating the Portage Opera House for several years. However, the main focus of the family was still the brewery, though the brewery also became the focus of federal officials. The Eulbergs were fined $1,000 in 1924 for selling real beer. The fine and loss of their near beer permit did not deter them, and in 1931 the brewery was raided again. This resulted in a major haul for the feds, who turned up more than 300 barrels of beer still fermenting, along with numerous kegs and about 4,000 bottles of finished brew. The Eulberg product was shipped as far as Madison, and they supplied so much of the capital’s market that it was expected “to cause a temporary ‘drought’ [there].” Julius and Joseph Eulberg were both convicted, and while Julius’ sentence was suspended, Joseph lost his appeal to President Hoover and served a six-month sentence.1885

When beer returned, the Eulbergs returned to production. The family announced plans to recondition the plant, and started making Crown Select again, which found a market in Portage and nearby cities such as Wisconsin Rapids, Milwaukee and Madison. The brewery sponsored multiple bowling teams—the Crown Selects and the Eulberg Brews. But the company ran into financial trouble almost immediately, and in November 1934 went into receivership.1886 One consequence of the difficulties was the decision to hire a consultant, an unusual move for a small brewery at this time. James Thorson was tasked with building a new sales organization, but it appears that the brewery did not adopt all of his recommendations and sales continued to fade.1887 The brewery was only selling four or five thousand barrels a year in the early 1940s, and in 1944 the family sold the brewery to Alvin Bardin for $55,000.1888

Under Bardin’s ownership, Eulberg Brewing took advantage of the wartime surge in demand and pushed production up to approximately 16,000 barrels for a few years, but it then dropped again after the war. Part of the drop may have been due to the legal troubles Bardin encountered. Eulberg Brewing was charged in 1946 with selling beer at more than ceiling prices, though the Portage brewery avoided the charges of watering and underfilling that were leveled against Bardin’s brewery in Denmark. Bardin was also sued for breach of contract by a Milwaukee distributor who claimed that Bardin failed to fulfill a deal to provide 200,000 cases of beer, though this case was dismissed. (Additional information about Bardin’s legal woes is found under Denmark Brewing Co.)1889 The tax claims were finally settled in 1957, but the expense of $7,933 for the brewery (reduced from $398,280) and another $79,916 for Bardin himself was probably more than he could absorb. In 1958, he closed the brewery and moved what was left of his brewing operations to Waukesha. The brewery had been producing between 10,000 and 12,000 barrels in the years before closing. The brewery had also served as a branch of Ziegler Brewing Co. from 1950 to 1953. One building on the corner of Wisconsin and Clark remains and contains offices as of this writing, other portions were razed and a supermarket was built on the site.1890

• Barnard Gloeckler (1865–1871)
• Farm Brewery in Fort Winnebago Township

Barnard Gloeckler (or Gloeggler) entered the brewing business in Wisconsin when he worked for Charles Haertel for about seven years (approximately 1856–1862). He then moved to Minneapolis and operated a small brewery there from mid-1862 to late 1863. He returned to Columbia County, where he bought a farm in Fort Winnebago Township (most likely in Section 32, though the spelling of the owner’s name on the map is different). A county history from 1901 reports that “[H]e devoted himself to [the farm’s] cultivation with much enthusiasm, but still followed his trade in the winter seasons.” He was not listed as a brewer in the 1870 census, nor did he appear in the excise records at any point, so his production was likely very small indeed. In 1871 he purchased the former Hettinger brewery with his father-in-law Casper Nauer, so he most likely ceased brewing on his farm.1891

Potosi (Grant County)1892

• Albrecht & Hail (1852?–1872)
• Gabriel Hail (1872–1884)
• Adam Schumacher (1886–1905)
• Potosi Brewing Co. (1905–1920, 1933–1972)
• South Main Street

According to most local accounts, Gabriel Hail came to Potosi in 1845 as a farmer, and by 1852 was brewing small amounts of beer for two local taverns. However, recent research suggests that Hail did not arrive in Potosi from Dubuque until 1854 or 1855.1893 Around that time, Hail and partner John Albrecht began construction of a two-story brewery near a spring with clear water for brewing. The structure, valued at $1,100, took advantage of caves in the adjacent bluffs as a cellar for lagering the beer at sufficiently cool temperatures.1894 By 1860, the census of industry reported that Hail and Albrecht had $5,000 invested in the brewery and equipment and produced 900 barrels of beer which sold for $6.50 per barrel (slightly more expensive than most of their rivals in the region).1895 Their output ranked them among the larger rural breweries in the era, and compared favorably to the breweries in the larger city of La Crosse approximately one hundred miles away.

During the next few decades, the brewery grew steadily. John Albrecht left the partnership in 1872, and Gabriel’s brother John joined the company and became brewmaster a few years later. At its peak in the mid-1870s, the brewery employed eight hands and produced about 1,250 barrels annually. However, the Hail family suffered business and personal problems later in the decade. The population of the town declined and so did business, and Gabriel Hail died in 1879. Local tradition has long had it that Gabriel took his own life, but more recent research has called this conclusion into question. John Hail took over the brewery for a few years, but production continued to decline, and the property was transferred either by sale or foreclosure to John Schreiner in 1882.1896

Adam Schumacher came from Bavaria to southwestern Wisconsin in 1879. He was employed by the Hail family at the Potosi brewery for the next few years, but when the brewery was sold Schumacher moved to the one owned by Joseph Vogelberg at nearby British Hollow. Sensing opportunity in a revitalizing Potosi, he moved back in 1886 and leased (and later purchased) the Potosi Brewery from Schreiner. Adam brought his three brothers, Nicholas, Henry, and George, to Potosi and enlisted them in the business. The Schumachers expanded by adding a bottling facility and embraced advances in technology that some of their smaller rivals were unable to afford.1897

Throughout the early years of the twentieth century, the brewery expanded both its physical plant and its market area. Since the local market had a small population, the Schumachers sought customers throughout the region—eventually reaching markets in Iowa and Illinois as well as in southwestern Wisconsin. The company built a refrigerated storage depot in East Dubuque, Illinois to handle the southern portion of their market. Increased markets also required expansion of the brewing and packaging facilities at the brewery. From 1911 to 1916, the company added an office building, a tavern, a blacksmith shop, stables, a new ice house, and the brewery itself grew taller and bigger to accommodate a new 100-barrel copper brew kettle and other equipment.1898 Little is known about the architects or the construction during this period—the structure gives a sense of economical additions rather than an attempt to advertise the wealth of the company.

The timing of the expansion, while similar to programs at other breweries in the region and essential to keeping up with them, was poor by the politics of the era. Potosi Brewing Co. lost part of its market when neighboring Iowa went dry in 1917, and the Schumachers began preparing for the worst. They started ice, coal, and dairy businesses, and purchased a dealcoholizer to produce near beer. Unlike most breweries that offered the non-alcoholic beverage, Potosi’s Near Beer seems to have expanded the company’s market, introducing the Potosi name to Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota.1899 Like many other breweries during Prohibition, Potosi was accused of continuing to produce real beer during the dry years. Prohibition officers trying to stem the flood of illegal beer in Grant County inspected Potosi several times a month from 1922 to 1926. Eventually, agents received a tip that the beer was actually coming from the Cassville brewery.1900

The end of Prohibition in brought increased prosperity to Potosi Brewing Co. While Potosi was not one of the twenty-some Wisconsin breweries that were shipping on 7 April, they were ready about a week later, and re-established their market quickly.1901 In addition to the local market, Potosi trucks carried beer to all neighboring states, and rail cars brought beer as far south as Texas and as far west as California and Arizona. In order to meet this demand, the company once again built new facilities and modernized equipment. The brewery increased staffing to fifty year-round employees, augmented by another twenty or so during the peak summer months.1902 Interestingly, Potosi Brewing Co. was relatively late to adopt one of the most important innovations in American brewing—the beer can. Cans did not become part of Potosi’s package mix until 1949, and even then they started with the cap-sealed “crowntainer,” which could be filled on existing bottling lines.1903

Potosi’s survival through the decades after the repeal of Prohibition was based on a combination of careful management, geography, and luck. While they were able to compete against large shipping breweries by depending on the devotion of Wisconsinites to their pitchers of tap beer, Potosi punched far above its weight class as a shipper of packaged beer. During the 1950s and 1960s, Potosi Brewing Co. purchased the right to a number of brands from defunct breweries, several of them from Chicago. One brewery employee recounted how different bottles would be shipped to the brewery, would be filled with Potosi’s regular Holiday beer, given a different label, and shipped to Chicago. Potosi also followed the practice of several larger breweries by making special labels for chains of stores in Milwaukee, Chicago and other cities.1904 Several students of the Potosi Brewing Co. contend that the brewery encouraged its employees to be represented by a union not so much for fair labor practices (because there were few complaints) but so that the union label would allow the beer to be accepted in the heavily unionized cities of the Upper Midwest.1905

While luck is hard to quantify and analyze, there are several factors that are inherent to a small family business that can determine success or failure. Potosi Brewing Co. was fortunate to have multiple generations of Schumacher family members who were able and willing to run the business, and who had the necessary training to do so. They were also able to attract skilled brewmasters from outside the family—no small task for a brewery far from an urban center with a limited labor budget. The position of the brewery in the local economy remained critical, as it did in the social life of the region. The brewery was still the largest employer in the area, and the brewery and its regional distributors sponsored teams and other activities around the region.1906

However, the continued consolidation of the industry and the end of some of their advantages marked the ultimate doom of the Potosi Brewing Co. The large shipping brewers increased their price-cutting promotions, many of which were designed to lower prices to a level the small breweries could not match for a sustained period.1907 The market as a whole was shifting to non-returnable bottles, which either required new packing equipment or costly alterations to existing machines. New or even secondhand equipment could be much more expensive than a brewery could afford. In 1972, the company estimated that it would take nearly one million dollars to properly equip the plant for the next quarter century. The company did not have the cash on hand, and since production and market were both shrinking, banks were uninterested in making a loan likely to end in default.1908

Finally, time was running out for members of the Schumacher family and other key employees. President Adolph Schumacher was 81, cousin Rudolph had returned to run the bottling plant after having been retired for ten years, and all the other Schumachers were over 70. The next generation had little to no interest in continuing the business—Rudolph had returned because his son had left to take a job with John Deere in Dubuque, Iowa.1909 Replacing longtime brewmasters became harder as the generation of German brewers retired. Small brewers were confronted with not just a lack of qualified individuals—few brewers were willing to work in a small town for lower wages than they could get at a major brewer or for a company in another field.1910 While the brewery was still making a small profit, it was clear that there was no future for the company. “‘It is hard to think that a business that never lost money should be closing,’ Rudolph Schumacher lamented. ‘I guess you could say that old age is creeping up on the Schumachers. And when you are old, you have to give up and quit.’”1911

The closing of the brewery cast a pall over the village. PBC was the only industry in town, and residents feared not just unemployment for many of the forty-five remaining workers, but loss of the tax base as well as water and sewer receipts for the village.1912 The ripple effects were felt throughout the community. With the brewery gone, railroad business at the depot dropped significantly. Local businesses that supplied the brewery and its workers closed, forcing residents to leave town to get many of their needs.1913 Even with these more urgent concerns, a few residents were also concerned about the loss of a local product. One employee of a tavern and beer depot complained “’while we will still be able to get it [Holiday and some other labels were purchased by Huber Brewing Co. in Monroe, Wisconsin], it just won’t be the same. It won’t be a local beer.’”1914

The brewery remained standing for the next three decades, though in a dilapidated state. The restoration of the brewery and the return of brewing are covered in chapter 10.

Prairie du Chien (Crawford County)

• Schumann & Georgii, Prairie Brewery (1855–1868)
• Schumann & Kappel (1868–1870)
• Schumann & Menges (1870–72)
• Schumann & Menges, City Brewery (1872–1891)
• Schumann & Menges Brewing Co. (1891–1909)
• Schwarz Bros. Brewery (1909–1911)
• Schumann & Menges Brewing Co., Gronert & Biittner, props. (1911–16)
• Prairie du Chien Brewing Co. (1916–1920)
• Church Street near Bluff Street

Most accounts report that Theodore Schumann & Otto Georgii founded the Prairie Brewery in 1855. Schumann immigrated to Ohio in 1849 and farmed briefly before finding work in a Cincinnati brewery. He then brewed for two years in Guttenburg, Iowa, prior to moving to the east bank of the Mississippi.1915 (Early state business directories list a brewery owned by Schibb, which is most likely a misreading of Schumann.) The brewery was already a significant business by 1860, producing 1,500 barrels that year with four employees at their horse-powered brewery. In the 1860 population census, Schumann was listed as a brewer and Georgii as a “dealer in beer,” a division of labor seldom seen in the census. This apparently referred to Georgii’s saloon “at the head of Bluff st.,” where he advertised that “Lager Bier fsirom the single glass to any number of barrels can be had.” He and Schumann “invite[d] their friends and customers to give them a call.”1916 In 1868 Georgii sold his share in the brewery to Fred Kappel, who remained for two years, after which he sold out to Michael Menges. Menges was trained as a carpenter, and was a contractor and builder in Prairie du Chien.1917 In 1871, Schumann & Menges began to sell bottled beer, using the services of independent bottler Andrew Bosch.1918 The brewery at this time operated nine months of the year, and was still powered by horse.

It turned out to be useful to have a man of Menges’ profession in the business, because fire destroyed the brewery in 1872. (Menges later became fire chief of Prairie du Chien, and started a fracas when he sprayed another citizen with the fire hose while testing it. Menges ended up the loser in the fistfight that followed, though editorial opinion held that both parties were at fault.1919) The partners began rebuilding almost immediately, and the new stone structure was named the City Brewery. The new brewery was substantially larger than the old plant, had a separate engine house for the boiler, and produced more than 3,200 barrels in 1878. By 1884, capacity was reported to be between 6,000 and 8,000 barrels, and the beer found “market in Wisconsin and Iowa, where eight salesmen are constantly employed.” The brewery now had its own small bottle house located just south of the brewhouse. The brewery malted over 12,000 bushels annually, but was still forced to purchase a few thousand additional bushels each year. Cooling the beer required 1,800 tons of ice per year.1920

In 1894, the City Brewery was destroyed by a fire that also consumed the neighboring Garvey Block. The fire reportedly started in the barrel-pitching area, and spread to the brewery. The blazing malt created a particularly hot fire and ironically the fireproof iron roof prevented the firemen from reaching the conflagration. The building was insured for just over half the $22,000 loss, and as was common at the time, insurance was with several different companies—though it was unusual for a brewery of that size to use thirteen different insurers.1921 They rebuilt immediately, and produced 5,000 barrels in 1895, though another fire in 1896 endangered the brewery. This one, believed to have been started by tramps sheltering in the brewery barns, was extinguished before it could spread to the brewery, but still caused $3,000 of damage. A different misfortune struck just over a week later, when John Groenert, who had been a cellarman at City Brewery for two decades, drowned in a fifty-barrel cask.1922 The brewery’s own fire department proved to be of service when the nearby Prairie du Chien Woolen Mills burned in 1902—the Schumann & Menges fire engine provided one of the few effective streams played on the fire.1923

Founder Theodore Schumann died in 1905, though the brewery retained its well-established name even while others were leasing or operating the business. George Gronert and Franz Biittner leased the brewery for a few years in the late 1900s, and after the Schwarz Bros. operated it for a few years around 1910, Gronert and Biittner returned to management again. The brewery was put up for sale in 1915, and the ad in Western Brewer noted that the owner was selling on account of old age (presumably Michael Menges, who was 82). George Schwarz purchased the brewery and incorporated Prairie du Chien Brewing Co. in 1916, though by the next year Louis Silberschmidt was owner and president of the brewery.1924

The brewery stayed in operation through the first years of Prohibition, manufacturing cereal beverages and soft drinks they started producing in 1918. However, the brewery was raided in 1922, and appears to have lost its near beer license. Annual reports from 1924 and 1925 recorded only jobbing of soft drinks, and the 1926 document reported the brewery was closed. The company made an attempt to reform after Prohibition, but never went into production and the corporation dissolved in 1936.1925

Prescott (Pierce County)

• C. Haefner, Washington Brewery (1856–1861?)

Christian Haefner established the Washington Brewery in 1856. He continued to improve the brewery over the next two years, but offered it for sale in April 1858. The ad claimed: “It is well calculated for the brewery business or for any kind of business establishment.” It is not clear if Haefner sold the brewery or not, but an 1861 newspaper article referred to “’A. Knoblauch, the brewer,’” without indicating what brewery he was associated with.1926 There was an Adolph Knoblauch who in 1861 was in transition between breweries in Brownsville, Minnesota and Owatonna, Minnesota, but he would have had little time to either own or be employed by a brewery in Prescott.1927

• Cook & Husting (1866–1870)
• Nicholas P. Husting (1870–1891?)

Jacob Cook announced that he was starting a brewery in Prescott in 1865. The next year he was joined by Nicholas P. Husting, and they built a brewery near Lake and Hilton Streets that was in production by the end of the year.1928 By 1870 they were making approximately 700 barrels of beer in nine months. Cook withdrew from the partnership in late 1870 and Husting continued alone. The evaluators of R. G. Dun & Co. made consistently good reports, affirming Husting was “Doing well [,] making money.”1929 Husting’s profitable business enabled him to survive when in 1874 a vandal broke into the brewery and drilled a hole into a vat and destroyed about twenty barrels of beer.1930

Husting expanded his brewery in the late 1870s, and boosted production to around 800 barrels per year, which was mostly sold in Prescott and “in the country back from the river.”1931 Husting also raised livestock at his brewery, which he fed on spent grain from the brewery. The Wisconsin Industrial Census of 1885 reported production of 950 barrels, near the upper limit of the capacity reported in industry directories. After 1887 his business in Prescott seems to have languished. He may have worked for a time in Moorhead, Minnesota, but in 1891 he moved to nearby Ellsworth, Wisconsin to start a brewery there.1932

Princeton (Green Lake County)

• August Weist (1857–1873?)
• William Forster (1873?–76?)
• Lutz & Messing (1876?–79)
• Messing & Ernst (1879–1894)
• John Ernst (1894–96)
• John Ernst Estate (1896–1901)
• John Ernst Brewing Co. (1901–1913)
• Princeton Brewing Co. (1933–37)
• 36 Farmer Street & Harvard Street

August Weist had been trained as a brewer in Hirschberg, Germany, before coming to America and Wisconsin in 1856. He started a brewery in Oshkosh with Tobias Fischer, but after less than a year he moved to Princeton to start his own brewery.1933 The brewery was too small to appear in the industrial censuses of 1860 or 1870, a supposition supported by the relatively low $600 worth of real estate Weist reported in the 1860 census. The first reliable figures show production of just over 100 barrels per year in 1871 and 1872.

The transfer of ownership in the mid-1870s is not well-documented. Weist disappeared from the industry records after 1873, and William Forster is known only from an 1876 state directory. Sometime after this, John Lutz and Jacob Messing took over the brewery. John Lutz was son of brewer Andrew Lutz of Stevens Point, and the R. G. Dun reporter indicated that John’s financial health depended on his father’s wealth.1934 In early 1879, Lutz returned to Stevens Point, and John Ernst took his place.

Ernst learned how to brew in Germany, and after arriving in America in 1875 worked at Philip Best Brewing in Milwaukee and for Schumann & Menges in Prairie du Chien.1935 In a notable example of how intertwined Wisconsin’s brewing families were, both Jacob Messing and John Ernst married sisters of John Lutz.1936 Messing left brewing in the mid-1890s, and Ernst carried on alone until his death in 1896. A publication that came out just after Ernst’s death praised his work:

Mr J. Ernst, the owner of the brewery, has been engaged in manufacturing beer here for the past twenty years. He learned the trade of brewer in the old country. His beer is noted for its purity, brilliancy of color and richness of flavor so it is well liked by those who are judges of good beer. His plant which consists of a brew house, ice house, malt house, office, stables, etc., is located on the banks of the Fox River. The product consists of about seven hundred barrels per year which is sold in this and near by places. Mr. Ernst is one of the successful men of the village and has a large circle of friends both in the village and county.1937

The company continued in business under Ernst’s name until it closed in 1913, under the supervision of Ernst’s son-in-law Michael Gesse. The brewery continued to make modest improvements of plant and equipment throughout this period. The brewery’s major brand at this point was Pure Health Beer—one of several named in a way to deflect claims of prohibitionists.1938 The 1914 Sanborn Insurance Map lists the buildings as the John Haas Brewing Co., which seems to indicate that John Haas of Ripon purchased the plant either for expansion or storage, but the brewery was not in operation.

During Prohibition, the brewery made malt extract as Princeton Products Co., and apparently made no near beer nor wildcat beer during the dry years. After beer came back, John and J. Wilson Boyle, both of Fond du Lac, and Guy Johnson Jr. of Princeton restarted the brewery. The plant was in operation by September 1933, but production was modest at best: it approached 200 barrels per month in the summer of 1935, but dropped below 100 barrels at the beginning of 1937 and never exceeded that mark again. The company, at this point headed by J. W. Laper with Theo Radtke as brewmaster, ceased brewing in July 1937.

After the brewery closed, it served several purposes: a cheese factory, a warehouse, a Halloween haunted house, a mushroom growing operation and an antique mall.1939

Racine (Racine County)

• City Brewery
• Heck & Braun (1848–1851)
• Gnadt & Green (1851–57)
• John Gnadt (1857?–59?)
• Mary Gnadt (1859?–1862)
• Fleisher & Zirbes (1862–66)
• Philip Erhard Schelling (1868–1877)
• Schelling & Klinkert (1877–78?)
• Ernst (E. C.) Klinkert (1878–1904)
• Ernst Klinkert Brewing Co. (1904–1920)
• Belle City Products (1923–24)
• Eighth Street and Western Plank Road (Modern 828 Washington)

Racine’s first brewery was founded by Frederick Heck and Johann Braun (John Brown) in 1848. Heck described his previous experience as “having brewed in France, Germany, Philadelphia and Milwaukee.”1940 Braun was proprietor of the City Brewery in Milwaukee. The 1850 industrial census reported that they had brewed 1,200 barrels in Racine, which sold at a local price of $5 per barrel. Braun died in 1851 from injuries sustained in a driving accident, and Heck sold the brewery to John Gnadt and Thomas Green.1941 (Valentin Blatz took over Braun’s Milwaukee brewery.)

According to Racine historian Gerald Karwowski, Green and Gnadt operated the brewery for several years, though it is not clear how long in partnership.1942 Green was no longer in the city directory by 1858, and the brewery was listed in Gnadt’s name only. In addition, by the 1860 census John Gnadt was gone and the brewery was in the name of Mary Gnadt. A brewer named David Lackman from Sweden was boarding with her, and was presumably taking care of brewing operations. At this point production at the brewery was down to 100 barrels, which probably was due to the frequent changes of proprietor.

In 1862, the brewery passed to Adolph Fleisher and Peter Zirbes, who ran the business until around 1866, when it was purchased by Phillip Erhard Schelling. The instability seems to have continued for the first several years of Schelling’s ownership. R. G. Dun & Co. records indicate that Schelling sold out at some point in early 1869 (but did not indicate to whom). This might account for why a brewery that Karwowski and John Smallshaw claim had a capacity of 3,000 barrels was not included in the 1870 industrial census. However, by 1872 Schelling produced over 1,200 barrels and was not far behind Fred Heck’s new brewery as the largest in the city. Production remained over 1,000 barrels per year for several years, and Schelling had improved his financial situation.1943

In 1877, Schelling took on a new partner, Ernst Klinkert, who had previously worked for Blatz in Milwaukee and Fred Heck in Racine. Klinkert soon bought out his partner, and from that point on the brewery bore his name.1944 Over the next decades, Klinkert expanded the brewery on a regular basis and increased its market to the point where it was an important regional company. By 1879 he had already passed Heck to become the largest brewery in the city and would never again relinquish that status. By 1880 Klinkert had bottled beer for sale through his agent John Hartwig, though the advertisement did not make it clear if Hartwig was the bottler or merely a sales agent.1945 Industry journals suggest that Klinkert also added his own malt house in the early 1880s. He undertook a $40,000 building project in 1884, and the new brewery was fully powered by steam, featured its own bottling house (and a soda factory) and had a capacity of 20,000 barrels per year. Klinkert soon had a railroad spur extended to the brewery, which would facilitate his shipping business. As early as 1887, he was shipping two carloads of beer to Milwaukee each week, at which the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern remarked: “This would appear like carrying coals to Newcastle.”1946

Klinkert’s moves into markets outside Racine drew the ire of the established brewers of those locales. In 1896, Klinkert was the target of a three-month-long “beer war,” originally launched by Bohemian Brewing Co. of Chicago, but soon joined by Pabst, Schlitz, Obermann and other Milwaukee brewers. While the intent was to “crush Klinkert’s home [Racine] trade,” he lost little or no business, and “the local brewer, on whom the big brewery combine has been endeavoring to wreak vengeance for several months past, comes out of the scrimmage on top.”1947 On the other hand, in 1907, Klinkert’s firm was rumored to be among the breweries involved in “a gigantic beer trust” that would consolidate “nearly all the beer manufacturers in the United States into a billion dollar corporation . . .”—a plan which never came to fruition.1948

Klinkert made regular appearances in industry journals noting the company’s continuous improvements. The July 1909 issue of Western Brewer had two separate notes, one for installing new machinery, and the other for paving the brewery yards and roadways with brick—an expensive step worthy of a major regional brewer.1949 The next year, Ice and Refrigeration announced that Klinkert was drawing up plans for a new power house (with a chimney that was among the tallest in the city), offices, and bottling works.1950 The company’s advanced equipment was sometimes used as a model for the entire industry: the Eureka Water Softener installed at Klinkert was featured in the September 1906 issue of Power and Transmission.1951 Klinkert was also involved in other investments such as a hotel in nearby Corliss, in addition to a number of tied house saloons in Racine and the surrounding area. While Klinkert had a strong local following, Racine’s location between Milwaukee and Chicago made it an attractive market for brewers in both cities. Klinkert’s advertising argued for the loyalty of his local patrons with claims like “Your home brewery uses correct, old-time principles.”1952

When Prohibition arrived in 1920, Klinkert Brewing attempted to continue brewing by taking advantage of some of the unclear features in the laws, but an injunction was issued in June 1920, and operations stopped, at least for the time being. (The brewery was fined in 1922 for violating the order.) The company briefly manufactured a malt beverage called Klinko, but like most others, it was not a success.1953

Belle City Products was incorporated in 1923 by George Lavin, Walter Smolenski and L. R. Larson and began operations the following June. However, it did not stay open long since it was raid a few months later and was ordered closed again. Thirty vats and 3,500 barrels of beer were ordered destroyed.1954 This marked the end of brewing in the plant. A new Klinkert Brewing Co. was incorporated in October 1933, but plans never got past filing paperwork.1955

• Henry Frey, Racine Brewery (1851?–1866)
• Star Brewery
• Goehring & Steiner (1866–68)
• Jacob Goehring (& Co.) (1868–1877)
• Engel & Co. (1879–1880)
• George Hardweg (1880–83?)
• Dorus Lyman (1883?)
• Wedemeyer & Maas (1883?–85)
• John Maas & Co. (1885–87)
• Joseph Bezucha (1887–89)
• Vincent Bezucha (1889–1891)
• 620 Stannard Street between Sixth and Water Streets

While most histories of Racine claim that Frey opened his brewery in 1852, evidence indicates that it was probably open the year before. In fact, in 1852 Frey (then spelled Fry) was trying to sell his brewery, an offer “made because the proprietor thinks his health injured by the climate. . . .” The brewery at this point consisted of four buildings (one brick) with three cellars, as well as a horsepower and a twenty-five barrel brew kettle. This large establishment, as well as the fact that he had ale on hand which was included in the sale, suggests that he had already been in operation for some time. Apparently he abandoned his attempts to sell the brewery within a matter of months, because he was soon advertising that he had opened “a Summer House and Garden” where he could “offer to his friends the best Beer in Wisconsin, from a cool cellar, with a Spring of the softest and best water in the state.”1956

Despite this auspicious start, his business was too small to make it into the 1860 industrial census, and he may not have been in continual operation (or residence in Racine) since he does not appear in the 1858 city directory or the 1860 population census. Frey left the business in 1866, after which it was taken over by Jacob Goehring and Ferdinand Steiner, who renamed it the Star Brewery.1957

Goehring had other partners in the brewery: the company was listed as Gehring and Elsner in the excise records from 1868–1870, and was listed later as Goehring & Co. (by various spellings). In 1870, with the one employee (and one horse), Goehring produced 450 barrels of beer, a total he boosted to nearly 800 barrels in 1872. While the brewery was in good financial shape during the late 1860s, the R. G. Dun & Co. evaluators reported that Goehring was deep in debt by 1873, perhaps because of expansions to the brewery. At the end of 1873, the Dun reports indicated the brewery had failed.1958 Goehring had a personal mishap in 1873 as well: while leading one of his horses into the stable, the horse drew back and the halter caught Goehring’s hand, pulling off part of one of his fingers. He walked to the doctor, had the finger taken off at the second joint, and was “doing well.” Mrs. Goehring buried the part of the finger that had been torn off in a box.1959 The ownership for the next few years is not clear. Karwowski indicates that Goehring continued to operate it until 1877, which is certainly possible, though he is not found in Dun records after 1873. He is also not in Schade’s Annual of 1876, though other brewers are missing as well, nor is he in the 1876 Racine city directory. American Breweries II lists George Schlenk as the proprietor of the Star Brewery, but this is unlikely since the only brewer matching this description was brewing in Beloit at the time and there is no evidence he owned both breweries.

The next recorded owners of the Star Brewery were Valentine Engel and George Hardweg, known as Engel & Co. Excise records indicate that this firm started selling beer in January 1879, and Salem’s list records production of 194 barrels in the first part of that year. In 1880, Dun & Co. reported that Engel had sold out and that Hardweg was now sole proprietor (the later Engel & Co. references are to his next brewery). Dorus Lyman was the owner of this brewery for much of the 1880s, though it appears that he leased it out to others much of this time. The 1882 city directory listed him as operating the brewery saloon at 620 Stannard, and the Dun reports of 1878 say he did not actually run the brewery (though he may have owned the property and operated it later).1960 The 1883 city directory lists the proprietors as Henry F. Wedemeyer and John Maas. Wedemeyer owned a saloon at 1100 St. Clair, and Maas appears to be the partner who did the actual brewing. The same firm was still listed in the 1885 directory, but by 1887 the directory listing was John Maas & Co. Lyman’s name was still listed on the highly reliable 1887 Sanborn maps.

The Star Brewery was struck by fire in March 1884, but the fire was confined mostly to the malt house and damage was only about $500. (A Milwaukee Sentinel account of the fire confirms that Wedemeyer and Maas owned the stock of beer but that Lyman owned the building.) A few years later, a chimney collapsed, but again the damage was only a few hundred dollars.1961

The 1888 city directory featured an ad for Joseph Bezucha, who was a lager beer brewer at the Stannard address. However, the 1890 directory listed Vincent Bezucha as the brewer at the Star brewery. Joseph appears to have moved to Hillsboro at this point, and Vincent had been a brewer in Racine at least since the 1880 census listed him as a brewer there (though it is not clear at which brewery he worked, and he was listed as doing other jobs in city directories in the 1880s). Either way, he was only at the Star brewery briefly, as the brewery closed in 1891.

• Heck & Beebe (1852–58)
• Fred Heck (Heck & Co.)(1858–1882)
• Eighth and Center Streets

After Fred Heck sold the City Brewery, he started a new one with F. Beebe just over a block to the east. By 1858 Beebe sold out to Heck, and the new firm, Heck & Co. was comprised of Frederick and Philip Heck. Two other family members, Christian and Wilhelm, boarded at a house a block away while working at the brewery.1962 Heck’s brewery soon became the largest in the county, and in 1860 he produced 1,800 barrels. Heck occasionally had partners in his business: Dun & Co. records of early 1860 listed Heck & Schmidt as the name of the business, and noted that Emil Schmidt “was one of the guards of the State Prison at Waupun.” This combination dissolved in 1860 and Heck carried on alone. In 1873 they reported that the firm was now called Heck & Wurst, though there was only one entry under that name.1963

In 1853, Heck wrote a letter in defense of pure lager beer to the Racine Daily Advocate, in response to allegations that the poison coculus indiens was being imported into the country for use in lager. In his reply, he offered to “any gentleman, however, (a chemist) who will analyze my lager beer, and find any other articles than the four above mentioned, I will pay the sum of one hundred dollars.” This may be the earliest American example of the cash reward for proof of impurities (later $1,000) that became common in the early twentieth century.1964

Production peaked in 1870 at 2,300 barrels, though they surpassed 2,000 barrels again in 1878. Heck was arrested for violating the revenue act, but the Racine County Argus was of the opinion that an employee must have been responsible for the mishandled tax stamps since Heck “was not that kind of a man.”1965 The reporter’s confidence was apparently vindicated, since the next year the paper enthused

Heck is the proprietor of one of the most extensive establishments in this vicinity wherein is manufactured the best quality of Sage beer. The city brewery has 5 cellars, 2 for fermenting purposes and three for lager beer or stock. The number of men employed will average six—teams two. The business extends to Illinois and throughout Wisconsin.1966

(It is not clear what is meant by “Sage beer.” It may have referred to the Sagetown neighborhood.)

Unfortunately, Heck began to have financial problems. By 1878, the Dun reports indicated that this “old resident” had been having bad luck, but was coming back. By 1882 his difficulties had returned, and he was out of business around the end of that year. The property was sold and converted to other uses.1967

• Buhler & Wolf (1856?–1858?)
• Charles Wolf (1858?–1882?)
• Casper Bertram (1883?–1884)
• Harriet Street and Rapids Road (Modern Northwestern Avenue), Mt. Pleasant

Racine historian Gerald Karwowski places the opening of the Buhler & Wolf brewery in the mid 1850s. By the publication of the 1858 city directory, the business was under Wolf’s name alone.1968 (Buhler may have been Edward Buhler, who was listed in the 1858 directory as a cooper.) The history of Wolf’s brewery is more obscure than others of similar size, because for some reason he was not included in the industry directories of the time. The 1870 industrial census reported his production in the preceding year as 1,200 barrels, which made his brewery the second largest in the Racine area.

Despite this status, and the popular beer garden behind the brewery which was a favorite of the local German community, Wolf could not sustain his success. By 1881, the R. G. Dun & Co. credit reports showed that he was doing only a small business, and that he was having trouble meeting his obligations. In May 1882, his brewery was closed on attachment to satisfy a claim of what several state newspapers reported was a claim of $56,908—a staggering amount for a business of that size. Indeed, the reports were corrected soon after to indicate the amount was actually $569.08. The Dun records suggest he continued to operate the business for at least another year even though he longer owned it, but it went out of business shortly thereafter.1969 According Western Brewer, Casper Bertram took over the brewery for a short period, but he seems to have been out of business by 1884.1970

• Badger Brewery
• John Dearsley & Orrin Baker (1856–1860?)
• John Dearsley (1860?)
• State Street in Sagetown

At the end of December 1856, a new advertisement appeared in the Racine Daily Journal:

Good News! Something for the Public! Pure Home-Brewed Ale! Manufactured at the Badger Brewery! John Dearsley & Co. Having recently established a brewery in this city, where they manufacture none but the Purest of Ale! Would call the attention of the public to this fact. They pledge themselves to make none but the pure article.

Dearsley’s ale could be found on draught at the Empire Saloon on Main Street, which was also where orders could be placed for larger quantities.1971 (Their business was also listed in the 1858 city directory as a “porter house,” emphasizing the English character of their beers.) R. G. Dun & Co. reported in early 1857 the company was Dearsley & Barker [sic], but by 1860 Dearsley was on his own and still apparently brewing (though he was listed as a saloonkeeper in the 1860 census). The same records indicate that Dearsley had moved to Milwaukee by 1862, and Gerald Karwowski dates the closing of this brewery to 1860.1972

The story of the Badger Brewery is complicated by another business of that name in Racine that operated at the same time.

• Phillip Zirbes (1857–1861?)
• Chippewa (later Park Avenue) & Sixth Streets

Phillip Zirbes started a grocery store in Racine in 1851. Around 1857, he added a brewery to his operations. While he expanded his grocery business by buying out a competitor in 1860, he apparently extended himself beyond what his assets could support. The R. G. Dun & Co. reported in 1861 that he was insolvent, “but still brews and sells beer.” He appears to have stopped brewing in the early 1860s, but his wife continued in the grocery business and his son Peter took over the company in 1876.1973

• Service & Co., Racine Brewery (1858)

The Racine Brewery of Phillip Service & Co. is known only through the 1858 city directory. Peter Service was the partner in this business, which was located near the Racine and Mississippi Railroad roundhouse, on Water Street between Center and Campbell. It is possible that they had leased or rented Henry Frey’s Racine Brewery for a year, which would explain Frey’s absence from the city directory that year. The location described is within a block of the Racine (later Star) Brewery on Stannard.

• Badger Brewery: Shepherd & Co. (1859–1860)
• Erie Street, Near the Ship Yard

In March 1859, a second business with the name of Badger Brewery started business in Racine. Shepherd & Co. advertised that “the Badger Brewery is in full blast, and is now turning out a good supply of the best English Home-Brewed Ale, Treble XXX and Double XX Stock Ale. . . .” They also sold yeast and grains at the brewery (presumably spent grains for livestock feed) and indicated they were willing to exchange ale for wood. Ads for this Badger Brewery continued through early 1860, after which it disappears from the records.1974

• William Williams, Hope Brewery (1859?–1868)
• Fourth Street (Opposite J. I. Case) (1860?–61?); Chippecotton Street (Modern Mound Avenue) South of Liberty (1861?–68?)

William Williams appears to have started either in early 1860 or before, since by the time of the 1860 industrial census he had already brewed 430 barrels of ale. An advertisement in July 1860 for his brewery on Fourth Street announced that Williams was “now prepared to furnish Pale, Amber and other Ales, and Porter of a superior quality highly recommended be [sic] the medical faculty to invalids &c.,” which was “put up in large and small casks to suit purchasers.”1975

The 1862 city directory listed the address of the Hope Brewery as Chippecotton Street, south of Liberty, so Williams may have needed a larger plant to supply the demand. The teaser in an ad from April 1866 referred to a major technological feat of the era when it proclaimed: “The Atlantic Telegraph Not in Operation! Williams’ Brewery in Full Blast.” Clients were informed that orders could be left at John Kimber’s store, and would be delivered to railroad depots free of charge. A later ad announced that bottled porter and ale were always on hand, as well as the draught article.1976

Williams’ new brewery appears to have extended him beyond his means, even though he was doing a fair business. The R. G. Dun & Co. credit investigator reported in July 1868 that “It is rumored he has run away and his [property] has been attached.” A later entry clarified: “A few days ago he silently slipped off at Chicago [,] he wrote to some friends that he had started for England.” Williams absence from excise records after 1868 seems to confirm that he left Racine at this time.1977

• Adolph Weber (1868–1870)

Adolph Weber (or Webber) first appears in the excise records in 1868, and remains through June 1870 (though may have been in business longer). Weber’s brewery was a small facility (with only $1,000 invested as of 1870), but produced enough beer to be reclassified from small to large in 1870 as it reached 500 barrels. Weber does not appear in other records, so it is difficult to locate his brewery or confirm these dates. It is also possible that he leased or rented another brewery—and the years and size of the brewery suggest it could have been Erhardt Schelling’s second brewery.

• John Heath (1868)

John Heath made a single appearance in the excise records in 1868. Heath was a businessman in Racine who may have simply been the partner who paid the excise tax for another brewer, but it is not clear who this would have been.

• Lakeshore Brewery
• Robert Grant (& Co.) (1870–74)
• George Paradis (1875–76)
• Edmund Dotten (1876–78)
• William H. Weber (1878–1902)
• William H. Weber Estate (1902–4)
• Weber Brothers (1904–1912)
• 78 (later 1501–1509) North Michigan Street

According to excise records, Robert Grant & Co. appears to have sold his first beer in April 1870. The 1870 population census lists sixty-nine-year-old Joseph Grant (presumably the father of forty-one-year-old Robert) as a worker in the brewery. Their brewery was a small one—production was only seventy-eight barrels in 1871 and 137 the next year. French-Canadian immigrant George Paradis was the next owner, but production under him remained small—just sixty-five barrels in 1875. Paradis sold out to Edmund Dotten (or Dutton) in 1876, and he only held the brewery a short time before selling it to William H. Weber.

Weber took over the brewery in May 1878, and put it on a sound footing for the rest of the century. An 1888 city directory ad proclaimed W. H. Weber to be the brewer of “the celebrated White Lager Beer,” and added that bottled beer “for family use” could be delivered to any part of the city. Industry directories indicate that Weber made both lager and weiss beer, so it is not clear if White Lager Beer was a hybrid style or a brand name.

After Weber’s death in 1902, his sons Charles and Ernst took over the brewery and renamed it. It remained in business until 1912, specializing in weiss beer during the last few years of operation. In 1912 a fire destroyed the brewery, but the brothers had sold the property to the city some months earlier. Both brothers went into other occupations, and made no attempt to rebuild the brewery.1978

• Jens Stephenson (1871–1875?)
• Jens Stephenson & Hans Anderson (1875–77)
• Northside Brewery
• Anton R. Deinken (1877–79)
• Deinken & Schad (1879–1880)
• Deinken & Reiplinger (1880–81)
• Deinken & Biwer (1881–83)
• Deinken & Engel (1883–85)
• Valentine Engel (1885–1890)
• Branch of Klinkert Brewing Co. (1890–92?)
• 1627 Douglas Avenue

Jens Stephenson first appeared in the excise records in September 1871. Around 1875 he was joined in business by Hans Anderson. The evidence of the R. G. Dun & Co. records indicates that Anton Deinken joined in late 1877, but Stephenson stayed with the firm for a time. Deinken went through a series of partners, looking for financing, though the Dun reports indicated that Deinken’s mother may have been helping him with money.1979 Deinken fell foul of the law in 1883, when he was convicted of “giving away” beer at his brewery on a Sunday.1980

Western Brewer reported in December 1883 that there was a new brewing firm in Racine under the name of Engel & Co., which appears to be another name for Deinken & Engel.1981 The brewery was powered by horse throughout its existence, and there was no bottling house on the property. Engel, an experienced brewer, took over the business on his own in 1885. (One source listed the name as E. Henkel, which is almost certainly a misreading of Engel.)

At the end of 1890, Ernst Klinkert purchased the brewery (which was referred to in several accounts as the Eagle Brewery). The Weekly Wisconsin noted that “Milwaukee parties were after it, but Klinkert headed them off. He now owns all the breweries in the city.”1982 The latter claim was inaccurate, since Erhard Schelling still operated his brewery farther out on Douglas Avenue. A fire at a brewery in 1896 was reported as at Engel’s brewery. Since local accounts say that Engel stayed on as an employee of Klinkert, it is possible that he continued to operate this plant for a time as foreman of that location.1983 However, the 1894 Sanborn insurance map indicates that the brewery was not in operation at that point, and the fire may well have been in an empty facility.

• P. Erhard Schelling (1894–1904)
• Old Milwaukee Road (later Douglas Avenue)

Several sources hold that Schelling started his brewery on the north edge of Racine immediately after leaving the City Brewery. However, there was a gap of more than a decade before his next brewing venture. After he sold his share in the City Brewery, Erhard Schelling (or Shilling) apparently took up religion with what could only be described as mania. The Milwaukee Sentinel reported in 1892: “Gerhard Schelling, an inmate of the county insane asylum, had a jury examination and was declared sane. Schelling was ten years ago one of the most prosperous citizens of Racine. He owned a large brewery and considerable other property, but he became eccentric, sold out his brewery, made large donations to the church and used his money lavishly. . . .” Another account said “The gentleman experienced religion and became insane on the subject.” Yet another article inaccurately claimed he attacked his doctor with an axe (it was actually Frank Schilling, who was not of the same family). However, an 1894 article in the Sentinel reported that he was “no longer under guardianship,” and noted “he owns a lucrative brewery.”1984 This brewery appears to be his second brewery, located next to what was then Lincoln Park (now Douglas Park). According to another report on his restored health, the new brewery was producing about ninety barrels per week (which works out to an unlikely 30,000 barrels per year if that pace were maintained).1985

In 1900, a fire nearly destroyed the brewery, though quick action by the fire department stopped the blaze from spreading. Schelling (who was listed as Peter in this article, though there was no such person in Racine at the time) was burned about the face, but survived.1986 The brewery went out of business around 1904, about the time of Schelling’s death.1987

• Christen Stephenson (1883?–1885?)
• 812 Forest

Western Brewer first reported Christen Stephenson’s brewery in November 1883.1988 He was listed in Wing’s 1884 directory as a small ale brewer, and the 1885 Racine city directory listed him as a brewer of “Danish ale” located at 812 Forest.

• Belle City Brewing Co. (1895–1910)
• Racine Malt Co.
• Olsen & Feddersen (1910)
• 1210 State Street (1895–1901); 1506–16 State Street (1901–1912)

Hans C. Olsen formed Belle City Brewing Co. in 1895 and by July was advertising his non-intoxicating Crown Table Beer, which he claimed was “made exclusively from the best malt and hops.”1989 Ads in 1902 proclaimed that Crown Malt Ale was “delivered through the city at 70¢ for 12 quart bottles.”1990 In 1905, Belle City even advertised a Christmas Brew, which was “not only a flesh builder, but acknowledged as the most healthful of all malt brews.”1991 By 1907, Belle City had added a malt tonic—a more traditional product for a business focused on the health-giving properties of malt and hops. However, they still had a beverage as well as a medicine—this time called Health Table Malt, of which Belle City proclaimed “It is as much entitled to a place upon the table as bread.”1992

Western Brewer reported that Belle City Brewing closed in late 1907, but the company was still in other directories through 1910.1993 Olsen and his partner Andrew Feddersen changed the name of the company to Racine Malt Co. to better describe the nature of their products, but this apparently did little to improve business. The company was declared bankrupt in January 1910, but was back in business selling a new product, Malt Marrow, later that year. This marked the end of manufacturing products locally, since Malt Marrow was a product of McAvoy Brewing of Chicago.1994 When Olsen left the company, the stance on non-intoxicating beverages appears to have loosened, since Feddersen was listed as the Racine agent for McAvoy Brewing of Chicago. Malt Marrow was still offered, but the focus was now on McAvoy beers.1995 On the eve of Prohibition, the company introduced Alpha malt beverage, but this was yet another product from McAvoy, rather than anything brewed locally.

The Prohibition-era Belle City Products Co. was located in the former Klinkert brewery, and was not an extension of this Belle City Brewing Co.

• Benjamin Beer Co. (2016–17)
• 507 Sixth Street

This site in downtown Racine is the second location of Benjamin Beer Co. (the first was in Paddock Lake to the west). Founder Jim Kennedy and lead brewer Matt Jung sought to put an American twist on classic beer styles.1996 This location closed in late 2017.

Random Lake (Sheboygan County)

• Charles Hamm, Silver Creek Brewery (1903?–1910)
• Chas. Hamm Brewing Co. (1910–1920)
• William G. Jung Beverage Co. (Products Co.) (1920–1933)
• William G. Jung Brewing Co. (1935–1958)
• Carroll Street North of Fourth Street

Many local accounts claim that Charles Hamm Sr. moved his brewery from Silver Creek to Random Lake around 1903, so it appears that this was not simply a case of Hamm listing a different post office as his address. In addition, the descriptions of the location are different enough to indicate this was not the same location. Typical of these was one in the Sheboygan Press: “This brewery . . . originally was located at Silver Creek adjacent to the old distillery. About twenty-five years ago Mr. Hamm had the building erected in the village of Random Lake.”1997

Charles Sr. sold the brewery to his son Charles Jr. in 1910, and retired from business.1998 The younger Hamm was looking to expand in 1911, and advertised in American Brewers’ Review that he was in the market to purchase a “second hand brewery outfit, 50 bbls. Capacity.” His new brewery was four stories high, included a new office and power house, and cost $30,000.1999

Charles and Joseph Hamm sold a majority share in the brewery in 1915, each ninth of a share realizing just over $5,000 at the sale. (The new buyer was not listed.2000) But the name of the brewery remained the same until Prohibition. (Joseph C. Hamm, son of Charles, moved west in 1912, and after Prohibition would serve as a brewmaster in Kalispell, Montana and Portland, Oregon.2001) The importance of Charles Hamm to the village was exemplified by the naming of the local American Legion Post after him. Shortly after this sale, William G. Jung leased the brewery. He was the son of William Jung of Milwaukee, and had been brewmaster at Star Brewing in Lomira. Through 1919 Jung was still making 2.5 percent beer, but had already introduced a variety of soft drinks. Believing this line of products showed promise, Jung installed new bottling equipment in late 1919.2002 In 1921, Jung Brewing was shut down temporarily for selling beer with more alcohol than allowed, and for operating a de-alcoholizing plant without a state permit.2003 The company eventually solved its legal problems, and produced under the Jung name throughout Prohibition, though Jung actually did not purchase the plant until late 1931. Jung paid $20,000 for the real estate and equipment and an additional $5,000 for the trade and trademarks of Charles Hamm Brewing Co.2004

Jung Brewing Co. had their brewing permit by May 1933 and planned to have beer on the market as soon as possible. Jung was one of several brewers who made a virtue of the fact that their beer was not available right away, claiming: “’We are going to give the beer plenty of time to age, realizing that the first impression they get of our beer will be a lasting impression. When our beer gets on the market, those who drink it will know they have had the real old brand.’” Jung added new bottling and refrigeration equipment, and made plans to employ fifteen men regularly.2005 By November 1935, they were brewing a very respectable 2,000 barrels per month, and the next summer Jung manufactured 2,600 barrels per month. In 1939, Jung Brewing sold over 23,000 barrels of beer, and was making a small ($1,500) profit. The company usually was among the top thirty breweries of the roughly eighty in the state, and was among the very largest compared to the size of its home community.

Jung’s product was received well in the vicinity, and the company promoted their Old Country Beer twice a week on the radio program “Beer Garden of the Air,” broadcast on WHBL of Sheboygan.2006 Jung was not large enough to stage a major promotion on their own, but in 1940 they teamed with several other area businesses in a contest that featured a grand prize of a 1940 Chevrolet. Labels from Old Country Beer (now in “steinie” bottles) and the reintroduced Jung Pilsener could be converted into “votes” in the contest.2007

The labor shortage of World War II apparently hit Jung Brewing hard. In May 1942, the company advertised for an experienced office manager, with the proviso that he “Must be married,” presumably so he would not be subject to the draft. Other help wanted ads appeared during the war, and almost immediately after V-J day, the company advertised “steady employment” for several men in the brewery.2008 In fact, Jung was one of the few breweries that survived World War II whose production dropped significantly during the war, though it recovered by 1945.

In 1952, Herman Sitzberger took over ownership of the brewery. Sitzberger started in brewing at Rahr Brewing of Oshkosh, came to work as brewmaster at Jung in the mid-1940s, left for a few years, but returned to Jung in 1950. Karl and Hugo Jung, sons of William, continued in their positions at the brewery.2009 However, while the brewery once enjoyed “a large market at resorts and taverns in northern Wisconsin” as well as in Sheboygan County, rising costs and shrinking sales forced Jung Brewing Co. to cease production in April 1958. Kingsbury purchased most of the useable equipment and cooperage, and the building was converted to other uses.2010 The bottling house served from 2008 to 2012 as the home of the Random Lake Area Historical Society.

Readfield (Waupaca County)

• Peter Grigger (1856?–1858?)

The brewery of Peter Grigger is known only from the 1857 and 1858 state business directories. Historian Wayne Kroll also includes it in his list of Wisconsin farm breweries, but there is no person that matches this description in the 1860 census, so Grigger’s term as a brewery may have been a short one.2011

Readstown (Vernon County)

• William H. Austin (1853–58)

The 1907 history of Vernon County claims that Austin settled at Readstown in 1853 and built a small brewery, which burned a few years later. “As the brewery had failed to supply a popular beverage, when a new building was constructed the business was changed to a distillery; but this also failed, and the building was washed away in the spring of 1857, never being replaced.” But the Richland County Observer reported in September 1858: “The brewery of W. H. Austin, Readstown, Badax [sic] county, was consumed by fire on the 22nd—loss near $5,000. The dwelling house, and contents, and the dancing hall, in the same building, all being connected together, were burned, constituting a part of the loss.” This seems to indicate that the brewery was still in operation at this date, and that the fire was later than the 1907 account claimed. This seems to have been the end for this brewery, since Austin became a lawyer and left the state.2012

• B. S. Hale (1883?–1884?)

Bradstreet’s credit reports for Wisconsin in 1884 list a B. S. Hale as a brewer in Readstown. Hale does not appear in other sources.

Reedsburg (Sauk County)

• Reedsburg Brewery
• F. & F. Mechler (1870–73)
• Frank Mechler (1873–74)
• Mechler & Schroeder (1877–78)
• Reedsburg Brewing Co. (1879–1920)
• Reedsburg Brewery, Inc. (1933–1947)
• The Reedsburg Brewing Co. (1949–1950)
• 401 North Walnut Street

Considering that Reedsburg was in the center of the Sauk County hop-growing district, it is surprising there was not a brewery there in the 1860s. The brewery of Frank and Florian Mechler (various spellings) was clearly in operation by January 1870. They paid excise taxes that month, and had produced enough beer to be recorded in the 1870 census of industry. (However, the 2,400 “kegs” of production must have been pony kegs or similar small containers, since the value of inputs and beer sold fit better with production of about 300 barrels.) In early ads the Mechlers called their business the “Reedsburg Wholesale Brewery,” which may have meant they did not have their own saloon on the premises.2013

The Mechlers dissolved their partnership in February 1873, and Frank continued the business on his own for a time. Mechler was in the process of making improvements to his “already extensive brewery,” but in 1874 the brewery was destroyed by fire. The records seem to indicate that Mechler did not rebuild immediately, which would explain the absence of a Reedsburg brewery from Schade’s directory of 1876. By 1877, Mechler was back in business with a new partner, Fred Schroeder. However, this partnership only lasted about two years, and by the end of 1878 Mechler was “busted” and he retired from brewing and took a farm at Loganville.2014

In 1879, the bankrupt business was purchased by Henry Geffert and John and Peter Hagenah. They “at once commenced the work of making additions and other improvements on a large scale,” and were joined in 1880 by William Dierks. This group formed Reedsburg Brewing Co., which one of only a handful of Wisconsin breweries at that time to be officially named after the city rather than the founder. A feature of the brewery that drew special notice was

. . . the summer beer vault, situated a few rods northeast of the brewery. It was perfected at a cost of nearly $5,000 and is doubtless, the best vault in the State. Here the temperature is kept at 40° Fahrenheit, only 10° above the freezing point, and this, during the hottest of summer weather. It is a complete refrigerator, on a scale sufficiently extensive to accommodate nearly 10,000 gallons of beer.

The capacity of this new plant was about sixty barrels per week, which was more than many small town breweries in the early 1880s. The brewery also had a malt house, which provided an important market for the surrounding farm communities.2015

Reedsburg Brewing Co. continued to develop its local market over the following decades, with occasional changes in ownership. In 1895, the Wisconsin industrial census reported production of 3,000 barrels. By 1885 William Pahl had replaced the Hagenahs, and in 1896 Albert Fuhrmann purchased the brewery from Geffert and Pahl.2016 Fuhrmann modernized the brewery, replacing horsepower with steam and adding a large water tower to the property. In 1904, this plant was destroyed by fire, giving Fuhrmann the opportunity to start all over. He erected a massive four-story brick building, this time oriented toward Walnut Street rather than Fourth Street. He also added a bottling plant and a separate pitch house, perhaps to eliminate a common cause of brewery fires. The brewery was threatened again by fire in 1916, though this blaze was stopped before it could do any significant damage. Ironically, the fire was first spotted by the local Baptist minister, Rev. J. Farrell, who notified the Fuhrmanns and helped organize a company of volunteers. This demonstration of civic duty from one whose faith called him to oppose strong drink earned nationwide news coverage.2017 The business was incorporated in 1917, and continued to operate through 1919.

During Prohibition, the brewery lay idle for ten years, but in 1929 Hans Johnson of Milwaukee leased the brewery from Fuhrmann to make soft drinks. However, the drinks they produced were not as soft as the law required, and in February 1930, the plant of Reedsburg Products Co. was raided and “a quantity of alleged beer” was seized.2018

When beer returned, so did Reedsburg Brewing Co. Hans Johnson remained in charge, and he sought to expand business throughout southwestern Wisconsin and even into eastern Iowa. Robert Bechaud of Fond du Lac purchased the brewery in 1939, but had an unusual bit of legal trouble in 1940 for violating federal wage and hour laws. The company agreed to pay back wages to affected workers.2019 World War II also caused difficulties for the brewery. Supplies were short for all businesses and households, and the brewery had to make special application to get four new truck tires in 1942.2020 The legal and wartime difficulties combined in 1944 when the brewery was charged with selling beer for more than was allowed by wartime price ceilings.2021 Phillip Schweke sold the brewery “to Chicago parties” in 1946, but sales were nowhere near the brewery’s 25,000 barrel capacity, and increased costs forced Reedsburg Brewery to file for bankruptcy in 1947. The brewery was offered for sale late that year by Albin Bill, the brewmaster and acting trustee.2022 L. C. Dobbert and K. P. Graber purchased the shuttered brewery and re-opened it in 1949 featuring a new brand—Blue Wing beer. However sales remained around the 1,000-barrel per year mark, and the brewery closed for good in 1950.2023 After being used for storage purposes for many years, the brewery was converted into apartments in the late 1980s.2024

In a strange epilogue to the Reedsburg Brewing story, Frank A. Weaner, who was associated with the brewery in the late 1940s, formed a company in 1949 to sell “beer for use as hair champoo [sic].” The product was de-alcoholized and “decarbonized” and then had detergent added.2025

• EndeHouse Brewery & Restaurant (1996–2002)
• Corner Pub Brewery (2002–present)
• 1020 East Main Street (1996–2002); 100 East Main Street (2002–present)

EndeHouse Brewery was located in a historic Victorian house named for the Ende family that occupied it for more than a century. Pete Peterson first opened Pete’s Supper Club, but by 1996 started using the restaurant to showcase recipes he had perfected as a homebrewer. After brewing at this location for about seven years, Pete Peterson moved his brewery about a mile west on Main Street to the Corner Pub.

The side of the Corner Pub facing Webb Avenue features a large mural commemorating the years when Reedsburg was the center of Wisconsin hop growing. Peterson divides his time between making fresh hamburgers and fresh beer. There are typically about ten beers on tap (some of which were on the menu at EndeHouse), covering the full range of beer styles—though the emphasis is on ales. Annual production is typically over one hundred barrels. In addition to housing a brewery, the Corner Pub is a classic small-town Wisconsin tavern that features live music several times a week. A peek under the raised stage provides a glimpse of the brewhouse below.

Reeseville (Portland Township) (Dodge County)

• Philipp Jaeckel (1867?–1873?)

Philipp Jaeckel operated a tiny farm brewery in Portland Township (the nearest post office was Reeseville in Lowell Township) for several years. While some sources have him starting around 1860, his first appearance in the excise records was in December 1867. The only known production figures are from 1871 and 1872, when he produced thirty-one and thirteen barrels, respectively—little more than some twenty-first century homebrewers. He was still paying excise tax in February 1873, but after that disappears from the records.

Rhinelander (Oneida County)

• Rhinelander Brewing Co. (1893–1967)
• 1 Ocala Street

Rhinelander Brewing Co. was the longest-lived and perhaps most successful of a later generation of breweries—those formed as corporations as opposed to those that grew out of a family business. Any brewery founded in the 1890s needed to start at least reasonably big to have any chance to compete against the established shipping breweries. Rhinelander was in an area with few local breweries, but that was no guarantee of success.

Like many breweries of this era, Rhinelander Brewing Co. was founded at least in part by investors from larger cities. In this case, Otto Hilgerman was a businessman from Minneapolis, which was about the same distance from Rhinelander as was Milwaukee. The first version of this business drafted its articles of incorporation in July 1893, and was in production shortly thereafter. The founders seem to have been thinking big, since the articles of incorporation authorized the company to “build or lease and own and operate a brewing plant or plants.”2026 The brewery began to build its market quickly—though a bit too quickly in one case, since the brewery driver was arrested and fined in May 1894 for driving too fast on the city streets.2027 Rhinelander promoted its business in many of the typical ways, such as having a float in local parades.2028

Hilgerman, Henry Danner, and the other founders were able to start with a steam-powered brewery and modern beer storage facilities, unlike those breweries founded earlier that were forced to convert from horsepower and subterranean cellars. Unfortunately, the brewery was of frame construction, and they were not able to avoid the fiery fate of so many other breweries. The brewery was destroyed by fire in November 1897, and like many other breweries, was only insured for about half the amount of the damage. However, the paper in Hilgerman’s former home, Minneapolis, reassured readers that “He had a good business and will probably rebuild.” Luckily, several months worth of beer were saved, so there was some revenue coming in while Hilgerman rebuilt, this time in brick.2029

Throughout its history, Rhinelander Brewing advertised at rate more typical of much larger brewers. It had regular newspaper ads beginning in 1898 after the new brewery was finished, urging customers “Don’t Let Beer Get the Best of You! Get the Best of Beer, which is Rhinelander Beer!” In 1900, the company ran a different newspaper ad every week for more than a year, including one just after the 1900 presidential election which claimed:

The Political Game of See-Saw has now ceased to interest the country, and the question of procuring the purest and best beer is agitating the people. All voters, as well as their wives and wives mothers, will agree that for strength, purity and exquisite flavor the beer made by Rhinelander Brewing Co. can’t be beat. . . .

Another ad in the series pointed out that Rhinelander offered both light and dark beer, and seemed to indicate that both were available in bottles. Yet another, this with a Thanksgiving theme, advertised delivery of pints or quarts “upon personal, postal or telephone request.”2030 During Spring 1903, the brewery advertised both their bock beer and their new malt tonic, which was a common enough product for major urban brewers at this time, but unusual for a smaller brewery in the countryside. This seems to be another indication that Rhinelander Brewing Co. planned to compete with the shipping brewers at least to some extent.2031 Advertising slowed in the middle of the decade, and the newspaper ads followed the industry trend of making health claims for the beer.

Rhinelander Brewing Co. appeared to be well managed and profitable throughout the period prior to Prohibition. An article in 1911 about a routine board meeting added “It is understood the brewery will pay a substantial dividend.”2032

Rhinelander’s ability to produce anything during Prohibition was hampered by the fact that in 1921 “a company of Mexican capitalists” purchased the equipment of the brewery to be shipped to Mexico and installed in breweries there. Thus, when it was time to prepare for legal beer in 1933, the brewery had to be completely rebuilt with new equipment.2033 Because the new owners, including Otto Hilgerman’s son George, had enough capital (most of it from Minneapolis investors), this may have given them an advantage over other breweries of similar size that tried to make do with refurbishing old equipment rather than being able to start with the most efficient new brewhouse. The Rhinelander Daily News went into great detail about the plant, even mentioning the “Schlangen rocker” [racker] and the Yundt bottle washer. It drew a comparison between the old brewery “where the bottles . . . were cleaned with warm water and a handful of shot, the bottles in the new brewery will be cleaned with a massive and expensive machine operated by electricity and with heat-control units. . . .” An equally important comparison was made with “a home brew outfit” which produced “cloudy, yeast-containing home brew.”2034 The brewery ran several ads urging potential customers to have patience while the beer aged properly, and by the end of November, the beer was ready for sale. Unlike some other smaller breweries, Rhinelander beer was ready both on draught and in bottles right away—others had to wait several months while bottling equipment was readied. In August 1934, they announced that “Good Old Rhinelander Beer” was available in pony kegs as well. Other ads adopted a theme common in the nineteenth century but less so after Prohibition, that Rhinelander was “A Local Product Deserving of Local Patronage.”2035 Another interesting feature of Rhinelander’s return is that the beer was available to its Michigan accounts right away, rather than waiting to expand its market after reestablishing the home market. With a 50,000-barrel brewery in a sparsely populated region, Rhinelander would have to reach a broad market immediately. However, Rhinelander certainly did not neglect its home market. They encouraged tours of the brewery (again, unlike many of their small town rivals) and held contests where anyone who signed the guest register at the brewery was eligible to win a free case of beer.2036

Like many of its rivals, Rhinelander brought back bock beer: the first newspaper advertisements for it were in March 1937, though it is possible it was offered in previous years. Their bock was offered in “Willies” or smaller bottles (that year only), as well as the standard 12-ounce package and on draught. By 1937 the company had also begun using the slogan “Refreshing as the North Woods” to evoke the good memories of a hunting or fishing vacation. (During the late 1950s, the brewery placed flyers in cases of beer promoting vacationing in the Northwoods.2037) In 1939 the brewery had two different beers for sale: Rhinelander Beer and Export Beer.

But the line expansion the company would become best known for appeared in January 1940—the “Shorty” bottle. The 7-ounce package was an instant hit, and by August 1941 the brewery ran advertisements thanking “our friends in Northern Wisconsin, who have bought almost 5,000,000 Shortys.” The brewery sponsored a baseball team named the Rhinelander Shortys, but was most famous for its advertising campaign. At first, they used simple text ads reminding readers that “Shorty Will Be There” at numerous events around town. As World War II was ending they hired Ross Lewis, cartoonist for the Milwaukee Journal, to create a series of cartoons which appeared on postcards, matchbooks, and other items. Wisconsin collector and historian Otto Tiegs has identified at least 128 different “Shorty” cartoons, some of which used wartime topics.2038 Rhinelander Brewing also had their own airplane which was used for special events and once to transport Senator Joseph McCarthy from Milwaukee to a speaking engagement in Ashland.2039

During World War II, Rhinelander continued to produce between 20,000 and 30,000 barrels per year, and their advertising urged customers to buy war bonds and contribute to the Red Cross.2040 Employees’ productivity was critical to continued success during the war and after. In 1956, bottle house superintendent Charles Imwold figured out a way to adapt the bottle filler to fill flat top cans, which were displacing cone top cans in popularity with both brewers and the public. While cone tops were disappearing by the late 1950s, some smaller brewers continued to use them since they could be filled on existing equipment. Imwold’s innovation made it possible to change packaging without needing to buy new equipment.2041

The last decade of Rhinelander Brewing echoed several of its small-town counterparts. Long-time owner Larry Henning sold the brewery in 1958 to Harold Bloomquist, a salesman with the company, and M. Wesley Kuswa, a Milwaukee lawyer who vacationed in the area. At this time, the brewery still employed thirty-five people and was one of the largest businesses in the city.2042 The company introduced new packaging, such as the 12-pack of Shortys, which was promoted primarily on price and convenience: “12 ounces more than you get in a 6-pack.” Even when selling a special beer, price seemed paramount. In 1959, ads for Rhinelander Dark Beer, released specially for the holidays, mentioned the expensive ingredients, but emphasized it was available “at no increase in price.”2043 In order to improve efficiency, the company remodeled the brewhouse in 1960 and added several new pieces of equipment at a cost of $30,000. At this point the brewery was still in the black, and had recently opened five new distributorships in Minnesota, in addition to the existing forty-one in Wisconsin, three in Northern Michigan, and two in the Chicago area. The brewery sold more beer in July 1959 than it had in any other single month in history, and the company clearly felt it was on the right track.2044

However, Rhinelander then made a decision which may have hastened the decline of the brewery. When Wausau Brewing Co. closed in 1961, Rhinelander acquired the Schoen’s Old Lager, Adel Brau and Rib Mountain Lager brands. Long-time brewmaster Otto Dietz disagreed with purchasing these brands, though they apparently did not upset the brewhouse routine since the beer packaged under the various brands was simply Rhinelander.2045 These brands were marketed as low-price beers, which was of limited benefit to the company. Production, which had been consistently above 20,000 barrels until 1961, began to drop considerably—and was near 12,000 by 1965. The brewery began to suffer financial reverses, and Dietz left Rhinelander for Oconto Brewing (and later for Hamm in St. Paul). The company ceased operations in June 1967, and was declared bankrupt in August of that year. The labels were purchased by Huber Brewing Co. of Monroe, so Rhinelander Beer continued to appear on store shelves for years to come.2046

• Bugsy’s Sports Bar/Brown Street Brewery (1998–2013)
• 16 North Brown Street

Bugsy’s was started by brothers Earl “Butch” and Albert “Bugs” Meinen. They enjoyed vacationing in the area, and wanted to bring locally brewed beer to Oneida County. The bar and brewery occupied the former Fenlon Hotel building. In addition to the house beers, the bar carried a number of other commercial beers, which often diverted attention from the brands made on the premises. Brewing was intermittent through13, and Bugsy’s closed in 2014.2047

Rice Lake (Barron County)

• Lakeside Brewery
• John Fuss & Charles Saile (1874–79?)

• Charles Saile (1879?–1882)
• Saile & Rudolf Arnstein (1882–83)
• Charles Saile (1883–86)
• Elizabeth Saile (1887?)
• Southside Brewery
• August Kuchera (1889–1890)
• August Geisert (1890–91)
• Rice Lake Brewing Co.
• Geisert & Mueller (1891)
• Mueller & Boortz (1891–92)
• Mueller & Bernhardt (1892–96)
• Richard Bernhardt (1896–97)
• Jacob Dick (1897)
• George Ruff (1897–98)
• Joseph Dick & Co. (1898)
• Adam & Joseph Baier (1898–1904)
• Phoenix Brewing Co.
• Jos. & Adam Baier, Adam Houck (1905–9)
• J. Baier, Adam Houck, J. Hanzlik (1909–1917)
• East Allen Street/119 East Freeman Street

The John Fuss who helped start the brewery in Rice Lake appears to be the same John Fuss whose Waukesha County brewery burned in February 1874. Charles Saile had brewed at multiple locations in Minnesota prior to moving to Rice Lake. Saile and Fuss apparently borrowed money to build the brewery and had trouble repaying their creditors at first, since Knapp, Stout & Co. (a lumber company and the largest business in the area at the time) sued Saile and Fuss for non-payment of a $100 note and for non-payment of almost $600 of lumber and supplies used in their building.2048

Fuss left the business prior to 1880. Rudolf Arnstein joined for about two years starting in early 1882, but by 1884 Saile was on his own again.2049 A visiting correspondent reported in 1885 that Saile had produced “160 barrels of the amber beverage” in the previous year.2050 Saile died on the last day of 1886, and his wife took control of the brewery for a brief period, though it may have lain dormant for some time around 1888. The next owner of the brewery, August Kuchera, left the brewery in October 1889, but in May 1890 “absconded” leaving his wife and creditors in the lurch. Shortly thereafter, new owners, including Saile’s son-in-law August Geisert, took over the brewery. The next decade saw frequent ownership changes, and while the arrivals and departures were duly recorded in local newspapers, the accounts said very little about the operations of the brewery. Adam and Joseph Baier provided a brief period of stability for Rice Lake Brewing Co., but this only lasted for about six years.2051

In 1905, the Baiers and Adam Houck formed a new corporation, Phoenix Brewing Co. In 1909 Joseph Hanzlik joined the firm, and shortly became president of the corporation. The brewery suffered a fire in the malt house in January 1916, and the company never quite recovered. Phoenix Brewing stopped making beer in June 1917, though it reopened in August 1918 to manufacture soft drinks.2052

• Gottfried Beyrer, Brush Brewery (1892–95)
• Scharbillig Bros. (1895–97)
• Frederick Beyrer (1897–1902)
• Schimmel & Glassbrenner (1902–5)
• Cumberland Road

Little is known about the operations of Rice Lake’s shortest-lived brewery. Gottfried Beyrer started the business around 1892, but appears to have leased it to Scharbillig Bros. For a short time. Gottfried’s son Frederick took over the brewery for several years. The malt house burned down in 1900. Joseph Schimmel and Leonard Glassbrenner acquired the brewery for a brief period after Frederick Beyrer left to revive a brewery in Long Prairie, Minnesota. The brewery closed in 1905, but a few years later was remodeled for a cheese factory.2053

• Rice Lake Brewing Co. (1936–1974)
• 816 Hammond Street

After legal beer returned, John G. Breunig first tried to resume brewing in Bloomer at his family’s former plant. However, he had volunteered to serve by proxy a prison sentence for his father Jacob S. Breunig, who had been convicted of violating Prohibition laws in Bloomer. As a result, federal authorities denied his application for a brewing permit. He tried again in Rice Lake, and was successful, though Scott Thompson, a Breunig family member, suggests that the permit may have been submitted under the name of one of the other officers in order to evade detection.2054

Since the previous sites in Rice Lake were no longer available, Breuing and his backers acquired the former New Idea Potato Machinery plant in 1934 and began the process of converting it to manufacture beer. Like many new breweries, construction moved slowly, and brewing did not begin until the summer of 1936. The first draught beer was on the market in September of that year. The next year, 12-ounce and quart bottles were added to the mix. During the difficult economic times of the 1930s, brewery workers either were required to buy stock or were paid in stock.2055 This was not necessarily a bad thing, as the brewery paid a 15 percent dividend to twenty-three local stockholders in 1938.2056

While Breunig’s beer was normally found only within a sixty-mile radius of Rice Lake, the brewery shipped carload lots of 8-ounce bottles of special Red Arrow Beer to members of the 32nd Wisconsin National Guard, who had been mobilized in the early 1940s and were stationed in Louisiana and Texas.

The end of Rice Lake Brewing is better documented than many of the other small breweries that closed during the 1960s and 1970s. The brewery was still profitable during the early 1970s, but was the smallest brewery in Wisconsin and was reported to be the second smallest in the country. It was brewing a few private labels for markets in Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as Breunig’s Bock. However, the brewery was caught between price increases for supplies (malt jumped from $1.90 per bushel to $2.90 per bushel during 1973) and increased competition from low-priced beers of national breweries. The break-even point for Rice Lake Brewing was $2.45 per case, but other breweries were able to sell around $2.00 per case. The increasing scale of brewing also worked against a small business like Rice Lake—cans had to be bought in lots of 250,000 at a time, and near the end there was not enough beer in the vats to fill that many cans, nor anywhere to store them. The board of directors voted to dissolve the company in September 1973, and packaged the last beer early in 1974. Of the eighteen remaining employees one, 72-year-old Douglas McFarlane, was there when the brewery opened and when it closed. The labels were sold to Walter Brewing Co. of Eau Claire, which continued to make Breunig’s Lager for a few more years. Jack Breunig was able to find a position at Anheuser-Busch—moving from one of the smallest breweries in the country to one of the biggest in the world. Portions of the brewery were razed, but part remains and as of 2016 housed a health club.2057

Richfield (Washington County)

• Jacob Gellner (1860?)

Jacob Gellner is only known from the 1860 population census. While it is possible that he was employed by another brewery, his location in the census is not near any of the other Washington County brewers. It is also possible that he was not practicing his trade at this point.

Richland City (Richland County)

• W. E. Louis (1856?–1858?)

The brewery of W. E. Louis (various spellings) is known to have been in Richland City at least by 1856, since a visiting journalist reported: “This village in Richland county, containing over 500 inhabitants, has . . . 1 brewery . . . as yet it has no church.” The local paper also carried advertisements for Louis’ beer during much of 1856.2058 Louis (as M. E. Lewis) remains in the 1857 and 1858 state business directories, but these were not always up-to-date, and it is unclear exactly when Louis started or ceased brewing. It is less likely that Aloix Fix purchased his brewery and continued the business.

• Alois Fix (1859?–1861?)

Aloix Fix purchased land for his brewery in Richland City in 1857, and was probably brewing by the next year.2059 He reported as brewing 50,000 gallons—around 1,600 barrels—in the 1860 industrial census. This seems like a very large quantity for such a remote brewery, but Fix was reported to have invested $3,000 in the brewery, and other breweries with similar or less value produced over 1,000 barrels in that census. It is not clear when he stopped brewing here, but he moved to Cazenovia in 1864. Richland City was largely abandoned as the Wisconsin and Pine rivers changed their courses.

Ripon (Fond du Lac County)

• William R. Pierson (1856?–1872?)
• Jefferson Street

William R. Pierson appeared in the 1857 state business directory, but may have started brewing before then. By the time of the 1860 industrial census, he had $3,000 invested in his small hand-powered brewery. For this census, he reported the unusually precise total of 234 barrels of beer brewed in the previous twelve months (which sold at $6 per barrel). He remained in excise records through 1868, though his absence from later years as well as his absence from the 1870 industrial census is not conclusive, since several other breweries known to have been in operation at the time were not listed either. He is still listed in an 1869 history and directory of the region (which provides the Jefferson Street address—the street runs parallel to Silver Creek).2060 He appears in the 1870 population census as “Agt—Patent Right [sic],” though this does not eliminate him from continuing to own a brewery at this point. Pierson’s last appearance in public records as a brewer was in the 1872 state business directory. It is possible he ceased brewing before then.

• Ripon (City Beer) Brewery
• Haas & Fischer (1865–1870)
• Haas & Klieforth (1870–72)
• John Haas (1872–1907)
• Haas Brewing Co. (1907–1915)
• Ripon Brewing Co. (1933–37)
• 130 Jefferson Street

The Ripon City Brewery was rather unusual for a brewery of its era, in that it took over a structure built for another purpose fifteen years earlier, rather than building a new plant. John Haas moved in to the former woolen mill and started brewing in 1865.2061 His brewery grew at a measured pace, and by 1870 he was brewing 450 barrels per year in eight months of operation. However, he nearly doubled his production in the next two years, and by the beginning of 1873 he had bought out his most recent partner and was now sole proprietor. The R. G. Dun & Co. records gave Haas positive ratings, and at the end of 1873 noted that he had “never been burnt out,” a rarity among breweries at that time.2062

By the end of the 1870s Haas’ production was close to 1,300 barrels per year, and he was looking to markets beyond Ripon. During the summer of 1877 he built a stone bottling house, and within a few years it was reported that “Mr. Haas has large orders from surrounding cities” and that “Bottling and shipping beer is now one of the prominent features of his business.”2063 The local market was not neglected, however. In June 1878, it was reported that “John Haas . . . has given his annual ‘treat.’ It took 42 kegs of beer to go round.”2064

The claim that Haas had “never been burnt out” was premature. The brewery suffered a catastrophic fire in June 1884 that started in the engine room and destroyed the new steam-powered equipment and about $5,000 worth of malt. As was typical, Haas had only $7,000 insurance to cover a loss estimated at $18,000. However, Haas rebuilt immediately, and on a greater scale than before. The Milwaukee Daily Journal took note of the construction and editorialized: “The ultra good people of Ripon jubilated [sic] when the local brewery burned down. The local brewer is preparing to rebuild upon a scale only exceeded in Milwaukee, and there is sadness in the tents of the faithful.”2065

John Haas ended up being one of the longest-tenured brewery owners in Wisconsin, but in 1896 he considered selling his brewery to Gustav Kuenzel, who left the Obermann brewing company when it went bankrupt and changed hands. The deal was not consummated, and Kuenzel purchased the Lutz brewery at Stevens Point instead.2066 After Haas’ passing in 1907, his son C. (Conrad) John took over the brewery and operated it until around 1916. Some sources have the brewery closing as early as 1915, but in 1916 burglars blew open the brewery safe and absconded with $300 worth of revenue stamps—an unlikely haul from a closed plant.2067 C. John Haas died in Chicago in December 1918.

Charles Storck leased the brewery in 1920 for making ice cream and cereal beverages, however the brewery was raided in 1922 and 234 barrels of beer were seized and later dumped into Silver Creek.2068 Shortly thereafter, Jacob Figi acquired the brewery, but was unable to obtain the necessary permits to manufacture near beer.2069

In 1933, the return of beer signaled welcome work for the tradesmen of Ripon, in addition to a remedy for local thirsts. New owners Louis Strong and Jack Wittstock employed dozens of men to rebuild the brewery, and by late 1933 the company had beer on the market again.2070 While Ripon Beer was unremarkable except for its low price (it was by far the cheapest beer advertised at the Beer Depot in Sheboygan), Ripon Brewing became much better known for its Old Derby Ale. Seeking to attract younger drinkers or those who had gotten used to stronger beverages during Prohibition, Ripon’s Old Derby Ale was advertised as having an alcohol content of 12 percent and was available either in bottles or on draught at select locations in the region (and was distributed in Oshkosh by Peoples Brewing Co.) Old Derby was typically sold at 10¢ per glass instead of the usual nickel, and was sometimes advertised as “mellow,” which was apparently code for “strong.”2071 This was not enough to make the brewery profitable, and the company closed in April 1937.

• Knuth Brewing Company (2015–present)
• 221 Watson Street

David Knuth was a homebrewer who decided to start his own brewery after being inspired by a trip to Washington D. C. and reflecting on the risks the founders took as entrepreneurs. He and his wife Marie co-founded Knuth Brewing Co. in a former bakery and restaurant site. The brewpub also features pizza baked in a wood-fired oven. Knuth sees the beer and pizza as related elements of gourmet cooking where he can create something from scratch.

Knuth began with two beers, but has since expanded the lineup to six or seven at a time, featuring his Red House Ale, named after the color of the house in which he made his first batch of homebrew. Knuth upgraded to a seven-barrel system in August 2016 to help him meet the local demand and to keep a bigger variety of house beers on draught.2072

River Falls (Pierce County)

• Charles (Carl) Krauth (1860?–1877)
• Hickey & Meyer (1877–79)
• Charles Krauth (1879–1883)
• Henry & Albert (1883–84)
• John Schneider (Krauth & Schneider) (1884–88?)
• Main Street South of Pine Street

Charles Krauth is listed as a lager beer brewer in the 1860 population census. His brewery was not large enough to be listed in the industrial census of that year, but since he reported $1,000 of real estate and $300 of personal property, it is likely that his brewery was already relatively large for the place and time. He built a “large addition to his brewery” in 1866, though it cannot have been particularly large, since the brewery’s largest known production was 307 barrels in 1878, which was well above the usual average of around 180 barrels per year.2073 While the business was small, it appears to have been profitable, since R. G. Dun & Co. gave the company good ratings through the 1870s and into the early 1880s, but noted that business was not as good in the summer of 1883. Around 1881 he brought his son Carl into the business, and the firm became C. F. Krauth & Son.2074 Salem’s list of brewers has Hickey & Meyer as the proprietors of this firm, so it appears that Krauth leased or rented the business for a few years (and Krauth is missing from the Dun records during these years).2075

In 1883 John Henry took over the brewery (with Mr. Albert for at least part of the time). The brewery was still powered by hand, but they malted their own barley. The Sanborn insurance map of 1884 shows a platform behind the brewery running along the Kinnickinnic River, which may have been used to load beer onto boats. After 1887, when the brewery was listed as Krauth & Schneider, it disappears from the records. The reason for the closure is suggested by the next use of the building, which was as a depot for Gund Brewing Co. of La Crosse.

• S. T. Lobach (ca. 1870s)

The brewery of S. T. Lobach listed in American Breweries II has proved elusive to researchers. The business is not listed in known industry directories, state business directories or other sources. There was a farmer named Samuel Labach who lived in nearby Dunn County in 1880, but this appears to be the closest possible match.

• Rush River Brewing Co. (2007–present)
• 990 Antler Court

Seeking larger quarters, Rush River Brewing Co. left their original site in Maiden Rock and settled in an industrial park on the outskirts of River Falls. The new facilities enabled Rush River to push production over 4,300 barrels in 2013 and to create special taproom-only beers. Additional special beers, often regular beers with fruit additions, were available at Rush River draught accounts in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Rush River also introduced a sour beer program, offering several different versions of Berliner weiss.

• Swinging Bridge Brewing Co.
• 122 South Main Street

Swinging Bridge Brewing Co. opened on St. Patrick’s Day in 2017 as Wisconsin’s second Community Supported Brewery. Members can join at three different share levels, with different discounts and benefits. The location is just a few blocks south of where Krauth’s brewery was in the nineteenth century, and is named for the bridge in nearby Glen Park. The building was most recently a bike shop, and its small size presents some limits on the size and configuration of the brewhouse, and requires a lot of manual loading of ingredients and removal of spent grain. The 3 ½-barrel electric brew system is more energy efficient and reduced the need to cut more vents in the ceiling. Founder Dustin Dodge and brewer Mike O’Hara offer six to eight of their own brews in the taproom, including some special firkins.2076

Roberts (St. Croix County)

• Bobtown Brewhouse and Grill (2016–present)
• 220 West Main Street

Mike Christenson opened Bobtown Brewhouse and Grill with a former high school classmate, Katie Eells. Eells had been working for Northern Brewer homebrew supply in Minneapolis, and became the brewer for the establishment. Christenson purchased the former L&Ms Bar in Roberts (“Bobtown”) and made only minor changes to the building to maintain the small-town Wisconsin feel. Eells maintains a draught list that includes five or six regular beers and a selection of rotating seasonals.2077

Rome (Jefferson County)

• Gottlieb Tartsch (1866?–67?)
• August Tartsch (1868–1871)
• Henry Danner & George Foster (1871–72?)
• West Water Street

Gottlieb Tartsch first appears in the 1867 excise records, though he may have started earlier since he purchased land in Jefferson county in 1855. In 1867, the seventy-year-old Gottlieb retired and turned the brewery over to his son August. The 1870 population census indicates that August had $3,000 of real estate and $3,000 of personal property, but since production was only one hundred barrels in 1870, it is likely that the brewery was only part of the property. In addition, the Tartschs seem to have had financial problems. The R. G. Dun & Co. credit evaluator reported in late 1868 that “They are hard up at present. They have sold ½ of the brewery to a Jefferson brewery who is to take charge as I understand . . .” The Dun records have Tartsch at this brewery into 1872, but according to excise records Henry Danner (Daumer) of Foster & Danner in Jefferson (apparently the brewery alluded to in the Dun report) was proprietor of the brewery.2078 Production remained small—only thirty barrels were brewed in the year prior to May 1872, and apparently Danner and Foster shut down the Rome brewery to focus on their plant in Jefferson.

Rosholt (Portage County)

• Kozy Yak Brewery (& Winery) (2012–present)
• 841 East Milwaukee

Rich Kosiec (roughly pronounced kozy yak) and Rose Richmond opened Wisconsin’s first combination nanobrewery and winery in the small town of Rosholt, northeast of Stevens Point. (The winery actually preceded the brewery.) The brewpub, located in a converted residence, is typically open only a few days each month and output has generally been less than fifty barrels of beer per year. The winery was at first called Fresar Winery, but later changed its name to match the brewery.

Both businesses use non-traditional ingredients in some of their creations, such as a maple chardonnay wine. Kozy Yak also encourages customers and friends to bring in spruce tips and rhubarb for beer and wine, respectively. The brewpub serves a selection of gourmet pizzas.2079

Roxbury (Dane County)

• Foshenden/Adoph Fassbender (1856?–58?)
• Mathias Leinenkugel (?)

A Mr. Foshenden is listed as a brewer in Roxbury in the 1857 state business directory. Historian Wayne Kroll has identified this brewer as Adolph Fassbender. Kroll also lists Mathias Leinenkugel as the successor to Fassbender at this business.2080

St. Croix Falls (Polk County)

• Miller & Bros. (1856?–58?)

Miller & Bros. are known only from the 1857 and 1858 state business directories. An extensive search of local records has so far failed to turn up additional information.

St. Francis (Milwaukee County)

See page 635

St. Lawrence (Washington County)

• Benedict Ziegelbauer (1857?–1893?)

Benedict Ziegelbauer was brewing near St. Lawrence in Addison Township at least as early as 1857, and possibly before. He brewed 500 barrels in 1860, but after that seems to have given more attention to his farm and blacksmith shop because the largest known production in his later years was eighty barrels in the 1870 tax year. It is possible that he did not brew every year, as his appearances in the excise records and industry directories are erratic. It appears that he continued to brew off and on until his death in 1893.

• Nicholas Nenno (1855?–1864)
• Schmid & Nenno (1864–1871)
• Georg Schmid (1871–72)
• Nicholas Nenno (1872–74)
• August Fehlsdorf (1874–1875?)

According to the R. G. Dun & Co. records, Nicholas Nenno was brewing in Addison Township at least as early as 1855. He brewed about one hundred barrels in 1870, but does not appear in any other production records. Nenno was in frequent financial trouble: The Dun records noted that while he was doing considerable business he was “much encumbered.” In 1864, he sold half of his interest to Georg Schmid of Farmersville (Dodge County), and in 1871 Nenno lost his entire brewery to Schmid through non-payment of another loan. Nenno was able to gain the brewery back after about a year, but his finances proved no more stable than before, and within a few years he lost the brewery again. The Dun records suggest that August Fehlsdorf acquired this brewery with the help of his father-in-law Mr. Keidel, but they do not specifically say Fehlsdorf directly succeeded Nenno as a brewer.2081

St. Nazianz (Calumet County)

• St. Nazianz Communal Brewery

St. Nazianz was a socialist commune that flourished in Calumet County from the 1850s until the 1870s. Multiple sources indicate that there was a small brewery in the commune, and that its products were likely served at St. Gregorius Haus, a gasthaus built at the direction of Fr. Oschwald, the leader of the community.2082 This may not have been a commercial brewery in the truest sence, and did not appear in excise records, but its presence is worth noting as a unique brewing effort in the state.

Sauk City (Sauk County)

• Mathias Leinenkugel (1846–1871)
• H. & F. Leinenkugel (1871–73)
• F. L. Leinenkugel (1873–78)
• George Schlenk (1878–79)
• East of Water Street, South of John Quincy Adams Street

Mathias Leinenkugel, patriarch of one of the great Wisconsin brewing families, arrived in the United States in 1845 and by early 1846 was in Sauk City preparing to open a brewery. Some sources suggest that he started this brewery in 1845, but the research of Richard D. Rossin Jr. indicates that he did not purchase his land on the edge of the city until 1846, and it is very unlikely he would have had time to start a brewery on someone else’s land in the meantime.2083 Leinenkugel’s brewery started small, and did not do enough business to be included in the 1850 industrial census. However, by 1860, Leinenkugel had boosted production to 1,000 barrels, and operated a relatively large brewery for a small city: it had two horse power and employed four men.

In the mid-1860s, Leinenkugel apparently intended to retire from the business, and briefly rented the brewery to Detlev Heick and Heinrich Berhens. Within a few months these two dissolved their partnership and Leinenkugel took the brewery back.2084 Two years later, Leinenkugel sold the brewery to Christopher Luthrsen and John Esser for $6,000, but three months later the sale was “taken back and Mr. Leinenkugel is managing the brewery himself.”2085

In April 1871, Mathias and his wife Maria Christina sold the brewery to their sons Henry Joseph and Frank Lambert for $5,500. During the early 1870s, the brewery produced between 400 and 500 barrels per year. Henry Joseph sold his share back to Mathias in 1873, but the brewery remained under Frank Lambert Leinenkugel’s name (though some records misstated his initials as T. L.) Near the end of the decade, production dropped to near 300 barrels, perhaps because of deaths in the family. There is evidence that the Leinenkugel’s rented the brewery to longtime employee George Schlenk in either late 1878 or early 1879, but it is not clear if Schlenk ever operated the brewery since no production figures exist. The property was eventually sold to Mary (Marie) Lenz, who owned another nearby brewery, and in 1905 Casper Roeser of the Sauk City Brewing Co. built an icehouse on the property.2086

• Conrad Deininger (1851–1868)
• Sauk City Brewery
• William Lenz (1868–1881)
• Mrs. Mary E. Lenz (1881–89)
• Sauk City Brewing Co. (1889–1920)
• 1100 Water Street

The longest-lived of the Sauk City breweries was started by brothers George Conrad and Charles Deininger in 1851. The Deiningers reported production of 1,000 barrels in 1860, about the same as the slightly older Leinenkugel brewery just to the south. In 1859 Charles left the brewery to focus on his passion for natural history (particularly ornithology of the county) and Conrad continued on his own. The brewery was damaged by fire in 1867, and apparently Deininger saw this as a good time to leave the business. He traded properties with William and Mary (Marie) Lenz in 1868, who undertook the rebuilding of the brewery.2087

Even though he built an addition in 1869, the Lenz brewery appears to have had about the same capacity as under Deininger, though known production totals never reached the 1,000 barrels of 1860 (usually between 300 and 800 barrels). When William died in 1881, his widow Mary Elizabeth and eldest son Emil took over the brewery. A year later, Mary purchased the former Leinenkugel brewery for $3,500, though it is not clear if it was ever used for brewing under Lenz ownership.2088

In 1887, disaster struck the brewery. Sauk City had been without a major fire in ten years, but in February “The first fire of the season . . . broke out in Wm. Lenze’s [sic] brewery . . . and consumed the kiln, malt-house, brewery, [horse]power, dwelling house, and most of the contents.” The property was totally uninsured, and the loss was estimated at $10,000. The city fire department arrived, but the second-hand hand-pumped fire engine recently purchased from Madison “balked, and could not be made to work.”2089 The townspeople rallied around the Lenz family and put on a city fundraising event which yielded $400 to help start rebuilding. The brewery was not done with misfortune, however. In July, The Weekly Wisconsin reported that William Lenz Jr. had been badly burned by falling into a vat of scalding water at his brother’s newly operating brewery.2090 In 1889, a thief broke into the brewery, drained brewing kettles and set the horses free. This loss, along with the illness of Emil in 1890, seems to have convinced Mary to give up the business. She rented the brewery to brewer Ferdinand Effinger of Baraboo, who sent one of his experienced employees, John Ziemke, to operate the brewery.2091 At this point the business became Sauk City Brewing Co.

Effinger’s five-year lease on the brewery expired in 1895, and Gustav Lenz returned to Sauk City from Chicago, where he had been in the malt business, to take over management of the brewery. He only remained a short time, during which he sold the brewery to John Ziemke for $4,500, and then returned to Chicago. Ziemke was involved with the brewery on and off for the next two decades. He sold a share of the brewery to Casper Roeser and Adam Nue in 1898, and sold out entirely in 1899. Nue sold out to Roeser in 1900, but in 1903 Ziemke returned as brewmaster. Ziemke then purchased the brewery in 1907 for $15,500. The increased purchase price since 1895 represented numerous improvements, including a new steam plant, brewhouse, and bottling plant. Ziemke stayed on as one of the original incorporators of Sauk City Brewing Co. in 1912, and this company continued to brew until 1919.

During Prohibition Sauk City Brewing Co. made cereal beverages from 1920 through 1925, but then stopped producing and the corporation dissolved in 1928. After Prohibition there were two attempts to start a brewery—one in the old Sauk City Brewing plant, the other by a new Sauk City Brewing Co., which planned to convert the former Wisconsin Farm Tractor Works building. Neither of these ever made any beer.2092

• Frederick Frenzel (1851–1870?)
• South Side of Polk Street Between John Adams and Jefferson Streets

Frederick Frenzel’s is the least well documented of the Sauk City breweries. Frenzel purchased land in 1851 in Sauk City, and appears to have begun brewing shortly thereafter. He reported that his hand-powered brewery (with one employee) manufactured 150 barrels of beer during the 1860 tax year—by far the smallest output in Sauk City.

It is possible that, like many small breweries, Frenzel did not brew year-around or even every year. He appears in the excise records from 1867 to 1870, though historian Richard D. Rossin Jr. has found that by 1870 Frenzel had essentially traded his Sauk City property for land in Troy Township to the west. He may have continued to pay the taxes on the brewery for a while, perhaps for beer brewed prior to the sale. Frenzel later built a new brewery in nearby Spring Green.2093

• Max Stinglhammer (1855–1865)
• Heinrich Schmitz (1865–1870)
• Theresa Stinglhammer (1870–71)
• Anna Rudolphi (1871)
• R. A. Schraut & Co. (Theophil Rudolphi) (1871–74)
• George Roeser (1878–1896)
• Casper Roeser (1896–98)
• George Roeser (1898–1900)
• Bryant Street (Modern Phillips Boulevard [U.S. Highway 12])

While Max Stinglhammer moved to Sauk City in 1851, he did not start brewing right away. (He did, however, in 1851 sell Frederick Frenzel the lot on which the latter built his brewery.) Stinglhammer and his partner Anton Kaus ran a store for a few years, but in 1855 Stinglhammer purchased a new lot on what was then Bryant Street and built Sauk City’s fourth brewery.2094

Stinglhammer’s horse-powered brewery produced about 900 barrels of beer in 1860, just behind rivals Leinenkugel and Deininger. He also opened a summer-only beer garden near his beer cellars, which became a popular place for groups to gather. In 1865, Stinglhammer started a series of ownership changes when he sold the brewery to Heinrich Schmitz. Schmitz continued the brewery and beer garden for the next few years, though the brewery property appears to have been tied up in legal and financial difficulties after the divorce of Max and Theresa Stinglhammer. The brewery was offered at public auction in 1869, but since no bidder met the required $2,705, the property was returned to Theresa Stinglhammer. A lottery planned for 1870 to dispose of the property was postponed, and later that year the brewery was transferred from Theresa Stinglhammer (by way of the Sauk County Sheriff) to Anna Rudophi—the only known transfer of a brewery from one woman to another non-related woman prior to the craft brewing era in Wisconsin history. In the meantime, those who had purchased tickets for the brewery lottery were told different stories about who was responsible for the “swindle:” Schmitz or another person named Mr. Luening.2095

The confusion, which resulted in the brewery being out of production from at least 1870 to 1871, was not cleared up when Anna Rudolphi sold the brewery to her husband Theophil for the token price of $5.00. Rudolphi and his business partner R. A. Schraut made plans to reopen the brewery and brought in a “famous” brewer from Peru, Illinois named Peter Stein. Schraut & Co. apparently had the brewery running by December 1872, since they paid taxes on 15.5 barrels of beer. The R. G. Dun & Co. credit reports noted that the new firm “Appear to have plenty of means & I think understand the bus[iness],” while confirming that the brewery had been out of repair and closed for several years. Nonethless, a few months later Theophil sold the brewery back to Anna, which appears to have been an indication of continuing financial troubles, since the Rudolphis missed a mortgage payment. Anna rented the brewery to one Fritz Crust of Mineral Point, but he does not appear to have run the brewery for long if at all. By 1876, the brewery was out of business again.2096

After a few more years of legal issues, soda bottler George Roeser was able to purchase the brewery in 1878 for a bargain price of $800. Roeser apparently was not a brewer himself, so he hired Robert Zapp to oversee production. (The brewery was sometimes listed under Zapp’s name during this period.) Zapp got the brewery into production again, at a modest 300 barrels in 1879, but the new management made the brewery a paying concern for more than a decade. Roeser was able to upgrade equipment, build a new malt house and a new icehouse during the 1890s. In 1896, Roeser’s son Casper took over the brewery and kept it going for a short time. However, Casper purchased an interest in Sauk City Brewing Co., and George took the brewery back until 1900, when he retired and closed the brewery.2097

• Joseph Schorer (Schorer & Drossen) (1866–1871?)
• Drossen & Molitor (1871?)
• Nicholas Drossen & Co. (Drossen & Molitor) (1871–75)
• Anna Drossen (1875–1882)
• Northwest Corner of Polk and Dallas Streets

Joseph Schorer purchased the lots on which he would build his brewery in July 1865. Regional brewery historian Richard D. Rossin Jr. has observed that the land on the corner of Polk and Dallas Streets was an unusual location for a brewery, since the land was flat (and thus more difficult to excavate caves) and not near the river. Nevertheless, he built a brewery on that location, and in July 1866 he acquired Nicholas Drossen as a business partner (in a peculiar set of transactions in which Schorer sold a share in the brewery to Mathias Molitor who on the same day sold it for three times the price to Drossen). Molitor owned a saloon that almost certainly sold Schorer & Drossen’s beer.2098

The brewery produced 420 barrels in 1870, just under the production of Mathias Leinenkugel’s business, but only about half of Lenz’s output. Joseph Schorer sold his share of the brewery to Nicholas Drossen in 1871, and moved to Merrimack to operate a saloon (and later to Elroy to start another brewery). Throughout the 1870s, the brewery kept up a rate of production between 400 and 500 barrels per year. Drossen brought Mathias Molitor back into the business, and the partnership lasted until April 1875, when Drossen bought out Molitor.2099

Drossen’s tenure as sole proprietor was brief, as he died in July 1876 at age 58. His widow Anna took over management and apparently operation of the brewery. She was listed in the 1880 population census as a brewer rather than a brewery owner (though she had two hired brewery workers and her son Nicholas Jr. living and working with her), and one local history claims she “tended the kettle, [and] sold the beer. . . .” The last years of the brewery are unclear. Anna Drossen appears in Tovey’s 1882 Brewers’ Directory and Rossin has found that the Drossen brewery had a liquor license in 1882, but this is the last known of the brewery.2100