Wisconsin's Brewing Beginnings
Pabst Brewery
photo source: http://goodbeerhunting.tumblr.com
When people think of Wisconsin, often times they bring to mind the Green Bay Packers, cheese, farms, cold winters, and most importantly beer. Over 43% of Wisconsinites claim German ancestry, so its no surprise that the beer industry was established in Wisconsin. Other major Wisconsin ethnic groups include: Irish, Norweigan, Belgian, and Scottish, none of which are strangers to brewing beer. These immigrants brought their hardworking morals to Wisconsins farmlands which helped establish Wisconsin's brewing beginnings.
Wisconsin emerged as a brewing center the same time the lumber industry began establishing mills throughout the state. Brewers knew one important thing, hardworking lumbermen equaled thirsty lumbermen. In 1835, before Wisconsin was even recognized as a state, a brewery had been born in Mineral Point, WI and only one year later did the second open in Elk Grove, WI. It was from here that brewing in Wisconsin started to take off not only at a regional scale but at a national scale.
Although these smaller breweries were being established the Wisconsin's beer industry as a whole was growing fairly slow before the Civil War with a national average of 1.7 million barrels. After the war however, it doubled to over 3.5 million barrels in 1865 and was multiplied tenfold by 1895. The Philip Best Brewery opened its doors to Wisconsin in 1844, grew 650% in sales, and became Pabst by 1877. The rapid growth in the regions beer industry allowed for smaller breweries such as Leinenkugels to open their taps to the western region of Wisconsin capitalizing on the logging communities throughout the Chippewa River Valley. Pabst continued to grow thanks in part to developing brew technologies such as the bottle cap and utilizing local ice from Lake Michigan to aid in refrigration. By 1895 Pabst was brewing over one million barrels annually, becoming the national leader in beer production.
Mass beer production within the state began to dwarf the amount being consumed by the region. Milwuakee breweries such as Pabst, Schlitz and Blatz started to push their markets further out of Wisconsin. As a leader in the nations beer economy, Pabst brought the idea of pasteurization to the industry in 1876. This method of sterilization allowed Pabst to ship their beer further and without refrigeration to markets well outside of the region. As the industry was booming Pabst, Schlitz, and Blatz were on the forefront of national production levels with the intent to make more and reach a larger demographic. This idea of reaching out to the masses was where the money was to be made, however those who wanted to focus on quality over quantity adapted a regional, more localized focus. Companies such as the Theodore Hamm Brewery (Hamms) in St Paul, Minnesota, and Leinenkugels of Chippewa adapted these strategies. It was a combination of regional and local breweries that created the microbrewing grassroots.
Wisconsin emerged as a brewing center the same time the lumber industry began establishing mills throughout the state. Brewers knew one important thing, hardworking lumbermen equaled thirsty lumbermen. In 1835, before Wisconsin was even recognized as a state, a brewery had been born in Mineral Point, WI and only one year later did the second open in Elk Grove, WI. It was from here that brewing in Wisconsin started to take off not only at a regional scale but at a national scale.
Although these smaller breweries were being established the Wisconsin's beer industry as a whole was growing fairly slow before the Civil War with a national average of 1.7 million barrels. After the war however, it doubled to over 3.5 million barrels in 1865 and was multiplied tenfold by 1895. The Philip Best Brewery opened its doors to Wisconsin in 1844, grew 650% in sales, and became Pabst by 1877. The rapid growth in the regions beer industry allowed for smaller breweries such as Leinenkugels to open their taps to the western region of Wisconsin capitalizing on the logging communities throughout the Chippewa River Valley. Pabst continued to grow thanks in part to developing brew technologies such as the bottle cap and utilizing local ice from Lake Michigan to aid in refrigration. By 1895 Pabst was brewing over one million barrels annually, becoming the national leader in beer production.
Mass beer production within the state began to dwarf the amount being consumed by the region. Milwuakee breweries such as Pabst, Schlitz and Blatz started to push their markets further out of Wisconsin. As a leader in the nations beer economy, Pabst brought the idea of pasteurization to the industry in 1876. This method of sterilization allowed Pabst to ship their beer further and without refrigeration to markets well outside of the region. As the industry was booming Pabst, Schlitz, and Blatz were on the forefront of national production levels with the intent to make more and reach a larger demographic. This idea of reaching out to the masses was where the money was to be made, however those who wanted to focus on quality over quantity adapted a regional, more localized focus. Companies such as the Theodore Hamm Brewery (Hamms) in St Paul, Minnesota, and Leinenkugels of Chippewa adapted these strategies. It was a combination of regional and local breweries that created the microbrewing grassroots.
Microbrewing's Roots
Created by Jon Bowen, 2012
It was during this era of booming national markets that small scaled “micro-breweries” started to pop up in the backyards of larger distributors. Not aiming to compete in national sales or even as large as
regional production in some cases, companies such as the old Independent Milwaukee Brewery marketed their product to the locals that lived and worked in the area. Although sales were never as successful as the increases from national or regional scales the owners were content selling to their limited market of friends and co-workers. A saying from a local brewmaster Herbert Leisy (Leisy Brewing) based out of Cleveland, Ohio was “In the old days they used to say that any brewery that could see a large proportion of its market from the top of its own chimney was in good shape, and those that had to ship
any distance did not fare as well.”
As national breweries continued to grow larger, it was the interest of many to start out a trend that we still see today. By 1872 there were over 3,421 breweries (17 times more than today) of all sizes throughout the United States until the dark days of Prohibition (1919-1933). By brewing beer in their home, citizens were at risk of being put in prison. Not wanting to be trumped by the government restrictions, thirsty individuals still managed to make about 700 million gallons of beer per year. Prohibition ended in 1933 however the microbrewing was virtually non existant as large brewer's had complete control of the markets. The Federal Aministration Act of 1935 allowed wine making for home use to be tax exempt, although beer was not included. In order to brew your own beer you had to get a permit and follow the according regulations. This set of regulations tarnished many micro-breweries out of existence and allowed large scale production to again take charge.
It wasn’t until 1978 that folks from New York pushed congressman Barber Conable to help with a bill that extends the previous Amendment to beer making. Sometimes called the turning point of an “American beer renaissance,” this small change slid through the political process and made it to Jimmy Carters desk with ease. H.R. 1337 contained an exemption to the original 21st Amendment that forgot to include beer in home fermentation. In 1979, Carter passed the bill that ended deregulation, thus giving birth to microbrewing in the United States (Figure 1).
regional production in some cases, companies such as the old Independent Milwaukee Brewery marketed their product to the locals that lived and worked in the area. Although sales were never as successful as the increases from national or regional scales the owners were content selling to their limited market of friends and co-workers. A saying from a local brewmaster Herbert Leisy (Leisy Brewing) based out of Cleveland, Ohio was “In the old days they used to say that any brewery that could see a large proportion of its market from the top of its own chimney was in good shape, and those that had to ship
any distance did not fare as well.”
As national breweries continued to grow larger, it was the interest of many to start out a trend that we still see today. By 1872 there were over 3,421 breweries (17 times more than today) of all sizes throughout the United States until the dark days of Prohibition (1919-1933). By brewing beer in their home, citizens were at risk of being put in prison. Not wanting to be trumped by the government restrictions, thirsty individuals still managed to make about 700 million gallons of beer per year. Prohibition ended in 1933 however the microbrewing was virtually non existant as large brewer's had complete control of the markets. The Federal Aministration Act of 1935 allowed wine making for home use to be tax exempt, although beer was not included. In order to brew your own beer you had to get a permit and follow the according regulations. This set of regulations tarnished many micro-breweries out of existence and allowed large scale production to again take charge.
It wasn’t until 1978 that folks from New York pushed congressman Barber Conable to help with a bill that extends the previous Amendment to beer making. Sometimes called the turning point of an “American beer renaissance,” this small change slid through the political process and made it to Jimmy Carters desk with ease. H.R. 1337 contained an exemption to the original 21st Amendment that forgot to include beer in home fermentation. In 1979, Carter passed the bill that ended deregulation, thus giving birth to microbrewing in the United States (Figure 1).
Due to this Amendment as well as the microbrewing culture established in the state’s history, microbreweries were finally given the chance to flourish and perfecting their brewing process. We are going to investigate Wisconsin breweries that still continue the old tradition of a new concept called neo-localism. There are many unique factors that these breweries exhibit in order to still reach out to those they see from their
chimney.
Grab your favorite micro-brew and join us on a detailed look at what makes Wisconsin microbreweries as unique as those who rose against Pabst in 1895.
chimney.
Grab your favorite micro-brew and join us on a detailed look at what makes Wisconsin microbreweries as unique as those who rose against Pabst in 1895.
Work Cited
Stack, Martin. Local and regional breweries in America’s brewing industry, 1865 to 1920.Business History Review; Autumn 2000; 74, 3; ABI/INFORM Complete. Pg 435
Kapler, Joseph Jr. When You Say “Wisconsin,” What Do You Say? The Wisconsin Magazine of History.Vol. 85, No. 3 (Spring, 2002). Pg 18-31. Wisconsin Historical Society. Accessed 11/18/2012
Homebrewersassociation.org
Banner Photo: Wisconsin Historical Society
Kapler, Joseph Jr. When You Say “Wisconsin,” What Do You Say? The Wisconsin Magazine of History.Vol. 85, No. 3 (Spring, 2002). Pg 18-31. Wisconsin Historical Society. Accessed 11/18/2012
Homebrewersassociation.org
Banner Photo: Wisconsin Historical Society