G. Heileman Brewing Company

G. Heileman Brewing Company

The G. Heileman Brewing Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA, was a brewery firm that operated in 1858-1996. It was acquired in the latter year by Stroh's, and its independent existence ended. From 1872 until its acquisition, the brewery bore the family name of its co-founder, brewer Gottlieb Heileman.

History

Key brewery CEOs in the life of Heileman's were Heileman's son-in-law and successor, Emil T. Mueller, and Russell Cleary. [ [http://murphylibrary.uwlax.edu/digital/lacrosse/LaxBrewing "History of the Brewing Industry in La Crosse" ] ] Mueller introduced what was to become Heileman's leading "premium" beer label, Heileman's Old Style Beer, in 1902. Cleary headed an acquisition and consolidation effort in the 1970s and early 1980s that gathered a significant percentage of old-line brewery names and intellectual properties into the Heileman family. After doing this he lost control of the firm to Alan Bond of Australia.

Bond, who already controlled the Tooheys name and beer interests in Australia, hoped to build a worldwide brewing combine. Lacking cash, he financed the acquisition of G. Heileman with junk bonds. The collapse of Bond's financial empire led indirectly to the end of Heileman's existence as an independent brewer. After further consolidations, G. Heileman's brewery names and intellectual properties became part of the Pabst Brewing Company, the current owner (as of 2007). Pabst oversees the brewing of several well-known Heileman brands, including Old Style and Special Export, under the G. Heileman name.

Historic U.S. brewing names that were consolidated into G. Heileman during its final years include Blatz, Blitz-Weinhard, Drewry's, Grain Belt, National Bohemian, Olympia, and Rainier. At its height the Heileman's combination was the third largest brewer in the United States, behind Anheuser-Busch and Miller.

As of 2007, the former Heileman's flagship brewery in La Crosse is owned and operated by the City Brewing Company. The new brewery chose to use the name that the former Heileman's used as its startup name in 1858-1872.

The World's Largest Six Pack

Motorists driving past the Heileman's facility in LaCrosse were greeted by a billboard reading, "Shhh...slow down...Heileman's aging here." For many years, the large storage tanks on the street side of the brewery were painted in the colors of "Old Style," the flagship brand of the brewery. Actually, in a visit during February 1983, there were 8 tanks, not 6, but only 6 tanks were so painted. With the rebirth of the brewery as The City Brewery (a tip of the hat to the original name used by Heileman's), the tanks were repainted in the colors of La Crosse Lager beer. From the pictures taken the day of the unveiling (September 23, 2003), only six of the tanks remain, making it truly "The World's Largest Six Pack." [Kirby, Doug; Smith, Ken; Wilkins, Mike. " [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/news/8137 Return of the World's Largest Six Pack] ." "Roadside America," 2008.]

Notes

ources

* "Brewed with Style: The Story of the House of Heileman", Paul Koeller and David H. Delano, 2004, published by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Foundation and City Brewing Company.

External links

* [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tnews/NewsItemDisplay.php?Tip_AttrId=8137 Return of the World's Largest Six Pack]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Falls City Brewing Company — was a brewery based in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, and operated from 1905 until 1978. Falls City introduced Billy Beer in 1977 and subsequently closed operations in 1978. The Falls City brand was eventually transferred to the Pittsburgh Brewing… …   Wikipedia

  • Valentin Blatz Brewing Company — Infobox nrhp | name =Blatz Brewery Complex nrhp type = caption =Building detail from the brewery complex location= Milwaukee, Wisconsin lat degrees = 43 | lat minutes = 2 | lat seconds = 42.07 | lat direction = N long degrees = 87 | long minutes …   Wikipedia

  • Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company — Infobox Brewery name = Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company caption = location = Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin United States owner = SABMiller opened = 1867 production = active beers = brewbox beer|name=Leinenkugel s Original|style=Pale lager brewbox… …   Wikipedia

  • Pabst Brewing Company — Location Woodridge, Illinois Year opened 1844 Website …   Wikipedia

  • City Brewing Company — City Brewery Industry Alcoholic beverage Predecessor G. Heileman Brewing Company Founded 1999 Headquarters La Crosse, WI, USA Products Beer …   Wikipedia

  • National Brewing Company — U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • Hudepohl Brewing Company — was established in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1885 by founder Ludwig Hudepohl II. Hudepohl was the son of Bavarian immigrants and had worked in the surgical tool business before starting his brewery. Hudepohl Brewing Company became one of many… …   Wikipedia

  • Rainier Brewing Company — (1884 1999) was a Seattle, Washington, company that brewed Rainier Beer, a popular brand in the Pacific Northwest. Although Rainier was founded in 1884, the Seattle site had been brewing beer since 1878. While the beer enjoys near iconic status,… …   Wikipedia

  • Lone Star Brewing Company — Infobox Brewery name = Lone Star Brewing Company caption = The National Beer of Texas location = Woodridge, Illinois owner = Pabst Brewing Company opened = 1884 production = active beers = brewbox beer|name=Lone Star|style=Pale Lager brewbox… …   Wikipedia

  • Valentin Blatz Brewing Company Office Building — Infobox nrhp name = Valentin Blatz Brewing Company Office Building nrhp type = caption = location = 1120 N. Broadway Milwaukee, Wisconsin nearest city = lat degrees = lat minutes = lat seconds = lat direction = long degrees = long minutes = long… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”