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Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Kchi
(---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: June 14, 2011 02:28PM
I ran across some ghost beer signs on buildings that must have been taverns at one time. One was for Edelweiss and the other building had a faded sign for Fox Deluxe. This brought to mind another name that I haven't heard since the 60's, I remember the local tavern receiving deliveries for Drewery's. As a kid, I remembered the truck because it was painted sky blue and had a big picture of a Canadian Mountie painnted on the side.
I found a brief Wikipedia entry for Drewery's
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drewry%27s
I found a brief Wikipedia entry for Drewery's
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drewry%27s
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
captain54
(---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: June 14, 2011 04:00PM
How about Monarch, Hamms, Blatz, Meister Brau?
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Steve B.
(74.7.39.---)
Date: June 14, 2011 04:20PM
Edelweiss and Fox Deluxe were both Chicago breweries, but Drewery's technically was not. Drewery's bought the failing Atlas Prager brewery here in Chicago and used that facility to bottle and can their beer that was trucked in from Indiana. I have an extensive collection of Chicago breweriana and continue to study their histories.
Peter Hand (Meister Brau/Old Chicago) was the last of the vintage Chicago breweries to go out of business in 1978. While other "breweries" have come and gone since then, most are, or were not breweries by definition according to the barrel-per-year output; but microbreweries. I believe Goose Island is now a true "brewery" by output.
Some of the better known Chicago brands were Monarch/Encore/VanMerrit, Atlas, Edelweiss, Canadian Ace, White Eagle, Prima, Fox DeLuxe, Conrad Seipp, Yusay, Atlantic/Tavern Pale, Best, Gottfried, Standard/Utah Brau, South Side, West Side, United States, Ambrosia/Nectar, and many more lesser-known breweries.
A fun fact is Meister Brau successfully marketed the first low calorie "light" beer and called it "Meister Brau Lite". Miller bought Meister Brau and is selling their "Miller Lite" using the exact same recipe they received from Meister Brau!
Steve B.
Peter Hand (Meister Brau/Old Chicago) was the last of the vintage Chicago breweries to go out of business in 1978. While other "breweries" have come and gone since then, most are, or were not breweries by definition according to the barrel-per-year output; but microbreweries. I believe Goose Island is now a true "brewery" by output.
Some of the better known Chicago brands were Monarch/Encore/VanMerrit, Atlas, Edelweiss, Canadian Ace, White Eagle, Prima, Fox DeLuxe, Conrad Seipp, Yusay, Atlantic/Tavern Pale, Best, Gottfried, Standard/Utah Brau, South Side, West Side, United States, Ambrosia/Nectar, and many more lesser-known breweries.
A fun fact is Meister Brau successfully marketed the first low calorie "light" beer and called it "Meister Brau Lite". Miller bought Meister Brau and is selling their "Miller Lite" using the exact same recipe they received from Meister Brau!
Steve B.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Steve B.
(74.7.39.---)
Date: June 14, 2011 04:31PM
Hamm's was brewed in Minnesota - Blatz was from Wisconsin.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Chipast
(---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: June 14, 2011 04:42PM
Didn't Drewrys have a little plant on S.Damen??????????.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Steve B.
(74.7.39.---)
Date: June 14, 2011 04:53PM
They may have had their sign on the building they bought, but their beer was never "brewed" in Chicago. They ran their bottling, canning and distribution operations here only. I believe they also bought the Edelweiss brewery, but I'm not sure which facility they actually used for what purposes. Records are sketchy and I don't have my research materials here at work. Calling Drewery's a Chicago brewery always causes heated discussions amongst the members in the club I formed, the Chicagoland Breweriana Society. It's like calling Toyota a U.S. car manufacturer because they are assembled here.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
daveg
(130.36.62.---)
Date: June 14, 2011 05:59PM
Found right here:
http://forgottenchicago.com/articles/bygone-breweries/
and here:
http://forgottenchicago.com/articles/schoenhofen-brewery/
and a beer related article:
http://forgottenchicago.com/features/tied-houses/
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2011 06:18PM by daveg.
http://forgottenchicago.com/articles/bygone-breweries/
and here:
http://forgottenchicago.com/articles/schoenhofen-brewery/
and a beer related article:
http://forgottenchicago.com/features/tied-houses/
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2011 06:18PM by daveg.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
daveg
(130.36.62.---)
Date: June 14, 2011 06:09PM
Steve B. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hamm's was brewed in Minnesota - Blatz was from
> Wisconsin.
Hamm's - remember?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o83xxWCel8g
Blatz info.
http://www.blatzbeer.com/history/default.aspx
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2011 06:13PM by daveg.
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hamm's was brewed in Minnesota - Blatz was from
> Wisconsin.
Hamm's - remember?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o83xxWCel8g
Blatz info.
http://www.blatzbeer.com/history/default.aspx
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2011 06:13PM by daveg.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Jayg
(---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: June 14, 2011 10:10PM
We lived across the street from a building we always called the brewery.
It was at 21st pl and Albany. They never made beer when I lived there and eventually it became a factory for those 55 gallon drums,ubiquitous to Chicago alleyways.
I recently found out it was named Garden City Brewery, they stopped brewing in 1951.
Here is a link to their brands.
<a HREF="http://www.taverntrove.com/brewery.php?BreweryId=537">Garden City Brewery</a>
I also remember the Monarch Brewery at 1090-1118 W 21st Street . You could see it from the Douglas el at Western
It was at 21st pl and Albany. They never made beer when I lived there and eventually it became a factory for those 55 gallon drums,ubiquitous to Chicago alleyways.
I recently found out it was named Garden City Brewery, they stopped brewing in 1951.
Here is a link to their brands.
<a HREF="http://www.taverntrove.com/brewery.php?BreweryId=537">Garden City Brewery</a>
I also remember the Monarch Brewery at 1090-1118 W 21st Street . You could see it from the Douglas el at Western
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
jak378
(184.4.166.---)
Date: June 15, 2011 07:32PM
I began drinking beer very the near the end of the hayday of most of these breweries. Most of the Chicago Beers were good, particularly Meister Brau and Edelweis. I always believed that one of the primary reasons was the fact that they were invariabley fresh.
Which one was a "Case of good judgement?" Maybe Edelweiss or Atlas Prager?
Which one was a "Case of good judgement?" Maybe Edelweiss or Atlas Prager?
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Steve B.
(74.7.39.---)
Date: June 16, 2011 09:52AM
The "A Case of Good Judgment" slogan was used by Schoenhofen Edelweiss. Many breweries struggled or went out of business during Prohibition. Several produced soft drinks, such as Edelweiss, who invented and produced Green River.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
jak378
(184.4.166.---)
Date: June 16, 2011 12:50PM
Another one that has not been mentioned, and that was a really good beer, was Berghoff, brewed by, or for, the restaurant. As I recall, it was sold over the counter all over the city, but only in quarts. I know my stepfather drank it regularly in quarts.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Steve B.
(74.7.39.---)
Date: June 16, 2011 01:01PM
Berghoff was not a Chicago-based brewery, but was widely distributed here and elsewhere.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Chipast
(---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: June 16, 2011 02:59PM
Steve B. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They may have had their sign on the building they
> bought, but their beer was never "brewed" in
> Chicago. They ran their bottling, canning and
> distribution operations here only. I believe they
> also bought the Edelweiss brewery, but I'm not
> sure which facility they actually used for what
> purposes. Records are sketchy and I don't have my
> research materials here at work. Calling
> Drewery's a Chicago brewery always causes heated
> discussions amongst the members in the club I
> formed, the Chicagoland Breweriana Society. It's
> like calling Toyota a U.S. car manufacturer
> because they are assembled here.
I didn't actually say that was a brewery, I did think it was some sort of distribution.
-------------------------------------------------------
> They may have had their sign on the building they
> bought, but their beer was never "brewed" in
> Chicago. They ran their bottling, canning and
> distribution operations here only. I believe they
> also bought the Edelweiss brewery, but I'm not
> sure which facility they actually used for what
> purposes. Records are sketchy and I don't have my
> research materials here at work. Calling
> Drewery's a Chicago brewery always causes heated
> discussions amongst the members in the club I
> formed, the Chicagoland Breweriana Society. It's
> like calling Toyota a U.S. car manufacturer
> because they are assembled here.
I didn't actually say that was a brewery, I did think it was some sort of distribution.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
jak378
(184.4.166.---)
Date: June 16, 2011 06:36PM
SteveB. I am surprised about Berghoff. Where ws i brewed. It was highly popular here in the 50's and 60's. As i recall it kind of fel out of popularity before the restaurant closed, but it was still sold there.
What aout Sieban's, along with their beergarden?
What aout Sieban's, along with their beergarden?
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Steve B.
(74.7.39.---)
Date: June 16, 2011 07:09PM
Berghoff was brewed in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Sieben's was here in Chicago, and this is a nice site to read about their history: www.siebensbrewing.com/history.htm
There are a number of brands that seem to be associated with Chicago, but were never breweed here. Falstaff was another one since they had their name on huge grain silos near 95th and the lake front; but they were only using them to store and process grain coming down the Great Lakes.
There are a number of brands that seem to be associated with Chicago, but were never breweed here. Falstaff was another one since they had their name on huge grain silos near 95th and the lake front; but they were only using them to store and process grain coming down the Great Lakes.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Rustymuscle
(---.adsnet.com)
Date: June 17, 2011 11:10AM
Bergoff is now brewed by Minhaus Brewery in Monroe, WI.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Kchi
(---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: June 20, 2011 01:20PM
I was looking for something in the Tribune archives, and saw a ad in 1936 for Prager beer. It listed the Atlas brewing company. Don't know if this was a Chicago beer or not.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
Steve B.
(74.7.39.---)
Date: June 20, 2011 02:37PM
Atlas was very much a Chicago brewery.
Atlas Brewing Co., Permit: ILL-U-701, 680 Blue Island Avenue, Chicago, IL
Pre-Prohibition Years of Operation: 1891 to 1920, Total Years Pre-1920: 30
Post-Prohibition, Years of Operation: 1933 to 1962, Total Years Post-1933: 30
Products include: Magnet Beer, Atlas Prager Beer, Atlas Prager Bock Beer, others.
Atlas Brewing Co., Permit: ILL-U-701, 680 Blue Island Avenue, Chicago, IL
Pre-Prohibition Years of Operation: 1891 to 1920, Total Years Pre-1920: 30
Post-Prohibition, Years of Operation: 1933 to 1962, Total Years Post-1933: 30
Products include: Magnet Beer, Atlas Prager Beer, Atlas Prager Bock Beer, others.
Re: Old Beer Brands
Posted by:
ThenNowFuture
(---.chi.clearwire-wmx.net)
Date: November 06, 2011 11:00AM
Blatz Beer can still be found in the fluid at Tom's in Lemont.
According to the owner, the beer is now brewed by Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis. The owner also said that there are only three bars in Illinois that serve it. I do remember seeing a Blatz sign outside a bar somewhere mid-state down-state, but at the time I thought that it was a relic from a bygone time.
There is also a bar in LaCrosse, WI that has a Blatz sign. It's a little north of LaCrosse proper, in another, smaller town. The bar is a plan brick building just west of the main N/S drag.
For my taste, Blatz is a bit stronger than Miller Lite and actually tastes like something.
According to the owner, the beer is now brewed by Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis. The owner also said that there are only three bars in Illinois that serve it. I do remember seeing a Blatz sign outside a bar somewhere mid-state down-state, but at the time I thought that it was a relic from a bygone time.
There is also a bar in LaCrosse, WI that has a Blatz sign. It's a little north of LaCrosse proper, in another, smaller town. The bar is a plan brick building just west of the main N/S drag.
For my taste, Blatz is a bit stronger than Miller Lite and actually tastes like something.
