US BREWERY FOCUS What made Milwaukee famous… A trip to see the IBD President Milwaukee sits on the rail cars cool for longer journeys to western shores of Lake market before the advent of Linde’s Michigan some 90 miles machines but other Great Lakes north of Chicago. Along cities had similar advantages. Miller Brewing Just as in Burton, the relatively Company with Burton on Trent and small local population forced the 3939 West Highland Munich, it has often been early beer barons to think regionally Boulevard, badged as the ‘beer and then nationally. The Milwaukee, capital of the world’. The immigration of over four million Wisconsin, city was home to Pabst, Germans into the US and mainly the USA 53201 Schlitz, Miller and Blatz, mid-west during the nineteenth www.millerbrewing.com some of America’s largest century ensured a ready market for the beers they had known at home brewers. Yet brewing but also the associated gemutlichkeit historians are not sure of the beer garden and the saloon what allowed it to which these growing companies become so famous but established in profusion. Thus we one thing is certain; they must conclude that these brewers have never written songs just like Bass, Allsopp and “Frederick Edward about Burton on Trent! Worthington on the other side of the John Miller was Atlantic were talented and born not far from aggressive business leaders who took maximum advantage of the Ulm in Southern changing markets presented to them. Germany in 1824. By Roger Putman He was sent to From humble beginnings study in France But what of Milwaukee today? It is and undertook the ochran’s treatise on the history America’s 22nd largest city, there in at his uncle’s brewery in Nancy obligatory Grand Cof Pabst (1948) points out that are over forty pages of Schmidts in and decided to stay and learn the Tour of Europe. On Milwaukee had no particular the phone book, it is the home of business. Back home he leased the the journey he advantage in the availability of malt 600,000 folk and the Harley Hohenzollern Royal brewery at called in at his or hops, the water had no special Davidson factory which is just a Sigmaringen in Wurttemberg. By uncle’s brewery in properties, labour was no cheaper or block away from Miller’s 8.5mhl 1854 he was married with a young Nancy and any more plentiful than elsewhere brewery. All the other big names are son and they joined over 215,000 decided to stay and communications were adequate gone. Schlitz is now an office block, other Germans to find a new life and learn the but nothing special. There was a lot Blatz is a condominium and Pabst is across the Atlantic. Apparently they business.” of timber in the nearby Wisconsin currently being re-developed. had $9,000 in gold with them and forests for making casks but Leinenkugel, a 100% Miller-owned reputedly a cake of yeast from eventually the size of the brewing subsidiary is the second biggest Sigmaringen. Like most immigrants industry outstripped supply and they brewer in town followed by a host of they set off westwards and shortly were imported from elsewhere. micro brewers. after ending up in Milwaukee paid Pabst and Schlitz actually joined Frederick Edward John Miller $2370 for a five year old brewery forces in an early JV, the Delta was born not far from Ulm in started by Frederick Best in Plank Cooperage Co. to secure a constant Southern Germany in 1824. He was Road a couple of miles west of the supply. Abundant winter ice from sent to study in France and city. It is this founding by Best in numerous nearby inland lakes undertook the obligatory Grand Tour 1849 that allows Miller to boast it is allowed all year brewing and kept of Europe. On the journey he called the oldest of the big US brewers with The BREWER & DISTILLER INTERNATIONAL • Volume 4 • Issue 2 • February 2008 • www.ibd.org.uk 24 The coppers with their distinctive shaped stacks at the Miller brewing plant in Milwaukee. “Miller’s third brewery on the site was built in 1884; a five storey affair which still stands today as the oldest building on the site. Tucked back in the hillside to the east, visitors can see a timber structure emblazoned with ‘Frederic Miller’s Plank Road Brewery’, looking a bit like a film set, for that is exactly what it is. A Technicolor promo film was made using top Hollywood directors for the centenary A-B tracing its roots back to 1852 the road dips down to what is known with ‘Frederic Miller’s Plank Road celebrations in 1955 and Coors to 1873. Miller brewed locally as Miller Valley with tall Brewery’, looking a bit like a film and Miller kept the 1200bbl in his first year. buildings either side for the Miller set, for that is exactly what it is. A set and re-erected it Almost 150 years later, Miller was site now totals 82 acres. There is a Technicolor promo film was made on site as the sold to South African Breweries in bridge taking can packs from a line using top Hollywood directors for original brewery was 2002 for $5.6 billion and in 2006 built on the north side beside the the centenary celebrations in 1955 had annual sales of 38 million brewhouse to the palletisers on the and Miller kept the set and re- long gone.” barrels (44mhl). Those past 150 south but Miller employees (there erected it on site as the original years have been highly eventful. are over 700 in the plant) must spend brewery was long gone. Back in Miller soon started adding to the 7.2 a lot of time during each shift just 1884, Miller wanted to blood his acres he bought from Best and he waiting to cross the road. This must sons in the business so bought a acquired a nearby inland lake to be the world’s biggest brewery still brewery in Bismarck (now North harvest the ice. Plank Road was a with a major public highway Dakota) but far from father’s major artery into the city for running through it! guidance they did not do well and agricultural produce and was named Miller’s third brewery on the site the venture was sold off a couple of after the oak timbers which made up was built in 1884; a five storey affair years later and Miller was to have a its foundations, by the time the which still stands today as the oldest one site policy until 1961. When railroad came by, this name was building on the site. Tucked back in Miller died in 1888, output was deemed to be too old fashioned and the hillside to the east, visitors can 80,000bbl. All five of his children it was renamed State Street. Today see a timber structure emblazoned were to become Company President The BREWER & DISTILLER INTERNATIONAL • Volume 4 • Issue 2 • February 2008 • www.ibd.org.uk 25 US BREWERY FOCUS Miller people Sue Kay who is Applied Brewing Patrick Ting is Miller’s hop guru. Corporate Brewer Tom Eplett with IBD President David Ryder at home Technology and Support Manager an element from one of the vertical in the model brewery. with some of the 74 framed US leaf filters. patents. dramatically. This probably helped famous $1000 beer – a prize for the anti alcohol lobby in forcing anyone who could prove that it did through the 18th Amendment to the not use the very finest ingredients. US Constitution which led to 13 The next acquisitions were much years of Prohibition up to 1933. bigger with the Lucky Lager plant at Miller made near beer by boiling off Azusa in California (1966) and the the alcohol which was denatured and Carling brewery at Fort Worth in sold as surgical spirit, he ventured Texas in 1969. The owners were into soft drinks but his biggest seller stretched and succumbed to an offer was malt concentrate and you can from tobacco giant Philip Morris in probably guess what most of that 1969. Morris infused an exceptional was used for! The Miller children amount of energy into its new had made shrewd property interest and unprecedented growth investments and these saw the was recorded. Miller Lite was company through the lean times. introduced in 1973 and total sales Brewing bounced back quickly and built by 29% in 1973, 31% in 1974 despite the Great Depression of the and another 42% in 1975 bringing Useful software on in turn with the last dying in 1943. early 1930s, sales exceeded half a the output to 12.8mbbl. 1976 saw bottling line B20 for million barrels in 1935. 18.4million, 1977 was 24.2 million easy tracking of mini High Life The Second War was kinder to the and the peak of 40.3million was production stoppages on Bottling started as early as 1879. By brewers and post war euphoria saw reached in 1981. the various pieces of the end of the century Miller was sales continuing to boom. Fred This progress was serviced by a equipment. hedging its bets with Miller Miller from the third generation succession of new plants; Fulton in Muenchener, Miller Krombacher presided over a huge expansion, New York State in 1974, Eden in and even a Miller Budweiser to building a new brewhouse in 1947 North Carolina in 1976, Irwindale in entice its immigrant customers. In which was doubled again in size in California and Albany in Georgia 1907 Miller High Life was born with 1952 to 4 mbbl.