I was at the beer depot tonight, when I noticed that, according to the bottle, Leinenkugel’s beer is brewed in Chippewa Falls, WI.
Then what is the building I see driving past downtown Milwaukee every day? The one with the big tanks and boilers you can see through the window? And the gigantic “Leinenkugel’s” mural on the side?
Paging August West. August West, please pick up the white courtesy phone.
Leinenkugel’s first brewery was, and still is in Chippewa Falls. In 1995, they bought the Val Blatz Milwaukee Brewery from the G. Heileman Brewing Co., and also brew beer there, as well.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3469/is_n40_v46/ai_17477340
When we did the Miller tour last year they had Leinies as one of the free beers you could sample at the end, and the guide mentioned them doing much of their “contract” brewing these days.
Which makes sense. The facility in Chippewa Falls, one of my favorite towns, does not have the brewing capacity to support the increased distribution Leinenkugel’s has since the buyout by Miller. While I normally cringe at buyouts and takeovers, this is one that has worked well as far as the products and distribution are concerned.
According to our guide Miller does a great deal of the brewing for many of the smaller Wisconsin beers, but more as a rental space than anything else. They provide the tanks and the space, the other brewers send in their guys with their formulas and let them do their thing to take advantage of Miller’s increadible distribution network. Kind of a mega sized rent a brewery. However with Leinies being one of the featured free beers at the end it would seem that perhaps Miller does a bit more for them than just allow them to use space. I’d be surprised that the Chippewa Falls brewery supplied more area than they ever did before. Most of what would be available outside that area would be the Miller stuff.
Leinies did a sponsor night at one of my locals last year or so and I got on their mailing list. They send out a newspaper every so often and they have one of the most comprehensive selections of promotional items for sale than most smaller local labels would ever dream of. Most of that newspaper is stuff for sale.
The Leinenkugel family still operates the brewery since 1867. There are tours daily.
I would also like to chime in that Chippewa Falls is a beautiful little city. It has been spared from the sprawl & mall type developments and urban decay due in part to it’s proximity to Eau Claire which is the shopping destination for the entire area. Chippewa Falls’ downtown has remained viable in a way that most Western Wisconsin towns have not.