Minnesota Then

Closing of Stroh's (Hamm's) Brewery in St. Paul (November 21, 1997)

Shortly after the Stroh Brewery Co. (Stroh's) finalized its purchase of the G. Heileman Brewing in July 1996, rumors swirled that their east St. Paul plant — the former Hamm's Brewery complex — would be shuttered. Heileman's flagship production facility in LaCrosse, WI, could support the combined volume of both sites, and

brewers

August Schell (1828 - 1891)

August Schell came to newly established New Ulm, Minnesota, to help prop up a struggling German-American immigrant community. He began a brewery while living there. Despite having to navigate several pioneer-era challenges, he prospered. A self-made man, his generosity and thoughtfulness, as well as his love of the outdoors, shone

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The Great Minneapolis Fire (August 13, 1893)

Conditions in Minneapolis in 1893 were rife for disaster. The city saw a long stretch of dry weather in a district home to several lumber milling and storage companies. The combination was a potential powder keg ready to explode. On a warm Sunday afternoon, it did. In August of that

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Public Tour of the "New" Hamm's Brewery (September 27, 1894)

In the early afternoon of September 27, 1894, the citizens of Saint Paul were abuzz. The Hamm's Brewery, located above Swede Hollow, was holding a tour of its new brewing complex as part of the grand unveiling of its new facilities. This moment was years in the making. By the

brewers

Conrad Wurm Sr. (1820 - 1877) and the Wurm Brewery (1863 - 1889)

The Wurm Brewery was a late nineteenth-century business in Saint Paul’s West End. Sitting in the shadows of the more prominent Christopher Stahlmann Cave and Melchior Funk Breweries, the small establishment carved out a neighborhood niche that kept it operational for more than a quarter of a century. Then

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Melchior Funk Brewery (1866 - 1901)

Pioneer brewer Melchior Funk was born in Baden–Wurttemberg, Germany, on July 23, 1828. As a young man, he emigrated to the United States, settling into the brewing trade in Cincinnati, Ohio, and St. Louis, Missouri, before making his way to St. Paul. In the early 1860s, City Brewery founder

brewers

Andrew F. (A.F.) Keller (1819 - 1873)

Despite having become firmly embedded into the lore of local brewing history, primarily because of his perceived association with Theodore Hamm and the subsequent birth of the Hamm’s Brewing Company, there is little consensus about the life of St. Paul pioneer brewer Andrew F. (A.F.) Keller. To some

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The Theodore Hamm Mansion

Overlooking the Swede Hollow neighborhood, the picturesque Theodore Hamm mansion at 671 Greenbrier was a crown jewel of the east side of St. Paul. The Queen Anne Revival-style structure stood like a castle, a beacon of inspiration and possibility to those that lived below. The abrupt destruction of the multi-story

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Prostitution Sting at John’s Bar and Funhouse in NE Minneapolis (1953)

John's Bar and Funhouse, formerly located at 2500 Marshall Ave NE in Northeast Minneapolis, was one of many saloons that once occupied the location on the corner of Lowry and Marshall since 1905. It was a popular local bar that opened in 1946, one which found itself at the center

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Constans v. Schmidt: End of the North Star Brewery and Birth of the Jacob Schmidt Brewing Co.

The business partnership between William Constans and Jacob Schmidt began on August 4, 1884 when Schmidt purchased a fifty-percent interest in the North Star Brewery. With this purchased he replaced Reinhold Koch as part-owner of the brewery located down-creek from Swede Hollow at the foot of St. Paul’s Dayton’

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Modist Brewing, Bud Light, 'Dilly Dilly,' and a Cease & Desist Letter

At noon on December 1, 2017, Minneapolis craft brewer Modist Brewing Co. officially launched its latest offering, a limited-release Mosaic Double IPA titled 'Dilly Dilly' in its North Loop taproom. A little more than two hours later, a representative of Anheuser-Busch's InBev, the company that produces and distributes Bud Light,

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Rand Liquor Ordinance (1892)

In the second half of the 19th century, Minnesota was caught up in the national alcohol temperance movement. The intoxicating liquor industry was at the center of a conflict involving those who felt alcohol negatively influenced society and those who advocated drinking for enjoyment. By the 1880s, the fight between

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Minnesota's 'Maine' Law (1852)

In the late 1840s and early 1850s, a temperance movement swept the nation calling for the prohibition of all intoxicating liquors. In 1851, Portland, Maine mayor and noted temperance advocate Neal Dow helped push through state-level legislation which would soon become known as the 'Maine Law,' banning liquor and

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Minnesota High License Law (1887)

State legislators passed the High License Law in 1887 after failing to pass it in 1883 and 1885. Touted by proponents as the temperance movement's alternative to prohibition, the law substantially raised the cost of liquor licenses throughout the state. The legislation aimed to reduce saloons in local communities while

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Minnesota Lager Beer Act (1860)

After Minnesota became a US territory in 1849, the population exploded. Alcohol consumption was blamed for the immoral behavior occurring in its cities. A call-to-action was sounded to establish a more efficient system to define municipal laws and maintain order. The state hoped regulatory changes would reduce societal harm related

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Kidnapping of Hamm's Brewery President William Hamm Jr. (June 15-19, 1933)

Members of the Barker-Karpis Gang kidnapped Hamm's Brewery President William Hamm Jr. as he walked from his office to have lunch with his mother. At about 12:45 PM on June 15, 1933, four men seized the grandson of Theodore Hamm near Greenbrier Street and Minnehaha Avenue East in Saint

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Gramma B's in NE Minneapolis (1979 - 1984)

Gramma B's opened for business at 1900 Marshall St NE in Northeast Minneapolis in December 1979. To open his own place, its owner, 31-year-old Tony Benincasa, sold his stake in Goofy's, a bar located near downtown Minneapolis. Its history showed an immensely popular, albeit rough place, loved by a rowdy

brewery

Christopher Stahlmann Cave Brewery (1855–1897)

Christopher Stahlmann was born on June 19, 1829, to a well-known and wealthy family in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. When he was seventeen, his father went bankrupt, losing everything — including Christopher’s inheritance. Stahlmann, no longer afforded the head start to success that accompanied his birthright, saw few attainable prospects available.

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Trial of North Star Brewery Owner Jacob Schmidt (1893)

On the evening of July 4, 1893, friends Theodore Beaudoin and Samuel Guion rowed a small boat from the foot of State Street, located on the Mississippi river's west side, across the river to the Dayton's Bluff area to shoot pigeons. Upon their arrival, the men walked up from the

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The Sordid History of the Minneapolis B-Girl

The term "B-girl," short for a bar girl, originated in the 1930s and described young ladies soliciting drinks for themselves or others inside of a bar. They coerced a male patron to buy them a drink (or more) and were then served brown-colored water, prune juice, or watered-down alcohol by

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The Surly Bill (2011)

In 2011 the Surly Brewing Co, to meet growing customer demand, hoped to expand their operation by opening a new multi-million dollar facility in the Twin Cities. To recoup some of the costs associated with such a significant venture, they wanted to include a restaurant and beer garden. Their goal

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The History of 'Rushing the Growler'

‘Rushing the Growler’ was a slang term that gained practical prominence in the late nineteenth century. It described the process of bringing an empty growler or growlers to a local tap house to be filled with alcohol — usually beer — and then carrying the container off-site to drink its contents. Saloons

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George 'Spanky' McFarland vs. East St. Paul’s 'Spanky’s Saloon'

The 1985 film "That Was Then... This Is Now" put St. Paul's east side on the national stage, even if for only a short time. The movie showcased the neighborhood's eclectic mix of old and new structures along East Seventh Street, places like St. John's hospital, 7-11, 10,000 Auto

brewers

Theodore Hamm (1825 - 1903)

Born in Herbolzheim, Baden, Germany, in October 1825, Theodore Hamm emigrated to the United States in 1854, finding work as a butcher in Buffalo, NY, and Chicago, IL. While in Chicago, he married Louise Bucholz, who joined him from Germany once Hamm was established in the city. In August 1856,

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Minnesota's Return to 'Real Beer' (Mar 22 — Apr 7, 1933)

On March 13, 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sent a two-sentence letter to Congress. In it, he requested they enact "legislation for the immediate modification of the Volstead Act." Eight days later, legislators passed the Cullen-Harrison Act. It amended the legal definition of intoxicating liquor from .5% alcohol by weight,