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

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.

John Frederick Orth was born in Rott, Alsace, France, on May 20, 1821. He learned to brew beer while in Rott and honed his skills as a brewer after leaving in 1840. Before immigrating to America, Orth traveled to Germany, Italy, and Spain. In 1847, he arrived in America, landing

Anthony Yoerg Sr. was born in Gundelfingen, Bavaria, in October 1816. He emigrated to the United States in 1845, working in the Pittsburgh mines for two years before moving to Galena, Illinois, and Saint Paul shortly after that. He opened the state's first commercial brewery. In 1849, after heading back

St. Mary's Hospital clinical social worker Mark Stutrud found himself at a career crossroads in the early 1980s. His professional life had stagnated, and the idea of continuing down the current path left him feeling unfulfilled. The thirty-one-year-old decided he needed a change, either furthering his education or living out

Located at the foot of the bluffs in St. Paul's Bruce Vento Sanctuary are the last remnants of the former North Star Brewery. The brewery had a long history in the area, overcoming a series of early ownership changes and significant competition to achieve a moderate level of business success.