This Week's Beer News: What Happens to Chippewa Falls?
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What happens when a beer town loses its brewery?
I can’t answer that question here, but it’s definitely one I’m asking myself this week. Because has any town been more associated with a brewery than Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin?1
Chippewa Falls has famously been the home of Leinenkugel’s brewery for nearly 160 years. The name was incorporated into advertising for decades and for 36 of those years, Miller, then MillerCoors, then MolsonCoors owned the brewery.
As of last week, MolsonCoors announced that they’re shuttering two major production facilities associated with Leinenkugels production, including the main Chippewa Falls brewery.
This comes a few months after MolsonCoors shed brands like Terrapin and Atwater to Tilray, and the decision leaves behind just the Leinie’s Lodge taproom and pilot brewery, plus a nanobrewery at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
It’s impossible to round up all the news coverage that exploded across the Midwest last week, but here is coverage from OnMilwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine, WTMJ Radio and WTMJ-TV, plus from the Minnesota Star-Tribune (Minneapolis is actually much closer to Chippewa Falls than Madison or Milwaukee) and KARE-11 in the Twin Cities, which even got comment from a Chippewa Falls native who got the Leinie’s logo tattooed on his arm … in high school.
Dick Leinenkugel wasn’t thrilled about this news, obviously (though I wonder if he has the Leinie’s logo tattooed anywhere!). In a statement to WEAU, he wrote:
“I know the Molson Coors leaders don’t take these decisions lightly. It’s clear to me that they determined that the savings resulting from the closure were significant enough to justify this difficult decision. None of our family members were aware or counseled ahead of the decision. It’s a sad day for our family and our fans.”
I don’t know what happens next for this small central Wisconsin town and the dozens of longtime employees who will soon be out of work, but it’s six weeks before Christmas … and I’m just now realizing the parallel to the dark timeline of the film It’s a Wonderful Life. I hope Chippewa Falls fares better than Bedford Falls after Mr. Potter shut down Bailey Brothers Building and Loan … but Clarence the angel isn’t bringing anyone back from this dream sequence.
WGN-TV’s Spotlight Chicago feature talked with Church Street Brewing about their beverages.
There’s no snow on the ground yet, but Buffalo Creek Brewing is already looking forward to their Alpine Biergarten.
Should drinkers be asked to pay more to help close the Chicago city budget? Mayor Brandon Johnson wants a 34% increase in beer taxes, and liquor taxes could go even higher if he gets his way.
Adding to the confusion over the merger/acquisition/closing of the MobCraft brand, I saw this story announcing that the Woodstock location would be closing to the public at the end of the month, and yet, their Facebook page says that “Woodstock may continue to operate as MobCraft and be run by our current leadership or may transition as well. We will know that in the coming days...The taproom will still keep rocking moving forward, determining under what name and ownership.“ If you ever wanted to know how not to sell a brand (or at least confuse the heck out of its drinkers as the owners head out the door), you’re watching it.
Blind Pig Brewing is opening a brewpub in the former Destihl Champaign location, and I love that they are releasing a beer called I Hate Illinois Nazis.
Even though they closed earlier this year, beers from Peace Tree Brewing will live on, as Backpocket Brewing announced their acquisition of the brand and its recipes.
Lake Superior Brewing celebrates both a 30th anniversary and a 2nd anniversary this month. Here’s how.
Arctic Circle Brewing Co. announced that they will be closing their Chesterfield Township brewery next month.
MLive.com features the “epic outdoor beer garden” that is Hop Lot Brewing.
Burnsville’s Trove Brewing Company is asking for donations (to the tune of $75K) to keep their one-year-old brewery afloat.
In better news for Minnesota drinkers, Allagash beers are finally entering the state soon.
The local CBS News affiliate chatted with Bad Weather Brewing about their new collaboration beer with the Science Museum of Minnesota.
KBIA Radio chatted with brewers at Narrow Gauge and Boat Town Brewing about the connections that come out of collaboration beers.
Wright State College announced it would partner with Southern Ohio Brewing to create a Raider branded beer called “Rowdy Blonde Ale.”
Columbus Underground has a nice little piece about a couple under-the-radar breweries on the city’s north side, neither of which I’ve heard of before so I’m guessing you haven’t either.
Lakefront released details of their Black Friday lineup and even though it’s usually very barrel focused I’d quite like to try the triple black IPA.
OnMilwaukee looks at the two very different taproom offerings from 1840 Brewing, one of which will soon offer a coffeeshop and a restaurant.
Writers at Forbes and Craft Brewing Business both looked at what the forthcoming Trump administration could mean for the beer industry.
Most-clicked link in last week’s email: The Eater story about Revolution closing their brewpub, unsurprisingly.
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Latrobe, Pennsylvania comes to mind - but that’s behind Chippewa Falls for me.