Photo: #John Orth's brewery in St. Anthony, pictured here in 1880, was a busy place. At least four horse-drawn wagons are visbile, along with employees and some of their children. the stoop-roofed building behind the brewery is the malt house.
Photo: #The office of Jacob Christ's brewery in Red Wing. Christ was a popular saloonkeeper before marrying the widowed Christina Hoffman and taking over the brewery. It's likely that his contacts among saloon owners helped secure business for his new venture.
Photo: #Breweries took pride in the quality of their horses. Minneapolis Brewing Co. had nearly 200 horses, all but two of them black. This single-horse delivery wagon, pictured in front of Christ Church in Red Wing around 1900, could not have carried a full load of kegs, and was more likely used for delivering cases of beer to households.
Photo: #This postcard was produced just after Schuster Brewing Co.'s 1905 expansion. It boasts the "cleanest most up to date brewery in the United States."
Photo: #This tray issued by Standard Brewing Co. of Mankato commemorates the 40th anniversary of the execution of 38 Sioux Indians in Mankato in 1862. At the time, this image was commonplace and helped connect the product to Mankato's history. The three officers sitting on the porch have apparently gone through two kegs and two cases of beer.
Photo: #The automobile, shown here leaving the horse-drawn carriage far behind, was the ultimate symbol of progress in the early 20th century.
Photo: #Saloons like this one appeared all over the state. Many municipalities banned furniture from saloons to make them less inviting. The requisite spitoons are in place, ready to receive tobacco juice. Three pieces of Schell's advertising are visible on the walls, suggesting this saloon was located in southwest Minnesota.
Photo: #The bar in Schiek's Restaurant in Minnepolis was typical of the opulent bars in many clubs. This scene is remarkable in that it lacks many items often present in a typical saloon at that time -- spittoons, furniture, and paintings of nudes.
Photo: #Prohibition ended on April 7, 1933. Trucks and trains could be loaded with beer before midnight, but could not leave until 12:01 a.m. these trucks were waiting to leave the Gluek brewery grounds on the night of April 6.
Photo: #Crowntainers were early cans made by the Crown Cork and Seal Co. of Baltimore. It could be used on bottling lines ans whas attractive to brewers with limited equipment budgets. This container remained in use until the early 1950s.
Larger view
John Orth's brewery in St. Anthony, pictured here in 1880, was a busy place. At least four horse-drawn wagons are visbile, along with employees and some of their children. the stoop-roofed building behind the brewery is the malt house. (Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society)
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Minnesota, land of 'Amber Waters'

December 19, 2007

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St. Paul, Minn. — The interesting and colorful evolution of beermaking in Minnesota is documented in a new book published by the University of Minnesota Press.

"Land of Amber Waters: The History of Brewing in Minnesota" follows the changing industry as it goes from local to regional to national, and back again.

MPR's Cathy Wurzer talked with author Doug Hoverson, who says before Minnesota became a territory in 1849, beer was something you made at home.

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