Stevens Point Brewery

Last updated
Stevens Point Brewery
Industry Alcoholic beverage
Founded1857
Headquarters Stevens Point, Wisconsin
United States
Products Beer
Website http://www.pointbeer.com

Stevens Point Brewery is a regional American brewery located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The brewery is the fifth-oldest continuously operating brewery [1] and the third-oldest privately owned brewery in the nation. [2]

Contents

The company's sales volume among all breweries in the nation increased from 50th in 2009 to 32nd in 2015. [3] Among craft breweries, the company's sales volume ranks 25th in the nation as of 2015. [4]

The brewer has won awards several times including the category for American-style amber three times for their Point Amber Classic brand (Gold in 1996; Silver in 2002; Gold in 2012), and three times in the Schwarzbier category for their Point 2012 Black Ale (Silver in 2011; Silver in 2012; Gold in 2013). [5] [6] The brewer has also won awards for other brands in its portfolio. [7] [8] [9] [10]

History

The company was founded in 1857 by George Ruder and Frank Wahle. In 1864, the company provided its beer to the troops during the American Civil War. The brewery was subsequently sold to Andrew and Jacob Lutz in 1867. The Lutz family continued operations until it was sold to Gustav Kuenzel in 1897. The company was then organized as the Gustav Kuenzel Brewing Company in 1901. The following year, it was renamed the Stevens Point Brewing Company. Ludwig Korfman purchased a controlling interest in the company in 1924 and reorganized the company as the Stevens Point Beverage Company. The company faced local competition from the mid-1860s through the Prohibition era of the 1920s, when the remaining competition went out of business. [11] During the 1950s, the brewery began using cans in production. In 1973, Point Special brand beer was rated the top American beer in a taste test as reported by Mike Royko, a prominent columnist for the Chicago Daily News . By the 1970s the company was owned by Felix and Ken Shibilski. In 1990, the company first began selling its product outside Wisconsin, in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Minnesota. In 1992, the Shibilskis sold the company to Chicago-based Barton Beers Ltd. The new ownership was unique for Barton in that Point beer was its only domestic product line, with all of its other offerings being imports. The company planned to tie sales to its Mexican brand, Corona, but when that brand's sales exploded, the Point brand became a distraction. In 2002, the company was sold back to Wisconsin ownership by Milwaukee-based real estate developers Joe Martino and Jim Wiechmann. [2] That same year, the company introduced gourmet sodas to its beverage list. [12] In 2003, Point Special won the gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in the premium lager category. [12] In 2005, the company bought four beer brands from the James Page Brewing Company . [13] By 2008, the company's products were distributed to 18 different states. [12] For nearly 20 years, the company brewed and bottled Karl Strauss Brewing Company brands until production was moved in January, 2009. [14] The company expanded its annual brewery capacity to 100,000 barrels in 2011, [15] and to 150,000 barrels in 2013. [16]

Brands

[17]

Alcoholic beverages

Baraboo Brewing Company brand beers, produced for Hy-Vee supermarkets. [18]
Former production

Gourmet sodas

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale ale</span> Type of ale

Pale ale is a golden to amber coloured beer style brewed with pale malt. The term first appeared in England around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with high-carbon coke, which resulted in a lighter colour than other beers popular at that time. Different brewing practices and hop quantities have resulted in a range of tastes and strengths within the pale ale family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale lager</span> Light-colored low-temperature beer

Pale lager is a pale-to-golden lager beer with a well-attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creemore Springs</span>

Creemore Springs is a brewery in Creemore, Ontario, Canada, which first opened in 1987. It was founded by John Wiggins, and its flagship brew was a premium amber lager brewed with specialty malts, fire brewed in a copper kettle. In 2005, it was acquired by Molson, a subsidiary of the seventh largest brewery corporation in the world, Molson Coors Brewing Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprecher Brewery</span> Craft brewery in Wisconsin, U.S.

Sprecher Brewery is a brewery in Glendale, Wisconsin, U.S. It was founded in 1985 in Milwaukee by Randal Sprecher, and is Milwaukee's first craft brewery since Prohibition. Sprecher produces an assortment of beers, flavored malt beverages, and craft sodas, and it is famous for its root beer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigerian Breweries</span> Brewery company in Nigeria

Nigerian Breweries Plc, is the largest brewing company in Nigeria. It serves the Nigerian market and West Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cascade Brewery</span> Oldest operating brewery in Australia

Cascade Brewery is a brewery established in 1824 in South Hobart, Tasmania, and is the oldest continually operating brewery in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Full Sail Brewing Company</span> Craft brewery in Oregon, US

Full Sail Brewing Company is a craft brewery in Hood River, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1987, Full Sail was the first commercially successful craft brewery to bottle beer in the Pacific Northwest for retail sale, and one of Oregon's early microbreweries. The first beer packaged was Full Sail Golden Ale, followed in 1988 by Full Sail Imperial Porter, Full Sail Amber Ale, and Wassail Winter Ale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spoetzl Brewery</span> Craft brewery located in Shiner, Texas

Spoetzl Brewery is a brewery located in Shiner, Texas, United States. It produces a diverse line of Shiner beers, including their flagship Shiner Bock, a dark lager that is now distributed throughout the US. The brewery is owned by the Gambrinus Company, a family-owned company based in San Antonio, which also owns Trumer Brewery in Berkeley, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in the United States</span>

In the United States, beer is manufactured in breweries which range in size from industry giants to brew pubs and microbreweries. The United States produced 196 million barrels (23.0 GL) of beer in 2012, and consumes roughly 28 US gallons (110 L) of beer per capita annually. In 2011, the United States was ranked fifteenth in the world in per capita consumption, while total consumption was second only to China.

Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company, founded in 2007 in Dover, Delaware, is a brewery that produces a variety of craft beers and craft sodas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in New Zealand</span>

Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in New Zealand, accounting for 63% of available alcohol for sale. At around 64.7 litres per person per annum, New Zealand is ranked 27th in global beer consumption per capita. The vast majority of beer produced in New Zealand is a type of lager, either pale or amber in colour, and typically 4–5% alcohol by volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercury Brewing Company</span>

Mercury Brewing Company is a brewery founded in 1999 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA. when Ipswich Brewing Co was renamed. In subsequent years the brand would return to its roots operating under the Ipswich Ale Brewery name. They also operate an onsite restaurant the Ipswich Ale Brewer’s Table.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriental Brewery</span> South Korean brewery

Oriental Brewery or OB is a South Korean brewery currently owned by AB InBev, and initially founded by Doosan Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McMullen's Brewery</span> Brewery in Hertfordshire, England

McMullen's, known locally as Mac's, is a regional brewery founded in 1827 in Hertford, England, the United Kingdom. The brewery expanded during the second half of the 19th century by purchasing other breweries and their associated pubs. In 1902 it was the second largest brewery in Hertfordshire. The brewery has occupied several different sites in Hertford and moved to its current location in 1891. There have been several breweries on this site and the current one opened in 2006. As of 2021, members of the 6th generation of the McMullen family are still involved with the business.

Heineken N.V. is a Dutch brewer which owns a worldwide portfolio of over 170 beer brands, mainly pale lager, though some other beer styles are produced. The two largest brands are Heineken and Tecate; though the portfolio includes Amstel, Fosters, Sagres, Cruzcampo, Skopsko, Affligem, Żywiec, Starobrno, Zagorka, Zlatý Bažant, Laško and Birra Moretti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in the Caribbean</span>

The beers of the Caribbean are unique to each island in the region, although many are variants of the same style. Each island generally brews its own unique pale lager, the occasional stout, and often a non-alcoholic malta beverage. Contract-brewing of international beers is also common, with Heineken Pilsener and Guinness Foreign Extra Stout being the most popular. The beers vary between the islands to suit the taste and the brewing method used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galway Hooker (brewery)</span> Irish brewery

The Galway Hooker Brewery is based in Oranmore, County Galway, Ireland. The brewery was founded in 2006 by two cousins, Aidan Murphy and Ronan Brennan, and the name of the brewery and its first beer were decided by an online competition to choose a name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell's Brewery</span> Brewing company in Comstock, Michigan, US

Bell's Brewery, Inc. is an American craft brewing company, with operations in Comstock and Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bell's brews acclaimed beers such as Hopslam Ale, Oberon Ale, and Two Hearted Ale. It operates a brewpub and a store selling merchandise and homebrewing supplies at its Kalamazoo location. Begun as a homebrewing store in 1983, and producing beer since 1985, it is the oldest existing craft brewery in Michigan and the oldest craft brewery east of Colorado. As of 2021, it was the 6th largest craft brewery in the United States, and was the largest independently owned brewery in Michigan when founder Larry Bell sold the company to the subsidiary of the Japanese Kirin beverage group, Lion - an Australian producer of alcoholic beverages, at the end of 2021. The company also owns Upper Hand Brewery, a separately operated division in Escanaba, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian International Beer Awards</span> Annual brewing competition

Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA) is an annual brewing competition that commenced in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in San Diego County, California</span> Beer in San Diego, California

San Diego County, California, has been called "the Craft Beer Capital of America". As of 2018, the county was home to 155 licensed craft breweries – the most of any county in the United States. Based on 2016 sales volume, three San Diego County breweries – Stone, Green Flash, and Karl Strauss – rank among the 50 largest craft brewers in the United States. San Diego County brewers pioneered the specialty beer style known as Double India Pale Ale, sometimes called San Diego Pale Ale. Its beer culture is a draw for tourism, particularly during major festivals such as San Diego Beer Week and the San Diego International Beer Competition. San Diego County breweries including Stone Brewing Co., AleSmith Brewing Company and Ballast Point Brewing Company are consistently rated among the top breweries in the world.

References

  1. ↑ "These Are the 11 Oldest Operating Breweries in the US". Thrillist.com. August 17, 2014. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  2. 1 2 "Point Beverage sale part of brand strategy". BizTimes.com. March 15, 2002. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
  3. ↑ "Brewers Association announces the top 50 breweries". Draft Magazine. April 14, 2010. Archived from the original on June 23, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  4. ↑ "Brewers Association Lists Top 50 Breweries of 2015". Brewers Association. April 5, 2016. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
  5. ↑ STEVENS POINT BREWERY CRAFT BEERS WIN GOLD, SILVER
  6. ↑ POINT 2012 BLACK ALE IS GOLDEN IN EUROPE
  7. ↑ Point Brews Win Big At The World Beer Championships
  8. ↑ CHAMPIONS OF BEER AND HARD CIDER, TOO!
  9. ↑ POINT BREWERY ON A WINNING STREAK
  10. ↑ Stevens Point Brewery Shines at Los Angeles International Beer Competition
  11. ↑ "Stevens Point Brewers of the Past". Malcolm Rosholt Online Archives. Archived from the original on 2020-08-29. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  12. 1 2 3 "History". PointBeer.com. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  13. ↑ "Stevens Point buys James Page brands". Modern Brewery Age. March 21, 2005. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  14. 1 2 "For Karl Strauss, it's all home brew". SignOn San Diego. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  15. ↑ Stevens Point Brewery Expands To Meet Demand
  16. ↑ GROWTH IS BECOMING A HABIT FOR POINT BREWERY
  17. ↑ "Brews". Stevens Point Brewery. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
  18. ↑ Nason, Adam (12 July 2012). "Hy-Vee gets its own private label brand: Baraboo Brewing Co". Beerpulse. Retrieved 24 October 2014.

44°30′38″N89°34′33″W / 44.51056°N 89.57583°W / 44.51056; -89.57583

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.