Storz Brewing Company

Last updated
Storz Brewing Company
Company typePrivate
IndustryBeverages
Founded1876-1972, 2013-2015
Headquarters Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Key people
 Gottlieb Storz (founder), Adolph Storz, Robert Storz
ProductsBeers, lagers, malt beverages
Website storzbrewing.com

The Storz Brewing Company was located at 1807 North 16th Street in North Omaha, Nebraska. Established from a company started in 1863, Storz Brewing began in 1876 by Gottlieb Storz and was owned by the Storz family until 1966; the brewery ceased operations in 1972. Their beers won several prizes in international competitions, and Storz was the top selling brand in Nebraska starting in World War II. Storz was one of the "Big 4" brewers located in Omaha, which also included the Krug, Willow Springs and Metz breweries. [1] On August 8, 2013, it was announced the brand would be revived by Tom Markel, nephew of Monnie Storz Markel, the granddaughter of Gottlieb Storz, with his cousin John Markel, son of Monnie Storz Markel as investor.

Contents

History

Richard Siemon founded an ale brewery called Saratoga Brewery in the town of Saratoga, Nebraska in the early 1860s. It was located at the present-day junction of North 16th Street and Commercial Avenue. By 1863 the company was sold to Ebenezer Dallow, [2] who in turn sold it to Joseph Baumann in 1865. Baumann renamed it the Columbia Brewery. [3] In 1876 Baumann hired a young German immigrant named Gottlieb Storz to become his foreman. Baumann died that year and his widow, Wilhelmina, ran the brewery, naming Storz foreman. In 1884 Storz and a partner named J.D. Iler purchased the brewery. They immediately improved the buildings and machinery, and increased production. In 1891 Storz founded a company called the Omaha Brewing Association to make beer and named himself as president. [4]

According to the Omaha World-Herald , "The Storz brewery pumped out 43 million gallons of beer a year and produced one-third of all the beer sold in Nebraska in 1960. Arthur C. Storz Sr. sold the company in 1966. It went out of business in 1972." [5]

Building

The original Storz Brewery building was located at 1807 North 16th Street on the corner of 16th and Clark Streets. Built for $500,000 in 1893, it was a six-story building constructed from brick, stone and cement that was over 200 feet long. It had red tiled floors and walls with burnished stainless steel and copper fixtures. Storz installed new equipment throughout the building, as well as an ice plant, cold storage, a bottling shop, machine shop and a restaurant. [6] Eventually, the entire facility occupied more than 15 buildings. The original Storz Brewery included a hospitality room patterned after a brew house called "The Frontier Room" and a hunting lodge-style banquet room adorned with the stuffed heads of big game called "The Trophy Room."

Operations

Storz and later, his son Adolph, were precise and efficient brew masters and managers. The new plant was capable of producing 150,000 barrels annually. Storz himself consistently hired new brewers from Germany, where he himself had learned how to brew beer.

Storz faced ongoing political and social pressures against alcohol consumption by religious and moral organizations across Nebraska, and throughout the Midwest. Storz fought statewide legislation calling for the prohibition of alcohol by working closely with the Omaha Brewing Association, the National German-American Alliance and several other organizations. After a number of legislative battles in the 1890s, in 1916 Nebraska voters approved a statewide prohibition amendment. When the law went into effect in 1917, no more alcoholic beverages were allowed to be sold in Nebraska. Nebraska became the 36th state to ratify the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution on January 16, 1919.

The Storz Brewery started to suffer in 1920, forcing the company to lay off much of its work force. By manufacturing near beer, ginger ale, soft drinks and ice, Storz continued operations. Despite the failure other breweries had with near beer in the 1920s, Storz found success. Early in the 1920s Fred Astaire was a salesman for Storz in Omaha.

Storz went back to business making beer in 1934, and was making up to 150,000 barrels a year by 1935. After avoiding an industry-wide strike that year, Storz's business took off. Gottlieb Storz died in 1939 of a heart attack and his son Adolph became brewery president. Just before World War II Storz became Nebraska's highest seller. [7]

Labels

The main brands of Storz Brewing Company were Storz Beer, Storz Gold Label, Storz Premium, Storz All Grain and Storz Tap Beer, and were sold in bottles, cans and draft. Starting in the 1940s the company's brewing slogan was "light, dry and smooth. [8] In the first part of the 20th century the brewer manufactured Storz Blue Ribbon. In the 1950s the company manufactured "Storz-ette" beer, which came in an 8-ounce can that had an orchid on the label and a tagline that read "calorie controlled"; they were sold as four-can packages called "Princess Packs."

Awards

The Storz Brewery won medals in international competition at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha in 1898, at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland in 1905, and in Paris in 1912. [9]

Closure

Robert Storz was president of the company in the 1950s and 60s. [10] During that period all small- and medium-sized breweries in the U.S. were under pressure as the big national breweries were trying to expand their market share. After facing antitrust concerns from the federal government for their interest in selling the label to a national brewer, the Storz family sold the brewery and brand name rights to a small investment firm in Storm Lake, Iowa in 1966. [11] Soon after the rights were sold again to the Grain Belt Breweries of Minneapolis, who in 1972 closed the brewery permanently. [12]

Reopening

The Storz Brewing Company reopened on August 8, 2013, in Omaha by Thomas Markel and his cousin John Markel. Storz has 5 major beers dating back to the founding of the brewery with Storz Triumph as its flagship lager, Storz Gold Crest Amber Ale, Storz Wood Duck Wheat, Storz Mugs Pale Ale (named after Mugs a Chesapeake Spaniel born Aug 28, 1936) and Storz Dancing Monks Dopplebock. Seasonal beers include famous historic Storz beer names: Winterbre Porter and Old Saxon Stout. Failure for the brewery to pay its rent and property taxes forced the permanent closure in 2015.

Ownership history

Legal owners [13]
NameLocationEra
Ebenezer Dallow (Saratoga Brewery) Omaha 1863–1865
Joseph Baumann (Columbia Brewery)Omaha1865–1876
Mrs. W. Baumann (Columbia)Omaha1876–1884
Storz & Iler (Columbia)Omaha1884–1891
Omaha Brewing AssociationOmaha1891–1901
Storz Brewing CompanyOmaha1901–1917
Storz Beverage & Ice CompanyOmaha1917–1933
Storz Brewing CompanyOmaha1933–1967
Grain Belt Breweries, Inc.Omaha1967–1972
Storz Brewing CompanyOmaha2013 - 2015

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craft beer</span> Brewery that produces small amounts of beer

Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer, than larger "macro" breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, new flavours, and varied brewing techniques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stevens Point Brewery</span> Regional brewery in Stevens Point, Wisconsin

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bass Brewery</span> British Brewery founded 1777

Bass Brewery was founded in 1777 by William Bass in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The main brand was Bass Pale Ale, once the highest-selling beer in the UK. By 1877, Bass had become the largest brewery in the world, with an annual output of one million barrels. Its pale ale was exported throughout the British Empire, and the company's red triangle became the UK's first registered trade mark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grain Belt (beer)</span> Minnesota-based lager beer

Grain Belt is a brand of beer brewed in the American state of Minnesota, by the August Schell Brewing Company. The beer has been produced in a number of varieties. Grain Belt Golden was the original style introduced in 1893. The current offerings are: Grain Belt Premium, first introduced in 1947; Grain Belt Premium Light; Grain Belt Nordeast, introduced on April 7, 2010; and the newest offering, Grain Belt Lock & Dam, introduced in 2016. It was originally produced by the Minneapolis Brewing Company which formed with the merger of four smaller brewers in 1891. Soon after introduction, Grain Belt became the company's flagship product. It was brewed at the original Grain Belt brewery in Minneapolis, Minnesota until 1976. A series of other owners followed, and Schell took over the product line in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesee Brewing Company</span> Brewery in Rochester, New York, U.S.

Genesee Brewing Company is an American brewery located along the Genesee River in Rochester, New York. From 2000 to 2009, the company was known as the High Falls Brewing Company. In 2009, High Falls was acquired by the capital investment firm KPS Capital. Together with newly acquired Labatt USA, KPS merged the two companies as North American Breweries. Along with this change, High Falls Brewery changed its name back to the original "Genesee Brewing Company" operating under the North American Breweries name. In October 2012, North American Breweries was purchased by FIFCO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Brewing Co.</span> Brewery headquartered in Escondido, California, USA

Stone Brewing is a brewery headquartered in Escondido, California, USA. Founded in 1996 in San Marcos, California, it is the largest brewery in Southern California. Based on 2020 sales volume it is the ninth largest craft brewery in the United States.

The Matilda Bay Brewing Company was a West Australian brewery. It was the first new brewery opened in Australia since World War II and Australia's first craft brewery. Originating from small batches brewed for the Sail and Anchor Hotel in 1984, their main brewery opened in 1989 in a prominent building on the Stirling Highway occupied by Ford Motor Company. The company was purchased by Carlton & United Breweries in the early 1990s.

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

Beer in the United Kingdom has a long history, and has quite distinct traditions. Historically the main styles were top-fermented Bitters, Porters, Stouts and Milds, but after World War II lagers took over half the market by volume. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) was founded in 1971 and has encouraged the preservation and revival of traditional styles of ale. In particular CAMRA has promoted cask conditioned beer, which completes its maturation in casks in the cellar of the pub rather than at the brewery. As of 2014 the UK drank 634 million imperial pints of cask ale, representing 60% of ale in pubs and restaurants and 17% of all beer in pubs. In total 42.42 million hectolitres of beer were produced in 2013 of which 48% was sold in the off-trade.

Saratoga Springs, Nebraska Territory, or Saratoga, was a boom and bust town founded in 1856 that thrived for several years. During its short period of influence the town grew quickly, outpacing other local settlements in the area including Omaha and Florence, and briefly considered as a candidate for the Nebraska Territorial capitol. Saratoga was annexed into Omaha in 1887, and has been regarded a neighborhood in North Omaha since then.

The Metz Brothers Brewing Company was among the first brewers in the U.S. state of Nebraska, having been established in the city of Omaha in 1859. It was among the earliest manufacturers in the city. After originally opening as the McCumbe Brewery, the facility was sold several times until brothers Frederick and Philip Metz purchased it in 1861. Metz was one of the "Big 4" brewers located in Omaha, which also included the Krug, Willow Springs and Storz breweries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gottlieb Storz</span>

Gottlieb Storz (1852–1939) was a pioneer entrepreneur in Omaha, Nebraska. Born in Benningen, Wurttemberg, Storz was the founder of the Storz Brewery. He was an important member of Omaha's German immigrant community, and an important businessman in Omaha history. Storz was regarded as a "giant in the brewing world".

Willow Springs Distilling Company was a brewery located in South Omaha, Nebraska. Part of a national conglomerate, Willow Springs was Nebraska's first distillery, and grew to become the nation’s third largest distillery before the Great Depression. Willow Springs was one of the "Big 4" brewers located in Omaha, which also included the Krug, Storz and Metz breweries.

The Fred Krug Brewery was located at 2435 Deer Park Boulevard in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1859, Krug Brewery was the first brewery in the city. Krug was one of the "Big 4" brewers located in Omaha, which also included the Storz, Willow Springs and Metz breweries. Later sold to Falstaff in 1936, the facility closed in 1987.

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

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">Falstaff Brewing Corporation</span> American brewery

The Falstaff Brewing Corporation was an American brewery located in St. Louis, Missouri. With roots in the 1838 Lemp Brewery of St. Louis, the company was renamed after the Shakespearean character Sir John Falstaff in 1903. Production peaked in 1965 with 7,010,218 barrels brewed and then dropped 70 percent in the next 10 years. While its smaller labels linger on today, its main label Falstaff Beer went out of production in 2005. The rights to the brand are owned by Pabst Brewing Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gottlieb Storz House</span> Historic house in Nebraska, United States

The Gottlieb Storz House is located in the Blackstone neighborhood of Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1905 by Omaha beer magnate Gottlieb Storz, the mansion was designated an Omaha Landmark on December 21, 1982, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on August 7, 1974. It was included in the Gold Coast Historic District when the district was listed in the NRHP on March 14, 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shmaltz Brewing Company</span> Brewery in New York, US

Shmaltz Brewing Company is an American craft brewing company headquartered in Troy, New York. Originally primarily known for its He'Brew flagship brand, the company produces a large line of Shmaltz Brewing beers and numerous other brands including 518/838 craft beers and the Alphabet City Brewing brand. It also produced Coney Island Craft Lagers until that brand's acquisition by Boston Beer Company in 2013.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company</span> Brewing company in St. Paul, Minnesota

The Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company is a former brewing company that was located at 882 W. Seventh Street in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1855, the brewery was originally known as the Christopher Stahlmann Cave Brewery.

References

  1. ↑ Larsen, L.C. and Cotrell, B.J. (1997) The Gate City: A History of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press. p 144.
  2. ↑ "History of Omaha," Andreas' History of Nebraska - Douglas County. Retrieved 9/8/07.
  3. ↑ (1888) "City of Omaha." Andreas' History of Nebraska. Retrieved 9/3/07.
  4. ↑ "Breweries." [usurped] Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 9/7/07.
  5. ↑ Burbach, C. (2009) "Arthur C. Storz Jr. dead at 89", Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 11/14/10.
  6. ↑ "Storz Brewery" Archived 2007-07-08 at the Wayback Machine . Omaha Public Library. Retrieved 9/7/07.
  7. ↑ "Storz: Can of the month." Retrieved 9/7/07.
  8. ↑ Barnhart, T.F. (1952) Weekly Newspaper Management. Appleton-Century-Crofts. p 190.
  9. ↑ "Storz: Can of the month." Retrieved 9/7/07.
  10. ↑ Bednarek , J.R.D. (2002) The Changing Image of the City: Planning for Downtown Omaha, 1945-1973. University of Nebraska Press. p 123.
  11. ↑ Albers, H.H. (1974) Principles of Management: A Modern Approach. Wiley Publishers. p 366.
  12. ↑ Gausephol, D. (2001) "Your Dad’s Beer: Sipping a Generation," Beer Magazine. 22(3). Retrieved 9/7/07.
  13. ↑ "Trays by Brewery". Retrieved 9/8/07.
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.