Milwaukee, Wisconsin was a major center of the American beer industry due to skilled German brewers and farmers emigrating to the area, excellent grain-growing land, and a ready shipping lane. At its height, four of the largest brewing companies were based in Milwaukee, but today only one remains. The Miller Brewery still employs many local workers and offers guided tours. The city’s heritage in brewing is celebrated through events such as the Milwaukee Brewfest and the naming of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin is sometimes called “Beer City,” due to its history as a major center of the American beer industry. Beginning in the mid-19th century, large numbers of skilled German brewers and farmers emigrated to this area which proved to be excellent grain-growing land. Along with hops and barley, this crop provides a key ingredient for beer production. Milwaukee’s position as a port city also provided a ready shipping lane for transporting bushel of harvested grain and brewed beer to the rest of the country. The number of local breweries has grown rapidly in just a few decades; one historian estimated that in 1990, there was one brewpub for every 1850 residents within Beer City.
A few different factors contributed to Milwaukee’s success in the brewing industry during the mid-1800s. The city’s cold climate and proximity to Lake Michigan provided a ready supply of ice blocks that kept beer ingredients fresh in the days before mechanical refrigeration became common. Since Milwaukee’s early local population was relatively small compared to other American cities, business-savvy brewmasters focused on building national markets from the start. Brewers also found a large and ready market for their beers in nearby Chicago, where cases of beers could be shipped frequently and cheaply.
At the height of Milwaukee’s brewery heyday, four of the largest brewing companies were based in this city: Miller, Pabst, Schlitz, and Blatz. The production and profits of these breweries helped shift Milwaukee’s reputation from simply being the city of beer to the beer capital of the world. Brewing today makes up a smaller segment of the city’s economy, as only one of these four breweries remains in Milwaukee. The Miller Brewery still employs a substantial number of local workers, and guided tours of this historic facility are popular with Beer City visitors.
Because of the heritage of the brewing industry, Milwaukee natives can take great pride in this product which first allowed their city to grow and prosper economically. The Milwaukee Brewers baseball team was named as a tribute to the history of the City of Beer. The annual Milwaukee Brewfest is one of the city’s most popular events, bringing together hundreds of specialty brewers from around the world. The Brewfest offers visitors many beer and food tastings as well as live entertainment and art exhibits.
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