Brewing in the Badger State

The tradition of beer in Wisconsin has been brewing for nearly two centuries.

In 1845, the Monroe Brewing Company was born with little save for a brew kettle that churned out a few hundred barrels each winter. By 1905, the shingle hanging outside Monroe’s bustling downtown brewery – that would successfully survive prohibition – read Blumer Brewing Company. 

For the ensuing century, beer brewing kept pace with the influx of German immigrants whose deep knowledge and insatiable thirst spurred a burgeoning industry.

Today, Minhas Craft Brewery (dubbed so in 2006) remains the oldest in the state – and second-oldest in the nation. Prost! 

– Hannah Van Sickle, The 100 Companies