Cold Spring Brewing in Minnesota announced yesterday that they will no longer brew the historic Gluek brand. Gluek began brewing in 1857, before Minnesota was even a state.
In 1857 on the bank of the Mississippi River in an area which would someday be known as Minneapolis, German immigrant Gottlieb Gluek started the Mississippi Brewing Company. Soon the name was changed to the Gluek Brewing Company, and by 1964 Gluek became Minneapolis’s oldest continuously-operated business.
In 1858 the company brewed 3,996 barrels of beer, and by 1901 the annual capacity was second only to the two “giants” the Minneapolis Brewing Company (later renamed as the Grain Belt) and the Theo. Hamm Brewery of St. Paul.
But after 1964 it fell on hard times and, like many regional breweries, was bought by G. Heileman. The original brewery was torn down but a new one was later built back in Cold Spring, Minnesota in 1997. A couple of years ago, however, they renamed Gluek Brewing to Cold Spring Brewing as fewer and fewer consumers knew or cared about Gluek’s history in the region.
As an AP story reports:
By September, Gluek will be phased out. But vice president and general manager Doug DeGeest says Cold Spring Brewing is keeping the Gluek trademark, and it’s possible the beer could come back.
DeGeest says it was a business decision to discontinue the Gluek brand. He says the Cold Spring-based company cannot keep up with production and needed to decide which product in its portfolio of beers to discontinue.
When I was the beer buyer at BevMo, we brought in some of the Gluek beer in cans and they also sold us a beer exclusively (for California, at least) which we sold as a private label beer. That was Fat Cat Lager, which was a decent enough all-malt generic lager. I believe Randy Mosher did the label design.
Regardless of Gluek’s ultimate place in American brewing history, it’s always sad to see another old brand consigned to the scrap heap of discontinued brands, but then I’m sentimental that way.
What? So Gluek’s in downtown Mpls won’t serve that beer anymore or the brewer won’t make it for cans and other distribution? This is sad!
A Southern California beer wholesaler once owned the brand. Poured a ton of money into a few years ago. Ran product in aluminum bottles, created some very cool packaging and gave the brand as good a shot as any to survive.
In checking out the Gluek site a few months ago, I notice link to the owner’s corporate site was gone — and that the packaging and several the SKUs had disappeared. Thought the beer would continue to soldier on — so it’s sad to see it go.
Fat Cat Lager is now made by Minhas Craft Brewing in Wisconsin. Still a decent generic dark lager. And the label is one of the best in beer. At $8/twelve pack how can you go wrong?
So what is the plan with Stite?? This was the product that had aluminum bottles…way cool…I am sad to see the gluek go 🙁
wow, gluek is the worst beer I have ever tasted. got a 12 pack in cans outside of chicago 4 years ago and couldnt finish half of it. i am no beer snob, love hamms, dab, guiness and many more. but the gluek i had was rotten to the core. maybe a bad batch? or do others share this experience.
Gonna put the last case of light in the fridge tonight.
Gonna miss it. Inexpensive and good taste.
I grew up in Iowa. My parents went fishing in Minnesota every year, and later (late 60’s, early 70’s) took us canoeing in the BWCA. They almost always stopped for a 12 of Stite once we got far enough into Minnesota. One year they dropped the 12 into the lake to chill, tied to a small float. The beer drifted and pulled the float underwater, out of sight. Catastrophe! So my brother and I (about 12 & 10) were pressed into service to jump into the water while my dad towed us back & forth. Eventually my brother’s foot hit the float, and it was a happy ending. Thus was born the sport of “trolling for Stite”!! 🙂
one of the best beers my friend and i enjoyed. when we were young in milwaukee back in the 60’s