Nebraska Archives - Brookston Beer Bulletin

Historic Beer Birthday: Gottlieb Storz

January 21, 2022 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Gottlieb Storz (January 21, 1852-October 23, 1939). He was born in Benningen, Wurttemberg, Germany. After moving to the U.S., he eventually settled in Omaha, Nebraska when he ws 24, around 1876. He bought an existing brewery there and had partners over a few years, eventually starting his own Storz Brewing Co. which continued in Omaha until 1967 when it was bought by Grain Belt Brewing, who closed it in 1972. In 2013, the brand was revived by descendants of Storz and is still a going concern, offering four beers under the Storz Beer name. I suspect they’re a contract brewery as the company website talks a lot about the beer and the history, but doesn’t mention a brewery or brewmaster.

This biography of Storz is from his Wikipedia page:

After immigrating to the United States in 1870 from Germany, in 1876 Storz moved to Omaha and became the foreman of a brewery founded in 1863. Storz learned brewing in Wurttemberg and had several years experience in New York and at the William Lemp Brewing Company in St. Louis. After arriving in Omaha, Storz worked at Joseph Baumann’s brewery. In 1876, Bauman died. Storz was renamed the foreman under Baumann’s widow, then rented the brewery from her to run it himself.

In 1891 Storz founded the Omaha Brewing Association, with himself as president. After purchasing the company, in 1892 Storz built a state-of-the-art facility at 1819 North 16th Street in North Omaha, located at the intersection of Sherman Avenue (North 16th Street) and Clark Street.

Storz also owned many saloons, also called “tied houses”, and ran one next to his plant. In response to pressure from the Prohibition Movement, in 1907 the Nebraska Legislature passed the Gibson Law which made it illegal for breweries to own saloons. In response, Storz transferred his saloons to the Independent Realty Company. While this appeared to meet the letter of the law, in 1914 the Nebraska Supreme Court revoked an Independent Realty Company saloon’s liquor license, finding that the grounds were still controlled by Storz Brewery. Additionally, they also found that the company’s president was Storz’s wife, Minnie; the vice-president was Maggie Buck, who was also the Storz brewer and Minnie’s cousin, and; the secretary/treasurer had also previously worked for the brewery.

The brewery won medals in international competitions at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha in 1898, at the Lewis & Clark Exposition in Portland, Oregon in 1905, and in Paris in 1912.

In 1905 Gottlieb had a mansion built at 3708 Farnam Street that today is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Statewide prohibition went into effect in Nebraska in 1916, with the law taking effect in 1917. On January 16, 1919, Nebraska became the required 36th state to ratify the Eighteenth Amendment. Nationwide Prohibition began exactly one year later. When Nebraskans voted to repeal the state’s constitutional prohibition in 1934, Storz was again in business and quickly was making up to 150,000 barrels a year.

Gottlieb Storz died in 1939. The brewery made beer until 1972.

This account of the brewery is from “100 Years of Brewing,” published in 1903:

This history of the brewery is from the newly reopened brewery:

The Storz Brewing legend started in the early 1860s, as the Saratoga Brewery in Saratoga, Nebraska. It was sold in 1863, then again in 1865, becoming the Columbia Brewery.

In 1876, a young German immigrant named Gottlieb Storz moved to Omaha. In 1884, he bought the Columbia Brewery from the previous owner’s widow to run it himself. Seven years later, after moving Storz Brewing Company to Omaha, Gottlieb founded and served as president of the Omaha Brewing Association.

Success followed for Storz Brewing Company, winning medals in 1898 and 1905 at international competitions in Omaha and Portland, respectively. In 1905, with business booming, Gottlieb commissioned a mansion to be built in Omaha. Today, the Storz Mansion is on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Story Brewery workers in 1897.

On January 16, 1919, Nebraska became the 36th state to ratify the Eighteenth Amendment, which brought Prohibition to the United States. Storz Brewing Company began producing near beer, ginger ale, soft drinks and ice to help save as many jobs as possible.

After a long wait, Prohibition ended in Nebraska in 1934. Once again, Storz began brewing and was making up to 150,000 barrels of beer a year.

In 1939, Gottlieb Storz suffered a fatal heart attack. The brewery’s founder had passed and the reins of the company went to his son, Adolph Storz, who became president.

With the coming of World War II, the brewery business took off and Storz became Nebraska’s biggest seller.

The family finally sold the brewery and brand name rights to Grain Belt Brewery from Minnesota in 1966. The brewery continued to operate in Omaha until it was closed in 1972.

Here’s a second obituary from Find-a-Grave, although it’s a little hard to read:

This is Gottlieb Storz in 1933, tapping the first keg after the repeal of Prohibition.

Cabinet-Lager-Beer-Labels-Storz-Brewing-Company--Pre-Prohibition

Storz-Pilsener-Club-Beer-Labels-Storz-Brewing-Company

Beer In Ads #3952: Good Cheer From The Land Of Sky Blue Waters

December 27, 2021 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Monday’s ad is for “Hamm’s,” from 1967. This ad was made for Hamm’s Brewing, which was founded in 1865 by Theodore Hamm in St. Paul, Minnesota. At its peak, it was the 5th largest brewery in America, and operated facilities in five cities, including San Francisco, L.A., Baltimore and Houston, in addition to the original brewery in Minnesota. This one is a newspaper ad showing the Hamm’s Bear wearing a scarf and hat trudging through the snow carrying a case of Hamm’s Beer, with the tagline “Good Cheer from the land of sky blue waters.” The ad appears to be for Moslander Distributing Co. who were located in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Historic Beer Birthday: Frederick Krug

December 22, 2021 By Jay Brooks 2 Comments

Today is the birthday of Frederick “Fred” Krug (December 22, 1833-November 18, 1919). He “was the German-immigrant founder of the Frederick Krug Brewing Company of Omaha, Nebraska. Krug is often cited as one of the early settlers of Omaha. In addition to operating the brewery for almost the entire duration of his life, Krug operated Krug Park in the Benson community and was the president of the Home Fire Insurance Company, which was founded in Omaha in 1884.”

Here’s a short biography of Krug from Find-a-Grave:

Born in Germany. Married Anna. Came to Omaha in 1859 and became the pioneer brewer of Omaha with a brewery on Farnham between 10th and 11th Streets. Partnered with Rudolph Selzer to form Krug & Selzer, and by 1860 became sole proprietor. In 1867 he moved it to 11th and Jackson and in the 1890’s he built a new brewery at 24th and Vinton Streets. Was on the Board of Directors of the German Savings Bank. Krug Park at 52nd and Maple Street and the Krug Theater were both named in his honor. Lived at 813 S. 20th Street and was a member of St. John’s german Evangelical Church.

And here’s his biography from Wikipedia:

Fred Krug was born in Niederzwehren near Kassel in Germany on December 22, 1833. He lived in Niederzwehren until 19 years of age where he was trained as a brewer. He then emigrated to the U.S. in 1852, settling in St. Louis, Missouri. In St. Louis, he met his wife Anna and had a son, William. In 1858, he moved to Council Bluffs where he worked in a small brewery. Later the same year, he moved to Omaha with his wife and son. He established his first small brewery on Farnam Street. Later, his business moved to Jackson Street between 10th and 11th streets. On October 17, 1893, he and his family celebrated the grand opening of the new Fred Krug Brewery. At the time this new brewery was one of the largest and most modern of its kind. Its capacity was reported to be 150,000 barrels per year and they employed approximately 500 men.

Krug led his company in Omaha for almost 50 years, and was responsible for founding Omaha’s Krug Park in 1904. The city of Omaha named a street after him. Frederick’s sons, including William, Frederick H., Jacob and Albert all worked at the brewery in a variety of capacities. Krug, a German immigrant, served on the State of Nebraska’s Board of Immigration.

This is a commemorative plate created for the brewery’s 50th anniversary.

And this is the back of the plate.

Below is a more thorough biography from the “Illustrated History of Nebraska, Volume 1,” by Julius Sterling Morton, published in 1911:

“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.

The brewery in 1920.

And in its heyday.

This is a short history of the brewery.

In 1859 Frederick Krug established the Krug Brewery with an original output of one and a half barrels a day. In 1878 the brewery was located on Farnam between 10th & 11th Streets in Downtown Omaha, and by 1880 it was brewing approximately 25,000 barrels a year. In 1894 the brewery moved to 29th & Vinton Street near South Omaha. It cost $750,000 and was reportedly one of the best equipped breweries in the country. Omaha’s historic Anheuser-Busch Beer Depot is the only remaining building from the original Krug Brewery.

You wouldn’t believe there was such difference in beers until you use one Krug’s popular brands. They are uniform perfectly brewed and well-aged absolutely pure and leave no bad after effects. The kind of beer that acts as a tonic and a system builder. Order a trial case and begin to enjoy. – Text from a 1910 advertisement by Fred Krug Brewing Company.

Krug brewed beer under several labels: Fred Krug, Cabinet, and Luxus. Krug supported an amateur baseball team called Luxus, taking them as far as the Amateur Baseball World Championship in 1915.

Krug-Luxus-Beer--Labels-Fred-Krug-Brewing-Company

Historic Beer Birthday: Balthas Jetter

December 17, 2021 By Jay Brooks 1 Comment

Today is the birthday of Balthas Jetter (December 17, 1851-May 9, 1915). He was born in Engstlatt, Zollernalbkreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, but moved with his family to Omaha, Nebraska when he was nine, in 1860. In 1887, he and a partner founded the Jetter & Young Brewery in South Omaha. In 1890, Jetter bought out Young, the brewery was renamed B. Jetter, although it also traded under the name South Omaha Brewing Co. In 1902, it became the Jetter Brewing Co., which it remained until prohibition. It reopened in 1933 and remained in business util 1994, when it closed for good.

Here’s Jetter’s obituary from the Omaha Daily Bee, published May 11, 1915:

Balthas Jetter, founder of the Jetter Brewing company of South Omaha, died Sunday at 11:20 o’clock from a paralytic stroke sustained Saturday morning.

Mr. Jetter was 64 years of age. He was in his usual good health up to Saturday, when he sustained a stroke. He was found Saturday forenoon in a semi-conscious condition in the brew house by William Hoffman, son of an employee. Physicians were summoned and the stricken man was removed to his home on South Thirtieth street, but he never regained consciousness.

Mr. Jetter is survived by his wife, one son, Henry, and three daughters, Misses Alma, Hulda and Edith Jetter, of this city. Martin Jetter, head of the Jetter Brewing company, is a nephew.

Balthas Jetter was born in Engsclat, Germany, December 17, 1851. He came to the United States in 1871 and was employed on the Union Pacific railroad as a bridge builder. He helped build the Union Pacific bridge at Omaha.

In 1873 he entered into the brewing business in Omaha, where he continued as an employee until 1887, when he removed to South Omaha and launched out for himself on a plat of land now covered by the Armour packing plant. He gradually increased his business until May, 1914, when he retired in favor of his nephew, Martin Jetter, present head of the Jetter Brewing Company. From the penury of a raw immigrant he gradually accumulated a large fortune.

Balthas Jetter was married in Omaha July 7, 1878. His family consists of his wife and four children. One son, Henry Jetter, is interested in the brewing company.

When Balthas Jetter determined to retire from active business a few years ago he made a tour of Germany in company with Fred Drew, vice president of the Jetter company, in order to study the manufacture of German beer. Even after his retirement as active head he continued to manifest interest in the affairs of the company.

His wealth never changed him and his friends say that he lived as simply in his old age as in the days of his early struggle. He was friendly and companionable with his family and friends, but cared nothing for society.

Here’s a short history of the Jetter Brewery from “Nebraska Beer: Great Plains History by the Pint,” by Tyler A. Thomas:

An undated photo of the Jetter brewery employees. I can’t be sure, but it looks like Balthas may be in the top row, fifth from the left.

Here’s a lengthier history of the brewery from Jetter Brewing Company website, which seems to suggest the beer may be making a comeback, and began planning last year:

South Omaha, for many years, has been famous for being the home to one of the nation’s largest stockyards. Along with the stockyards were many very large packing houses. Wilson, Hammond Bros., Swift, Armour & Cudahy were the big five. In their heyday they employed thousands of immigrants from Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Lithuania and many other Middle and Eastern European countries. Immigrants who had settled in Omaha to find their dreams in America. One such immigrant was a German by the name of Balthas Jetter. Jetter found his way to Omaha in the later part of the nineteenth century with the full intention of establishing a brewery to help quench the thirsts of those packing house workers.

In 1887 along with a partner, Mr. Young, Jetter established the Jetter and Young Brewery at 30th & “Y” streets in the heart of South Omaha. Annual capacity at the time was an impressive 10,000 barrels. By 1890 Jetter had purchased his partner’s stake in the brewery and had taken on the name South Omaha Brewing Co., B. Jetter prop. An advertisement in the 1890 Omaha city directory shows an artist’s rendition of the brewery, with the Jetter home in the foreground, the large brewing operation in the center and a small lake to the south. The lake was on land that is now known as Upland Park.

Production at the brewery continued to keep pace with the bustling community of South Omaha. The packing house industry was booming and the Jetter Brewing Company kept pace by increasing their production to 30,000 barrels annually by 1902.

In 1905 the brewery became more simply known as the Jetter Brewing Company. During those years after the turn of the century, Jetter’s flagship brand was “Gold Top”. An ad from 1902 touts Gold Top as a beer that “…always snaps and sparkles, that never leaves a bad effect, that is a good beverage and a better tonic, that is Gold Top”.

Jetter’s, as well as the other Omaha breweries, prospered during the early part of the century. Expansion and modernization of the brewery continued. The brewery was now an all brick, concrete and steel structure.

Sometime around 1909, the brewery dropped the Gold Top brand in favor of the brand name “Old Age”. The Old Age label featured three elderly gentlemen conversing while hoisting steins of Old Age beer. A loaf of bread adorns the table the three are sitting around. Those three gentlemen became well known to beer drinkers. The three adorned every bottle of Old Age and appeared on nearly all pieces of advertising used by the brewery.

The Jetter Brewery continued to produce Old Age beer all the way up to Prohibition. At the height of production, the brewery turned out in excess of 100,000 barrels annually. In 1919 when the production of real beer became illegal, the brewery was forced to halt the brewing of Old Age. Jetter’s turned to the production of soda pop and near beer. Soda pop went under the label “Sahara” and featured a scene right out of the desert. Near beer was marketed under the Old Age name as well as St. Regis brew. Production continued well into the twenties, but with prohibition dragging on the brewery was very underutilized and only maintained a skeleton crew of employees. By 1930 the brewery had ended the production of any type of beer or soda. The brewery sat idle for the first time in 43 years.

You can pick up their more recent story at the history page.

Jetters-Old-Age-Beer-Labels-Jetter-Brewing-Company

Historic Beer Birthday: William Krug

December 1, 2021 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of William Krug (December 1, 1857-June 21, 1910). He was the grandson of Fredrick Krug, who was the “German-immigrant founder of the Frederick Krug Brewing Company of Omaha, Nebraska. Krug is often cited as one of the early settlers of Omaha. In addition to operating the brewery for almost the entire duration of his life, Krug operated Krug Park in the Benson community and was the president of the Home Fire Insurance Company, which was founded in Omaha in 1884.” His son Frederick H. was involved in the business, and was treasurer, but passed away when he was only 44, five years before his father passed away. William also passed away young, nine years before his grandfather died, and fours before his father, but was vice-president and GM of the brewery when he died.

This is a short biography or obituary from Find-a-Grave:

Married Katherine Griesedeck. Oldest son of Fredrick Krug and was the head of Krug Brewery at the time of his death. He was an investor in the development of fair grounds and was on the board of directors of the Omaha Driving Park Association. He was test driving a Stearns automobile driven by Mr. Wallace of Wallace Auto Company, when another car crashed into them at the intersection of 34th and Leavenworth. William was thrown from the car fracturing his skull on the curb dying instantly. He lived at 818 S. 20th Street.

The brewery in 1920.

And in its heyday.

This is a short history of the brewery.

In 1859 Frederick Krug established the Krug Brewery with an original output of one and a half barrels a day. In 1878 the brewery was located on Farnam between 10th & 11th Streets in Downtown Omaha, and by 1880 it was brewing approximately 25,000 barrels a year. In 1894 the brewery moved to 29th & Vinton Street near South Omaha. It cost $750,000 and was reportedly one of the best equipped breweries in the country. Omaha’s historic Anheuser-Busch Beer Depot is the only remaining building from the original Krug Brewery.

You wouldn’t believe there was such difference in beers until you use one Krug’s popular brands. They are uniform perfectly brewed and well-aged absolutely pure and leave no bad after effects. The kind of beer that acts as a tonic and a system builder. Order a trial case and begin to enjoy. – Text from a 1910 advertisement by Fred Krug Brewing Company.

Krug brewed beer under several labels: Fred Krug, Cabinet, and Luxus. Krug supported an amateur baseball team called Luxus, taking them as far as the Amateur Baseball World Championship in 1915.

Historic Beer Birthday: Frederick Metz

May 19, 2021 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Frederick Metz (May 19, 1832-March 7, 1901). He was born in Hesse-Cassel, Germany but moved to the U.S. in his teens, eventually settling in Omaha, Nebraska. Along with his brother Philip, he bought what was originally the McCumbe Brewery in 1861, which had been founded two years earlier in 1859. It went through a series of name changes before settling on Metz Bros. Brewing Co. from 1894 until it closed in 1917. The label continued after prohibition, but oddly was brewed by the Walter Brewing Co. of Pueblo, Colorado (although it originated in Eu Claire, Wisconsin). In 1938, the Metz Brewing Co., also of Omaha, Nebraska began brewing under that name, having been originally the Joseph Guggenmos Brewery, when it was founded in 1896, and later was the Nebraska Brewing Co. and the Willow Springs Brewing Co. It appears the Metz Brothers may have been involved in that brewery, too, but I can’t find anything definitive to confirm it.

Here is a short biography of Metz from his Wikipedia page:

Born in Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), Germany, Frederick was educated as a forester. In 1851 he emigrated to the United States of America through the port of New Orleans, Louisiana, and settled in St. Louis, Missouri, where he worked in the mercantile business. In 1857 he came to Bellevue, Nebraska and continued in the merchandising trade until 1862. Frederick next went to Denver, Coloradoand established a wholesale and commission business in general merchandise, which he owned until 1864. In 1864 Frederick returned to Nebraska and with his brother Philip purchased the McCumbe Brewery, the first brewery in Nebraska, which they renamed Metz Brewery. Frederick served in the Nebraska Senate in 1871 and again 1885. He was president of German Savings Bank in Omaha.

He married Louisa Beate Gesser of St. Louis in 1855. Frederick and Louisa had four sons and three daughters together. In 1873 Louisa died and was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery. In 1877 Frederick married Adele Wassmer, who was born in Holstein, Germany, and had emigrated to Nebraska. Together they had one son and one daughter. Metz died at the brewery at the age of 69, and was also interred at the Prospect Hill Cemetery in North Omaha.

And this short history of the brewery is from its Wikipedia page:

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.^[2] Metz was one of the “Big 4” brewers located in Omaha, which also included the Krug, Willow Springs and Storz breweries.

In 1880 the Metz Brewery was located at 1717 South 3rd Street, and was producing 12,400 barrels (1,970 m³) per year. Later the facility moved to 209 Hickory Street into the former Willow Springs Distilling Company facility. Considered to be modern for the time, the facilities sat on an entire city block. Early brewing equipment included three cooling vaults, two of which were twenty feet wide by seventy-five feet long, and one smaller, being twenty feet wide by thirty in length. The ice rooms immediately above were of the same dimensions. The mash tub and brewing kettle each had a capacity for holding one hundred barrels. Barns for the delivery horses were also located on site. The brewery was said to have “no equal in the country.” The Metz brothers also ran the Metz Brothers Beer Hall, located on 510 South Tenth Street, where beer was supplied in barrels by horse-drawn cart from the main brewery.
The Metz Brewery closed because of the Prohibition. The facility was sold to an agriculture company in 1920. The label was brewed until 1961 by the Walter Brewing Company of Pueblo, Colorado.

This biography is from the “History of Douglas County,” published in 1882:

Frederick Metz, surviving member of the firm of Metz Bros., brewers and malsters, Omaha. Mr. Metz was born in Hessel-Cassel, Germany, 1832, and was educated to the profession of forester there. In 1851 he came to America; landed in New Orleans, and settled in St. Louis the same year, where he was identified actively with the mercantile business till 1857, when he came to Nebraska and located at Bellevue and carried on merchandising there till 1862. In that year he went to Denver, Colo., and established a wholesale and commission business in general merchandise, which he ably conducted till 1864, when he returned to Nebraska and located here, where he has been prominently identified with his present business since. In 1855 he was married to Miss Louisa Beate Gesser, in St. Louis. She was born and reared there, and departed this life in 1873, and is buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery here, leaving a family of four sons and three daughters,–Minnie, now Mrs. Richard Siemon, of Canton, Ohio; Estelle, now Mrs. Ferdinand Schroeder, of Omaha; Charles Frederick, Jr., Tony, Arthur and Louis. In 1877 he married Miss Adele Wassmer, who was born in Holstein, Germany, and reared in Nebraska. They have a family of one son and daughter, Herman and Louisa. Mr. Metz has always been an active worker in the development of the social and industrial welfare of his locality. In 1871 he accepted the position of Representative for this district in the Senate and Legislature of his State, and has taken an active interest in the general growth of the city.

And this is Metz’s obituary from the American Brewers’ Review:

Historic Beer Birthday: Frederick H. Krug

May 1, 2021 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Frederick H. Krug (May 1, 1870-1914). He was the son of Frederick Krug, who was the “German-immigrant founder of the Frederick Krug Brewing Company of Omaha, Nebraska. Krug is often cited as one of the early settlers of Omaha. In addition to operating the brewery for almost the entire duration of his life, Krug operated Krug Park in the Benson community and was the president of the Home Fire Insurance Company, which was founded in Omaha in 1884.” His son was involved in the business, and was treasurer, but passed away when he was only 44, five years before his father passed away.

Probably because he passed away so young and his contributions to the brewery were relatively modest, there’s no biographical information I could find on junior, not even the exact date he died.

The brewery in 1920.

And in its heyday.

This is a short history of the brewery.

In 1859 Frederick Krug established the Krug Brewery with an original output of one and a half barrels a day. In 1878 the brewery was located on Farnam between 10th & 11th Streets in Downtown Omaha, and by 1880 it was brewing approximately 25,000 barrels a year. In 1894 the brewery moved to 29th & Vinton Street near South Omaha. It cost $750,000 and was reportedly one of the best equipped breweries in the country. Omaha’s historic Anheuser-Busch Beer Depot is the only remaining building from the original Krug Brewery.

You wouldn’t believe there was such difference in beers until you use one Krug’s popular brands. They are uniform perfectly brewed and well-aged absolutely pure and leave no bad after effects. The kind of beer that acts as a tonic and a system builder. Order a trial case and begin to enjoy. – Text from a 1910 advertisement by Fred Krug Brewing Company.

Krug brewed beer under several labels: Fred Krug, Cabinet, and Luxus. Krug supported an amateur baseball team called Luxus, taking them as far as the Amateur Baseball World Championship in 1915.

Nebraska Beer

March 1, 2011 By Jay Brooks 2 Comments

Today in 1867, Nebraska became the 37th state.

Nebraska

Nebraska Breweries

Nebraska Brewery Guides

Guild: Nebraska Craft Brewers Association

State Agency: Nebraska Liquor Control Commission

Capital: Lincoln
Largest Cities: Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, Grand Island, Kearney
Population: 1,711,263; 38th
Area: 77358 sq.mi., 16th
Nickname: Cornhusker State
Statehood: 37th, March 1, 1867

Alcohol Legalized: May 8, 1933
Number of Breweries: 18
Rank: 30th
Beer Production: 1,509,416
Production Rank: 36th
Beer Per Capita: 26.2 Gallons

Package Mix:

Bottles: 33.6%
Cans: 54.9%
Kegs: 11.4%

Beer Taxes:

Per Gallon: $0.31
Per Case: $0.70
Tax Per Barrel (24/12 Case): $9.61
Draught Tax Per Barrel (in Kegs): $9.61

Economic Impact (2010):

From Brewing: $29,928,238
Direct Impact: $368,743,551
Supplier Impact: $292,456,172
Induced Economic Impact: $204,259,630
Total Impact: $865,459,353

Legal Restrictions:

Control State: No
Sale Hours: 6 a.m.–1 a.m. Legislation passed in 2010 allows for municipalities to extend on-premise sales to 2 a.m. with two-thirds approval of city or county councils.
Grocery Store Sales: Yes
Notes: Yes No on- or off-premises sales of spirits before noon on Sundays. All beer, wine, and champagne can be sold starting at 6 a.m. In Omaha, it was illegal to sell all liquor before noon. On December 19, 2006, the Omaha city council voted 5-1 to repeal the law.

Data complied, in part, from the Beer Institute’s Brewer’s Almanac 2010, Beer Serves America, the Brewers Association, Wikipedia and my World Factbook. If you see I’m missing a brewery link, please be so kind as to drop me a note or simply comment on this post. Thanks.

For the remaining states, see Brewing Links: United States.