G Heileman Brewing Company Breweries Brands and Heritage

G. Heileman Brewing Company has a rich history that spans over 160 years. The company was founded in 1858 by Valentine Blatz and later acquired by Gottlieb Heileman in 1867.

G. Heileman Brewing Company was a prominent brewery in the United States, operating in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The company's headquarters stood at 123 6th Street South in La Crosse.

The company's flagship brand was Old Style beer, which was introduced in 1935. Old Style was a popular beer in the Midwest and was known for its unique blend of ingredients.

G. Heileman Brewing Company was sold to Stroh Brewery Company in 1986, marking the end of an era for the company.

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G. Heileman Brewing Company was founded in 1858 by Gottlieb Heileman and John Gund, who started The City Brewery in La Crosse, Wisconsin. They primarily produced beer for local hotels and bars.

The company's early years were marked by a falling out between Heileman and Gund, which led to the dissolution of their partnership in 1872. Heileman then renamed the City Brewery the G. Heileman's City Brewery.

Heileman's direction led to the company's growth, with production increasing to over 7,000 barrels of beer by 1880.

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In 1872, Gottlieb Heileman dissolved his partnership with John Gund, and the G. Heileman Brewery came into existence.

The company remained a local brewery, producing only 3,000 barrels of beer a year for La Crosse and the surrounding community.

Gottlieb Heileman died in 1878, and his widow, Johanna Heileman, took control of the company.

With her brother-in-law as foreman, the Heileman Brewery started expanding, and by 1880, they were producing more than 7,000 barrels of beer.

Johanna's son-in-law, Emil T. Mueller, joined the family business and helped the company grow.

The company was incorporated in 1890, calling itself the G. Heileman Brewing Company.

Following Henry Heileman's death in 1895, Mueller became vice president, and Johanna, one of the first female CEOs in the US, remained in charge.

The company began developing its historic Old Style Brand around the time of Henry's death.

By 1902, the company was producing around 160,000 barrels of Old Style Lager.

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In 1902, the company voted in a union, the last brewer in La Crosse to do so, allowing the company to expand further.

By 1915, Heileman had expanded to serving over 30 states.

Johanna Heileman died in 1917, shortly after reaching 34 distribution states.

Prohibition began in 1920, just three years after Johanna's death.

In 1971, Russell G. Cleary took over as president after Heilemen's founder, Kumm, passed away from stomach cancer.

Cleary's leadership marked a significant shift in the company's strategy, accelerating an acquisition and consolidation effort in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Heileman stock was traded on the New York Stock Exchange on May 23, 1973, a major milestone for the company.

Several historic U.S. brewing names were consolidated into G. Heileman during this period, including Black Label, Blatz, Blitz-Weinhard, and Olympia.

The company's acquisitions were met with legal issues regarding the Sherman Antitrust Act, limiting monopolization of markets.

Heileman expanded into different industries such as baking, snack foods, and mineral water, including the creation of La Croix.

By 1982, the brewing capacity in La Crosse had been increased to 10 million barrels per year.

Heileman's total brewing capabilities peaked at fourth place in 1983, behind Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Stroh Brewery Company.

The company was making over 17 million barrels per year, with annual sales of $1.3 billion.

Heileman's sales remained unchanged throughout the middle years of the 1980s, despite heavy marketing pressures.

In 1987, Australia-based corporate raider Alan Bond attempted a hostile leveraged buyout, which Heileman's management initially rebuffed.

Bond, who already controlled the Tooheys name and almost 50% of the brewing industry in Australia, hoped to build a worldwide brewing combine. He lacked the cash to do so, so he had financed the acquisition of G. Heileman with junk bonds.

The collapse of Bond's over-leveraged financial empire indirectly led to the end of Heileman's existence as an independent brewer. Cleary stayed on as director for an additional two years before finally retiring from the company in 1989.

In 1991, the G. Heileman Brewing Company declared bankruptcy in January, after the collapse of Bond's empire. This led to a troubled firm seeking salvation with an aggressive push into the malt liquor market.

The company developed a new brand of malt liquor called "Power Master" with an ABV of 7.4%, significantly higher than existing malt liquor brands. This move was highly controversial.

The company's distribution and advertising strategies were criticized for targeting urban African Americans, especially in Chicago, one of Heileman's core markets.

G. Heileman Brewing Company was a major player in the brewing industry, with a rich history that spans over 140 years. The company was founded in 1858 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and was known for its iconic Old Style brand, which was introduced in 1902.

Throughout its history, Heileman acquired numerous breweries and brands, expanding its reach across the country. The company owned a total of 16 breweries at its peak, with the most being 13 under the House of Heileman umbrella at any one time in 1983. Some of the notable breweries acquired by Heileman include the G. Heileman Brewing Company in La Crosse, Wisconsin, which was in operation from 1858 to 2003; and the Rainier Brewing Company in Seattle, Washington, which was acquired in 1977 and operated until 1999.

Here's a list of some of the notable breweries and brands acquired by Heileman:

Breweries were a crucial part of Heileman's expansion strategy, and the company acquired 16 breweries through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

G. Heileman Brewing Company was the oldest brewery, founded in 1858 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and remained in operation until 2003, when it was still in use as the City Brewery.

Heileman acquired the Independent Milwaukee Brewery in 1962, but it only operated for two years before being shut down.

Kingsbury Brewery in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, was another early acquisition, operating from 1962 to 1974.

Duluth Brewing and Malting Company in Duluth, Minnesota, was acquired in 1963 and operated until 1966.

The George Wiedemann Brewery in Newport, Kentucky, was purchased in 1967 and operated until 1983.

Heileman's expansion continued with the acquisition of Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company in Saint Paul, Minnesota, which operated from 1972 to 1990.

Sterling Brewery in Evansville, Indiana, was another acquisition, operating from 1972 to 1988.

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Rainier Brewing Company in Seattle, Washington, was purchased in 1977 and operated until 1999.

Frankenmuth Brewery in Frankenmuth, Michigan, was acquired in 1979 and operated until 1990.

Stag Brewery in Belleville, Illinois, was also acquired in 1979 and operated until 1988.

National Brewery in Baltimore, Maryland, was a short-lived acquisition, operating only from 1979 to 1980.

Carling Brewery in Baltimore, Maryland, was purchased in 1979 and operated until 1996.

Arizona Brewery in Phoenix, Arizona, was acquired in 1979 and operated until 1990.

Duncan Brewery in Auburndale, Florida, was another acquisition, operating from 1980 to 1984.

Pabst Brewery in Perry, Georgia, was purchased in 1983 and operated until 1995.

Blitz-Weinhard Brewery in Portland, Oregon, was acquired in 1983 and operated until 1999.

Lone Star Brewing Company in San Antonio, Texas, was purchased in 1983 and operated until 1996.

Val Blatz Microbrewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was acquired in 1986 and operated until 1995.

Here is a list of the breweries acquired by Heileman:

King Gambrinus is a legendary Germanic king and the Patron Saint of beer and brewing. He's a prominent figure in the brewing industry, with several breweries using him as their mascot.

Pabst Brewing Company is another American brewer that uses King Gambrinus as their mascot, alongside Heileman. Heileman's history with King Gambrinus dates back to 1939 when they purchased a 15-foot, 2,000 pound statue of the figure from a failing brewery in New Orleans for $100.

The original statue was placed outside the Heileman brewery and remains there today. A second statue of King Gambrinus was commissioned in the late 1970s, created by local artist Elmer Petersen.

The second statue, nicknamed "Gammy" by Heileman employees, was installed in front of the G. Heileman Corporate Headquarters in La Crosse, WI in 1980. It was named "King Gambrinus: Patron Saint and Guardian of Beer".

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The G. Heileman Brewing Company was quite the acquisitive force in the beer world. Over the course of its history, the company acquired over 400 individual labels, falling under more than 50 different brands.

One of the most notable periods of expansion was during the times of Kumm and Cleary, who oversaw a significant number of acquisitions. This was particularly evident in the 1960s and 1970s.

A few notable brands acquired by Heileman include Braumeister, which was acquired from an independent Milwaukee brewery in 1962. Weidemann, a brand from George Wiedemann Brewery, was acquired in 1967.

Heileman also acquired Blatz in 1969 and Drewrys, Schmidt, and Sterling in 1972. The company continued to expand, acquiring Rainier in 1976 and Beck's, Carling Black Label, Colt 45, and Tuborg in 1979.

Here's a list of some of the notable brands acquired by Heileman:

Heileman continued to expand its portfolio in the 1980s, acquiring Champale in 1986 and Hacker-Pschorr in the same year.

The G. Heileman Brewing Company had a distinctive visual identity that reflected its brand and values. The company's letterhead featured a musketeer-like figure holding a bottle of beer and raising a glass with a foaming head, printed in full-color.

This image was likely designed to convey the idea of quality and enjoyment associated with the company's beer. The brick, red-roofed building with a half-timber and folk painted upper story in the background added to the visual appeal of the letterhead.

The image was printed in a specific format, measuring 8.25 x 4 inches. The original format type was prints, photomechanical, and the original format number was PH 2724.10.

The image is part of the Ephemera collection, circa 1850-circa 2000, at the Wisconsin Historical Society. It's worth noting that the image ID is 91001.

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