Places of the past: Heileman Brewery
From the Places of the past: An alphabetical look back at La Crosse area history series
The Tribune is taking an A-to-Z look at La Crosse area history.
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Here are some key dates in the history of G. Heileman Brewing Co.:
1858: Gottlieb Heileman and John Gund start City Brewery in La Crosse, which eventually became G. Heileman Brewing Co. Gund leaves in 1872 to form his own brewing company.
1878: Heileman dies at age 54, leaving his wife Johanna to take over the brewery. She dies in 1917.
1902: The company, which has made beer under the Golden Leaf label, introduces its Old Style Lager.
1933: The Heileman family sells the business to a group of investors.
1971: Russell Cleary begins his time as president, CEO and chairman of the board. During his tenure, the brewery grew from 15th-largest to fourth-largest in the nation through a series of acquisitions. At its peak in 1983, the brewery had more than $1.3 billion in sales with nearly $60 million in profits on shipments of more than 17 million barrels.
1973: Heileman is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
1987: Australian brewer Alan Bond buys the publicly held company for $1.26 billion in a highly leveraged cash deal. A month later, the stock market crashes and so does Bond's financial empire, propped up by junk bonds.
1991: Struggling with a $1 billion debt, Heileman declares bankruptcy. It emerges later that year with a debt of $325 million.
1993: The Dallas-based investment firm of Hicks, Muse & Co. buys Heileman for $390 million and tries unsuccessfully to turn the company around.
1995: Pabst signs contract with Heileman to produce beer in La Crosse.
1996: Heileman goes through bankruptcy again as part of its $290 million sale to The Stroh Brewery Co.
1999: Jim Strupp and John Mazzuto purchase the former G. Heileman Brewery and renamed it City Brewery but quickly run into financial trouble.
2000: A group of 12 investors who live in the La Crosse area or have longtime ties to the brewery purchase City Brewery. The brewery continues to operate today.
1957: Old Style newspaper advertisement
This advertisement for Old Style Lager appeared in the La Crosse Tribune in 1957.
1969: Strike
Pickets and officials of G. Heileman Brewing Co. swarm around a car and truck in 1969 during one of many strikes over the years.
1970: World's Largest Six Pack
This 1970 photo shows the final stages of construction of the World's Largest Six Pack at the G. Heileman Brewery. Just two of the tanks are painted to resemble Old Style cans. Today, the six-pack features La Crosse Lager, and it can hold 22,000 barrels of beer.
1972: Brewery expansion
Thirty tanks were installed in 1972 along Third and Winnebago streets, nearly doubling the capacity of the G. Heileman Brewery. Also part of the expansion, as reported in the La Crosse Tribune, was a new bottling line.
1973: New York Stock Exchange
The G. Heileman Brewing Co. joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1973 when it received the ticker symbol GHB. Shown here, from left, are Merle S. Wick, vice president of the stock exchange; Russell Cleary, president of Heileman; and Michael Creem, a stock trader.
1976: Tasting
Brewmaster Al Brietzke jots notes about his opinions of a sample of beer in 1976 at the G. Heileman Brewery.
1977: 6 million barrels
Russell Cleary, center, president of the G. Heileman Brewing Co., and Local 1081 business agent Bill Akright prepare to pound the bung into the 6-millionth barrel of beer as John Pedace, left, executive vice president of marketing, looks on during the 1977 ceremony. In 1960, Heileman was the nation's 39th largest brewery. Cleary told the Tribune that the brewery would be No. 6 in the nation by the end of the year.
1979: King Gambrinus
Sculptor Elmer Petersen, right, created a steel version of the King Gambrinus statue at the G. Heileman Brewing Co. headquarters along the city's downtown riverfront. Built in 1979, 100 Harborview Plaza was the first building of a riverfront redevelopment project that includes the La Crosse Center and the Radisson Hotel. Today, the building is occupied by Reinhart FoodService, Mutual of Omaha Financial Advisors and the 4 Sisters Wine Bar & Tapas restaurant. The statue is no longer on public display.
1982: New brewhouse
An open house was held in 1982 to let the public see inside the new brewhouse at the G. Heileman Brewery. The new facility brought the total capacity of the brewery to 10 million barrels of beer a year.
1984: Old Style L.A.
G. Heileman Brewery worker Duane Arentz examines a can of Old Style L.A. when it was first introduced in 1984. The low-alcohol beer was later discontinued.
1985: Beer spill
A valve broke at the G. Heileman Brewery in 1986, causing beer to spill into a sewer line and bubble out a manhole cover at 900 S. Third St.
1994: Heileman's free water
Fans of pure artesian water crowd the Heileman Brewery’s free water tap at Fourth and Mississippi streets on Oct. 14, 1994. This free water site was in operation from 1982 to 1998 and was popular with the public due to the water’s “fresher, cleaner taste,” according to Tribune files. During 1994, Heileman gave away a total of 744,000 gallons of water at this tap — for an average daily rate of 2,038 gallons. Anyone with more information about this photo or wishing to donate photos of the Coulee Region may contact the La Crosse Public Library Archives at 608-789-7136.
1999: City Brewery
Jim Strupp (pictured) and John Mazzuto purchased the former G. Heileman Brewery and renamed it City Brewery in 1999. The company quickly ran into financial trouble under their leadership.
2000: City Brewery
City Brewery employee Jim Skoy checks a can of La Crosse Lager as it moves past on the assembly line. A group of 12 investors who live in the La Crosse area or have longtime ties to the brewery purchased City Brewery in 2000 and continue running it today.
In this Series
Places of the past: An alphabetical look back at La Crosse area history
The Tribune is taking an A-to-Z look at La Crosse area history.
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