MONROE - Minhas Craft Brewery is digging up some of the past during the brewery's expansion of the tour center.
The expansion will increase the tour center by 7,600 square feet, and is prompted by demand for tours, a 400 percent growth in beers sales and growth in tours across the street at Minhas Micro Distillery, brewery officials said in a news release. The new portion is scheduled to open Feb. 1.
Minhas Craft Brewery uncovered pieces of history from more than 100 years ago while digging the new basement for the expansion. Among items found were Purington and Clinton bricks that were used to pave Monroe's Square. At one time, these bricks were used as filler and buried on the property.
Entire glass bottles began to appear as construction crew continued to dig deeper. Some of the larger intact 22-ounce bottles that were recovered have raised lettering on them that reads "Monroe Brewery Monroe WIS."
Two bottles from Freeport were also found in the rubble. One of the bottles is from the Schmich Brothers Western Brewery that opened in 1887 by brothers George and Mathias Schmich. On the broken bottle, the raised lettering reads "Schmich Bros. Brewing Co Freeport ILL." Around 1896, the Schmichs built a new factory that they would eventually lease to the Franz Bros. Brewery.
The other bottle from Freeport has raised print on the bottle reading "Fransbros Prima Beer."
Once the expansion is completed, the bottles will be on display at the Minhas Craft Brewery tour center.
For more information, contact Gary Olson, president of Minhas Craft Brewery, at 608-325-3191 or email Gary.Olson@MinhasBrewery.com.
The expansion will increase the tour center by 7,600 square feet, and is prompted by demand for tours, a 400 percent growth in beers sales and growth in tours across the street at Minhas Micro Distillery, brewery officials said in a news release. The new portion is scheduled to open Feb. 1.
Minhas Craft Brewery uncovered pieces of history from more than 100 years ago while digging the new basement for the expansion. Among items found were Purington and Clinton bricks that were used to pave Monroe's Square. At one time, these bricks were used as filler and buried on the property.
Entire glass bottles began to appear as construction crew continued to dig deeper. Some of the larger intact 22-ounce bottles that were recovered have raised lettering on them that reads "Monroe Brewery Monroe WIS."
Two bottles from Freeport were also found in the rubble. One of the bottles is from the Schmich Brothers Western Brewery that opened in 1887 by brothers George and Mathias Schmich. On the broken bottle, the raised lettering reads "Schmich Bros. Brewing Co Freeport ILL." Around 1896, the Schmichs built a new factory that they would eventually lease to the Franz Bros. Brewery.
The other bottle from Freeport has raised print on the bottle reading "Fransbros Prima Beer."
Once the expansion is completed, the bottles will be on display at the Minhas Craft Brewery tour center.
For more information, contact Gary Olson, president of Minhas Craft Brewery, at 608-325-3191 or email Gary.Olson@MinhasBrewery.com.