MONROE - Founded as the Monroe Brewery in 1845, what is now known as Minhas Craft Brewery has changed hands more than 10 times since it began.
In 1845, a Mr. Bissinger - a Swiss immigrant whose first name is unknown - opened his brewery, which could produce less than 400 barrels of beer in a year, said Minhas president Gary Olson.
The brewery was then purchased in 1848 by Prussian immigrant John Knipschildt, who became a treasurer for Green County.
Ownership of the brewery changed hands for 50 years between several private owners and partnerships until Adam Blumer Sr. became involved in the enterprise in 1892. A Swiss immigrant, Blumer changed the name of the brewery to the Blumer Brewing Company in 1906 and renovated the facility with modern equipment.
Blumer and his son Fred Blumer owned the Blumer Brewing Company until 1938, weathering Prohibition by producing ice cream and distributing farm equipment. After Fred Blumer retired, cheese magnate Carl Marty took over, managing the brewery until 1947, when Joseph Huber bought the business.
Huber's family owned the brewery from 1947 to 1985 under the name Joseph Huber Brewing Company. Olson said the brewery produced 60,000 barrels of beer in Joseph Huber's heyday, increasing to 200,000 under the eye of his son Fred Huber.
Fred Huber sold the brewery in 1985 to MTX Inc., a Milwaukee company, before he purchased it back in 1989. He would resell it in 1994 to Madison's Weinstein family, who modernized the brewery and introduced several new product lines.
In 2006, the Minhas siblings, Ravinder and Manjit, purchased the brewery and changed its name once again.
In 1845, a Mr. Bissinger - a Swiss immigrant whose first name is unknown - opened his brewery, which could produce less than 400 barrels of beer in a year, said Minhas president Gary Olson.
The brewery was then purchased in 1848 by Prussian immigrant John Knipschildt, who became a treasurer for Green County.
Ownership of the brewery changed hands for 50 years between several private owners and partnerships until Adam Blumer Sr. became involved in the enterprise in 1892. A Swiss immigrant, Blumer changed the name of the brewery to the Blumer Brewing Company in 1906 and renovated the facility with modern equipment.
Blumer and his son Fred Blumer owned the Blumer Brewing Company until 1938, weathering Prohibition by producing ice cream and distributing farm equipment. After Fred Blumer retired, cheese magnate Carl Marty took over, managing the brewery until 1947, when Joseph Huber bought the business.
Huber's family owned the brewery from 1947 to 1985 under the name Joseph Huber Brewing Company. Olson said the brewery produced 60,000 barrels of beer in Joseph Huber's heyday, increasing to 200,000 under the eye of his son Fred Huber.
Fred Huber sold the brewery in 1985 to MTX Inc., a Milwaukee company, before he purchased it back in 1989. He would resell it in 1994 to Madison's Weinstein family, who modernized the brewery and introduced several new product lines.
In 2006, the Minhas siblings, Ravinder and Manjit, purchased the brewery and changed its name once again.