A dead brewery marks the graves of four others on the outside of St. Louis, the new Detroit. It’s been empty longer than I’ve been alive, and things are not looking up…
history under ground
Beer
Falstaff Brewery
Hamm’s Brewery
Saint Paul, MN
For 133 years, Hamm’s brewed good, cheap beer. “From the land of sky blue waters,” their jingle went, never finishing the sentence: “Comes the corporate takeover.” This post packs a childhood memory, the story of Hamm’s from its founding to recent demolitions. So sit down, crack a cold one, and…
Imperial Brewing Company
Kansas City, MO
This brewery fought off the local competition only to be brought down by Prohibition. After the booze started flowing again, instead of hitting the bottle it hit the sack–the flour sack. It spent the rest of its life as a flour mill, and most of it survives today.
Lemp Brewery
St. Louis, MO
You almost have to pass Anheuser Busch’s giant flagship brewery on the way to Lemp, something that makes everyone that sees the latter to the former. Read on and see for yourself what it looks like when a major brewery in a brewing town goes under…
Melchior House
Brewery & Caves
Trempealeau, WI
125 years after the fire that destroyed it, this early steamboat stop has its underground brought to light.
Schmidt Brewery
Saint Paul, MN
After 150 years of digging, brewing and burning, Schmidt Brewery still rules the West Side. Here is a story of new beginnings, starring a cave and a castle. It starts in Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1855…
Yoerg’s Brewery Cellars
Saint Paul, MN
When a brewery cave system from the 1870s opens its lungs for a breath of downtown air, you better jump in head first, or you might never get another chance. Journey underground to see the panoramic and multi-level cave with ceilings of sand and stairs of stone.