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*QUICKTIME *Phone Soon the name was changed to the Gluek Brewing Company, and by 1964 Gluek became Minneapolis's oldest continuously-operated business.
In 1858 the company brewed 3,996 barrels of beer, and by 1901 the
annual capacity was second only to the two "giants" the Minneapolis Brewing Company (later renamed as the Grain Belt) and the Theo. Hamm Brewery of St. Paul.
The
earliest mode of delivery was by horse-drawn wagon, which limited the
geographic area that could be served. Prior to Prohibition, 95 percent
of Gluek sales were in the city of Minneapolis. The Gluek Brewing
Company maintained a stable of huge horses to haul a mammoth beer wagon
full of the golden brew. There were 110 draft horses during their
heyday. Those sleek, powerful teams of Percheron draft horses, the
early trademark of the brewing industry, soon gave way to trucks. The
horses reappeared briefly on city streets during WWII, when company
vice president Arthur Gluek put them back to work to help conserve
gasoline and rubber for the war effort.
Gottlieb
Gluek worked hard to keep his dream going and growing. Even a fire in
March of 1880 that gutted the brewery could not defer his dream. No
life was lost to the fire, but the brewery was insufficiently insured
and the Gluek family took a $20,000 loss. Despite the reservations of
others, the Gottlieb Gluek used family funds to rebuild the brewery,
and it was larger and more modern than its predecessor. The real cost
of the tragedy, however, was much greater. The strain of the loss and
the effort to rebuild the plant contributed to the unexpected death of
it's founder in October of that year, at the age of fifty-two.
By 1920, of the 114 breweries that started between 1878 and 1920, 51 had survived to be devastated by the "noble experiment" of Prohibition. During that period Gluek did what many other breweries did, turned to "near beer" and soft drinks along with other products. Brewery's tried many different ventures to attempt to survive the challenge of Prohibition. One experiment included building the Heights Theatre still located in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, a
Northeast Minneapolis suburb. The theatre was originally constructed in
1926 by Gluek Brewery heir Arthur Gluek as a prohibition real estate
venture.
Nearly half of the Minnesota breweries would not survive to celebrate the Repeal.
When Prohibition ended April 7, 1933, Gluek went back into production.
Alvin Gluek, then plant superintendent, was concerned about their customers and told the local press that "police protection will be necessary if the lame and the halt are not to be trampled underfoot, and fenders and running boards of family automobiles are not to be squeezed and bumped."
Gluek kept pace with technology, first by using one-way containers (cans) for their beer. Then by introducing a revolutionary new malt beverage called "Stite," a forerunner of today's "light beer". Some drinkers claimed it had a higher than average alcohol content and the beverage gained the name "Green Lightning".
Grudgingly, in 1964, the Gluek family bowed to economic reality. The venerable old brewery at 20th and Marshall was sold to the G. Heileman Brewing Company of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. And, in the name of progress, it was demolished two years later.
Although it languished in relative obscurity and changed hands more than once, the Gluek Brand "Family of Beers" finally returned home in 1997.
The Gluek Brewing Company of today is much like its namesake,
dedicated to brewing the finest beer from the finest ingredients, regardless of cost. The Gluek water source is world famous, bubbling from deep within the crystalline granite of Stearns County, Minnesota.
The water, which requires no additional filtration, produces a beer of extraordinary taste and purity.
GLUEK 150TH CELEBRATION CONCERT
Saturday, July 28th, 2007, Gluek Brewing Company will celebrate their 150th Anniversary by holding a special concert at the Distribution Center on the north side of Cold Spring, MN. During the concert they'll present country stars Jamie O'Neal, Darryl Worley, and Lonestar. Get your tickets by calling Gluek Brewing Company @ 320.685.8686 or online at
Wild Country Radio . Doors open at 4:00 pm.
VIEW GLUEK 150 YEAR HISTORY MINI DOCUMENTARY
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: Saturday, July 28th 2007 at the Gluek Distribution Center, Cold Spring CLICK HERE TO SEE MAP 4:00PM Doors Open 5:45PM Jamie O'Neal 7:30PM Darryl Worley 9:15PM LONESTAR **FIREWORKS DISPLAY TO FOLLOW THE SHOW If you'd like to PURCHASE: Tickets are $30, and are available at Gluek Brewing Company, the Wild Country 99 studios, or online by clicking HERE! No age requirements or ticket limits! Other Information: Ø Cash, Credit or check is accepted. o All checks need to be payable to Gluek Ø A 6.5 % tax is required on all ticket sales ($1.95 PER TICKET) OnLine Orders Ø There is a flat $5 shipping and handling fee on each ticket o (this fee does not get taxed) Ø Tickets will be mailed by certified mail within 3 weeks All sales are final. Rain or Shine. No Exchanges or refunds. |
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