MILWAUKEE -- Just months after partnering to distribute its first craft beer, Pabst Brewing Co. is returning to its Milwaukee roots to further embrace the burgeoning craft-beer segment.
The Los Angeles-based company will open a new brewery in Milwaukee on the site of the original Pabst Brewery, which was founded in 1844. Partnering with Milwaukee-based developers Zilber Ltd. and BRM, Pabst plans to sign a multi-year lease on a building within the Pabst brewery complex and expects to open the brewery to the public in the summer of 2016.
The brewery will serve as Pabst’s hub for innovation and new product ideas, and will be a central feature of Zilber’s redevelopment of the Pabst brewery complex.
“The launch of this brewery in Pabst’s original home represents a long-awaited return to our roots," said Eugene Kashper, chairman and CEO of Pabst Brewing Co. "Milwaukee is our home. The Pabst Mansion, the Pabst Theater, Pabst Farms and this beautiful brewery complex--these are all part of Frederick Pabst’s amazing legacy, which we are honored to continue by returning to our hometown and birthplace.”
In addition to brewing many of Pabst’s iconic pre-prohibition brands, such as Old Tankard Ale, Kloster Beer, Bock, Andecker and others, Pabst intends to brew new craft beers inspired by recipes from the Pabst archives.
This follows Pabst deal earlier this year in which it entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Small Town Brewery, Wauconda, Ill., to distribute its Not Your Father’s Root Beer nationwide.
“Our brews will symbolize the historic progression of beer styles throughout our 171-year relationship with Milwaukee's beer lovers," said Greg Deuhs, Pabst Master Brewer and longtime Milwaukee resident. "We are looking forward to partnering with local residents and businesses and engaging with this community that has been so supportive and loyal to us over the years.”
Pabst's Milwaukee venue will offer visitors brewery tours, historical memorabilia, a tasting room, beer garden and a restaurant/bar, which will serve food and feature exclusive small-batch brews only available on-site.
“We could not have found a more fitting partner for the old Pabst brewery complex," said Ying Chan, president of BRM, a financial-services company involved in the redevelopment. "Pabst is finally coming home and will be in the same complex it occupied so many years ago."
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