Sprecher Brewery

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Sprecher Brewery
Sprecher Brewery at night
Sprecher Brewery at night
Location Glendale, Wisconsin
United States
Year opened 1985
Active beers
Special Amber Lager
Black Bavarian Lager
Hefe Weiss Wheat ale
Pub Ale Brown ale
Abbey Triple Belgian Tripel
Root Beer Root Beer

Sprecher Brewery is a brewery founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by Randal Sprecher in 1985. Sprecher produces an assortment of beers and sodas. The brewery has since moved to the neighboring city of Glendale in Milwaukee County.

Despite producing a full range of micro-brewed craft beers, the brewery is arguably best known for its premium sodas. Sprecher Root Beer and Orange Dream are Milwaukee staples, and kegs of the root beer are ubiquitous at special events throughout Milwaukee and can be found on tap or from a soda fountain at area restaurants (e.g., Kopp's Frozen Custard). Sprecher sodas are renowned for their taste, non-alcoholic qualities, and quality ingredients (for instance: Sprecher Ginger Ale is a golden ginger ale that uses real, locally-grown ginger). Sprecher brews more root beer than all of their alcoholic beers combined. One of the most unusual aspects of their root beer is that raw Wisconsin honey is used as a primary ingredient.

Contents

[edit] History

Founder Randal Sprecher, a California native, earned his first degree in oceanography, but found himself unable to continue in this profession due to an unfortunate tendency toward seasickness. Sprecher earned a second degree in brewing and was employed by Pabst in Milwaukee. After a brief time at Pabst, he founded his own brewery in 1985. The new brewery was founded on a budget of $40,000; Sprecher was forced to purchase antiquated or repurposed equipment to keep costs down, including a 16-oz. bottling machine from Coca-Cola and tanks from the dairy industry. Some of this equipment remains in use today.

The current Sprecher facility was acquired in 1994.

[edit] Production

[edit] Year-round beers

[edit] Seasonal beers

[edit] Limited release beers

[edit] Sodas

[edit] Coming soon

  • Bourbon Barrel Dopple Bock
  • Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

[edit] Tour

Sprecher Brewery offers year-round tours of their facility with tour times varying depending on season, production runs, and holidays. The tour costs differently by age (as of fall 2006):

The tour starts in the brew house where all of Sprecher's beers are brewed and sodas are produced. After an explanation of the brewing process the tour proceeds through the refrigerated cellar where the beer/soda is stored until bottled. Through the cellar is the bottling line and warehouse.

The tour ends with 4 samples of beer for adults (an 8 fluid ounce sampler glass is included[1]) and unlimited soda samples for all at the indoor beer tent. The bar in the indoor tent also sells packages of local wisconsin cheeses and Usinger's sausages for snacking during tasting.

[edit] Gallery

Sprecher Brewery Logo

Root beer 16 oz. bottle

Black Bavarian 16 oz. bottle

[edit] External links

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