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63-616: The company was founded in 1874 by Joseph Bosch (b. 11 February 1850), the son of a beer brewer. Bosch spent several years traveling, to Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Louisville to learn the art of brewing. He worked for some time at the Schlitz Brewing Company . Joseph Bosch built the Torch Lake Brewery in 1874, a small wooden building. The small brewery thrived on thirsty miners working in Red Jacket, which

126-546: A Sauna Beer , developed after consultation with brewers in Finland. According to The Houghton Daily Mining Gazette : "This beer is for those who prefer a light bodied, mildly flavorful, bitter-free beer, light lunches, and long evenings." It was a light beer similar to Finnish "kalja", and was called a perfect after-sauna thirst quencher. Since many local residents had Finnish ancestry, and so were familiar with saunas, Sauna Beer sold well, and won Houghton County’s Product of

189-562: A concrete relief of the company logo embedded in the brickwork; several of these buildings survive today, including the Lake Street Schlitz Tied House at the corner of Lake and Loomis and Schuba's Tavern at the corner of Belmont and Southport. In 1873, Schlitz rejected a purchase offer from Tennessee brewer Bratton and Sons. In 1875, Schlitz returned to his homeland on the SS Schiller . While returning home,

252-544: A desire to meet large volume demands while also cutting the cost of production, the brewing process for Schlitz's flagship Schlitz beer was changed in the early 1970s. The primary changes involved using corn syrup to replace some of the malted barley, adding a silica gel to prevent the product from forming a haze, using high-temperature fermentation instead of the traditional method, and also substituted less-expensive extracts rather than traditional ingredients. Schlitz also experimented with continuous fermentation, even building

315-491: A direction Schlitz did not aggressively pursue – although James Coburn appeared in commercials for the short-lived Schlitz Light in 1976. As part of its efforts to reverse the sales decline, Schlitz launched a disastrous 1977 television ad campaign created by Leo Burnett & Co. In each of the ads, an off-screen speaker tries to convince a Schlitz drinker to switch to a rival beer. The Schlitz drinker then talked about how they would never switch and jokingly threatened

378-545: A division of Schlitz that would produce milk chocolate , looking to make good use of Wisconsin's large dairy industry. The chocolate was sold under the Eline brand (the phonetic pronunciation of Uihlein). However, Eline Chocolate did not have much success, as the Hershey company was dominant in the highly competitive chocolate industry, and Eline candies were often rife with quality control problems. Despite pouring millions into

441-555: A new brewery specifically designed to use the process in Baldwinsville, New York . The reformulated product resulted in a beer that not only lost much of the flavor and consistency of the traditional formula, but also spoiled more quickly, rapidly losing public appeal. In 1976, concern was growing that the Food and Drug Administration would require all ingredients to be labeled on their bottles and cans. To prevent having to disclose

504-453: A picture of a fisherman reeling in a fish with pine trees in the background. An advertisement titled "It’s the FLAVOR that wins you!" had a picture of a skier zooming down a hill, and "Bosch – The Gold Medal Beer" below. With ads such as these, Bosch tied itself to local pride in the outdoor activities and natural beauty of the area. The Bosch Brewing Co. was also the third-largest employer in

567-553: A profit." Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company is an American brewery based in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , and was once the largest producer of beer in the United States . Its namesake beer, Schlitz ( / ˈ ʃ l ɪ t s / ), was known as "The beer that made Milwaukee famous" and was advertised with the slogan "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer". Schlitz first became

630-577: A sportsman’s paradise". The brewery welcomed public tours and had a bar where customers could sample fresh beer. It was also rumored that students from the local university, now Michigan Technological University , would canoe down the Portage and buy beer straight from the Bosch docks. Hard times threatened with talk of prohibition . Bosch placed ads in local papers headlined "Prohibition vs. Temperance", trying to sway people away from prohibition. In 1919

693-482: A unique culture, especially once population growth stopped, and the county shrank in population to its current numbers. Heavily representative among many ethnicities were the Finnish. The 1910 census listed 13.1% of the residents being Finnish-born (out of the 32.3% total of the residents listed as foreign-born). The 2010 census lists almost the same proportion (32.5%) of the population as having Finnish ancestors. Amid

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756-508: Is now Calumet . In its first year, the Torch Lake Brewing Company produced 1717 barrels. Bosch began building close ties with the local community; he would sell leftover malt to farmers and invite them into the brewery for a cold beer while they waited. Bosch's products were popular among the thirsty miners. The Keweenaw was booming with copper mining, attracting new people to the area, and Bosch's business grew with

819-642: Is part of the Houghton Micropolitan Statistical Area , which also includes Keweenaw County , and was part of Copper Country during the mining boom of the latter half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. In 1843, the Upper Peninsula was divided into Mackinac, Chippewa, Marquette, Schoolcraft, Delta, and Ontonagon Counties. In 1845, Houghton County boundaries were defined, with areas partitioned from Marquette and Ontonagon Counties. The new county

882-537: Is the world's heaviest and widest double-decked vertical lift bridge. Its center span "lifts" to provide 100 feet (30 m) of clearance for ships. Since rail traffic was discontinued in the Keweenaw, the lower deck accommodates snowmobile traffic in the winter. This is the only land-based link between the Keweenaw Peninsula 's north and south sections, making it crucial to local transportation. As of

945-542: Is unique and capable of complex production, making it a key player in the 12 domestic Anheuser-Busch plants. In 1982, there were competing bids for ownership of the Schlitz brand. The Stroh Brewery Company of Detroit, Michigan beat out Pabst and Heileman by bidding for 67 percent of Schlitz. By spring of that year, Stroh had purchased the entire company, making Stroh's the third largest brewing enterprise in America. During

1008-495: The Great Depression of the 1930s, a sharp increase in unemployment among workers in the mining and timber industries caused a pivot to potato production. For a brief time in the 1930s and 1940s, the region became a major exporter of potatoes within the United States. In June 2018, a major flash flood caused sinkholes and washouts in the towns of Chassell, Houghton, Ripley, Lake Linden, and Hubbell. According to

1071-422: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has an area of 1,502 square miles (3,890 km ), of which 1,009 square miles (2,610 km ) is land and 492 square miles (1,270 km ) (33%) is water. The Portage Lift Bridge crosses Portage Lake , connecting Hancock and Houghton, Michigan , by crossing over Portage Lake , which is part of the river and canal system that spans the peninsula. The Portage Lift Bridge

1134-643: The Volstead Act allowed the Federal Government to enforce the 18th amendment, beginning prohibition. Bosch had no choice but to close his company and pray for a miracle. The reprieve came in 1933 when the 21st amendment repealed prohibition, and Bosch was able to return to brewing, although only the Scheuermann plant reopened. In 1937, Joseph Bosch died aged 87. His daughter, Katherine Bosch, and grandsons James and Phillip Ruppe took over

1197-510: The census of 2020, there were 37,361 people, 14,173 households and 8,117 families residing in the county. The population density was 37.0 inhabitants per square mile (14.29/km²). There were 18,807 housing units at an average density of 18.63 per square mile (7.19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% White , 1.1% Black or African American , 0.8% Native American , 2.5% Asian , 0.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.9% of

1260-560: The American beer market. The popularity of Schlitz's namesake beer, along with the introduction of value-priced Old Milwaukee , allowed Schlitz to regain the number-one position. Schlitz and Anheuser-Busch continued to compete for the top brewery in America for years. Schlitz remained the number-two brewery in America as late as 1976. By 1967, the company's president and chairman was August Uihlein's grandson, Robert Uihlein Jr. Faced with

1323-651: The Library Restaurant and Pub in Houghton, and the Michigan House Café and Brew Pub in Calumet, home of Red Jacket Brewing . The number of small specialty brewers in the U.S. has risen dramatically in recent decades. In 1997 the United States for the first time surpassed Germany in the number of breweries, despite Germany having the highest per capita consumption of beer. From 1983 to mid-1999,

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1386-551: The Scheuermann branch of the Bosch Brewing Company. In 1903 the company had an annual production capacity of 60,000 barrels. The newly organized Bosch Brewing Company continued its growth, becoming the second largest industry in the Copper Country, second only to mining. Joseph Bosch maintained a close relationship with the community, using local themes in his advertising such as the tagline "Refreshing as

1449-553: The Schlitz brand is still alive today and remains a sentimental favorite in the Midwest. Houghton County, Michigan Houghton County ( / ˈ h oʊ t ən / ; HOH -tən ) is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan . As of the 2020 census , the population was 37,361. The county seat and largest city is Houghton . Both the county and the city were named for Michigan State geologist and Detroit Mayor Douglass Houghton . Houghton County

1512-543: The US Registry of Historic Districts and Buildings of the Upper Peninsula . Construction began in spring 1886. The building had its first addition to the north wing, the addition of a larger jail wing, in 1910, and that was the only renovation until the jail wing was condemned in 1961. A new jail was built in its present location, adjacent to the original. According to the Mining Gazette, "The materials used with

1575-517: The Uihleins acquired complete ownership of the firm, and the Uihlein family continued to run the brewery for over one hundred years. Despite this change, the Uihleins decided to keep the name Schlitz, as Americans had difficulty pronouncing their surname. The company flourished through much of the 1900s, starting in 1902 when the production of one million barrels of beer surpassed Pabst 's claim as

1638-479: The Year Contest in 1968. By the late 1960s, Bosch was making three beers, all light lagers: Sauna Beer , the flagship label Bosch , and premium Gilt Edge . In the early 1970s Bosch was unable to compete with the large breweries of Detroit, Milwaukee, and St. Louis. On September 28, 1973, the last keg of Bosch beer was delivered to Schmidt's Corner Bar in Houghton. The strong connection between Bosch and

1701-471: The area. The Bosch Brewing Company reached its peak in 1955, producing one hundred thousand barrels. Five years later, however, Bosch's sales began to decline. By 1965, the Bosch family sold the company to local investors led by Charles Finger, who pushed for new technology and products to resurrect the company. Brewer's Digest commented in 1966: "Certainly the Bosch Brewing Co. has all of

1764-427: The artificial additive of the silica gel, Uihlein switched to an agent called "Chill-garde" which would be filtered out at the end of production, so it would be considered nondisclosable. The agent reacted badly with a foam stabilizer that was used and Schlitz recalled 10 million bottles of beer, costing it $ 1.4 million. Schlitz was further hurt by the rise of high-volume light beers such as Miller Lite and Bud Light ,

1827-566: The brewery. The often circulated story of Schlitz' proposed donation of thousands of barrels of beer to the Chicago population after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is simply a modern myth, pushed by later marketing campaigns. Schlitz' national expansion was based on new distribution points in Chicago and elsewhere, and the consequent use of the railway. From the late 1880s, Schlitz built dozens of tied houses in Chicago, most with

1890-452: The brewing equipment operational, as the Uihleins correctly deduced that Prohibition would not be permanent. After Prohibition ended in late 1933, Schlitz again began producing beer and quickly became the world's top-selling brewery in 1934. In 1953, Milwaukee brewery workers went on a 76-day strike . The strike greatly impacted Schlitz's production, including all of Milwaukee's other breweries and allowed Anheuser-Busch to surpass Schlitz in

1953-752: The brown bottle was the inspiration for the Schlitz Brown Bottle Restaurant in Milwaukee, which opened in 1938. However, their success would meet the first of several major obstacles. In the early 1900s, the temperance movement was gaining traction, and production and consumption of alcohol was eventually outlawed entirely with the passage of Prohibition in the United States in 1920. During Prohibition, Schlitz faced difficulties trying to stay open and keep their workers employed. In 1919, with Prohibition imminent, Joseph E. Uihlein Sr. created

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2016-508: The chocolate division and creating a hard candy and gumball line, the venture was a failure and was abandoned by 1928. This forced the company to change its name from Schlitz Brewing Company to the Schlitz Beverage Company and changed its "famous" slogan to "The drink that made Milwaukee famous." Schlitz primarily focused on producing malt extract and non-alcoholic soft drinks called Schlitz Famo that they used to keep

2079-583: The community was even more apparent on that day. The Daily Mining Gazette captured the atmosphere at the bar stating "there were so many the patrons were crawling on one another", while locals expressed their dismay: "the Copper Country is losing many of these small industries... we just can't stand to lose such industries, that's all that's to it." The trademarks were sold to the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin . Leinenkugel continued to produce

2142-454: The company quickly abandoned all remaining hope that it could be saved, as all previous attempts were utter failures and the strikes had now crippled the company's production line and finances. The Schlitz management team finally threw in the towel and began negotiating a deal to sell the company and cut their losses. As the Milwaukee plant was the oldest and least efficient of the Schlitz breweries, and unable to afford to keep operating it due to

2205-556: The company. Under their leadership, the company saw continuous growth and increasing sales. After reopening, Bosch continued to prosper. In 1955, sales were over the 100,000 barrel mark. The good relationship between company and community maintained local brand loyalty. One advertising theme was "Refreshing as the Sportsman's Paradise", and the beer labels announced "From the Sportsman’s Paradise...Smooth, Mellow, Golden," with

2268-451: The increased population. In 1876 Bosch formed a partnership with Joseph Wertin Sr. (father of Bishop John Vertin ), Joseph Wertin Jr., and George Wertin. It was at this time that the company name was changed from the Torch Lake Brewing Company to Joseph Bosch and Company . When the company first started it sold only kegs, as beer in bottles was uncommon at the time. After the discovery of pasteurization, breweries began bottling beer by

2331-460: The ingredients for success that a smaller brewery can have – an efficient, well equipped plant; dedicated employees who know their jobs thoroughly and who take personal pride in the products the company markets; an intimate and realistic knowledge of the market it serves and of the consumers' desires. But most of all it has an enthusiastic management, the kind of enthusiasm that can become contagious among potential customers." In 1968, Bosch introduced

2394-470: The largest beer producer in the US in 1902 and enjoyed that status at several points during the first half of the 20th century, exchanging the title with Anheuser-Busch multiple times during the 1950s. The company was founded by August Krug in 1849, but ownership passed to Joseph Schlitz in 1858 when he married Krug's widow. Schlitz was bought by Stroh Brewery Company in 1982 and subsequently sold along with

2457-405: The largest brewery in the United States. Schlitz began pioneering numerous advances in the brewing industry, most notably the use of brown glass bottles beginning in 1912. Previously, beer was bottled in clear glass bottles, but this allowed sunlight to spoil the flavor of the beer. The entire industry quickly adopted the brown bottle, and the design is still used to this day. Schlitz's pioneering of

2520-431: The late 1870s. Bosch began bottling on a small scale by 1880, one of the few Upper Peninsula breweries to bottle beer. By 1883 the company was producing 4000 barrels of beer annually, one quarter of it bottled. In 1886, the plant continued to expand, and a 790-foot-deep (240 m) artesian well was drilled to provide pure water for brewing. On May 20, 1887, a fire swept through the town of Lake Linden, destroying 75% of

2583-565: The number of brewing firms in the United States increased from 43 to 1414, and the number continues to increase. Nearly every brewery opened in the past 20 years has been associated with the microbrewery movement. By definition, a microbrewery is "a brewery producing less than 15,000 barrels per year". In 1994, Leinenkugel manager Chuck Strehl said: "Microbreweries have become economically feasible in past years and some smaller breweries have been able to get at new lease on life." He said "The Bosch label could probably be produced today and even make

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2646-416: The person trying to persuade them away from their favorite beer. Despite the tone of the campaign intending to be comedic levity, audiences found the campaign somewhat menacing and the ad industry dubbed it "Drink Schlitz or I'll kill you." Schlitz, unwilling to endure more bad press, pulled the campaign after 10 weeks and fired Burnett. By the 1980s, Schlitz had rebounded somewhat, but it had now fallen from

2709-534: The population. As of the census of 2010, there were 36,628 people, 14,232 households and 8,093 families residing in the county. The population density was 36.29 inhabitants per square mile (14.01/km²). There were 18,635 housing units at an average density of 18.46 per square mile (7.13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.5% White , 2.9% Asian , 0.6% Native American , 0.5% Black or African American , 0.2% from other races and 1.3% from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.9% of

2772-467: The population. The biggest ancestry groups were Finnish at 32.5% of the population, German at 14.0%, French at 9.4%, English at 6.2% and Irish at 5.1%. Of the 14,232 households 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who

2835-475: The price agreed upon was around $ 700 million. In Milwaukee, Joseph Schlitz was hired as a bookkeeper in a tavern brewery owned by August Krug. In 1856, he took over management of the brewery following the death of Krug. In 1858, Schlitz married the widow, Anna Maria Krug, and then changed the name of the brewery to the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. in 1861, Krug's 16-year-old nephew, August Uihlein, began employment at

2898-492: The provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions—police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc.—are the responsibility of individual cities and townships. The Houghton County Courthouse "..stood high upon the bluff on Houghton Village facing North and pleasantly overlooking Portage Lake.", and has been inducted in

2961-434: The rest of Stroh's assets to Pabst Brewing Company in 1999. Pabst produced several varieties of Schlitz beers alongside Old Milwaukee . On November 13, 2014, Pabst announced that it had completed its sale to Blue Ribbon Intermediate Holdings, LLC. Blue Ribbon is a partnership between American beer entrepreneur Eugene Kashper and TSG Consumer Partners , a San Francisco–based, private-equity firm. Prior reports suggested

3024-434: The second-most-popular brewery in the country to the fourth, as Miller and Pabst had overtaken it for the first time in decades. The final blow to the company was another crippling strike at the Milwaukee plant in 1981. About 700 production workers went on strike on June 1, 1981. The strike was triggered because there was no replacement contract when the union's contract expired. The strike lasted for almost four months, and

3087-504: The ship hit a rock near the Isles of Scilly and sank, killing Schlitz and 334 others. His body was never recovered. Honoring Krug's wishes, Schlitz had it written in his own will that he also wanted the Uihlein brothers to run the brewery when he died. Management was promptly passed to the four Uihlein brothers, August , Henry, Alfred and Edward . When Anna Maria Krug Schlitz died in 1887,

3150-496: The signature Bosch brand in the traditional flavor, and hired Bosch master brewer Vincent Charney. Brand loyalists continued drinking Bosch, but after several years, profit from the Bosch brand diminished and Leinenkugel suspended production of Bosch in 1986. The popularity of microbreweries is growing rapidly, and the few microbreweries in the area seem to be doing well, including the Keweenaw Brewing Company ,

3213-408: The statewide winner in every election from 1872 to 1996 with the exception of 1932, making it a bellwether for Michigan for the late 19th century and the entirety of the 20th century. The county government operates the jail , maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records , administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in

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3276-419: The strike, Schlitz closed the doors to the Milwaukee brewery, thus ending the strike and, ultimately, signaling the end for Schlitz being one of the most popular beer companies in America. The Baldwinsville brewery was purchased by Anheuser-Busch in 1981 to supplement production of the upcoming Budweiser Light – now Bud Light – release in 1982. Because of the nonstandard brewery design, Baldwinsville

3339-472: The subsequent sales of the company. Through research of documents and interviews with former Schlitz brewmasters and taste-testers, Pabst was able to reconstruct the 1960s classic formula. The new Schlitz beer, along with a new television advertising campaign, was officially introduced in 2008. The first markets for relaunching included Chicago , Florida , Boston , Minneapolis-Saint Paul , and Schlitz's former headquarters, Milwaukee. The classic 1960s theme

3402-416: The takeover, Schlitz fought a fierce battle in the courts trying to remain independent. Schlitz finally accepted the takeover when Stroh raised its offer from an initial $ 16 per share to $ 17, and the U.S. Justice Department approved the acquisition once Stroh agreed to sell either Schlitz's Memphis or Winston-Salem breweries. The Milwaukee Schlitz Brewhouse stood unused after the sale to Stroh, until it

3465-460: The town, including the newly expanded brewery. Fortunately, Bosch was compensated by insurance, and by September 7, the brewery was rebuilt and running again. The company continued to grow, and in 1889, The Bosch Brewery stood 11th out of 102 breweries in the state of Michigan . By 1892 the company had branches in Hancock , Calumet, Ishpeming , Eagle Harbor , and Baraga . One place that Bosch

3528-518: Was $ 34,625, and the median income for a family was $ 48,506. The per capita income for the county was $ 18,556. About 12.6% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 21.7% of people under the age of 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over. Houghton County voters tend to favor Republican Party nominees. Since 1884, the Republican Party has been selected in 78% (28 of 36) of national elections. The county backed

3591-400: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.01. The county population contained 20.6% under the age of 18, 20.6% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 15% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.1 years. The population was 45.9% female and 54.1% male. The median income for a household in the county

3654-703: Was also reflected when 1968 Playboy magazine playmate Cynthia Myers became a spokeswoman for Schlitz beer in 2009. In 2014, Pabst Brewing Company was purchased by American entrepreneur Eugene Kashper and TSG Consumer Partners. The deal included the Schlitz brand, as well as Pabst Blue Ribbon, Old Milwaukee, and Colt 45 . Pabst Brewing Company, now headquartered in San Antonio , continues to produce Schlitz beer, Old Milwaukee, and four Schlitz malt liquors—Schlitz Red Bull, Schlitz Bull Ice, Schlitz High Gravity, and Schlitz Malt Liquor. Although it has fallen from its former title as one of America's most popular beers,

3717-474: Was beginning to struggle from the weight of its business, and it had never been able to get out from under the debt it incurred when purchasing Schlitz. In 1999, Pabst Brewing Company gained control of the Schlitz brand with its acquisition of the Stroh Brewery Company. During the reformulating period of the early 1970s, the original Schlitz beer formula was lost and never included in any of

3780-405: Was demolished in 2013. What remained of the historic Schlitz Brewery complex in Milwaukee was transformed with tax increment financing and other government support into a mixed-use development called Schlitz Park. The once-strong Schlitz brand was relegated to cheap beer or "bargain brand" status and became increasingly difficult to find in bars and restaurants. Ironically enough, Stroh itself

3843-569: Was missing, and greatly desired, was Houghton , which he viewed as the ideal location for a brewery. In 1894, when Joseph Wertin Sr. died, Bosch bought out his remaining partners and changed the company name a final time to the Bosch Brewing Company . Bosch bought the Union Brewery in 1899, including the Scheuermann brewing plant located on Portage Lake in Houghton, a location he had long wanted. The plant became known as

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3906-471: Was named after Douglass Houghton, the new state's first State Geologist , who extensively explored the Upper Peninsula's mineralogy. The original boundaries of Houghton County included the future Keweenaw and Baraga Counties. In 1846, the county was organized into three townships: Eagle Harbor , Houghton , and L'Anse . Keweenaw County was set off from Houghton County in 1861 and Baraga County

3969-468: Was set off in 1875. Houghton County's history is heavily marked by immigration. At one of the peaks of its population, the 1910 census had 40.6% of its population of 88,098 as foreign-born, with 89.3% of the population being either foreign-born or having at one or both of their parents as foreign-born. 70.6% of all voters were foreign-born, and only 5.1% of voters were native-born with native parents. This amalgam of immigrants from dozens of countries created

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