Metz Brewery
Encyclopedia
The Metz Brothers Brewing Company was among the first brewers in the U.S. state
of Nebraska
, having been established in the city of Omaha in 1859. It was among the earliest manufacturers in the city. After originally opening as the McCumbe Brewery, the facility was sold several times until brothers Frederick
and Joseph Metz purchased it in 1861. Metz was one of the "Big 4" brewers located in Omaha, which also included the Krug
, Willow Springs
and Storz breweries.
facility. Considered to be modern for the time, the facilities sat on an entire city block. Early brewing equipment included three cooling vaults, two of which were twenty feet wide by seventy-five feet long, and one smaller, being twenty feet wide by thirty in length. The ice rooms immediately above were of the same dimensions. The mash tub and brewing kettle each had a capacity for holding one hundred barrels. Barns for the delivery horses were also located on site. The brewery was said to have "no equal in the country." The Metz brothers also ran the Metz Brothers Beer Hall, located on 510 South Tenth Street, where beer was supplied in barrels by horse-drawn cart from the main brewery.
The Metz Brewery closed because of the Prohibition
. The facility was sold to an agriculture company in 1920. The label was brewed until 1961 by the Walter Brewing Company
of Pueblo, Colorado
.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, having been established in the city of Omaha in 1859. It was among the earliest manufacturers in the city. After originally opening as the McCumbe Brewery, the facility was sold several times until brothers Frederick
Frederick Metz
Frederick Metz founded and owned the Metz Brewery in Omaha, Nebraska, for forty years. He was also a two-time representative in the Nebraska Legislature, and an influential member of Omaha society.-Biography:...
and Joseph Metz purchased it in 1861. Metz was one of the "Big 4" brewers located in Omaha, which also included the Krug
Krug Brewery
The Fred Krug Brewery was located at 2435 Deer Park Boulevard in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1859, Krug Brewery was the first brewery in the city. Krug was one of the "Big 4" brewers located in Omaha, which also included the Storz, Willow Springs and Metz breweries...
, Willow Springs
Willow Springs Distilling Company
Willow Springs Distilling Company was a brewery located in south Omaha, Nebraska. Part of a national conglomerate, Willow Springs was Nebraska's first distillery, and grew to become the nation’s third largest distillery before the Great Depression...
and Storz breweries.
History
In 1880 the Metz Brewery was located at 1717 South 3rd Street, and was producing 12400 barrels (1,971.4 m³) per year. Later the facility moved to 209 Hickory Street in the old Willow Springs Distilling CompanyWillow Springs Distilling Company
Willow Springs Distilling Company was a brewery located in south Omaha, Nebraska. Part of a national conglomerate, Willow Springs was Nebraska's first distillery, and grew to become the nation’s third largest distillery before the Great Depression...
facility. Considered to be modern for the time, the facilities sat on an entire city block. Early brewing equipment included three cooling vaults, two of which were twenty feet wide by seventy-five feet long, and one smaller, being twenty feet wide by thirty in length. The ice rooms immediately above were of the same dimensions. The mash tub and brewing kettle each had a capacity for holding one hundred barrels. Barns for the delivery horses were also located on site. The brewery was said to have "no equal in the country." The Metz brothers also ran the Metz Brothers Beer Hall, located on 510 South Tenth Street, where beer was supplied in barrels by horse-drawn cart from the main brewery.
The Metz Brewery closed because of the Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
. The facility was sold to an agriculture company in 1920. The label was brewed until 1961 by the Walter Brewing Company
Walter Brewing Company
The Walter Brewing Company was founded in Pueblo, Colorado in 1898. Their famous Pueblo Brewery had changed hands at least sixteen times in the thirty years before Walter was founded.- Walter family brewing history :...
of Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
.
External links
- Historical photo of the Metz Brewery.
- 1909 Metz Brewery advertisement
