News
25th February 1840
25th February 1840
Joseph A. Mayer was born in Baden, Verden, Niedersachsen, Germany. He was the oldest son of Ignatius Mayer. In 1847 the Mayer family emigrated to America and settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where they resumed the business of farming.
In 1864 Joseph was joined in marriage to Agnes Harmeyer. His brother Jacob married her sister, Christiana B. Harmeyer, a year later. In all, the Harmeyer/Mayer marriages would produce 21 children.
In 1868 the two Meyer families moved north to Menasha, Wisconsin and purchased the Island City Brewery on Lake Winnebago. Despite being the older of the two brothers Joseph was the "& Co." in the newly renamed firm Jacob F. Mayer & Co.. In 1875 Jacob left the company and Joseph ran it as its sole proprietor for the next four years.
In 1879 the brothers sold the brewery to Habermehl & Mueller for $20,000 and moved west 120 miles to Spencer and established another, but sold out less than a year later to Eichert & Frothinger. Joseph A Mayer died just a few months later on the 14th of February, 1882. He was 41 years of age.
Habermehl & Mueller completely rebuilt the Menasha brewery, but were unable to pay their debts and were forced out of business in 1886. The brewery then ran through two more owners before being purchased by investor Frank Fries, in 1888, for the bargain price of $9000.
Fries brought in two friends, the highly regarded brewers brewers Christian and Martin Walter, and the newly named Walter Bros. Brewing Company was finally a success. On the strength of its product and reputation the brewery fought off its massive Milwaukee competitors and carved out a sizable regional market. The firm survived Prohibition and finally closed in 1956. The brewery in Spencer was eventually purchased by another Walter brother named John, who ran the brewery until it burned down in 1889. He went on to create the Walter Brewery in Eau Claire.
Joseph A. Mayer was born in Baden, Verden, Niedersachsen, Germany. He was the oldest son of Ignatius Mayer. In 1847 the Mayer family emigrated to America and settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where t... View More
News
14th September 1841
14th September 1841
Jacob Frederick Mayer was born in Baden-Württemberg. He was the son of Ignatius Mayer (1799-1876), a farmer. The family emigrated to America in 1847 and found some farmland in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1865 Jacob married the daughter of another Milwaukee farmer named Christiana B. Harmeyer. The union produced 11 children, several of whom died in infancy. The following year his brother Joseph married Christiana's sister Agnes. In 1868 the two Mayer families moved 100 miles north to Menasha, Wisconsin and purchased a brewery owned by a Mr. (Peter?) Caspary on Lake Winnebago (although there is conflicting evidence as to the owner). The brewery was renamed the Jacob F. Mayer & Co., Island City Brewery, which implies that Jacob was the controlling partner above his older brother Joseph. Perhaps the brothers had a falling out, or perhaps it was the impending death of their father, but in 1875 Jacob left the firm. He eventually settled in Neenah, Wisconsin where he opened a beer and soda bottling company. In 1892 he ran for alderman in Menasha but lost. Jacob Frederick Mayer died on August 22nd, 1931 at 90 years of age. The brewery he founded with his brother eventually became the Walter Bros. Brewing Company. It survived prohibition as a beloved regional institution and closed in 1956.
Jacob Frederick Mayer was born in Baden-Württemberg. He was the son of Ignatius Mayer (1799-1876), a farmer. The family emigrated to America in 1847 and found some farmland in Milwaukee, Wisco... View More
News
14th March 1856
14th March 1856
Christian Walter, the son of a cobbler, was born in Bergfelden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He was one of twelve children, five of them brothers who would grow up to form a brewing dynasty in the American heartland.
After Christian finished his education in Germany he drove a milk wagon for two years. He emigrated to America in 1872 and landed in Milwaukee Wisconsin on June 12th with five dollars in his pocket. Within the week he had found work in a brewery (possibly Fred Miller) but the job did not suit him, and he left after a few months.
He lived four years in Milwaukee and worked at Miller, Pabst and Sweigert & Gettelman. He then left town and set up shops in several Wisconsin cities over the next three years, staying only a few months in each. These business ventures by all accounts didn't end in failure, on the contrary he was seemingly never satisfied, or perhaps he soaked up all the knowledge he could, or maybe he was simply looking for a better situation.
In 1877 Walter, now 21, opened a saloon in Appleton, Wisconsin. Two years later he relocated his business to the town of Freedom, then later to Apple Creek. In 1887 he returned to Appleton and worked for his brother George for six months. Then in 1888 investor Frank Fries hired Christian and his younger brother Martin to operate a brewery that he'd just purchased called the Island City, in Menasha, Wisconsin.
The brewery was only eight years old but the Walter Brothers rebuilt it into a state-of-the-art facility. By 1891 the company had turned such a profit that the brothers were able to buy out Fries's stake. From then on out it was called the Walter Bros. Brewing Company.
Christian married Amelia Buchsler on the 28th of November 1875. Miss Buchsler (also Bixler) was also a German immigrant. She had crossed the Atlantic just three years earlier, an orphan at age 16. Their union would produce seven children. Despite its 100 mile proximity to several of the largest breweries in America the Walter Bros. Brewing Company was able to carve out a substantial and loyal territory in northeastern Wisconsin. Sales were strong right up until Prohibition shut them down in 1920.
Christian Walter died at his home in Los Angeles on August 10th, 1932. He was 76 years of age. The town, despite being 12 years into Prohibition hung their flags at half-staff at the news of his death. Had Walter lived another year he would have seen barrels once again rolling through the doors of the family business. As it was, the Walter Bros. Brewery delivered their first post-Repeal beer on July 1st 1933. The firm had retained its reputation, and kept and grew its loyal customer base even in this new era in which the Milwaukee breweries enjoyed even more power. The brewery ultimately closed in 1956 and the brewery buildings were razed in 1960.
Christian Walter, the son of a cobbler, was born in Bergfelden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He was one of twelve children, five of them brothers who would grow up to form a brewing dynasty in ... View More
1860 FoundedPeter Caspari, Island City Brewery134/144 Nicolet Blvd & Commercial Street
1868 Jacob Frederick Mayer & Co., (Joseph Mayer) Island City Brewery134/144 Nicolet Blvd & Commercial Street
1879 Habermehl & Mueller, Island City Brewery 134/144 Nicolet Blvd & Commercial Street
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1882
1882
George Habermehl, Island City Brewery
1882 George Habermehl, Island City Brewery 134/144 Nicolet Blvd & Commercial Street
1888 Walter Bros. (Martin & Christian) & Fries, Island City Brewery 1888-1891134/144 Nicolet Blvd & Commercial Street
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Begin: 1888 End 1920
1888 - 1920
1891 Walter Bros. Brewing Co., Island City Brewing Co. 1891-1920134/144 Nicolet Blvd & Commercial Street
Products
Dry Cure
1920-1933
Eagle's Special
1891-1920
Export Beer
1891-1920
Gold Label Beer
1891-1920
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Begin: 1895 End 1920
Photos
Circa: 1896
Circa: 1896
The brewery as it appeared in 1896 as designed by Wilhelm Griesser of Chicago, Illinois.
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Circa: 1898
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Circa: 1899
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Circa: 1903
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Circa: 1904
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Circa: 1905
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Circa: 1906
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Circa: 1907
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Circa: 1909
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Circa: 1910
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Circa: 1910
Circa: 1910
An etching of the brewery buildings from a pre-Prohibition label.
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Circa: 1911
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Circa: 1912
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Circa: 1914
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Circa: 1915
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Circa: 29th December 1917
Circa: 29th December 1917
Upon enactment of Colorado state Prohibition the newly closed Walter's Brewery in Pueblo distributed its assets to their sister breweries in Wisconsin. From the Neenah (Wisconsin) Times
1933 Walter Bros. Brewing Company134/144 Nicolet Blvd & Commercial Street
Products
Gem Beer
1933-1950
Gem Bock
1933-1950
Gem Pilsener Beer
1933-1950
Gold Label Beer
1933-1950
Holiday Special Beer
1933-1950
K Pale Beer
1933-1950
Walter Bros Bock
1937-1950
Walter Bros Pilsener Beer
1933-1950
Walter's Bock
1933-1950
1938Capacity 30000 Barrels
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1938
1939Capacity 30000 Barrels
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1939
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1940
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1942
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1944
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1946
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1947
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1951
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1952
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1953
1956 ClosedWalter Bros. Brewing Company