Northern Brewing Company in Superior

14 Comments

1. Paul Lundgren on January 15, 2011 at 8:02 am

   

   There’s a nice Northern Beer sign at Thirsty Pagan Brewing.

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2. dbrewing on January 15, 2011 at 2:03 pm

   Talk to Pete at Michaud beer distributing.

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3. dbrewing on January 15, 2011 at 2:08 pm

   This link has a little info. Also, the Northern brand is available again from Cold Spring as a bargain brand.

   Wisconsin Breweries History: Northern Brewing Company

   The Northern Brewiug Company was founded in 1890 by Louis Rueping and John A. Klinkert as the KIinkert Brewing Company. Both Klinkert and Rueping had worked many years in the brewing business before setting up this brewery in West Superior, Wisconsin. After Klinkert’s partnership ended in 1898, Louis Rueping renamed the original brewery the L. Rueping Company. In the following months, he reorganized and incorporated the Northern Brewing Company. Northern eventually grew to become one of Superior’s most prosperous industries. At one time, Northern beer outsold the combined sales of all other brands in the city.

   Superior, Spooner and Rice Lake were Northern’s biggest accounts in Wisconsin, but the brewery regularly sent two semi-truckloads of beer to the Milwaukee area. When the brewery was using a Circuit brewmaster, a bad batch of Northern beer left the brewery. Beer was returned to the brewery by the truck load. The mistake was costly to the brewery. Many long-time accounts never called on the Northern brewery again.

   After five years of declining sales, the officers of the Northern Brewing Company announced on February 13, 1967, that the brewery would cease operations at the end of the week. The announcement was anti-climactic, since no beer had been brewed since the previous December. The Northern beer label and its distribution network were sold to the Cold Spring Brewing Company of Minnesota. Cold Spring brewed Northern beer, but could not overcome – or benefit from – its past reputation. The brand was discontinued in 1995.

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4. adam on January 15, 2011 at 4:30 pm

   Where can you buy a good cowboy hat in Superior?

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5. dbrewing on January 15, 2011 at 5:06 pm

   Adam, I would try Frankies leather goods or Diamond Royal Tack in the Mariner Mall.

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6. Bob on January 16, 2011 at 11:25 pm

   It used to be available in Duluth in the early 1990s. A liquor store on Woodland Avenue (Royal-something?) used to sell it by the case.

   It was a heavy lager with a bit of sweetness, and it had a great price: about $6/case.

   The strange thing about Northern was its logo. It was a big tree surrounded by two pine cones. Very phallic. The pine cones had snow on them.

   On a related note, I used to have a fondness for Huber Bock in those days. Today, it’s kind of watered down and mainstream. Back then, it was black and heavy, with very little filtering. There was always sediment in every bottle.

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7. wildgoose on January 17, 2011 at 7:28 am

   Which one is the antique, Woodman or the sign?

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8. The Big E on January 17, 2011 at 9:25 pm

   I wish somebody would bring back the People’s Brewing Company. It seems like it would be a delightful brand.

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9. rob on January 26, 2011 at 11:37 pm

   The Northern lager made by Northern Brewing Co. in Cold Spring MN is not even close to the old Northern beer. No flavor, very little carbonation, no aroma, and a very dry aftertaste. Don’t waste your money.

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10. Brian Finstad on May 19, 2011 at 9:04 pm

    I remember the section that was torn down was very tall (not sure how many stories) and stood out when coming over to Superior on the High Bridge. I haven’t looked at it in a while, so I’m not certain which section remains, but one part had letters on it that said “Bottling House.” I was very sad to see it torn down. Superior does not have the great topographical features that Duluth has. It should a long time ago have recognized the historicity of its built form as something character defining to leverage and promote, but instead in all too many instances has taken the demolition approach, thereby relegating what could be a unique and one of a kind city to mediocrity. Not all is lost of course, but so much is. Okay, I’ll get off my soap box now.

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11. Paul Lundgren on May 20, 2011 at 6:42 am

    Here’s some info on Northern Brewing’s predecessor, Klinkert Brewing Co., from Pen and Sunlight Sketches of Duluth, Superior and Ashland, Phoenix Publishing Co., 1892.

    

    My popular “Wiener” also has twenty hands employed regularly, but let’s not get into that.

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12. Paul Lundgren on February 6, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    Here are some images via Facebook from James Pettit’s collection.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

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13. Ramos on February 7, 2015 at 5:34 pm

    I see that the newspaper clipping and the corkscrew both refer to “West Superior.” I’ve never heard that. Eighth and Catlin today is the North End or the North Side.

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14. Paul Lundgren on May 14, 2017 at 12:05 pm

    

    Rob Janicki recently uploaded this image to Facebook — a Northern truck painted by George Janicki.

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