thetater
Well-Known Member
First off I would like to say that I live in Burlington Ia. Today I was researching a bottle I found at the antique store. Priced way more then I would say its worth. It was a Moehn Brewery co. bottle and it was from Burlington. I thought that was pretty interesting and when I got home, searched on here to see if I could find anything about Moehn bottles. Nothing, I could not find anything.
So I dug around on the internet and discovered that at one point it was one of the largest breweries in Iowa, and the old building is only a couple minute car ride from my house. Here is a bit more info of the brewery. If anyone else knows about Moehn brewery bottle that would be awesome. So cool to discover something like this.
Chicago brewer Greg Moehn is the great grandnephew of Martin Moehn, founder of the old Moehn Brewing Co. (pronounced “mainâ€) in Burlington, Iowa. The majestic red brick building still stands at 922 Osborn Street in the town on the banks of the Mississippi River.
Before arriving in America, Martin Moehn worked as a cooper in his native Bavaria, barreling pickles and sauerkraut as well as beer. After training as a brewer, he emmigrated to the United States and eventually settled in Burlington, home to a large German population. Once there, he bought beer from local breweries and began putting it in his own bottles to sell.
In about 1890, Martin Moehn bought the Western Steam Brewery, which he ran until 1903. In the meanwhile, around the turn of the century, Moehn saved his money, engaged investors and formed a company to plan for his new brewery. With capital of approximately $115,000, the Moehn Brewing Co. was launched and opened in 1904 with an annual capacity of 25,000 barrels.
“My grandfather, Walter Moehn, who was Martin’s nephew, had a job at the brewery shoveling coal into the furnaces that heated the kettles,†recalls Greg Moehn, of Applied Beverage Technology, and formerly of Hopcats Brewing Co. in Chicago and the old Chicago Brewing Co.
By 1915 the capacity at Moehn Brewing Co. reached 30,000 barrels a year. The Moehn Brewing Co. brands included Moehn Select and Moehn Export. A near beer called Malto-Dextrine was also produced in 1916, “but,†according to Greg Moehn, “it just never took off.†The firm closed in 1917 when Iowa’s Prohibition hit.
In the end, the copper tanks were melted down and shipped to Middleton, Iowa, where a munitions plant used the metal for bullet casings.
“I think the Moehn Brewing Co. building is a great example of German Gothic architecture,†says Greg Moehn. “It was designed by the Chicago architect Bernard Bethel, who designed and built between 40 and 50 other breweries in the Midwest. My family history of brewing is what started me on the craft brewing to begin with. It’s in my blood.â€
So I dug around on the internet and discovered that at one point it was one of the largest breweries in Iowa, and the old building is only a couple minute car ride from my house. Here is a bit more info of the brewery. If anyone else knows about Moehn brewery bottle that would be awesome. So cool to discover something like this.
Chicago brewer Greg Moehn is the great grandnephew of Martin Moehn, founder of the old Moehn Brewing Co. (pronounced “mainâ€) in Burlington, Iowa. The majestic red brick building still stands at 922 Osborn Street in the town on the banks of the Mississippi River.
Before arriving in America, Martin Moehn worked as a cooper in his native Bavaria, barreling pickles and sauerkraut as well as beer. After training as a brewer, he emmigrated to the United States and eventually settled in Burlington, home to a large German population. Once there, he bought beer from local breweries and began putting it in his own bottles to sell.
In about 1890, Martin Moehn bought the Western Steam Brewery, which he ran until 1903. In the meanwhile, around the turn of the century, Moehn saved his money, engaged investors and formed a company to plan for his new brewery. With capital of approximately $115,000, the Moehn Brewing Co. was launched and opened in 1904 with an annual capacity of 25,000 barrels.
“My grandfather, Walter Moehn, who was Martin’s nephew, had a job at the brewery shoveling coal into the furnaces that heated the kettles,†recalls Greg Moehn, of Applied Beverage Technology, and formerly of Hopcats Brewing Co. in Chicago and the old Chicago Brewing Co.
By 1915 the capacity at Moehn Brewing Co. reached 30,000 barrels a year. The Moehn Brewing Co. brands included Moehn Select and Moehn Export. A near beer called Malto-Dextrine was also produced in 1916, “but,†according to Greg Moehn, “it just never took off.†The firm closed in 1917 when Iowa’s Prohibition hit.
In the end, the copper tanks were melted down and shipped to Middleton, Iowa, where a munitions plant used the metal for bullet casings.
“I think the Moehn Brewing Co. building is a great example of German Gothic architecture,†says Greg Moehn. “It was designed by the Chicago architect Bernard Bethel, who designed and built between 40 and 50 other breweries in the Midwest. My family history of brewing is what started me on the craft brewing to begin with. It’s in my blood.â€
