August Schell Brewing Company facts for kids
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| Location | 1860 Schell Rd New Ulm, Minnesota United States |
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| Opened | 1860 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Annual production volume | 145,000 US beer barrels (170,000 hL) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The August Schell Brewing Company is a company in New Ulm, Minnesota that makes drinks. It was started by a German immigrant named August Schell in 1860. It is the second oldest family-owned company of its kind in America. It became the oldest and largest in Minnesota in 2002. This was when the company bought the rights to the Grain Belt brand. In September 2010, the company celebrated its 150th birthday with a big two-day festival. Every year, Schell's also celebrates German holidays. These include Bock Fest and Oktoberfest. The company is still owned and run by the Schell family today.
Contents
History
August Schell was born in Germany in 1828. He moved to the United States in 1848. He first worked as a machinist in Cincinnati. Later, he moved to New Ulm with a group called the Turner Society. In New Ulm, he used his skills to build a mill.
In 1860, August Schell teamed up with Jacob Bernhardt. They started a company to make drinks for the many German immigrants in the area. They chose a spot two miles from New Ulm, by the Cottonwood River. Even though much of New Ulm was damaged during the Dakota War of 1865, their company building was not harmed. In 1866, August Schell bought out Jacob Bernhardt. This started a long line of family ownership that continues today. During this time, the company grew bigger and made more products.
August Schell passed away in 1891. His wife, Theresa, took over the company. Their son, Otto, then became the manager. Otto had studied how to make drinks in Germany. He helped modernize the company by adding refrigeration. This was a big improvement. In 1911, both Otto and Theresa passed away. George Marti, who was married to August's daughter Emma, then took charge.
In 1919, a new law called Prohibition began in the United States. This law made it illegal to make or sell many types of drinks. The August Schell Brewing Company, like many others, faced tough times. They started making "near-beer," which had very little alcohol. They also made soft drinks and candy to stay in business. Prohibition ended in 1933 with the 21st Amendment. George Marti had successfully guided the company through this difficult period. He passed away shortly after, in 1934.
George's son, Alfred ("Al") Marti, became the president and manager. Al ran the company until 1969. He then retired and passed leadership to his son, Warren Marti. During this time, many smaller companies were closing or being bought by larger ones. Schell's faced challenges too. At one point, they had to cut down a large black walnut tree on their land and sell its wood to keep going. Warren helped the company adapt to new tastes. They introduced new products like Schell's Export Beer, Schell's Light Beer, and 1919 Root Beer. The root beer was named after the year Prohibition started.
In 1984, Warren's son, Ted Marti, took over operations. He became president in 1985. Ted had studied at the Siebels Institute of Brewing. He began to offer many more types of drinks. One of these, Schell's Pilsener, won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 1988. Schell's continued to expand its offerings through the 1990s. They made 38 different types of drinks during that decade.
In 2002, Schell's Brewery grew even more. They bought the recipes and brand for Grain Belt Beer. They moved the production to their New Ulm facility. Schell's then introduced more Grain Belt varieties. These included Grain Belt Nordeast in 2010 and Grain Belt Southwest Cerveza in 2019.
The next generation of the Marti family is now getting more involved. Ted's oldest son, Jace Marti, became a brewmaster in 2010. He leads the creation of Schell's Noble Star line of sour drinks. The company opened a special facility called Starkeller in New Ulm for this line. This building also has a tasting room for these unique sour drinks.
The company keeps updating its products. They have stopped making some older drinks. They have also added new ones, like an IPA, a Kolsch, and a Cream Ale. In 2020, they planned to release a line of hard seltzers called Grain Belt N'icebreakers. They also planned a low-calorie Grain Belt Elite.
Brewery
The historic Schell's company building is in New Ulm, Minnesota. It is located next to the Cottonwood River. The building has grown and changed over many years. This was to make room for new machines and more production. Besides being a place where drinks are made, the company grounds have other interesting things. There is the old Schell's mansion, a gift shop, a garden area, and even a deer enclosure. Visitors can take tours that start at the gift shop. Peafowl also live on the grounds and can be seen walking around freely.
Events
The August Schell Brewing Company holds yearly Oktoberfest and Bock Fest celebrations. These events take place on the grounds of the historic Schell's company. Oktoberfest is usually in early October. It has a large tent where the Schell's hobo band plays music. A special Oktoberfest keg is also tapped. Bock Fest is held in late February or early March. It features a fun hunt for Bock drinks hidden around the company grounds and nearby Flandrau State Park. There are also large fire pits where people can warm up. To celebrate their unique sour drinks, an event called Funk Junction is held at the Starkeller facility. This event features sour and "funky" drinks from companies across the United States.
What They Brew
The August Schell Brewing Company makes many different kinds of drinks. They have products available all year round. They also have special drinks that are only available for certain seasons.
Year-round Products
They make classic American lagers, which are light in color and have a mild taste. They also produce darker lagers and amber lagers. Some of their year-round products include:
- Original (also known as Deer Brand): A classic light-colored lager.
- Original Light: A lighter version of their original product.
- Firebrick: An amber lager with a reddish color and a mild, sweet taste.
- Keller Pils: An unfiltered golden drink.
- Dark: A deep amber-colored drink with a classic malt taste.
- Cream Ale: A lighter drink with a smooth finish.
- IPA: A hop-forward drink with tropical fruit smells.
- Grain Belt Premium: A light to medium-colored drink with a sweet taste.
- Grain Belt Premium Light: A lighter, crisp version of Grain Belt Premium.
- Grain Belt Nordeast: A smooth-tasting amber lager.
- Grain Belt Southwest Cerveza: A crisp, copper-colored Mexican-style lager with a hint of lime.
Seasonal and Special Products
Schell's also creates special drinks for different times of the year or for unique collections.
- Seasonal Brews: These change throughout the year. Examples include Bock (a dark amber drink), Hefeweizen (a light, cloudy wheat drink), Oktoberfest (a copper-orange drink for fall), and Snowstorm (a flavor that changes every year).
- Noble Star Collection: This is a special group of sour drinks. They are aged in old cypress wood tanks. These unique drinks have different fruity and complex flavors.
- Grain Belt N'icebreakers: These are hard seltzers that were introduced in 2020.
- Shift Happens Miniseries: A limited collection of drinks released in 2020 to celebrate the company's 160th anniversary.
- Stag Series / Variety Pack Brews: These are innovative and experimental drinks released in limited editions. They can be found in special variety packs.
Images for kids
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Mansion on grounds of August Schell Brewery.
See Also
- List of breweries in Minnesota
