Henry Weinhard's facts for kids
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| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1856 |
| Headquarters | Golden, Colorado |
| Products | Beer |
| Owner | Molson Coors Beverage Company |
Henry Weinhard's is a brand of drinks that started a long time ago. It was first known for its Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve and Blitz-Weinhard beers. These drinks were first made in 1856 in Portland, Oregon.
The company was started by a brewer named Henry Weinhard. His family also made tasty soft drinks, which are still around today!
For many years, Blitz-Weinhard was a very popular drink in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. This was after a time called Prohibition. During Prohibition, it was against the law to make or sell alcoholic drinks. Once Prohibition ended, people could enjoy these drinks again. However, in the 1960s and 1970s, bigger national brands started to become more popular.
Contents
Cool Ads and Changes
In the late 1970s and 1980s, Henry Weinhard's came up with a really clever way to advertise. They created a fake brand of beer called "Schludwiller."
The Schludwiller Campaign
They made funny TV commercials about Schludwiller beer. The ads showed it being made by a company called "California-Eastern Brewing Co." in California. One famous ad featured a "border patrolman" who asked the Schludwiller truck drivers, "Where you fellas going with all that beer?"
Schludwiller even had its own Latin motto: Quod Nesciunt Sibi Damno Non Erit. This roughly means: "What they don't know won't hurt them." These ads helped Henry Weinhard's become popular again.
Becoming a Microbrew
Henry Weinhard's changed its image to be seen as a high-quality "microbrew." A microbrew is a beer made by a smaller, independent brewery. This helped the brand become very popular once more.
However, even with its popularity, the original brewery in Portland eventually closed. Like many businesses, the Blitz-Weinhard brewery was bought and sold by different companies. These included the Pabst Brewing Company and Miller Brewing Company. Today, it is part of Molson Coors Beverage Company. In August 2021, Molson Coors announced that they would stop making Henry Weinhard's Reserve beer.
The Original Brewery
In 1862, Henry Weinhard moved to Portland, Oregon. He bought an old brewery there. Then, in 1864, he moved to a much bigger place. This new brewery covered two whole city blocks!
Brewery's Journey and Closure
This large Blitz-Weinhard brewery in Portland kept making drinks even as its owners changed. It stayed open until 1999. That year, the Stroh Brewery Company sold it to the Miller Brewing Company, which then closed it down.
The brewery was a well-known part of an old industrial area in Portland. This area is now called the Pearl District. When the brewery closed in 1999, it marked the start of a big project to make the area new again.
After the Portland brewery closed, Henry Weinhard's beer was made at the Olympia brewery in Tumwater, Washington. But that brewery also closed in 2003. For a while, some of its beers were made by the Full Sail Brewing Company in Hood River until 2013.
Today, the Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve brand is owned by Molson Coors Beverage Company. However, as of August 2021, Molson has said they plan to stop making this particular beer.
Tasty Sodas
Molson Coors Beverage Company has decided to focus on Henry Weinhard's brand for gourmet sodas. These special sodas are sold from Colfax, California.
Soda Flavors
You can find these delicious flavors:
