Sprecher Brewery facts for kids
Sprecher Brewery Logo Originally designed by Charlie Radtke, Milwaukee, WI.
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Sprecher Brewery in Glendale
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| Industry | Alcoholic beverages, soft drinks |
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| Founded | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Glendale, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Products | Beer, soda |
Sprecher Brewery is a company in Glendale, Wisconsin, U.S. It was started in 1985 in Milwaukee by Randal Sprecher. It was Milwaukee's first craft brewery since the time of Prohibition. Sprecher makes many different kinds of beers and special sodas. It is very well known for its delicious root beer.
Even though they make many award-winning craft beers, the company is probably most famous for its Black Bavarian beer and its special sodas. Sprecher actually makes more root beer than all of its other drinks combined!
Contents
Sprecher's Story
How It All Started
The person who started Sprecher Brewery, Randal Sprecher, grew up in California. He first studied oceanography and then learned how to brew drinks. He worked for another company called Pabst in Milwaukee. After working there for about four years, he decided to start his own company in 1985.
Mr. Sprecher started his new company with a small budget. He even built and bought some of the equipment himself to save money. For example, he got a bottling machine from Coca-Cola. Some of this original equipment is still used today! The current Sprecher building was bought in 1994.
New Owners and Growth
In January 2020, a group of local investors bought Sprecher Brewery. Sharad Chadha became the new CEO and President. The new leaders helped the company grow a lot. They started selling Sprecher products in 10 more states, reaching 30 states in total. They also added new machines to make more drinks, like a new canning line and more storage space.
In just two years, the company doubled its number of employees to 110 people. They went from working one shift four days a week to working two shifts five days a week. This means they can make many more drinks! In October 2021, Sprecher also bought six soda brands from another company, including Green River.
In January 2022, Sprecher changed all of its beer styles from bottles to cans. They also updated their brand with new labels.
How Sprecher Makes Drinks
Sprecher uses real Wisconsin honey as a main ingredient in its root beer. Their Ginger Ale uses ginger grown right in Wisconsin. The way Sprecher makes its root beer has not changed since the company started.
They use a special "fire-brewed" process. This means they brew the drinks in a large kettle with fire underneath it, instead of steam. This fire helps to caramelize the sugars, which makes the flavors mix well and creates a rich taste.
Year-Round Beers
- Special Amber - A type of lager
- Black Bavarian - A dark beer
- Hefe Weiss - A wheat ale
- Abbey Triple - A Belgian-style beer
- Pineapple X-Press - A Belgian IPA
- Juicy IPA - A juicy India Pale Ale
Seasonal Beers
These beers are only available at certain times of the year:
- Mai Bock - A blonde beer (Spring)
- Milwaukee Pils - A lager (Summer)
- Oktoberfest - A Märzen beer (Autumn)
- Winter Lager - A dark lager (Winter)
Limited Release Beers
These are special beers made in small amounts:
- Czar Brew - A strong, aged stout
- Imperial Stout - A very rich stout
- Framboise - A Belgian-style fruit beer
Sprecher Sodas
Sprecher makes many different kinds of sodas:
- Root Beer
- Lo-Cal Root Beer (lower calories)
- Caffeinated Root Beer (with caffeine)
- Maple Syrup Root Beer
- Cream Soda
- Lo-Cal Cream Soda
- Orange Dream
- Lo-Cal Orange Dream
- Cherry Cola
- Door County Cherry Soda
- Grape
- Ginger Ale - Wisconsin Ginger
- Puma Kola - A cola with vanilla and cinnamon
- Caffeinated Citrus Splash
- Ginger Beer
- Dr Sprecher
- Strawberry (Seasonal)
- Red Apple (Seasonal)
- Raspberry (Seasonal)
- Blueberry (Seasonal)
- Valencia Orange Sparkling Water
- Red Raspberry Sparkling Water
- Fresh Cut Mango Sparkling Water
- Ripe Strawberry Sparkling Water
What makes these sodas special is that they are sweetened with pure honey. Many other soft drinks use sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.
Visiting Sprecher Brewery
Brewery Tours
Sprecher Brewery offers tours of its facility all year round. On a tour, you can see where they brew the drinks, the cool storage rooms, and the bottling line. The tours end in an indoor beer garden. Here, visitors can try many different beers and sodas that are on tap.
Traveling Beer Garden
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Sprecher has two sets of old firetrucks and ambulances. These vehicles are used as "Traveling Beer Gardens" in Milwaukee County Parks from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Each set of trucks visits a different park for ten days, then moves to another spot during the summer. This is a fun, modern twist on the old beer gardens from the 1900s in Milwaukee. It's a great way for the parks and the company to work together.
Awards and Recognition
Sprecher has won many awards for 25 different types of beer in big competitions around the world. Some of their awards include:
- 2004 GABF Small Brewing Company of the Year
- 2004 GABF Small Brewing Company Brewmaster of the Year
- 2007 Australian International Beer Awards: Best of Show & Gold Medal for Russian Imperial Stout
- 2014 World Beer Cup: Gold for Black Bavarian, Bronze for Shakparo
- They also win several awards every year at the Los Angeles International Beer Competition and the United States Open Beer Championships.
In 2008, The New York Times newspaper did a taste test of 25 different root beers from across the U.S. Four judges picked Sprecher's root beer as number one! They said it was "wonderfully balanced and complex." In October 2009, Details magazine also praised the root beer, calling it "elegant."
Sprecher in Pop Culture
- In 2005, Sprecher won a "Most Deserving Small Business Office" Makeover from Xerox, Hon Furniture, and Entrepreneur magazine. They were even featured on NBC's Today show!
- In November 2006, a contestant on NBC's Deal or No Deal was offered a lifetime supply of Sprecher's Root Beer, which was his favorite soda.
