Archive Dive: The Pioneer Breweries of the Twin Ports

This week we dive into the archive to pull up some history on the pioneer brewers of Duluth and Superior. Brewing began in both communities in 1859, providing both a potent potable and jobs, as at the time the entire Head of the Lakes was struggling financially in the wake of the Panic of 1857. Several breweries sprouted on both sides of the bay in the late 1860s and early 1870s as local populations boomed. But only one brewery survived the Panic of 1873, and it was gone by the mid 1880s when the Fitger Brewing Company, the region’s first large commercial brewer, began making beer. Read the stories  of Duluth and Superiors first brewers here.

An 1864 advertisement for Duluth’s first brewery. [Image: Zenith City Press]