HOME MOVIES: GETTELMAN BREWING COMPANY 1940s

Genre: home movie

Year Published: 1940s

Format: 16mm

Description: This color home movie is about a visit to the A. Gettelman Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 1940s. The A. Gettelman Brewing Company was an American brewery that was based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1856 until 1961, when it was sold to the Miller Brewing Company. It was the smallest of the "Big Five" breweries from Milwaukee's brewing legacy. Although remaining a mid-sized brewer among the city's giants, Gettelman was an important innovator of beer packaging and advertising and a significant acquisition in the expansion of the Miller Brewing Company. Opening: Man walks outside of the Gettelman Brewing Company. Sign for the Gettelman Brewing Company. Trucks outside of the company. A man pushes barrels. Men walk outside the brewing company (:08-1:31). Workers stand around outside next to a Gettelman Brewing Company truck. Men brew beer. Vials are moved around. A vial is held next to a chart. Barley for beer is looked at. A beer is taken out of a refrigerator unit and sipped. Hops are poured into a machine (1:32-3:59). Beer is being made ins of a huge vat. Outside of the brewing company. Beer bottles come down the line. Men grab boxes of beer and crates for loading. Crates slide down. Men sit around and drink beer (4:00-5:58). Men and trucks outside of the brewing company. Men sip beer outside. Men walk around with 'Strike' signs. Cars on city street. Construction on a building. Gettelman Beer truck pulls out (5:59-7:41). Two men clown around. Men point and discuss. A man holds a beer bottle outside. A woman walks with a beer. Men look over the construction. Men talk near a car while holding beer sips the beer, laugh (7:42-9:18). Driving down a street as seen through the windshield. Two men walk by. Two men get ready to go fishing. Men carry a fishing net. A man fixes a pier in the water. A dog on the pier. A man pets a dog, plays with its ears. Men stand near a car. Driving down a street (9:19-11:15). What became the Gettelman Co. was founded by George Schweickhart as George Schweickhart's Menomonee Brewery in 1856. In 1871, Schweickhart added Adam Gettelman as a partner. Adam Gettelman became sole owner in 1876 and renamed the brewery to A. Gettelman Brewing Company. In 1891, the brewer introduced its "$1,000 Beer" challenge, promising to award $1,000 to anyone who could prove it was made with anything other than pure barley, hops, and malt. In 1895, they introduced the Milwaukee's Best brand which, like their other beers, was only sold regionally. Gettelman Brewery sold "near beer" during Prohibition. In 1946, inspired by heinzelmännchen of German folklore, the company introduced an eight-ounce beer bottle called "Fritzie". In 1959, they became distributors for Tucher Brewery of Nuremberg, Germany. This was the first such relationship with a foreign brewer by an American brewing company. The company was sold in 1961 to Miller Brewing Company.

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