Meister Bräu

Chicago brewing rebounded after the fire (though for a time the city subsisted on beer sent from Milwaukee), with more than sixty breweries in operation by the early part of the 20th century. One of the most significant was that founded by Peter Hand, who arrived in Chicago from Prussia. First employed by the Conrad Seipp Brewing Company, a powerhouse brewery that survived the fire (but would not manage the same trick with Prohibition), Hand began his own brewery in 1891, with a focus on German styles. His Meister Brau brand quickly became popular, and Hand's death in 1899 did not slow down the business. Although things were quiet during Prohibition, the Peter Hand Brewery returned and remained very much a part of Chicago, even as other local breweries were being purchased or shut down (though many of those buildings and their associated tied houses are still standing).

Peter Hand's Old Chicago brand became the local canned go-to, and the Meister Brau brand continued to make history, albeit in a somewhat oblique manner. The brewery was purchased by investors in 1967 and renamed for its Meister Brau flagship. Around the same time, a biochemist from Rheingold Brewery in New York brought his formulation for 'Gablinger's Diet Beer' to Meister Brau; it became the first large-scale 'Lite' beer, but the writing was on the wall for Meister Brau; it was sold to Miller in 1972, who tinkered with the formula and relaunched the product as Miller Lite. By 1978, Meister Brau ceased brewing in Chicago—the last brewery in the city was gone.

Subject ID: 90697