Molson Coors has said it will close both its historic Leinenkugel’s Brewery in Chippewa Falls and Leinenkugel’s 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee early next year. The Chippewa Falls brewery has been in operation for 157 years.
Molson Coors said in a statement that the closures are part of a plan to consolidate operations at the company’s main Milwaukee Brewery. According to the company, production of the Leinenkugel brand has gradually been shifted production to their Milwaukee brewery in recent years. Molson Coors has said that more than 75 percent of the total Leinenkugel volume is already produced in Milwaukee. With the termination of a contract brewing agreement at its Milwaukee brewery, the company now has access capacity there to fill.
“Following the end of a large contract brewing agreement and amid an ongoing canning line investment project at our Milwaukee brewery, we’ve made the decision to close two of our smaller brewing operations in Wisconsin and centralize statewide production at our main site in Milwaukee,” said Molson Coors Chief Supply Chain Officer Brian Erhardt in a company statement. “While never easy, these choices are made with much thought and consideration to position Molson Coors for continued success in Wisconsin and beyond.”
The brewery was founded in Chippewa Falls in 1867 by Prussian immigrant Jacob Mathias Leinenkugel and John Miller, making it the seventh oldest brewery in the United States and the oldest operating business in Chippewa Falls. The 10th Street Brewery located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was formerly the Valentin Blatz Brewing Company brewery, owned by the G. Heileman Brewing Company. It was purchased by Leinenkugel’s in 1995.
Leinenkugel’s was family-owned until 1988 when the family sold it to Miller Brewing Company. At the time, Miller kept the Leinenkugel family on to run its operation, and Dick Leinenkugel is still the company president.
Both breweries will cease production in January 2025.