Schmidt Brewery Catwalk

Before Minnesota Brewing Company purchased the Schmidt Brewery, along the catwalk between the castle like tower and the silo's, one could see the word 'SCHMIDT'. The letters were lit up in bright red neon letters. At night, it could be seen for miles, the letter were large, larger the letters L and K from the landmark sign.

I spent a good hour or so looking for an old photo of the Schmidt neon letters but could not find one. Perhaps someone has one in their old photo albums that they could scan and send in to be posted? My email is listed under my About Me page.

The letters would light up, one at a time to spell the brewery's name in the exact same pattern, S C H M I D T, then all lights off, then all lights on, then all lights off, and all lights on once again. Finally the lights would all turn off again, after a brief pause, the letters would once again light up one at a time in sequence. As a child, I could envision this pattern in my head and time it to the exact second when the letters would turn on and off when ever the neon letters would be out of site. Or you could close your eyes, walk the pattern in your head a couple of times and see how close you were to the sequence. Tell me I'm not the only one who did this when you were young? Someone else has to have done this silly game too....right? Hahaha!

Just Like A Castle

I've always thought the main tower of the Schmidt Brewery looks like a castle.

Jacob Schmidt

Born in Bavarian in 1845, Jacob Schmidt arrived in America at the age of 20. After working in New York and Milwaukee breweries for almost five years, he came to St. Paul to assist his friend, Theodore Hamm, as the brewmaster at Hamm's brewery. Three years later, he travelled to New Ulm to work for August Schell of Schell's Brewery, and from there worked in various breweries around the Midwest.

In 1884, Jacob moved back to St. Paul and purchased a half interest in the North Star Brewery located at Commercial St. & Hudson Rd. (The place had been in operation under various owners since its inception by Edward Drewry and a Mr. Scotten, in 1855.)

SOURCE: Minnesota History of Brewing

Schmidt Brewery History

Originally the Stahlmann Brewery, but built as the Cave Brewery in 1855 was sold the the Jacob Schmidt and family in 1900. They purchased the old Stahlmann Brewery because the North Star Brewery which Jacob Schmidt had half interest in burned to the ground and a new location was needed. In 1901 it became the Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company. They built a new facility and malt house along side the existing structures. In 1955, the plant was sold to the Pfeiffer Brewing Company of Detroit, but continued to use the very popular Schmidt name and logo. In 1972, G. Heilemann Brewing Company of LaCrosse, Wisconsin brought the brewery. I believe the plant closed briefly in 1987 when Heilemann's was purchased by an Australian company. The plant did reopen in 1991 when the Minnesota Brewing Company moved in and produced the strangely named beer labeled 'Pig's Eye'. If however you are a local, Pig's Eye is a very familiar name as it has quite a history in the early days of St Paul. [I believe they wanted to name St Paul 'Pig's Eye' at one point]

The plant struggled in the late 1990's financially. To help keep the plant alive, it sold part of the plant to Gopher State Ethanol and it became the nations first urban ethanol processing plant. Those of you in the Ethanol business are familiar with the foul oder it can produce. As you can image, the neighborhood was full of complaints. In reality, having an ethanol process plant in a neighborhood turn into a very bad idea. In 2002, beer production unfortunately ended at the Schmidt Brewery. The bitter smell continued to stink up the neighborhood. In May of 2004, the ethanol side of things closed for good, not due to the complaints and many court battles that lasted for years. It was closed do to financial reasoning.

Now the plant sits vacant. Though in doing some research tonight, I'm reading the plant may have been sold for 7.5 million and parts of the plant will be reconstructed in to art studio's and perhaps more. It would be nice to see the castle like structure that has stood in St Paul for 150 years to live on versus being torn down.

Pure Spring Water At The Well House

If you look closely, the two blue squares offer free water to anyone who brings bottles or jugs to fill up. Growing up, we often stopped here every couple of weeks to get the good drinking water. Waiting in line some days for others taking their turn. I'm not sure if they still offer the free water as the plant has been closed since 2004 or 2005.

UPDATE 12/12/08: Entrepreneur.com 4.02.1990 - Schmidt Brewery will cease dispensing free spring water.

Taps at the Schmidt Brewery that have dispensed free spring water to the public since 1983 will be turned off sometime after the planned July 3 plant closing.

Each month, thousands of people wait in line to fill their glass jugs or plastic bottles. They take away a combined average of 79,000 gallons each month. The brewery estimates it gives away 955,000 gallons of spring water each year.

From the time the faucets were installed, the water was a hit. Regulars say there really is no season or time of day when there isn't a line.

The regulars were hit hard by the news that they would be cut off from the spring.

END UPDATE

The words are a bit hard to read so I've transcribed them below.

Over 1100 feet beneath this well building flows a stream of sparkling pure spring water. We have drilled deeper than any other brewer in the United States to tap this water because no other single ingredient is more important to the qualtiy and character of our beer than the purity of our perfect brewing water.

This water fell as rain over a century ago and has been viltered pure by nature through natural rock and limestone. There is no finer or purer brewing water anywhere in the world.

We don't aim to make the most beer, Only The Best!

Minnesota Brewing Co. [originally the Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company]

Self Service Car Wash

Another photo from the 7th Avenue car wash.

The Extras At The Car Wash

Just a close up of some of the extras from yesterday's car wash photo.

Four Stall Car Wash

This car wash location has been here on 7th Street in St Paul on the West End neighborhood for a very long time. Their unique shape sets them apart from anything being built today in car wash land. I guess you could say they are a historical landmark for the city of St Paul. I can tell you this, anyone who has driven by them knows exactly where these are. It may have been a while since you drove past them, they are still there cleaning cars on a daily basis. When the day comes and they are no longer standing, their oddly shaped points will be missed by those who remember.