The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. will close its 10th Street brewery in Milwaukee and its main beer production plant in Chippewa Falls, where the business was founded more than 150 years ago.
Production from both facilities will be moved to the Molson Coors brewery complex on the Milwaukee’s West Side by mid-January, the brand’s parent company Molson Coors announced Wednesday.
The move comes less than three months after Molson Coors sold four of its craft beer brands in its Tenth & Blake division – Hop Valley, Terrapin, Revolver and Atwater – to New York-based Tilray Brands. Leinenkugel’s, which was acquired by then Miller Brewing Co. in 1988, also operates under the Tenth & Blake business umbrella.
The move also comes with the impending end of the longtime agreement that had Pabst Brewing Co. producing many of its brands at Molson Coors’ Milwaukee brewery.
“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,” Molson Coors Chief Supply Chain Officer Brian Erhardt said in a statement. “While never easy, these choices are made with much thought and consideration to position Molson Coors for continued success in Wisconsin and beyond.”
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Leinenkugel’s remains a “cherished part of our company and culture,” Erhardt said, adding that the Leinie Lodge and attached pilot brewery will remain open in Chippewa Falls, Erhardt said. “That’s not changing.”
The closings will result in the loss of a total of 90 jobs – 34 in Milwaukee and 56 in Chippewa Falls – according to notices filed by Molson Coors on Thursday with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The layoffs at both facilities are expected to begin on Jan. 17.
The Milwaukee brewery layoffs include 33 hourly employees and one salaried employee. The Chippewa Falls plant layoffs include 54 hourly employees and two salaried employees. Hourly workers at both plants are represented by local Teamsters chapters.
Leinenkugel’s, which was founded in 1867, was purchased by Miller in 1988, 20 years before Miller and Colorado-based Coors Brewing Co. joined forces to form MillerCoors. The business has operated as part of the Molson Coors Beverage Co. since 2020. Molson Coors has about 120 employees in Chippewa Falls, according to its website.
Leinenkugel’s President Tony Bugher, who represents the sixth generation of the Leinenkugel family to lead the brewery, told The Chippewa Herald he did not support the decision but said he understands the need to consolidate. “We had every intention to be here for another 157 years. However, that was an unfortunate decision,” he said. “I am just incredibly sorry that this is happening. I’m sorry for our family. I’m sorry for this community, and most importantly, I’m really sorry to the employees who have done so much for us over the past, you know, several decades.”
Today the Leinenkugel’s brand offers a wide range of German-inspired beers. Products include year-round offerings like Summer Shandy, Juicy Peach, Northwoods Amber and Dark Lager, as well as seasonal brews such as Big Eddy imperial stout and Sunset Wheat.
Leinenkugel’s 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee, located at 1515 N. 10th St. near Downtown, is a red Leinie’s-branded building that’s visible along Interstate 43. Built in 1986 by defunct La Crosse-based G. Heileman Brewing Co., it closed a few years later before being purchased by Miller Brewing Co. in 1995 to meet demand for increased production. For the past several years it has produced some of Molson Coors more specialty brands including Leinenkugel’s and beers from Georgia-based Terrapin.
The 10th Street plant has an assessed value of more than $1.8 million, according to the city of Milwaukee Assessor’s Office.
“Of course, I am saddened by the pending closure, and I am hopeful the disruption in the lives of the people who work there is minimal,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. “I am optimistic the facility will return to brewing beer, just as it did after Heileman stopped brewing Blatz beer on 10th Street.”
Since 2023, Leinenkugel’s also has operated a small brewing operation as part of the J. Leinenkugel’s Barrel Yard inside American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, that isn’t expected to be affected by the decision. The Leinie Lodge taproom in Chippewa Falls and a small pilot brewery there also will remain in operation, Molson Coors said.
Leinenkugel beer production will be shifted to Molson Coors’ sprawling 80-acre brewing complex along West State Street, which also produces a wide range of brands, including Miller High Life, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Blue Moon and Milwaukee’s Best. The brewery also handles production for other brewers on a contract basis.
