Fitger Brewing Company, brewery in Duluth, Minnesota, USA
Fitger Brewing Company is a historic brewery in Duluth with ten brick buildings constructed between 1886 and 1911. The complex stretches about 720 feet along Lake Superior's shoreline and includes storage houses, boiler facilities, wash houses, and administrative buildings that served different stages of beer production.
The brewery began in 1857 as Luce-Busch Brewery and was transformed by August Fitger, a German-trained brewer who joined around 1882 and gained ownership. Following Prohibition from 1920 to 1933, it resumed beer production and peaked at 100,000 barrels yearly in the 1940s and 1950s before closing in 1972 after 115 years of operation.
The complex reflects the brewing craft that shaped generations of local life and work. You can see how the place served as a gathering spot where workers and visitors created a shared community experience tied to the city's identity and daily rhythms.
The site is now a mixed-use space with shops, restaurants, a hotel, and a museum displaying the brewing history. You can walk freely through the historic brick buildings and view old equipment, photographs, and objects that document the work and daily operations of the original brewery.
During Prohibition, the brewery unexpectedly pivoted to making Nut Goodies candy and a popular mixer called Silver Spray used to flavor bootleg alcohol, helping the company survive when beer production became illegal. This adaptability kept the operation running through an era that shut down most competing breweries.
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