Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, a subsidiary of MillerCoors, invests $50 million to increase capacity at its 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 25,000 to 250,000 barrels (29,000 to 290,000 hl). Currently only a few specialty brands like the Leinenkugel's Big Eddy line are produced at the Milwaukee brewery with the bigger selling brands like Honey Weiss, Berry Weiss, Leinie's Red and Summer Shandy are brewed at Leinenkugel’s headquarter in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin or at Miller’s historic brewing site in Miller Valley/ Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The 10th Street Brewery was opened in 1986 by G. Heileman Brewing Company for its Blatz label and was sold to Leinenkugel in 1995. It is the smaller of the two Leinenkugel breweries.
The expansion in Milwaukee will include a 2,280-square foot addition to the south end of the brewhouse and a nearly 10,000-square foot tank cellar on the north side of the building and is expected to be operational by March 2018. Main purpose of the enlargement is not only the increased capacity but also the higher flexibility in the beer production and packaging.
"It is not just about expanded capacity but also more diversity of styles we can brew here." says Randy Burroughs, MillerCoors Operations Business Manager.
Leinenkugel was founded in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin in May 1867 by Prussian immigrant JacobMathias Leinenkugel (1842-1899) and John Miller, who sold his stake in the company in 1884. In 1988 the company was sold to Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but sixth generation family members CJ, Ellie, Matt and Kirk Leinenkugel are still involved in the business. The brewery nowadays operates as a fully owned subsidiary of MillerCoors.
