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Tiny village's big thirst for beer history pays off

Potosi selected as site of brewery group's national museum

By Meg Jones
mjones@journalsentinel.com

Potosi —When it came time for 3,000 beer memorabilia collectors to pick a city for their group's national museum, there were a couple of obvious names on the list - St. Louis and Milwaukee - and one not so obvious, Potosi , Wis.

But the American Breweriana Association passed on the cities where beer runs through residents' veins and last week picked tiny Potosi on the banks of the Mississippi River in southwestern Wisconsin .

The National Brewery Museum is several years away from opening, but when it does it will be housed in the building that pumped out millions of gallons of Potosi Beer for more than a century before turning off its tappers for good in 1972.

"The Potosi brewery has a warm spot in everybody's heart in southwestern Wisconsin ," said state Sen. Dale Schultz ( R-Richland Center ). "It's a part of our culture and our heritage."

Potosi won over the brewery collectors group because of its passion for beer, brewery history and beer-making culture, said Len Chylack, president of the American Breweriana Association. Plus, a group from the village of 700 made an impressive presentation to the association.

The museum - which organizers say will probably open three to five years from now - will include items from members' collections of beer cans, beer bottles, trays, coasters, glasses, advertising and just about everything else that sports the name of a brewery.

The Potosi Brewery Foundation began raising money a few years ago to renovate and rebuild the brewery on Main St. that has become dilapidated over the decades.

"The main reason for us going with them is it's such a dynamic devoted group out there," Chylack said in a phone interview Tuesday from his Pennsylvania home. "They're going to get that project done."

A $3.4 million project

The non-profit Potosi Brewery Foundation's plans call for a microbrewery, restaurant and gift shop in the 30,000-square-foot facility, with 7,000 square feet devoted to the brewery museum at a cost of $3.4 million, said Potosi Village President Frank Fiorenza. Some of the money is coming from a federal grant, while the American Breweriana Association is donating $250,000 to the cause. The foundation also plans to seek other state and federal grants as well as corporate donations.

Plus, funds are being raised by selling Potosi Light beer, which is brewed in La Crosse .

A new roof is planned for the brewery by next May, along with new windows and doors. Once the brewery is enclosed, work will begin on the interior, Fiorenza said. When finished, the brewery and museum will create 20 jobs.

"What this project involves is the restoration of an historic building, preservation of heritage and culture and . . . economic vitality" to the community, Fiorenza said. "That's what makes it so attractive."

A long history

The Potosi Brewery opened in 1852 to quench the thirsts of farmers, miners and fishermen on the Mississippi and the inhabitants of nearby communities. The beer was shuttled to Dubuque , Iowa , on steamboats and later shipped under a variety of labels, such as Good Old Potosi, Augsburger, Bohemian Club and Garten Brau throughout the Midwest . The brewery managed to survive Prohibition by making near beer and soda but ultimately closed shop in 1972 as the large breweries squeezed out their smaller competitors.

Visitors to a brewery museum will likely fall into two camps - those who like history and those who like beer, said Harry Henderson, tourism coordinator for the Potosi-Tennyson Chamber of Commerce.

The museum might not attract "a binge-drinking type of person, but a person who likes good beer and has tried a number of different brands," he said.

©2004 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel