Molson Coors will close Leinenkugel's brewery in Chippewa Falls
Molson Coors is closing the Leinenkugel’s brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, the company has confirmed to Bring Me The News.
The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, most famous now for its Summer Shandy, is one of the oldest breweries in America, founded in 1867.
It was acquired by the Miller Brewing Company, now Molson Coors, in 1988, but continued to operate its long-standing brewery in Chippewa Falls. Though, approximately 75% of its beer was already being produced at Molson Coors' Milwaukee brewing facility.
Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy
Leinenkugel's
"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 provided to Bring Me The News.
He went on to say that Leinie's beers will remain part of the corporation's portfolio and it plans to keep the Leinie Lodge tourist center and pilot brewery in Chippewa Falls open.
"I am deeply saddened by the decision of the Molson Coors leadership team to close our Chippewa Falls brewery and home," former Leinenkugel's president Dick Leinenkugel told Wisconsin's WTMJ. "For over 157 years and six generations of family management, Leinenkugel's has been brewing great beers for our legions of fans throughout Wisconsin and across the country."
Leinenkugel called it "a sad day" and noted that members of the Leinenkugel family were not consulted about the closure.
In addition to the Chippewa Falls brewery, Molson Coors will close the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company's Tenth Street Brewery in Milwaukee. Both facilities will close on Jan. 17, 2025.
"We made the decision to close Tenth Street in Milwaukee in light of the sale of the Tenth & Blake breweries, as production at the facility included 19.2-ounce cans of those brands," Erhardt wrote in an email to distributors. "We will transition production of 19.2-ounce cans of Blue Moon and other continuing brands to the Milwaukee Brewery, made possible through a can line investment at that facility."
Workers at the Chippewa Falls facility, unionized with the Teamsters Local 662, ratified a new contract in 2023 after a seven-week strike that included a boycott in the community.
The email from Erhardt says Molson Coors has "started conversations with both salaried and hourly employees, as well as their respective bargaining representatives" regarding the closures. However, the company did not provide details on the number of jobs that will be lost at the closing facilities.
