Brewery Equipment in Black & White (Original Photography)
Good evening,
This weekend, to celebrate my birthday, my parents decided to visit me in Mankato, Minnesota. It was blisteringly hot and humid, so we decided to make a trip to the Schell Brewery in nearby New Ulm.
Bottling Machine
I've taken the tour quite a few times, as it's close and inexpensive. A $5 fee gets you the tour and includes a taste test of six beers, followed by a pint of whichever you liked best. These photos are all from the tour, as I didn't want to bother anyone in the taste test with photos... this time.
Old-fashioned Cooling
Every time I take the tour, I learn something new. Every guide tells things a little differently and covers different information. This time, he spoke about the above cooling system which was invented and patented by a member of the Schell brewing family. Apparently, it used compressed ammonia to cool the breweing area. Modern cooling systems have long since replaced it, but the mechanical portion remains.
Barrel Maker?
Back in the museum, many pieces of historic brewing equipment are displayed. Schell's brewery is one of longer-lived ones in the United States, having survived the Dakota War, Prohibition, and the "light beer" craze of the 50's that was the end of so many smaller breweries.
While I couldn't find a description for the above piece, my best guess is that it was used to create barrels. A metal band was probably placed on the hooks, the boards inserted around it, and the screw used to pull the band into place.
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@fotosdenada
Wow, $5 for the tour, the beer flight and an extra beer? You wouldn't find such prices even in Bulgaria :) Haha
Lovely shots of the machinery, Mark! I especially like the last one.
What was that light beer craze about?
Oh, and the light beer thing... When light beer first showed up here in the USA, it was an instant success and the people, apparently, wanted it more than any other type of beer. It was also harder to make, so the bigger national breweries were able to capitalize on that, and many smaller breweries went out of business. Many more were purchased by the larger ones (IE Budweiser) and either absorbed or dismantled. That was in the 50's, I believe.
Interesting! When I visited the US back in the day, I wondered why there are so many light beer brands being sold on the market. Wikipedia says that light beer has less calories... that could possibly be one of the reasons why people went crazy for it.
Thanks! That old equipment is fascinating!
Well, the sampling is six two-ounce servings, which is just about a bottle's worth of beer. Still, $5 for two beers and a tour is pretty cheap.
so cool photography what type of machines are those? @fotosdenada
Thanks! The machines are beer bottling, antique ammonia compressor (cooling), and beer barrel maker respectively.
you are welcome and also thanks for your information @fotosdenada
I always love factories tours too, I find them fascinating and can tour them over and over, because just like you said, you always learn something. Husqvarna and the Boeing Factories were my favorite :)
A few years ago, I got an exclusive tour of a cheese factory in rural South Dakota. I wish I could have taken my camera in there. It was fascinating!
The thing about the ammonia used as a coolant....I remember that time. It was a very dangerous chemical....people used that stuff for cleaning - stinkEE.
Sounds like a perfect day for a cold beer at the end of the tour.
Great shots too!
Thanks! It was 97ºF that day with about 85% humidity. The air conditioned tap room was lovely! The guy also let me play the 1800's piano, after everyone left, which was fun. It was also horribly out of tune and "mushy" sounding. But still fun!
Sounds like a fun day.....the piano, I can hear it mushy sounding and dusty and ping pang off key.