Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
DUBUQUE STAR BREWING COMPANY
DUBUQUE STAR BREWING COMPANY. Iowa's oldest brewery. Founded by the Joseph A. RHOMBERG in 1898, Dubuque Star Brewing Company was constructed on the site of the original Dubuque distillery at the foot of 4th St. although only the office and base of the large smoke stack remained. (1) The brewery was designed by Ranter, an architect from Chicago who was considered a specialist in brewery architecture. (2) The annual capacity was 35,000 barrels. (3)
The brewery was forced to close along with other breweries on December 31, 1915. It reopened in 1933 with the repeal of PROHIBITION. Dubuque Star was the first brewery in the state to begin operations. (4) Its 3.2 percent beer was the first legalized beer to be sold in the state. (5) It is said the first barrel of beer brewed by the company was sent to Iowa's Governor Clyde Herring as a token of celebration.
Bottled beer was first produced by the brewery in 1935.
The brewery was sold in the 1970s to Joseph Pickett and Sons, Inc. Joseph PICKETT, Sr. was responsible for the modernization of the plant. There was, for example, no can production facilities and the brewery had a single bottle production line. (6) Primarily a keg beer plant, the brewery's two products, Vat 7 and Dubuque Star, commanded only five percent of the local market. (7) Modernization was nearly complete by 1977. Pickett's Premium, introduced in 1973, by then had twelve percent of the local market and was being sold in Illinois and Wisconsin, (8) Pickett also produced Fox Head 400 and Weber, for the Wisconsin market. (9)
Ownership transferred again in the 1980s when the brewery was sold to AGRI Industries of West Des Moines. In 1982 the brewery was renamed Dubuque Star. A super premium brewery, the plant produced Rhomberg Beer until 1985. The efforts were not successful. (10) AGRI closed the brewery in 1983 claiming stiff competition from rival BREWERIES and low profits.
In 1984 a group of Milwaukee investors reopened the brewery for six years. (11)
Dubuque Star was purchased in October 1989, by ZELE BREWING COMPANY of Seattle, Washington. It was anticipated at the time of the sale that the production of Zele products would add an additional twenty thousand barrels to Dubuque Star's annual production. The brewery, however, was closed the following year. (12)
Among the products over the years were: (13)
Dubuque Star Lager Beer 1933 - 1938
Dubuque Star Select Beer 1933 - 1950
Dubuque Star Beer 1933 - 1973
Dubuque Bock 1934 - 1943
Iowa Beer 1944 - 1949
Holiday Beer 1946 - 1956
Star Beer 1952 - 1971
E&B Beer 1982 - 1985
Key City Beer 1983 - 1990
Quittin Time Beer 1983 - 1990
In 1992 Brandevor Enterprises of Seattle reopened the brewery and produced craft beers. In addition to their own brands like Big Muddy Red Ale, Dubuque Star brewed beers for the restaurant chain TGI Friday's and Marriott Hotels achieving sales of 25,000 barrels in 1995 and 1996. They also brewed beers for west coast micro-brewer Tuan Tony Nguyen including Beer Guy and Chau Tien brands. Production fell to only 5,000 barrels in 1998, and the brewery was closed permanently in 1999. (14)
As part of the riverfront renovation efforts, the city of Dubuque acquired the building through eminent domain proceedings.
A group of local investors led by developer Wayne Briggs founded Port of Dubuque LLC to develop the brewery site. On March 23, 2006 Stone Cliff Winery announced it had signed an agreement with Port of Dubuque LLC to lease part of the brewery. Stone Cliff moved its entire production operation to the Port of Dubuque in May of 2007. The Star Restaurant and Ultra Lounge offered a 12,000 square facility for dining and entertainment. In addition to these businesses, in 2010 the former brewery was the home of Kurtz Communications, Peninsula Gaming, Epic Construction and a Dubuque Star Brewing Company memorabilia mini-museum. (14)
Dubuque Star Brewery was an important site of several MOTION PICTURES shot in the Dubuque area. In 1978 ZIGGY'S was used for several scenes of the movie F.I.S.T. (15) The movie Take This Job and Shove It, starring Art Carney, was shot at the brewery during the summer of 1981. (16)
Labels courtesy of Jim Massey
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Source:
1. Kruse, Len. My Old Dubuque, Dubuque Iowa: Center for Dubuque History-Loras, 2000, p. 243
2. "Dubuque Star Brewery," Breweries on Waymarking.com. Online: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM3HD2_Dubuque_Star_Brewery_Dubuque_IA
3. Ibid.
4. "Iowa Brewed Beer Ready for Thanksgiving," Telegraph Herald, Sept. 14, 1933, p. 11. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SGlFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QrwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4994,1887063&dq=dubuque+brewing+and+malting+company&hl=en
5. Ibid.
6. "Dubuque Star Brewery," Wikipedia. Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubuque_Star_Brewery
7. "Joseph Pickett and Sons of Dubuque," Falstaff Brewing Corporation, Online: http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/jos__pickett_&_sons.htm
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.
12. "Trade Names for the Brewery at the East 4th Street Extension," Tavern Trove, Online: http://www.taverntrove.com/brewery.php?BreweryId=366
13. "Joseph Pickett and Sons of Dubuque."
14. Ibid.
15. "Dubuque Star Brewing Company Building," Main View, Dubuque Main Street, February 2010, Online: http://www.dubuquemainstreet.org/Feb2010newsDMSc.pdf
16. Ibid.