The recent exit of the Pabst Brewing Co. renews worries that Milwaukee is losing its connection to its brewing heritage. When Pabst announced it was shutting down its fortress-like downtown brewery, television reporters gave their requiems from the Pabst Mansion, reminding viewers of the grandeur beer once afforded this city. The Pabst announcement, Milwaukee historian John Gurda said, was the biggest national story out of Milwaukee since Jeffrey Dahmer. ABC, NBC, CNN, the Canadian Broadcast Network and newspapers from all over the country inundated Gurda with interview requests. Each of the stories was built around the same themes, Gurda said.
Beer is fun, and Milwaukee is beer.
And when the basis for an image dies, there is a sense of loss, like the passing of an era. Inside the community, the loss goes far beyond jobs. After 22 years with Pabst, John Steiner is a brewery historian without a brewery. With the encouragement of Pabst, Steiner came into possession of items such as the first bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon to come off the production line in anticipation of the repeal of Prohibition. In the 1960s, Pabst decided against building its own beer museum at the brewery because of the cost, Steiner said.