Where is olympia beer brewed

In July of Leopold set sail with his brother Louis for America once again, this time with hopes of purchasing land to begin his first American brewing operation. In September of the Schmidt brothers successfully purchased Biles and Carter Tannery on the banks of the lower Deschutes River and obtained rights to use the water of the lower Tumwater Falls. In October of , Leopold Schmidt made his final voyage from Germany to America, this time bringing all his belongings and preparing to start his new life in Tumwater, Washington.

Schmidt chose to portray the iconic Tumwater falls as the image on the front of the beer, along with his trademark horseshoe which was a sign for good luck as well as a prominent figure on the Schmidt family crest. The first bottled beer was a Pale Export which was siphoned by hand from wooden barrels until a sufficient bottling practice was added in the second year of establishment.

Leopold Schmidt oversaw an overhaul of the brewery in in which the small operation was expanded to become a six-story tall brewhouse. Schmidt also went on to purchase and open multiple other breweries before his death in Schmidt is considered a pioneer of the multiple brewery concept and one of the earliest to accomplish this feat Biography of Leopold F. Statewide prohibition hit Washington by and Olympia Brewing Company was forced to stop all operation.

Following the repeal of prohibition in , Olympia Brewing company was re-established by Peter Schmidt at a new site on a hill above the original brewhouse. Olympia Beer saw growth once again in North America in the following years, eventually reaching sales levels of pre-prohibition. Olympia is known to be the first West Coast brewery to adopt this style of bottle.

The old brewhouse still stands and is considered a historic landmark of Tumwater, attracting many tourists every year. Pabst claims that the water used in Olympia Vodka production is taken from the same source at Tumwater where Leopold Schmidt once brewed the famous Olympia Beer Pabst , July — Leopold and Louis Schmidt set sail from Germany to America to assess some potential sites for a brewery.

Leopold vows to visit the site at Tumwater to taste the artesian spring water. September — The Schmidt brothers purchase the Biles and Carter Tannery on the lower Deschutes River in Tumwater, Washington and begin plans to construct their first brewery.

This location is essential to the success of Olympia beer and the water in Tumwater would become world renown with its success. It was a draft beer that grew in popularity rapidly throughout Washington and Oregon. This was essentially the birth of the Olympia brand, as Capital Brewing Co would eventually become Olympia Brewing co, and the first bottled beer is sold.

Jan — Prohibition hits Washington and all brewing operations at Tumwater are forced to cease. April — Prohibition is repealed in Washington and Peter Schmidt decides to begin the construction of a new brewhouse at the Tumwater site, just above the old brewery. Jan 14, — The new brewhouse under Peter Schmidt opens and Olympia Beer is once again on the market.

Capital Brewing Co. Capital brewing Co. The buildings of the Capital Brewery, constructed in , behind the original residence and tannery, were built by Leopold F. Schmidt's brother, Louis.

The new wood-frame buildings included a four-story brewhouse, a five-story cellar building, a one-story ice factory powered by the lower falls, and a bottling and keg plant. Brewing commenced at the tiny Tumwater brewery in July of , and three months later "Olympian Standard" was offered on draught in the capital city.

Their first bottled beer was Pale Export, which was siphoned by hand from wooden barrels. A proper bottling line was installed before the year was out, and "Excelsior" beer was soon added to their lineup.

This was, in fact, the issue that prevented production of the "Olympia" brand at any of his other branches. The company kept the Pale Export brand and label, changing only one the word on the banner from "Capital" to "Olympia.

Early label, ca. Their Seattle agent was Geo. Maginnis, and his label is shown here. Leopold Schmidt established the Olympia Beer Co.

Etched glass, lidded stein, ca. Etched glass, Leopold F. Schmidt was a pioneer of the multiple brewery concept, and with the Tumwater plant well established, he began construction on the Bellingham Bay Brewery , in Leopold Schmidt's business card, ca.

This Italianate structure was made of Chehalis brick, and replaced the original four-story, wood frame brewhouse. Sandstone for the foundation was brought in by wagon from a rock quarry at Tenino.

Lumber from the areas of Hewitt and Wards Lake, four miles to the east, was brought to the construction site by six-horse team. Sand and gravel was hauled in by scow from Mud Bay spit and Tykle's Cove. Anderson collection Magnussen collection State-wide Prohibition. Leopold Schmidt died in , just before prohibition forces triumphed in Washington and Oregon. The Olympia brewery group was then lead by Leopold's eldest son Peter.

Prohibition came to Washington in Jan. Brewing basically ceased in Washington in , allowing brewers one year to deplete their inventory and dismantle their operations. They also produced a slightly sparkling apple drink called "Applju" see ad below. It's slogan was "Drink an Apple" and they later made a heavily sparkling version they referred to as an "apple champagne.

Unfortunately, all fruit juice production was terminated in due to a sugar shortage caused by World War I in Europe.

In , the Food Administration imposed a severe limitation on the use of sugar by less essential food products, which included soft drinks. This limitation failed to ease the sugar crisis, and in the latter part of , a meeting was held by government officials for the purpose of declaring the soft drink industry non-essential and ordering it to be closed up for the duration of the war. Olympia struggled along with the sugar shortage for a few more years, competing with boot-leggers for the scarce commodity, but finally operations ceased and the Old Brewery was sold.

It was then put to use as a paper pulp mill. With the advent of National Prohibition in the Schmidt family undertook many other business ventures, the most significant of which was their hotels. As a normal business practice many brewers had acquired saloons and hotels as exclusive outlets for their product.

By the early 20's the Schmidt family controlled a large number of luxury hotels, with a presence in all of the major northwestern cities. So they decided to sell off all their inactive breweries and beverage operations including the Tumwater Brewhouse , and concentrate on their Western Hotels chain.

This would become the nucleus of the present day Westin Hotels. They also started a bus transport business that would later become part of the Greyhound Bus Lines. He was faced with prospect of reacquiring the Old Brewhouse and undertaking a costly restoration and remodel. He decided instead to build a new, modern plant up on the hill above the original site.

Olympia Beer is now a brand belonging to the Pabst Brewing Company and it is no longer brewed in Tumwater, Washington, but a new venture makes use of that same artesian well water: Olympia Distilling Company. Pictured above. Photos by Sara Russell.

Today the company introduced its first product: Olympia Artesian Vodka. No money changed hands and there was no quid pro quo. Yes, Pabst is involved; how else could they use that logo, right? I sampled some Olympia Artesian Vodka and, though I am far from an expert, I thought it was quite good. It has a very slight, but agreeable, herbal quality to it. I tried it straight, on the rocks, and with soda and lime pictured above.

The vodka is produced and bottled locally using the artesian water aquifer located beneath the town of Olympia, WA, the birthplace of Olympia Brewing Company and Olympia Beer. Though Olympia Beer is no longer brewed locally, it was Tumwater, at the site of its famed artesian waters, where Olympia Brewing Company was founded in by the outdoorsman, brewmaster and adventurer Leopold Schmidt. Olympia Artesian Vodka is distilled and blended with the artesian water that flows directly down from the Cascade Mountains.

As it passes through layers of bedrock on its way to the aquifer the water undergoes a process of natural filtration, while collecting various minerals and electrolytes, creating some of the purest water on earth and giving it a truly singular taste and character.