Molson Coors recommends closing Chippewa Falls brewery in Leinenkugel

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WEAU) – Milwaukee television station WTMJ reports Molson Coors leaders plan to close the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls.

Former Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company President Dick Leinenkugel released the following statement to WTMJ on Wednesday:

I am deeply saddened by Molson Coors management’s decision to close our brewery and home in Chippewa Falls. For over 157 years and six generations of family ownership, Leinenkugel’s has been brewing great beer for our legions of fans throughout Wisconsin and across the country.

I sympathize with all of the affected employees and their families in Chippewa Falls and trust that Molson Coors management will do everything possible to ease their pain during this difficult time.

I know Molson Coors executives do not take these decisions lightly. It is clear to me that they decided that the savings resulting from the closure were significant enough to justify this difficult decision.

None of our family members knew or were consulted before making the decision. This is a sad day for our family and our fans. In 2017, we gathered in Chippewa Falls to celebrate our brewery’s 150th anniversary. It was a defining moment in my brewing career. Along with my brothers Jake and John, and our fourth, fifth and sixth generation family members, we proudly toasted our beer drinkers, retail customers and distributors to thank them for their loyalty and support. Today, on behalf of the Leinenkugel family, I thank them once again and will raise a toast to them tonight with a Leinenkugel original and tears in my eyes.

Molson Coors Supply Chain Director Brian Erhardt also released a statement to WMTJ regarding the planned closure of Leinenkugel’s Chippewa Falls brewery:

Following the termination of a major brewing contract agreement, and amid an ongoing investment project to bottle beer at our Milwaukee brewery, we have made the decision to close our two smaller breweries in Wisconsin and centralize statewide production at our main Milwaukee site. While these choices are never easy, these choices are made carefully and thoughtfully to position Molson Coors for continued success in Wisconsin and beyond. Since Leinenkugel’s joined Miller Brewing in 1988, the brand and Chippewa Falls have been a valued part of our company and culture. This doesn’t change. Leinie’s Summer Shandy and the rest of the portfolio will continue to play a role in our premiumization plans, and Leinie Lodge and its adjacent pilot brewery will be open year-round for guests to enjoy the beer and history of Leinenkugel.

The timing of the closure of the Leinenkugel institution is not yet known. Operations began in 1867.