History of The Falk Brewing Company (1856 - 1892) Known Breweriana Bottles Blobs Glasses Pre-Pro Paper Trade Cards Signs Indoor Swag Coin   Falk Brewing Output Year (Barrels) 1857 1000 1866 5468 1867 5546 1870 8000 1871 7000 1872 12050 1874 20000 1877 22000 1878 34000 1879 45000 1880 60000 1881 75000 1884 75000 1888 120000 1891 171500   FBJ Brewing Assets, May 7th, 1895 Asset Value Ice machine house 3500 Boiler house 5200 Beer Storage house 55250 Icehouse 2400 Sheds 1100 Bottling house 14000 Shaving shed 40 Blacksmith ship 1200 Boiler house 500 Manure shed 150 Stable 7500 Old blacksmith shop 300 Tank house 1000 Brew house 2500 Office building 3600 Total: 98240   Continued: Franz Falk commented at the time that "we haven't lost a single customer since the fire". The new improved site stretched further into the Menomonee valley. Within a years time production swelled to 200,000 barrels. Unfortunately, in 1892 another unexpected fire occurred, starting again in the malt house due to a overheated motor. The malt house was destroyed as were a large portion of the brew house, grain elevator, and refrigeration house. Pledging to rebuild again, the partners purchased raw beer from Pabst to finish and supply their customers. Captain Pabst, seeing the opportunity for an acquisition offered to buy out the beleaguered partners holdings for $1 and approximately $500,000 in Pabst Stock,  including positions for the top executives. The acquisition attributed as one of the main factors in the increase of Pabst's 180,000 barrel increase in sales in 1893, pushing their output over 1 million barrels for the first time. In 1894 Pabst stockholders included six from the Falk family. Shares were divided as follows: Fred Pabst 5158  L.W. Falk 88 Fred Pabst, trustee 43  Emma carpenter 59 Mrs. Lisette Schandein 3500  Fred Pabst, Jr 112 Henry Best 33  Gustav G. Pabst 112 Louisa Falk 105  J .F. Theurer 100 Otto H. Falk 59  C.W. Henning 10 Herman W. Falk 59  E. Borchert 274 Frank R. Falk 88  Oscar Mueller 20 Clarence R. Falk 59 Jacob Heyl 118 Interestingly, Frank Falk's duties from 1893 until his 1902 resignation from Pabst included Treasurer, management of Purchasing, Rents, City Bottled Beer Sales, General Finance, and Labor. The Falk family's holdings of nearly 500 shares were purchased by semiannual payments of $11,500 from the time of Frank Falk's retirement until 1910, plus a final lump-sum payment of $395,520 on January 1, 1911. Louis and Otto Falk both accepted positions with Pabst as did Ernst Borchert.  Phillip Jung went into the malting business, however after the three-year period of abstention specified in the sale contract of 1892 Jung returned to brewing, purchasing the Oberman plant and reorganizing as the Jung Brewing Company. By 1910 Jung grew to 100,000 barrels, ranking fifth in Milwaukee, never quite achieving the same earlier success of Falk, Jung and Borchert. Herman Falk was not content with, or perhaps offered a position at Pabst and decided to start a new business. Striking out on his own, Herman rented a surplus wagon shop from Pabst to build wagon couplings. At first unsuccessful, despite patenting a new wagon brake, Herman eventually channeled his mechanical genius into the creation of a "foundry on wheels" to facilitate joining of trolley tracks with molten iron. Herman Falk's inventive equipment eventually serviced over one third of the nations electric street railways. As entrepreneurial as his Father, it was his company that has now evolved into the Falk Corporation, which is still operating within sight of and includes a portion of the original Menomonee Valley Bavaria Brewery grounds. <<Back>> References: (Special thanks to Leonard Jurgensen and John Steiner for generously sharing their time and knowledge during my research for this article. And thanks to Derek B. for allowing pictures and an inside view of the storage building) Industrial History of Milwaukee, The Commercial Manufacturing and Railway Metropolis of the Northwest, Copyright 1886 by E.E. Barton Publishers, Milwaukee The Making of a Good Name in Industry, a History of the Falk Corporation 1892-1992, John Gurda, Copyright 1991 by The Falk Corporation. 100 Years of Brewing, Copyright 1900-1903, by H.S. Rich & Co. The Falks of Milwaukee, John Gurda with Fil Graff, The Breweriana Collector, NABA Volume 97, Spring 1997. Milwaukee - 100 Photogravures, Copyright 1892 by Art Gravure & Etching Co., Milwaukee Wisconsin The Pabst Brewing Company, The History of an American Business, Thomas C. Cochran, Copyright 1948 by New York University Press. Badger Breweries Past & Present, Wayne Kroll, Copyright 1976 by Wayne Kroll American Breweries II, Dale P. Van Wieren, Copyright 1995 by Dale P. Van Wieren Creative Wisconsin, Volume V, No. 1, Spring 1958, Copyright 1957 Wisconsin Regional Writers Association