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Widmer Brothers Brewing Company Records, 1984-2013

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Widmer Brothers Brewing
Title
Widmer Brothers Brewing Company Records
Dates
1984-2013 (inclusive)
1984-2005 (bulk)
Quantity
33.00 cubic feet, including 1,450 slides, 1,000 photographs, 250 negatives; 11 DVD and CDs, 38 VHS tapes; 5.96 GB with 1,625 files., (26 boxes, including 15 oversize boxes.)
Collection Number
MSS Widmer
Summary
The Widmer Brothers Brewing Company Records includes brewing records, photographs, marketing materials, office files, ephemera, and audio video content.
Widmer Brothers Brewing Company was founded in 1984 in Portland, Oregon by Kurt and Rob Widmer. Kurt Widmer retired in 2016, the Gasthaus closed in 2019, and Anheuser-Busch InBev acquired the company in 2020.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Widmer Brothers Brewing Company was founded in 1984 in Portland, Oregon by Kurt and Rob Widmer.

Portland is known as the locus of a local beer scene. The Cartwright Brewing Company founded there in 1980, four years later the Bridgeport Brewing Company and Widmer Brewing followed. Not everyone was keen to try the unfamiliar beers and the brothers struggled to get taverns to offer them. They only sold beer in kegs, believing flavor was degraded by the bottling process, so they were dependent on draft sales. To increase awareness and promote their beers, they formed the "Widmer Designated Drinker" program; the brothers and their friends rented vans (driven by nondrinkers) and traveled to bars where they ordered large amounts of Widmer beer. Fortunately, in future years they sold more than their friends and families consumed.

Kurt was introduced to a wide variety of beer styles while living in Germany in the 1970s, and brewed his own beer after he returned to the United States. He used a traditional strain of yeast obtained from the Brewing Research Institute in Weihenstephan, Bavaria, and later returned to Germany to fine-tune his craft at a brewery in Dusseldorf. The brothers wanted to open a brewery and raised more than $50,000 from family members and an outside investor. With their father Raymond, they set about assembling a small brewery at 1405 NW Lovejoy Street, in an industrial part of NW Portland now known as the Pearl District. At the time, the brewing industry was comprised of large, industrial-sized breweries, which meant this smaller microbrewery had to be creative when acquiring equipment. They purchased used dairy and restaurant equipment (a dairy tank turned mash tun and shrimp cooker turned whirlpool), and by fall began running test batches.

The first Widmer offering, Altbier (German for "old beer"), was offered for sale in early 1985, and the richly flavored brew was soon joined by Weizenbier, a lighter variety filtered wheat beer. They marketed the beer to taverns and pubs, often delivering kegs in the red 1970 Datsun pickup truck they borrowed from their dad. Their first year production totaled 400 barrels. The Dublin Pub was their first longtime account and served both Altbier and Weizenbier; in 1986, owners Carl Simpson and Katie Bullard wanted them to make a third beer. This was a challenge because they only had two fermenters and couldn’t afford to buy another. They decided to leave the Weizenbier unfiltered, use Cascade hops, and put it directly into kegs. The result was a uniquely cloudy beer, the first American-style Hefeweizen or Hefe, which translated from German means "yeast wheat." This style of "American Hefeweizen" and the custom of serving wheat beers with a slice of lemon spread widely. Also in 1986, the brewery released Festbier, a seasonal "winter warmer" beer brewed for winter months.

Annual production increased each year. By 1989, they reached maximum capacity on their brewing equipment and had to turn away new business. They bought two adjoining historic buildings in North Portland that were slated for demolition and planned to renovate them for a new brewery. The 100-year-old Smithson and McKay Buildings had Italianate and Romanesque Revival brickwork, a cast-iron storefront, and were on the National Register of Historic Places. The extensive interior work meant renovation costs were significantly higher than constructing a new facility from scratch. They increased production dramatically, but demand grew even faster. In 1992, they laid out plans for an expansion adjacent to the brewery that would, once again, double production. They continued to only distribute their beer in kegs, but in 1996, decided to begin bottling.

In 1995, they opened a pub and restaurant, the Widmer Gasthaus, and began work on the brewery expansion. In spring of 1996, the new $20 million brewery opened and its brewing vessels and utilities were connected to the older one through under-the-street tunnels. At that time, Widmer produced 11 different beers; this included year-round production of Hefeweizen, Widberry Weizen, Blackbier, Amberbier, Altbier, and Weizen and seasonal beers Doppelbock, Oktoberfest, and Winternacht. In 1997, they introduced new beers, including Widmer Vienna and Czech Pilsner, as well as a hard cider. They made seven year-round brews and the seasonals Golden Bock, Sommerbrau Kolsch, and Hop Jack Pale Ale. In early 2000, they unveiled redesigned packaging, which emphasized the "W" initial in the firm's name and featured more colorful graphics. In 2003, they started brewing Hefeweizen at the New Hampshire RedHook Ale Brewery plant. In 2004, they introduced a seasonal brew called Snowplow Milk Stout, which had been developed by the Oregon Brew Crew, a home brewers club to which the brothers belonged. In 2005, they launched the “W Series,” which showcased their brewmaster’s most innovative and creative recipes.

In 1997, they sold a 27% stake to Anheuser-Busch InBev for $18.25 million in order to gain access to their distribution network and strengthen the company financially at a time when many craft brewers were struggling. Anheuser-Busch InBev had already purchased a stake in Seattle's RedHook Ale Brewery. In 2007, RedHook and Widmer Brothers announced plans to formally merge, forming a new company called the Craft Brewers Alliance, It was renamed Craft Brew Alliance in 2012. By 2013 was composed of five beer and cider brands: Widmer Brothers Brewery, RedHook Ale Brewery (founded in 1981 in Seattle, Washington), Kona Brewing Company (founded in 1994 in Kona, Hawaii), Omission Beer (developed in 2012 in Portland), and Square Mile Cider (launched in 2013).

Kurt Widmer retired in 2016, the Gasthaus closed in 2019, and Anheuser-Busch InBev acquired the company in 2020.

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Content Description

The Widmer Brothers Brewing Company Records includes brewing records, photographs, marketing materials, office files, ephemera, and audio/video content.

Series 1, Brewing Records, documents the early brewing and business operations at the Lovejoy Street facility. Included are the earliest brewing records for Weizenbier, Widmer Bock, Altbier, Festbier, and many other unnamed beers. Also included is an inventory of beer stock, ingredients, and equipment on hand, as well as documentation of expenses for items such as tap handles, beer lines, faucets, and valves. Documents are handwritten and most are on notebook paper.

Series 2, News Clippings, documents the company and their beers, as well as the evolution and changes of the brewing industry and brewers in the Pacific Northwest.

Series 3, Photographs, includes pictures of the opening events at the Lovejoy and Russell street breweries, staff and customers, facilities and brewing operations, the Gasthaus Pub, company parties, advertising campaigns, and pictures of Kurt and Rob Widmer. Of special note is a series of time-lapse aerial photographs of the building of the brewery on Russell Street. This series includes multiple formats (slides, photographs, negatives, digital files).

The bulk of the collection is in Series 4, Marketing and Events. There are files for individual beer styles, with materials such as labels and bottle necks, design documents, beer information sheets, promotional items, and packaging. There are also materials grouped by format or purpose, including bottle neck bands and labels, table tents, stickers and bookmarks, and coasters. There are various Widmer logos and poster designs, including some original artwork. There are materials related to tap handle design and pricing, which compliment a set of tap handles in Series 7, Ephemera. This series includes materials related to marketing campaigns, such as Third Brother (2000), Widmer Boys Mysteries (2001), Fishing With the Brothers (2005), and Brrrr Holiday Ale (2007). In addition to beer promotion, there are materials related to the company's sponsorship and involvement in the community, analysis of the craft brewery consumer market, branding and rebranding, expansion into new markets, and sales. This series includes oversized posters and packaging, as well as digital files of Widmer graphic design and art assets.

Series 5, Office Files, includes operational items such as building plans, project proposals, merger documentation, merchandising plans, press releases, presentations, and office documents. Of special note is a guest book (1996-2006) with names of visitors to the brewing facilities and their comments on experiences on tours.

Awards and other certificates of recognition are housed in Series 6. This includes ribbons and certificates for beer-related honors such as the North American Beer Cup, World Beer Cup, World Beer Championships, Great American Beer Festival, North American Brewers Association, California Brewers Festival, and various county fairs, as well as awards for sports teams and business contributions.

Series 7, Ephemera, includes tap handles from Widmer and RedHook, textiles, bottles, games, and other promotional items.

Series 8, Audio and Video, includes local radio advertisements for Widmer advertising campaigns, presentations from Anheuser-Busch related to company updates (2005, 2007), versions of the “From Grain to Glass” brewery tour (2005, 2013), and "Widmer Brothers Radio: Sly and Robbie." The videotapes include commercials and local television segments on new equipment, releases at the brewery, and a 1993 piece on brewing in the Pacific Northwest.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Widmer Brothers Brewing Collection (MSS Widmer), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Widmer Brothers Brewing Company records are arranged into eight series: 1. Brewing Records, 1985-1991; 2. News Clippings, 1984-2009; 3. Photographs, 1984-2011; 4. Marketing and Events, 1986-2010; 5. Office Files, 1990-2010; 6. Awards, 1989-2012; 7. Ephemera, 1990-2010; 8: Audio and Video, 1990-2013.

Acquisition Information

These materials were donated to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center by Steven Hallstone in 2020.

Related Materials

The Widmer Brothers Brewing Collection is complemented by several other collections.

The Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives Oral History Collection (OH 35) includes interviews from industry professionals, journalists, and community members. The Fred Eckhardt Papers include photographs and research files for Widmer Brothers Brewery. There are periodicals and journals housed in various archival collections, the main source being the Brewing and Fermentation Research and Olympia Brewery Library collections. The Widmer Way: How Two Brothers Led Portland’s Craft Beer Revolution by Jeff Alworth chronicles Kurt and Rob Widmer’s journey from homebrewers to craft beer pioneers.

Further information regarding the values, logistics, and goals of the burgeoning regional brewing community can be found in organizational collections like the Heart of the Valley Homebrewers Records, Ninkasi Brewing Company Collection (MSS Ninkasi), McMenamins Brewery Collection, Portland Brewing Company Records, Rock Bottom Brewery Records, Oregon Trail Brewery Records, Fred Bowman Papers, Art Larrance Collection, and the Oregon Brewers Guild Records. The personal research collections of Denny Conn, Pete Dunlop, Abram Goldman-Armstrong, and Robert Daly contain additional information regarding the beer writing process and beer culture.

Collections linked to Oregon State University research, as well as other manuscript collections, are described on the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives research guide. More information pertaining to the history of hop growing and brewing in Oregon can be found on the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives website.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Advertising--Oregon--Portland.
  • Beer industry--United States--History.
  • Beer--Oregon--Portland--History.
  • Brewing industry--Oregon.
  • Brewing.
  • Microbreweries--Oregon--Portland--History.
  • Microbreweries--United States.

Geographical Names

  • Portland (Or.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Born digital.
  • Digital audio formats.
  • Digital images.
  • Digital moving image formats.
  • Digital photographs.
  • Ephemera (general object genre)
  • Film negatives.
  • Photographic prints.
  • Slides (photographs).

Finding Aid Authors: Tiah Edmunson-Morton.
2022

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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