Beer Dreams

Pabst brewery has been for a long time, out of business in Milwaukee.  Closed up well before I finished my thirty years with Delphi/GM and moved back to Florida, where I grew up.

From the freeway driving through downtown Milwaukee I would often see the old brick buildings being torn down.  There was not much there the last time I drove past.  I remember working in those brick buildings that were ancient when I was in them.  There  we drank beer too.  In those days we could have beer for break time and lunch.  Really good fresh beer.  In fall Pabst made a special private label Bock beer that was wonderful.  Pair that with a fresh liver sausage sandwich, that must have at least a quarter inch thick slice of fresh onion and be on fresh roll as well.

I did not work directly for Pabst.  I was an apprentice millwright indentured to Price Erecting working on large construction projects that exceeded the brewery's manpower capabilities. Usually it was large scale replacement of bottling lines and equipment.

Such a rich menu of experience that famous brewery provided.   Archaic buildings of wood and brick construction, easily one hundred years old.  Filled with the latest bottling equipment that would fill bottles so fast it made you dizzy to watch.  For a while I was assigned to a well seasoned millwright to answer breakdowns.  The horn would blast out a code and the old man and I would run to the breakdown location.  Sometimes finding the equipment breaking bottles at the dizzying speed it was supposed to fill them.

The whole complex could have been a museum.  I hope they saved the interesting building details that displayed the old craftsman style construction.  By now I am sure the entire site is completely leveled.  Even though it seemed as though they were reluctant to finish.  If it isn't built on yet and one could walk over the razed building area, I'll bet you can still smell the beer.