Miller Brewing Company

Miller Valley, where the brewery is located, has a gate which looms over the entranceway, located in the Menomonee River Valley. (Inside the High Life pg 15)

This full-scale replica of the Plank Road Brewery was built as a prop for the film, “With this Ring”, a film about the brewery history made for their centennial celebration in 1955. (Miller Time pg 137) The original building was built in 1849 by Charles Best. (Miller Time pg 16) July 30, 1855 Fredrick Miller purchased the brewery for $8,000. (The Miller Beer Barons pg 32)

Built by Charles Best, the cave system utilized the natural, cooler temperature as a storage space to keep the barrels of beer cold. The caves were used until the refrigerator building was built. It could hold 10,000 barrels. During the 1950s it was utilized as an air raid shelter, housing cots and supplies, if the need arose. (Inside The High Life pg 38)

The tools discovered were used for making the wooden beer barrels.

A cooper’s job was to make and fix the barrels to ship the beer.

This is the original brewhouse. The last building still standing from Fredrick Miller’s time. The building cost around $130,000 to build. (The Miller Beer Barons pg 72) It was used to up to the 1950’s, when the new brewhouse was built. (Inside The High Life pg 217)

Above F. Miller name there is a star. This one is recognizable, but has no religious ties. It is a Brewer’s Star. The Brewer’s Star dates to 1425 A.D. There are two origins of what the star means. The 1st, is it’s comes from alchemy which means harmony, peace, balance and protection. The 2nd, is that it is “The Star of David”. Brewers have borrowed the symbol for protection against any harm, a big one being accidental fires. The 6 dots represent grain, malt, hops, yeast, water and the skill of the brewer. (Inside The High Life pg 56)

This building was finish on October 12, 1886 (The Miller Beer Barons pg 72)

The Stables housed 53 horses for transportation. It was built in 1896 for $32,000. Now, the building is utilized as the medical and safety department. It also serves as the indoor beer garden in winter for free beers at the end of your tour. (Inside the High Life pg 26)

This is the name of the brewery at the time it was called. Fredrick Miller Brewing Company.

The Miller Inn was built in 1898. Inside it provided a dance hall, tavern, and a living area up stairs. During the 1950’s it was remodeled to look like an old world german beer hall. It entertained multiple celebrities, Jack Dempsey, Johnny Unitas, Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor (Inside the High Life pg 28)

The refrigerator, or “Stock-house” was built in 1892 for $60,000. This building eliminated the need for the cave system. The deconstruction of the original brewhouse was necessary for the construction of this building. (Inside the High Life pg 34)

The bottle house was built in 1901 for $60,000. This is where all the bottles, cans, and kegs were filled. (Inside the High Life pg 118)

.This is Stock House-F, where is where the aging and fermenting process takes place. Construction was completed in 1948. (Miller Time pg 127)

This is the new brewhouse where the beer is now brewed.

The packaging plant was part of the 1950 remodel. (Miller Time pg 127)

The administration building, built in 1951, is now used as a beer garden. This is where the free beer is! (Miller Time 127)

The headquarters was built in 1977. The building is built on the site where a shed once stood. This shed was the location of the start of Harley-Davison. (Miller Time pg 67)

This is stock house I added in 1952 (Miller Time pg128)

The Miller logo was designed in 1954 by Brooks Stevens. The shape is a soft cross which now represents the logo for Miller High Life. (Inside the High Life pg 57)

Brewery complex.

Inside the brewhouse, multiple Lauter Tuns are filtering the barley husks and germ of the grain from the liquid. The end product is called wort. (Inside the High Life pg 79)

ach Lauter Tun can hold 735 barrels (23,152.5 gal).

There are a total of 6 brew kettles which can hold 590 barrels (18,585 gal). When the wort is finished, the next stop are the brew kettles. This is the point where the hops are added and the mixture is brought to a boil, awaiting the next stop in the fermentation tanks. (Inside the High Life pg 86)

The bottling plant is where it all comes together.

. In the receiving area, you can see all the different types of beer brewed.

This giant advertisement for Miller High Life protrudes from the building and is 3-D. Represented is the oldest brand Miller sells, released in December 30, 1903. It’s known as the Champagne of Beers. The bottle of the High Life utilizes a unique shape that is only found with this beer. It was the 1st beer to use a clear bottle. (Inside the High Life pg 177)

Different angle.

In 2004, a replica of the promotional vehicle, “High Life Cruiser”, a bus dating to the 1950’s, was made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Miller High Life. (Inside The High Life pg 47)

Watertown Plank Road provided Fredrick Miller a perfect location to facilitate delivery of materials and transport of finished product. (Miller Time pg 35)