History of the Pilsener Brewing Co. of Seattle & Alaska

On 4 April, 1933, three days prior to the repeal of Prohibition, this article appeared in the Seattle Times:

"Konrad Lux, 47-year-old Westphalian braumeister, arrived from Germany today with a certificate from the Muencher Brewing School, a trim goatee and his family.

The family is staying at the Roosevelt Hotel while Herr Lux superintends installation of brewing machinery in a part of the Central Cold Storage plant at 548-554 First Ave. S. It was leased by the Pilsner Brewing Company of Seattle, which filed articles of incorporation yesterday through Attorney Lewis B. Schwellenbach.

The incorporators are Joseph E. Fischnaller, former Akron, Ohio, brewer¹; his son, H.R. Fischnaller, who will be general manager; and F. H. Furey.

The younger Mr. Fischnaller announced the enterprise starts this week with an $80,000 investment and no stock will be sold.

The first batch of beer will be started a week from Saturday and the plant will have an original capacity of 40,000 barrels, to be enlarged to 100,000 barrels.

The first batch of "Old Broadway Lager" will be ready for market in late May. It will produced to be sold to a householder at $1 a dozen pints."

Apparently they never had a chance to offer "Old Broadway Lager" since they only produced "Golden Rhine," "Pilsener Pale Beer" (label below) and "Snowcap Pilsner Beer" (also below) before the plant closed and was re-located to Alaska in November of '34.

"Pilsener Pale Beer" label, c.1933

As can be seen on the label (below), the Pilsener Brewing Co. also had a presence in Oregon.

That venture nearly succeeded, but it was shut down before any beer made it to market there. However, they did truck in product from the Seattle plant while waiting for their brew to mature for bottling.

"Snowcap Pilsner Beer" label, c.1933

Pilsener Brewing Company of Alaska
(1934-1943)

Alaska Lager Beer label, c.1936 - image
"Alaska Lager Beer" label, c.1936

Alaska Lager Beer sign by Gillco - image
"Alaska Lager Beer" back bar sign by Gillco.

Golden Rhine Lager Beer label, c.1936 - image
"Golden Rhine Lager Beer" label, c.1936

Pilsner Brewing Company of Idaho Falls
(1935-1937)

FOOTNOTES:

¹ While I'm sure their present and future investors were secure in the knowledge that the senior Fischnaller was a "former Akron brewer," that may not have been entirely accurate.
In the 1900 census for Akron he was listed as a "rec. clerk" - and a "truant officer" for the 1910 census. By 1917 the family was in Seattle, and for the 1920 census he gave his occupation as "none." But, in a 1922 interview, he described himself as a "newspaper man" and his 1945 obituary echoed that characterization.

Pilsener Brewing Company of Seattle (1933-1934)
and its satellite breweries:
Pilsener Brewing Co. of Alaska (1934-1943)
Pilsener Brewing Co. of Idaho Falls (1935-1937)

Pilsener Brewing Company of Alaska
(1934-1943)

Pilsner Brewing Company of Idaho Falls
(1935-1937)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Pilsener Brewing Company of Seattle (1933-1934) and its satellite breweries: Pilsener Brewing Co. of Alaska (1934-1943) Pilsener Brewing Co. of Idaho Falls (1935-1937)

Pilsener Brewing Company of Alaska (1934-1943)

Pilsner Brewing Company of Idaho Falls (1935-1937)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Pilsener Brewing Company of Seattle (1933-1934)
and its satellite breweries:
Pilsener Brewing Co. of Alaska (1934-1943)
Pilsener Brewing Co. of Idaho Falls (1935-1937)

Pilsener Brewing Company of Alaska
(1934-1943)

Pilsner Brewing Company of Idaho Falls
(1935-1937)