End of an era: Hourly workers at Leinenkugel’s Brewery in Chippewa Falls finish their final shift

Since 1867, generations of workers have been crafting Leinenkugel’s beer at a historic brewery in Chippewa Falls. On Thursday afternoon, the last of them clocked out from their final shift.

Their work over, they walked across a bridge to the Leinie Lodge for a pint.

The impending closure of the Leinenkugel’s brewery was announced in November by Molson Coors, which now owns the brand. It came as a surprise to the 56 workers losing their jobs.

Just before sunset on Thursday, a trickle of hourly employees represented by Teamsters Local 662 walked across a footbridge on their way to the Leinie Lodge — a pub and gift shop on the site — for an informal gathering complete with pints and pizza. Lodge staff told WPR reporters were not allowed inside.

Outside, it was mostly quiet aside from passing flocks of geese and the babble of Duncan Creek where ducks braved the frigid water to bob for food. As cars passed by, some drivers slowed down and craned their necks for a better look at the soon-to-be-shuttered brewery.

Many of the brewery workers politely declined interviews with WPR as they left the property. Some said they were told not to talk with media. A few agreed to talk without giving their names for fear of putting their severance packages at risk.

One man told WPR he’s worked at the Leinenkugel brewery for 10 years. He called it “the best job, even when it was rough.”

“But you know, what can you do?” he said.

He said the mood among the workers inside the lodge was upbeat even as they said their goodbyes. He said the severance packages offered by Molson Coors are based on years of service, which gives the senior employees more time to find new jobs.

“But you know, a lot of us younger guys, we’re trying to find something right away,” he said.

Still, he said he feels for his colleagues who have worked at the brewery for decades. “You know, some of them have worked here since high school, so they’ve never had to look, they’ve never had to have an interview.”  

On Wednesday, Jake and Dick Leinenkugel announced they offered to start negotiations with Molson Coors aimed at buying their family’s former brewery back to keep it operating. Their offer was rejected.

The worker told WPR he’s glad the Leinenkugel brothers are committed to the Chippewa Falls community and pushed back on social media criticism of the family’s decision to sell the brand to Miller Brewing Company in the 1980’s. He suggested without the sale, the brewery may have closed sooner. Despite the effort, he seemed skeptical about the brothers being able to buy the brewery back.

“Molson Coors is a worldwide, international conglomerate,” he said. “It’s tough to say whether or not they are going to consider the impact it has on this community.” 

Around an hour later, two more workers emerged from the lodge and walked back to their cars. One of them was holding an empty Leinenkugel’s pint glass.

The two also declined to give their names, but told WPR they’d each worked at the brewery for more than 30 years.

“We’re all going to miss the place,” one of them said. “It was a good place to work.”

His colleague said he started at the brewery just after the Miller take over in the late 1980’s, which meant employees could no longer sample their beer at work.

“They had taken everything out of the break room, because when Miller brought it, you couldn’t drink at work,” he said with a smile. ” You had to be off premises. And the old guys, it took a lot for them guys to get into that.” 

Both men said they were close to retirement, one with just a year to go.

In a statement Thursday, Molson Coors said while brewing operations are being transferred to Milwaukee, the Leinie Lodge and its pilot brewery will remain open.

Some in the Chippewa Falls community have taken to social media to rally behind the Leinenkugel brothers’ attempt to save the historic brewery and its employees. An online petition to that end had garnered more than 9,000 signatures as of Thursday evening.