Stevens Point Brewing's History
The company was founded in 1857 by George Ruder and Frank Wahle. In 1864,
the company provided its beer to the troops during the Civil War. The brewery
was subsequently sold to Andrew and Jacob Lutz in 1867. The Lutz family
continued operations until it was sold to Gustav Kuenzel in 1897. The company
was then organized as the Gustav Kuenzel Brewing Company in 1901. The following
year, it was renamed the Stevens Point Brewing Company. Ludwig Korfman purchased
a controlling interest in the company in 1924 and reorganized the company as the
Stevens Point Beverage Company. The company faced local competition from the
mid-1860s through the Prohibition era of the 1920s, when the remaining
competition went out of business. During the 1950s, the brewery began
using cans in production. In 1973, Point Special brand beer was rated the top
American beer in a taste test as reported by Mike Royko, a prominent columnist
for the Chicago Daily News. By the 1970s the company was owned by Felix and Ken
Shibilski. In 1990, the company first began selling its product outside
Wisconsin, in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Minnesota. In 1992, the
Shibilskis sold the company to Chicago-based Barton Beers Ltd. The new ownership
was unique for Barton in that Point beer was its only domestic product line,
with all of its other offerings being imports. The company planned to tie sales
to its Mexican brand, Corona, but when that brand's sales exploded, the Point
brand became a distraction. In 2002, the company was sold back to Wisconsin
ownership by Milwaukee-based real estate developers Joe Martino and Jim
Wiechmann. That same year, the company introduced gourmet sodas to its
beverage list. In 2003, Point Special won the gold medal at the Great American
Beer Festival in the premium lager category. That same year, the company bought
the Augsburger brand from Stroh Brewery Company. In 2005, the company bought
four beer brands from the James Page Brewing Company. In 2007, the company was
listed in the top fifty craft brewers list by the Brewers Association.
Stevens Point Beers
Point Special Lager
Point Classic Amber
Point Cascade Pale Ale
Point Belgian White Wheat Ale
Point Horizon Wheat
Point Einbock
Point Nude Beach
Point Oktoberfest
Point St. Benedict's Winter Ale
James Page Beers
James Page Iron Range Amber
James Page Burly Brown
James Page Voyageur Extra Pale Ale
James Page White Ox Wheat Ale
Karl Strauss Brewing Company brands
Stevens Point Gourmet sodas
Point Premium Root Beer
Point Premium Diet Root Beer
Point Premium Vanilla Cream Soda
Point Premium Black Cherry Cream Soda
Point Premium Orange Cream Soda
