Peter Hand Brewing Company
| File:MeisterBrauLogo.jpg | |
| Industry | Beverages |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1891 |
| Founder | Peter Hand |
| Defunct | 1978 |
| Headquarters | 1000 W. North Avenue, , United States |
Area served | Regional |
| Products | Beer |
The Peter Hand Brewing Company was an American brewery established in 1891 by Peter Hand, a Prussian immigrant and Civil War veteran, in Chicago, Illinois. The company is notably recognized for creating the light beer formula that was eventually acquired and rebranded by Miller Brewing as "Light Beer from Miller," which later became known as Miller Lite. Upon its closure in 1978, it marked the end of Chicago’s brewery operations until the opening of Sieben's River North in 1987.
History
Peter Hand, who had previously worked at the Conrad Seipp Brewing Company, founded his own brewery in Chicago in 1891. By the time of his death in 1899, the business had gained traction with its lager named Meister Brau. Although Prohibition forced a shutdown from 1920 until 1933, the brewery managed to endure and grow afterward. In 1965, new ownership rebranded the company as Meister Brau Inc., with ambitions to expand distribution on a national scale.
The firm allocated substantial resources to marketing efforts within Chicago, securing sponsorship deals with notable sports franchises such as the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks, and Chicago Bulls. Their promotional campaigns included radio advertisements, billboards, and branded merchandise, achieving advertising visibility second only to Mayor Richard J. Daley’s political campaigns. Meister Brau also acquired a light beer formula which they modified and introduced as "Meister Brau Lite," gaining significant consumer acceptance. By the late 1960s, annual production had reached one million barrels with revenues surpassing $50 million.
Despite this success, poor management and mounting debt caused financial strain. In 1972, most of the company’s brands were sold to Miller, who rebranded Meister Brau Lite as Miller Lite and marketed Meister Brau as a budget alternative to Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser. Although the original Peter Hand Brewing name was reinstated and additional capital was injected, the company declared bankruptcy in 1973. Subsequently, it was purchased by a consortium led by Fred Huber of the Joseph Huber Brewing Company. The brewery ceased operations permanently in 1978.
Brands
Peter Hand Brewing produced and promoted a variety of beer labels. Alongside their primary offerings Meister Brau and Meister Brau Lite, their portfolio included Old Chicago Lager, Peter Hand Reserve, Old Crown Ale, Old German, Alps Brau, Peter Hand Extra Light, Van Merritt, Braumeister, Burgemeister, Peter Hand Export, and Holiday Beer.
Meister Brau Lite
Initial attempts at producing light beer often involved diluting existing lagers, which resulted in subpar quality.
In late 1966, New York-based Rheingold Brewery launched Gablinger's Diet Beer, a pale lager with 4.2% alcohol content developed through a process created by Swiss chemist Dr. Hersch Gablinger and formulated by company biochemist Joseph Owades. Marketed as a "diet beer," it initially struggled to attract consumers.
The Gablinger method incorporated the enzyme amyloglucosidase during fermentation to break down nonfermentable starch into fermentable sugars. This reduced carbohydrates and calories by approximately one-third while slightly lowering alcohol levels. Rheingold held rights to this technique; Owades crafted the recipe for their version. After Rheingold discontinued the product, the formula was transferred to Peter Hand Brewing, which improved it and successfully reintroduced it as Meister Brau Lite.