ca. 1932. Northwest Brewing Company, makers of Marinoff Beer, circa 1932. Photograph ordered by Pete Marinoff. The building was constructed in 1910 for Morris & Co., wholesale meats. Northwest Brewing took over the building in 1931, adding to the original structure. Silver Springs Brewery purchased the structure in 1950 for their plant. It was torn down in 1986 to make room for the "Tacoma Spur" Freeway. (filed with Argentum)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Northwest Brewing Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1932. Northwest Brewing Company, makers of Marinoff Beer, circa 1932. Photograph ordered by Pete Marinoff. The building was constructed in 1910 for Morris & Co., wholesale meats. Northwest Brewing took over the building in 1931, adding to the original structure. Silver Springs Brewery purchased the structure in 1950 for their plant. It was torn down in 1986 to make room for the "Tacoma Spur" Freeway. (filed with Argentum)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Northwest Brewing Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1933. In April of 1933, the first production of 3.2% beer was allowed in the US after the repeal of prohibition. Full strength beer would not be legal until January of 1934. Columbia Brewing Co. used this slight variation on a preprohibition label to introduce their new product, Alt Heidelberg Pale Beer. The brewery's symbol of the female figure "Columbia" was replaced by the Student Prince, from the 1903 play "Alt Heidelberg," later reproduced as the operetta "Student Prince." The old style label was later replaced with less ornate one featuring the student prince alone. Photograph ordered by the North Pacific Bank Note Company. (filed with Argentum) (www.brewerygems.com)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Beer--Tacoma; Signs (Notices); Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Labels;

ca. 1935. Columbia Breweries started with seven staff members in the early 1900's. In 1939 J.F. Lanser was president of the company and Otto Birkmaler was brewmaster, producing Columbia Ale. Since prohibition ended in 1933, production of Columbia's Alt Heidelberg beer had been dramatically increased. This elevated view shows the back of Columbia Breweries' plant. The building on left is McNulty Storage and Transfer (listed in 1935 City Directory at 2106 South C Street); across the street on the right is a Richfield service station. A billboard in the center advertises "Camel" cigarettes. A hill and commercial buildings are seen in the background. (WSHS)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1930-1940;

ca. 1940. Columbia Breweries, the manufacturers of Alt Heidelberg and Columbia Ale. Columbia was established in 1900 and had a 41 year record of nonstop continuous brewing. This elevated view shows the plant's facade, automobiles along the street and a delivery truck is backed up to door. A hill and residential buildings are seen in the background. (Argentum)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950;

ca. 1940. Columbia Breweries, the manufacturers of Alt Heidelberg and Columbia Ale were getting ready to go through a massive expansion and modernization of their brewing facilities and offices. Columbia was established in 1900 and had a 41 year record of nonstop continuous brewing. During the dry period they produced "Columbia Brew", a near beer. This elevated view shows the plant's facade, automobiles along the street and a delivery truck is backed up to door. A hill and residential buildings are seen in the background. (WSHS)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950;

ca. 1939. After the remodeling and rebuilding of Columbia Breweries, it would become the largest brewery north of San Francisco and west of Milwaukee. Their expansion would help the company fill the increasing demands for their Heidelberg beer and Columbia ale. View of Columbia Breweries Alt Heidelberg sign: "We are serving Alt Heidelberg. So good--and good for you." (WSHS)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Beer--Tacoma; Advertisements--Tacoma; Signs (Notices); Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1930-1940;

ca. 1939. After the remodeling and rebuilding of Columbia Breweries, it would become the largest brewery north of San Francisco and west of Milwaukee. Their expansion would help the company fill the increasing demands for their Heidelberg beer and Columbia ale. View of Columbia Breweries Alt Heidelberg sign: "We are serving Alt Heidelberg. So good--and good for you." (WSHS)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Beer--Tacoma; Advertisements--Tacoma; Signs (Notices); Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1930-1940;

ca. 1939. Columbia Breweries introduced Columbia ale in 1939, the company vigorously advertised and promoted their new product, which was instantaneously accepted by the public. Columbia is proud of their two products and only uses the finest ingredients for their beer and ale production. View of Alt Heidelberg sign: "Whatever the Package" with three containers--a bottle of beer, a jumbo bottle of beer, and a can of guest beer. "So good--and good for you." (WSHS)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Beer--Tacoma; Advertisements--Tacoma; Signs (Notices); Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1930-1940;

ca. 1939. Columbia Breweries was about to begin a massive expansion project; this would enable them to increase production of their Heidelberg beer and Columbia Ale. Columbia advertised their products throughout Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest. View of three Alt Heidelberg signs: first is the same as 7A7-3; second, "In the family size steinie", a half gallon bottle; third, "In compact stubbies" bottle of beer. (WSHS)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Beer--Tacoma; Advertisements--Tacoma; Signs (Notices); Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1930-1940;

ca. 1957. Exterior of Heidelberg brewery. Smoke billows from Heidelberg's chimneys in a 1957 photograph. Formerly Columbia Breweries, the business had been located in Tacoma since 1900. Heidelberg continued Columbia's line of popular beers and ales and employed about 350 local residents. In 1959, the brewery was sold to Carling Brewing Co. who maintained the plant until 1979 when it closed permanently. Photograph ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Co.

Heidelberg Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Interior views at Columbia Breweries, Griffith, Pick, Phillips and Coughlin, James Bull. A view of the bottling line. A man is seated along the bottling line at Columbia Breweries. The bottles pass in front of a lighted panel and the man is able to detect any flaws in the bottle, the filling, or the cap. In 1946 Heidelberg was brought back on the market in long-neck, 12 oz. brown bottles. In 1947, when machinery became more readily available, the brewery converted to stubby containers.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Bottles;

Interior views at Columbia Breweries, Griffith, Pick, Phillips and Coughlin, James Bull. A view of the bottling line where filled bottles are rinsed prior to labeling.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Student Prince Plaque, Columbia Breweries, Inc., Mr. Marshall Reconosciuto. This image was seen throughout the Pacific Northwest advertising, "Heidelberg, the beer". Alt Heidelberg advertising was awarded honorable mention in national competitions. Columbia Breweries brewed Alt Heidelberg and Columbia Ale at this time. (TNT, 4/22/1941; 5/10/1949, p.29)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Advertising--Tacoma; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Brew kettles, Columbia Breweries, Davis. An employee adds hops to the large copper brew kettle used to boil the wort, one of the early stages of beermaking. The kettle is fitted with a curved cap with a large tube that filters the evaporation coming from the kettle. The brewery owned two of the kettles that had a capacity of 330 barrels each. Anders W. Erikson was the brew master in 1948.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Kettles; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Columbia Breweries, manufacturers of Alt Heidelberg and Columbia Ale, expanded and modernized their brewing facilities and offices once again starting in 1949. This view shows the Tacoma plant and railroad siding that allowed freight trains easy access for shipping Columbia Brewery products. Packaged beer was conveyed from the bottle shop to the shipping depot through an elevated bridge which crossed the railroad yards. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-7)

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950;

Columbia Breweries, Inc., bottling department, showing up-to-date, automatic bottling equipment. Four fillers could fill an average of 265 bottles per minute each. A line of cans winds from near the ceiling to the filling machine on the left. Two men can be seen behind the two filling machines on the right that are filling stubby glass bottles. (TNT, 1/7/1952)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Assembly-line methods--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bottles;

An interior view of Columbia Breweries, Inc., showing the brewing equipment. The new brew house provided for two gleaming copper kettles in a tile setting. Here batches, or brews, of hundreds of barrels each were brought to a vigorous boil several times a day under the eye of the brewmaster, Anders W. Erikson, and his assistants. (TNT, 1/7/1952)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Preliminary filtering operations at Columbia Breweries. Columbia's two fine beverages were pumped through this filtration process as their first step in assuring clarity. The beer would pass through one more battery of filters before bottling. Glass inserts can be seen in the left forefront to show the progress of filtering the beer and ale from the secondary fermentation tanks. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-6)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A line of tanks are seen in the new cellars at Columbia Breweries. Once the newly brewed beer, "wort", had been boiled it was transferred from the kettles through a strainer, or "hopjack", which separated the hops from the wort. The wort was then cooled in wort coolers. The wort was piped into a large vat, "fermenting tun", housed in a cool cellar or an ice chamber. Yeast was added while the wort was in the fermenting vats. For lager beer, bottom-fermenting yeast was used, taking 7-11 days to complete fermentation. Ale was made using top-fermenting yeast that was faster acting and fermented at a higher temperature. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (Brewed in the Pacific Northwest, Gary and Gloria Meier)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Columbia Breweries was proud of their new storage cellars where thousands of barrels of Alt Heidelberg Beer and Columbia Ale were constantly in the process of being perfected. Floor upon floor, cellar after cellar, there were rows of giant tanks holding up to 800 barrels each. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/7/1952)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The loading docks at Columbia Breweries are filled with trucks ready to deliver Alt Heidelberg throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and northern California. A warehouse for case goods and a new receiving and shipping depot was added to the plant during the expansion begun in 1948. A gasoline pump can be seen in the left foreground. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The interior of Columbia Breweries is shown after the completion of a program of expansion begun in 1948. During the processing of beer, barley malt and hops are first boiled in copper brew kettles and then the wort is strained and cooled. It is then fermented with yeasts. After fermentation, most of the yeast is removed and the beer would be decanted into storage tanks where it would be aged up to several months. Shown here is one of the finishing filters through which every drop of the brewery's products passed. Specially devised filter pads were changed at regular intervals. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-6)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Assembly-line methods were also provided in the shipping areas of the recently expanded plant at Columbia Breweries. Cartons filled with cans of Alt Heidelberg travel along moving belts to be sealed and prepared for shipment. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The interior of Columbia Breweries where one of the brewery's more than 160 employees operates the switches to machinery moving materials throughout the facility. Most early breweries had arranged their equipment for efficiency and took advantage of gravity. Grain storage and milling was often located high in the brewery on the 3rd or 4th floor. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (Brewed in the Pacific Northwest, Gary and Gloria Meier)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Columbia Breweries had come a long way from the early steam plant powered by wood as seen in this newly refurbished control room. There are plenty of tubes, pipes, tanks, guages and dials to provide more stringent levels of control than ever before. The pumps seen in the middle of the room were manufactured by the Wittemann Company in Buffalo, New York. A large "W" can be seen as added to the tops of two of the tanks towards the left. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Control rooms--Tacoma;

A May 31, 1951 photographic tour of the new expanded Columbia Breweries revealed this view of the racking room, showing the filling and bunging of stainless steel and aluminum kegs. All the kegs were steam scoured and freshly rinsed prior to filling. Columbia Breweries was located at 2120-32 So. C St. in Tacoma. The brewery began operation in Tacoma in 1900. Its Alt Heidelberg brand beer with the familiar logo of the Student Prince was known nationwide. The plant was purchased by Carling Brewery in 1959 and closed 20 years later in June of 1979. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. TPL-7951

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Workmen are using forklifts to move cartons of Alt Heidelberg into delivery trucks backed up to the loading docks at Columbia Breweries. A warehouse and shipping depot was developed on the Jefferson Avenue frontage of the plant while the main office remained at 2120 South C Street. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

An additional automated can filling machine was included in the expansion begun by Columbia Breweries in 1948. Alt Heidelberg is being filled into cans along this assembly line that helped maintain production for distribution throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, northern California, Alaska and Hawaii. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Columbia Breweries included an additional 39,000 square foot unit to warehouse case goods and a new shipping and receiving depot in their expansion program begun in 1948. The facilities provided for thousands of cartons of Alt Heidelberg to be stored on pallets and moved by forklifts until needed to fill orders throughout the Pacific Northwest. The shipping depot extended for practically two blocks along Jefferson Street. Packaged beer was conveyed from the bottle shop to the shipping depot through an elevated bridge which crossed the railroad yards. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-7)

Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;