ca. 1949. In December of 1949, an aerial view of Columbia Breweries (center, located between South C Street and Jefferson Avenue and between South 21st and 23rd Streets) showed the brewery covered with a light dusting of snow. The brewery facilities spanned more than three acres. The plant had recently completed a major expansion, including a 20,000 square foot, two story building that housed a new bottle shop and a can beer line as well as a 39,00 square foot warehouse for case goods and a new receiving and shipping depot. The plant, constructed in 1900, closed in June of 1979. The winter of 1949-50 was one of the most severe on record, ushering in six weeks of alternating rain, snow and high winds. The numerals 7734 have been inscribed on the bottom of the photograph. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954.
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950;
ca. 1949. An aerial view of Columbia Breweries along South C Street in the snow. A sign spells out Columbia Breweries around the top of the main building. The elevated runway that crosses over the railroad tracks between the receiving depot on the Jefferson Street frontage and the bottle shop on South C Street can be seen. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954. The photographer's name in the lower right shows, "Associated Photographic Service, 714 Market Street, Tacoma." Associated Photographic Service was open from 1935 through 1949. Chapin Bowen was with the company from 1939 through 1949.
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1940-1950;
ca. 1949. This aerial photograph featuring Columbia Breweries (center) was taken either in December of 1949 or early January of 1950 as snow has blanketed the rooftops and surrounding streets. It appears identical to C87485, image 8, except for the missing Heidelberg logo in the upper left corner. The massive plant had opened in 1900 as the Columbia Brewing Co., underwent several remodels and expansions and purchases, and would survive until 1979 when it finally closed.
Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Aerial views; Aerial photographs; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1940-1950;
ca. 1949. A view of the bottling line at Columbia Breweries. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954. The photographer's name in the lower right shows, "Associated Photographic Service, 714 Market Street, Tacoma".
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Bottles; Machinery;
ca. 1949. An aerial view of Columbia Breweries along South C Street in the snow. A sign spells out Columbia Breweries around the top of the main building. The eight-story Harmon Manufacturing Company building can be seen in the foreground at 1938 Pacific Avneue. Tacoma Plumbing Supply can be seen around the corner at 315 South 23rd Street. The numerals 7730 have been inscribed on the bottom of the photograph. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954.
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950;
ca. 1949. This aerial view of Columbia Breweries along South "C" Street in downtown Tacoma is nearly identical to C87485, image 12, except for the Heidelberg logo missing in the left corner. The photograph was taken during a snowy day circa 1949. The brewery is located in near-left center and is labeled "Columbia Breweries" and "Columbia Ale" near the top of the main building. Heidelberg Brewery purchased the Columbia Breweries plant in 1949 and remodeled and rebuilt it. The plant would once again be sold in 1959 when Carling Brewery purchased it. It would finally close in June of 1979.
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Aerial views; Aerial photographs; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1940-1950;
ca. 1949. A view of the bottling line at Columbia Breweries where bottles of Columbia Ale are being crated into cases. In 1946 Columbia Breweries brought the long-neck, 12-ounce brown bottles back on the market and they were selling approximately 140,000 barrels per year. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954. The photographer's name in the lower right shows, "Associated Photographic Service, 714 Market Street, Tacoma".
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Bottles;
ca. 1949. A view of the bottling line at Columbia Breweries where newly filled bottles are coming from the left and being capped automatically. Men are standing at the ready in case anything should run amiss with the automated processes. Filled and capped bottles move off to the next phase on the right. Copies of old prints ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Company in December 1954. The photographer's name in the lower right shows, "Associated Photographic Service, 714 Market Street, Tacoma". TPL-8848
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Bottles;
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;
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;
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;
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 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;
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;
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;
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;
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 sparkling glass of Alt Heidelberg has been set within a frame with the beer's logo of the Student Prince. Heidelberg was Columbia Breweries' lager-style beer. A studio set-up for Columbia Breweries ordered by Marshall Riconosciuto, advertising manager.
Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Beer--Tacoma; Advertising--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Columbia Breweries had two enormous brewing kettles each with a capacity of 330 barrels each and of nearly 2,000 barrels in 24 hours. An average of six brews were made each day. Water was obtained from two artesian wells located on the brewery's property and approximately 50 tons of grain were used each day. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.
Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Kettles;
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;
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;
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;
Sophisticated pumps and filters have been added during the remodeling and rebuilding of the plant at Columbia Breweries begun in 1948. A workman stands by the controls. Ordered by Columbia Breweries.
Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Not all operations had been automated at the newly expanded Columbia Breweries plant on May 31, 1951. Empty Alt Heidelberg bottles were being pulled from cartons in the left foreground to add them to the automated processes. Lines of cartons moved along conveyor belts from one level to another looking like freeway entrance ramps while workmen made sure nothing caused the line to be stopped. Every working day in 1952, 20,000 cases, or nearly 500,000 bottles, entered through one entrance to the bottling department and left by another. Ordered by Columbia Breweries. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-8)
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;
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;
A tall glass of Columbia Pale Ale stands next to a bottle with their attractive label for the ale. A drawing of the Statue of Liberty, barley and the words "True Top Fermentation" decorate the label. Columbia Breweries followed the traditional brewing method for ale using a top-fermenting yeast that was faster acting and fermented at a higher temperature than lager.
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Beer--Tacoma;
A group of 23 salemen from Columbia Breweries for Washington, Oregon, California and Alaska pose in front of the company facilities in Tacoma during a recent sales meeting. Robert S. Jamieson, seated fourth from the left, was sales manager of the company. Names are listed in the newspaper. (TNT, 1/8/1952, p.B-10)
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Sales personnel--Tacoma; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--People;
A large group of drivers was given a tour of the Columbia Breweries on July 28, 1951. Over thirty drivers from Everett participated in the tour of the plant which had undergone massive expansion and modernization. They are posed on the sidewalk before the main entrance to the plant. Columbia Breweries manufactured Alt Heidelberg and Columbia Ale, two very popular beverages.
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Business enterprises--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Group portraits--1950-1960;
Chemist lab at Columbia Breweries. Two employees of Columbia Breweries shown at work in the chemist's laboratory in an October, 1951, photograph. According to a large ad placed in the News Tribune on November 13th, the four staff chemists carefully monitored every step in the brewing process from the selection of choice ingredients to the total sterilization of final kegs. All brews were scientifically checked and technically controlled in the company's modern and well-equipped laboratory. Columbia Breweries were well known for their production of Columbia Ale and Heidelberg beer. (TNT, 11-13-51, p. 11)
Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Columbia Breweries, Inc. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Chemistry--Tacoma; Laboratories--Tacoma--1950-1960;
