Schell Brewery, New Ulm Mn
A day of vacation or a quick trip from the cities. Any excuse is a reason to go to the brewery in New Ulm and observe the long standing family run and traditional brewing of the beer. Ted Marti, the President, is a fifth generation descendant of the Schell family. It remains the second oldest family owned and managed brewery in the United States and brews nearly 60,000 barrels annually. The legend continues one bottle at a time.

 

The buck deer is on the logo and you can find them all over the grounds. In the gardens they are cast of stone or metal. Behind the main house the live deer and their offspring mingle on the hillside.

 

The house is still used as a private residence but the grounds are accessible. The house is modest as far as mansions are concerned but had porches and a green house attached. The ornate woodwork is evident and the sunken gardens are a treat on the warm summer afternoons. Several artesian wells on the surrounding hillside assure a supply of pure water (in the past for the brewery) but now the city is the water source.

   

The brewery is the first building you notice as you drive the winding road down the tree lined valley of the Cottonwood River. Construction is well underway for the new expansion and now stretches into the banks of the hillside. With their newly acquired Grain Belt brand they will not be as dependant on the third party bottling contracts. It is a proud tradition to be a brewmeister and they still have the old hand wrought copper brewing kettle and the ammonia compressor that provided the chilling of their products. When they first started they did use ice for the chilling and, of course, cut ice on the river and stored it for use in the summer months. But then they were also delivering the beer in barrels by horse drawn wagon down into the city and a few lucky homeowners.

Across from the brewery is the carriage house that has the museum and family artifacts. The stable below now provides a short video of the Schell brew processes and history.

 

 

 

 

 

Outside the ever present peacocks patrol the cars, buildings and surrounding grounds. Their eerie calls can be heard from the hillsides and you'll want to go on the tour just to hear the whole story. At the end of the tour the long tables wait for the guests to sample 4-6 kinds of the 14 varieties of beer the Schell family can brew. And the famous 1919 root beer of the prohibition era will be there for the kids, old and young, if they prefer.

From the left you have the Schell's Light, Firebrick Lager, Pilsner, Zommerfest, Pale Ale and Schmaltz's Alt. Sampling was only the beginning. A full glass of your favorite from the sampling was also provided. Ein Prosit der Gemutlichkeit!