Rainer wasn’t the only Northwest beer with clever commercials that couldn’t keep it in business. Blitz-Weinhard marketed itself as “The Beer Here.” Today, it’s another brand from somewhere.
Henry Weinhard opened his Portland brewery in 1856, three years before Oregon became a state. For decades, Blitz-Weinhard was the largest-selling beer in Oregon. Pabst Brewing bought the company in 1979; sold to G. Heileman in 1983; Heileman’s bankruptcy in 1996 prompted sale to Stroh Brewing Co; Stroh sold to Miller in 1999; Miller immediately closed brewery and moved production up I-5 to Olympia; Miller closed that brewery in 2003 and contracted with Full Sail in Hood River to brew the brand; Miller became MillerCoors in 2007; Full Sail contract ended in 2013 and now Henry Weinhard’s is brewed… somewhere.
The brewery, adjacent to Powell’s City of Books, is now the Brewery Blocks, a conglomeration of condos and apartments, offices, trendy retail – Whole Foods, Sur la Table and others – and a location of MillerCoors franchised Henry’s Tavern.
But that’s not what this post is about. It’s to share the story of Schludwiller beer, a fictitious California brand and attempts by intrepid truckers Vern and Earl to bring it into Oregon. The Schludwiller truck actually was used by the brewery to distribute its beer and could be seen traveling the highways throughout the state.
