Moorhead Brewing Company

The struggles and ultimate failure of the Moorhead Brewing Company, which operated between 1875 and 1901, reflect Minnesotans’ changing attitudes toward alcohol in the late nineteenth century.

The nineteenth century was an exciting time for American family brewers. Saloons were thriving, small businesses were booming, and brewers used local ingredients, which attracted loyal customers. But one brewery in Minnesota struggled to find long-term success. In the Red River Valley, the Moorhead Brewing Company would change ownership three times before permanently closing its doors.

The Moorhead Brewing Company was founded in April 1875, by George and Joseph Larkins, two brothers from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Moorhead was a desirable location for a brewery because the Red River Valley offered plenty of water and farmland for local ingredients. The city was also attractive since it faced little regional competition. Most of Minnesota’s beer was produced more than 200 miles away from Moorhead, in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Although Moorhead was across the Red River from Fargo, that city did not present competition because it was in North Dakota, which regulated alcohol. Despite these advantages, the Larkins did not achieve success with their brewery.

The reasons for their failure are unclear. One factor may have been that the brewery did not offer lager, the beer of the times. As American immigrants moved westward, a temperance movement sprang up. After a resulting backlash and increase in criminal activity, Prohibition advocates searched for a compromise. They found one in America’s German immigrants, who were hard-drinking but otherwise respected. Americans believed that German beer, known as ‘lager,’ was non-intoxicating, so both lawmakers and average Americans approved of the drink. Lager also had a longer shelf life than other beer and was more stable for transport.

Although lager’s brewing process was relatively complicated, by the time Moorhead Brewing Company opened in 1875, Americans preferred lager over any other beer. The brothers, however, could not make lager when they first opened for business because they did not arrive in Moorhead until the spring. They were too late to cut winter ice for their brews, which was required for making lager. This forced the Larkins to brew ales at first.

Another problem was that their beer wasn’t high quality. The Moorhead Red River Star reported, “The Larkins’ beer by some is preferred to the impure article frequently shipped from St. Paul to country dealers” The brothers’ business collapsed within a year and the brewery was foreclosed and sold at auction.

In 1876, John Erickson took over the business, and he offered lager. Erickson, a Swedish immigrant to Moorhead, was a skilled businessman. He ran a hotel owned a dry goods store and up to three thousand acres of farmland; he also served two terms as Moorhead’s mayor.

Erickson’s brewery was never a large success, but it managed to run on and off for nearly twenty years. It operated seasonally, employing between six and twelve employees from winter to summer. At maximum capacity, the brewery could produce 4,000 thirty-one-gallon barrels a year.

In 1881, Moorhead experienced an economic downturn, and the brewery faced sale at a sheriff’s auction at least twice. That same year, Erickson hired Fred ‘Fritz’ Wachsmuth, an experienced German brewmaster. In 1884, Erickson fired Wachsmuth and hired a new brewmaster. A few days later, Wachsmuth committed suicide near the brewery. By 1895, Erickson’s business prospects had collapsed. Fargo National Bank foreclosed the brewery that same year.

In the spring of 1897, Ole Aslesen bought the brewery. Aslesen was the former co-owner of the Fargo Brewing Company in Fargo. After North Dakota voted to ban alcohol sales, Aslesen built a saloon and beer warehouse across the river in Moorhead, then moved his entire enterprise over to the Moorhead brewery. Aslesen, along with his son Albert, operated the brewery for another four years, making improvements and introducing regular production.

In August of 1901, disaster struck at 10:55 PM, when the brewery was reported burning. By 11:30 PM, Aslesen arrived to find his business a smoldering ruin. With insurance only covering $3,000 out of the $10,000 business, Aslesen was forced to retire from brewing, and the Moorhead Brewing Company came to an end.