CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — For generations, Chase Bergeron's family has enjoyed the taste of Leinenkugel's, a beer proudly brewed in their hometown of Chippewa Falls since 1867.
Bergeron, 25, takes so much pride in the brand that he inked his right arm with a Leinenkugel's tattoo in high school.
"It's literally a part of me," Bergeron said.
However, Bergeron and the rest of this Western Wisconsin community of 14,000 are reeling this week after Leinenkugel's parent company, Molson Coors, announced plans to close the brewery early next year as part of a consolidation of brewing operations in Milwaukee.
According to a public filing by Molson Coors, production will end around Jan. 17, 2025 and will cause 56 employees to permanently lose their jobs. Currently, the company reports that 120 employees work at the Chippewa Falls facility, making an average wage of more than $31 per hour.
Although the Leine Lodge and a pilot brewery will remain open to the public in Chippewa Falls, the end of brewing operations in the Chippewa Valley after a century and a half strikes a major blow to the identity of the town and to lifelong residents like Bergeron.
"I don't think they realize how much they're affecting our community," Bergeron said. "This is a really big deal to us."
Across the street from the brewery at Blue Marble Pub, owner Heather Marble said she's worried about the future of her business and Chippewa Falls as a whole.
"It's detrimental," Marble said. "I don't know what's going to happen."
After losing St. Joseph's Hospital this past spring, the Leinenkugel's closure delivers another hit to the city's economy and could dramatically impact the number of tourists in town, even though popular tours of the historic facility are expected to continue.
"Are people going to want to tour a brewery that's not operating?" Marble said. "This is our basis here in this town. It's where we get our tourism, where we get our income."
Sitting at the Blue Marble Pub bar on Thursday afternoon, Lars Larson sipped a Leinenkugel's light beer and sported a Leinenkugel's sweatshirt. When the brewery officially closes, though, he said he's going to boycott Molson Coors products.
"It's nonsense," Larson said. "It's the pride of Chippewa Falls. Always has been. Just ripped our heart out."
Despite selling the company in 1988, members of the Leinenkugel family still remain involved in operations. Former president Dick Leinenkugel is the only relative to make a public statement about the brewery closure, telling WTMJ in Milwaukee that Moors Colson appeared to make a cost-savings decision and that his family was not consulted or contacted prior to the announcement.
"It's a sad day for our family and our fans. In 2017, we came together in Chippewa Falls to celebrate our brewery's 150th anniversary. It was the defining moment of my career in beer. Alongside my brothers, Jake and John, and members of our fourth, fifth, and sixth generations of family, we proudly toasted our beer drinkers, retail customers, and distributors to thank them for their loyalty and support," Dick Leinenkugel said. "Today, on behalf of the Leinenkugel family, I thank them again and will toast them this evening with a Leinenkugel's Original and a tear in my eye."
In a statement, the Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce also said it was "saddened" by the brewery's closure.
"Beginning in Chippewa Falls over 155 years ago, Leinenkugel's has been a long standing business, helping shape the community we are today. As was true so many years ago, the diversity of our businesses and industries allows us to remain resilient as our community evolves," the chamber said. "With the Leinie Lodge and the Pilot Brewery remaining open, Go Chippewa County, the Tourism Division of the Chamber, will continue to promote their tastings and events while seeking to understand future brewery tour details and options. Our thoughts are with the employees and families impacted by the announcement and the Chamber is committed to providing them with area resources and connecting them with area businesses that are hiring."
There are multiple petitions circulating online right now, calling on Molson Coors to keep the brewery open in Chippewa Falls.
Chase Bergeron said he's involved in one of those petitions.
"At least if it closes, we gave it our best shot," Bergeron said. "Good odds, they'll close it down despite the petition, but I'm glad the lodge will stay open and we'll just carry on. It will be all right. I'll still drink it and it will still be an important part of our history."