The company was founded by George Schweickhart as George Schweickhart's Menomonee Brewery in 1856. In 1871, Schweickhart added Adam Gettelman as a partner. Adam Gettelman became sole owner in 1876 and renamed the brewery to A. Gettelman Brewing Company. The facility was rebuilt after a fire destroyed most of the original building in 1877. In 1891, the brewer introduced its "$1,000 Beer" challenge, promising to award $1,000 to any chemist who could prove it was made with anything other than pure
barley,
hops, and
malt. In 1895, Gettleman introduced the
Milwaukee's Best brand. Gettelman Brewery sold "near beer" during
Prohibition. In 1946, inspired by
heinzelmännchen of
German folklore, the company introduced an eight-ounce beer bottle called "Fritzie". The company was one of six breweries involved in the
1953 Milwaukee brewery strike. In 1959, they became distributors for
Tucher Brewery of
Nuremberg, Germany. This was the first such relationship with a foreign brewer by an American brewing company. The company was sold in 1961 to
Miller Brewing Company. ==Brands==