George Muehlebach

Posted on

Muehlebach Brewing Co, pilsener beer, “Beer Castle,” Hotel Muehlebach

 

 

Photo courtesy of Missouri Valley Special Collections
Photo courtesy of Missouri Valley Special Collections

 

A Switzerland native, George Muehlebach became a mainstay of Kansas City. After his farming family moved to the States, he relocated to Westport, Mo. The smart and savvy George tried his hand in several areas of business, with brief stints in the freight industry and even searching for gold in Colorado. He settled back in Kansas City, founding the Muehlebach Brewing Company. It was his calling; the brewery quickly became one of the most prosperous associations in Missouri and by the early 1900s took second in sales only to Kansas City Breweries Company.

 

Best known for their Pilsener beer, George’s brewery was selling 25,000 barrels annually by 1899, resulting in expansion – and eventually a “Beer Castle.” The brick and stone building was constructed on the original site at 18th and Main Streets. George died in Kansas City in 1905, leaving the company to his son. Though the name lives on only at the Hotel Muehlebach downtown, George remains an influential and integral figure in Kansas City’s history and economy.