Jacob Obermann

Obermann was born in Germany on March 23, 1819.[2] He immigrated to the United States in 1843.[3][4] He was a Mason and a member of the Turner Society.[5] His father was Peter and he had a brother (Caspar) and sister (Catherine). He married twice; Maria until her death in 1852, then Barbara. He had four children (Barbara, Mary, Richard, Edwin) with his second wife.[2] He had at least four other children (Philip, Gustav, George, Herman), probably from his first marriage.[5] He was a member of the Milwaukee Common Council.[5] He died on April 24, 1887 at the age of 68 and is buried in Union Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[2]

Obermann began his career as a shoemaker in 1843, then opened a store in 1849.[4] He continued with his shoe business until opening a brewery (named Germania Brewery) at 5th and Cherry streets in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1854 and brewed 'Standard', 'Weiner' and 'Extra Brew' styles of beer.[6][7][4][8] He had a partner in the business by the name of Max Fueger.[4] He added an ice house in 1866.[3] The brewery was the city's largest for twenty years until 1874.[6] By 1880, the brewer, along with his sons, was producing 30,000 barrels of beer annually.[7] Obermann's brewery became one of the leaders in Milwaukee's brewing industry until his death in 1887.[1][4] He was a member of the Brewers' Insurance Company of America[9][10] and a founding member of the Mechanics Mutual Fire Insurance Company.[5]

After Jacob Obermann's death, the business was continued by his sons until debt problems, due to an investment in Chicago, Illinois incurred a loss of $200,000, caused the company to go into receivership in 1893, then again in 1895. The brewery was subsequently sold at auction to Philipp Jung.[5] Obermann's son Gustav went on to operate a brewery of his own at the end of the 19th century.[11]

• List of defunct breweries in the United States