Pabst Brewing Company (Milwaukee, Wis.). 

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

As a preservation measure, researchers must view the videocassette copy of Pabst Pledge of Quality rather than the original film reel.

ARRANGEMENT:  The collection is arranged into two major record groups:  1) records of the Pabst Brewing Company, including its predecessors; and 2) records of the company's various subsidiaries. Description of individual volumes within each group is based on the original labeling systems that appear on the physical volumes themselves. This description is usually alphabetical (e.g., General Ledger A), numeric (e.g., Cash Receipts 1), or a combination of both (e.g., General Ledger O1).

SCOPE AND CONTENT: 

1. Pabst Brewing Company, 1873-197-?. The earliest records in this group date from the incorporation of the Phillip Best Brewing Company in 1873 and continue through 1889, when the company name changed to the Pabst Brewing Company. The time span covered by the majority of the records ends by 1920, when the Pabst Brewing Company went into liquidation (see the "Liquidation Records") and the Pabst Corporation was organized to carry on production (see "Combination Record of the Pabst Corporation"). In 1932, the Pabst Corporation merged with the Premier Malt Products Company and, in the following year, the name of the company changed to the Premier-Pabst Corporation. The collection contains very little information on this event, but does include a 1934 appraisal of the Premier-Pabst Corporation. In 1938, the name of the corporation reverted to the Pabst Brewing Company.
   The administrative and financial records constitute the majority of records in this group. They include Annual Inventories and Statements, Cash Books/Mail Remittances, Cash Receipts, Customer Ledgers from various U.S. branches, Profit and Loss Accounts, Salary Ledgers, and Stock Records. General Ledgers [Series 1] show debits and credits for financial accounts nationwide; General Ledgers [Series 2] shows debits and credits for various accounts, such as beer, barley, malt, hops, shipping cooperage, machinery, and insurance.
   In addition to administrative and financial documents, this group includes a series of Production Ledgers or "Süd Books" documenting the analytical side of brewing and containing formulas, notes on trials, specifications of raw materials as well as finished goods, and tests on competitors' products. A related series of Research Journals contains similar information.
   Finally, this record group includes a scrapbook of 325 clippings from newspapers worldwide observing the death of Captain Frederick Pabst in 1904; a scrapbook containing photographs of Pabst's Blue Ribbon Town, U.S.A. radio program, which was hosted by Groucho Marx; and a film titled The Pabst Pledge of Quality (197-?) that was likely shown during public tours of the brewery operations.

2. Subsidiaries.
This group documents the diversity of the Pabst Brewing Company's business subsidiaries over three decades. These business interests included the manufacture of pipe nipples by the Frank Wiedeman Company and Parmac Company; the manufacture of electrodes and welding equipment by the Seamweld Equipment Company; cattle-breeding and general farming by Pabst Holstein Farms; and the production and sale of food products by Pabst Dietary Products. Many of these records shed light on Pabst's business dealings during the period of Prohibition, January 16, 1920 through December 5, 1933.
1. Blue Ribbon Commercial Company, 1913-1925.
2. Frank Wiedeman Company, 1929-1936.
3. Milwaukee Grains and Feed Corporation, 1921-1932.
4. Pabst Dietary Products, 1928-1930.
5. Pabst Holstein Farms, 1918-1926.
6. Pabst Realty Company, 1920-1935.
7. Pabst Sales Corporation, 1924-1939.
8. Parmac Company, 1921-1922.
9. Seamweld Equipment Company, 1921-1922.
10. Universal Realty Corporation, 1925-1928.
11. Washington Highlands Company, 1919-1941.

ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY:  For a detailed corporate history, see Thomas C. Cochran's The Pabst Brewing Company: The History of American Business (New York:  New York University Press, 1948).

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

Pabst Brewing Company (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1873-197-? (bulk 1873-1940). UWM Manuscript Collection 161. University Manuscript Collection. Archives. UWM Libraries. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

RELATED COLLECTIONS:

A. Gettelman Brewing Company. Scrapbooks. (UWM Manuscript Collection 107)

Blatz Brewing Company. Records. (UWM Manuscript Collection 132)

Bliffert, Thomas and Jean Ross. Postcard collection (UWM Manuscript Collection 171)

Milwaukee Brewers' Association. Records. (UWM Manuscript Collection 142)

Milwaukee Journal Stations Collection. Records (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 203)

ACQUISITION:  The Pabst Brewing Company donated this collection in November 2000 (accession number 2000-006).

PROCESSING:  Michael Doylen and Jesse Gant processed the collection at the Archives during spring 2006.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

• Beer industry--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Breweries--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Frank Wiedeman Company.
• Milwaukee Grains and Feed Corporation.
• Pabst, Frederick.
• Pabst Corporation.
• Pabst Dietary Products.
• Pabst Holstein Farms.
• Pabst Realty Company.
• Pabst Sales Corporation.
• Parmac Company.
• Phillip Best Brewing Company.
• Premier-Pabst Corporation.
• Seamweld Equipment Company.
• Universal Realty Corporation.
• Washington Highlands Company.

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URL: http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/arch/findaids/uwmmss161.htm
Last edited on Friday, December 8, 2006.
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