Bosch Brewing Company - Torch Lake Brewery

Torch Lake Brewery

Joseph Bosch built the Torch Lake Brewery in 1874, a small wooden building. The small brewery thrived on thirsty miners working in Red Jacket, which is now Calumet. In its first year, the Torch Lake Brewing Company produced 1717 barrels. Bosch began building close ties with the local community; he would sell leftover malt to farmers and invite them into the brewery for a cold beer while they waited.

Bosch’s products were popular among the thirsty miners. The Keweenaw was booming with copper mining, attracting new people to the area, and Bosch’s business grew with the increased population. In 1876 Bosch formed a partnership with Joseph Wertin Sr., Joseph Wertin Jr., and George Wertin. It was at this time that the company name was changed from the Torch Lake Brewing Company to Joseph Bosch and Company.

When the company first started it sold only kegs, as beer in bottles was uncommon at the time. After the discovery of pasteurization, breweries began bottling beer by the late 1870s. Bosch began bottling on a small scale by 1880, one of the few Upper Peninsula breweries to bottle beer. By 1883 the company was producing 4000 barrels of beer annually, one quarter of it bottled. In 1886, the plant continued to expand, and a 790-foot-deep (240 m) artesian well was drilled to provide pure water for brewing.

On May 20, 1887, a fire swept through the town of Lake Linden, destroying 75% of the town, including the newly expanded brewery. Fortunately, Bosch was compensated by insurance, and by September 7, the brewery was rebuilt and running again.

The company continued to grow, and in 1889, The Bosch Brewery stood 11th out of 102 breweries in the state of Michigan. By 1892 the company had branches in Hancock, Calumet, Ishpeming, Eagle Harbor, and Baraga. One place that Bosch was missing, and greatly desired, was Houghton, which he viewed as the ideal location for a brewery.