Celebrating 150 years of brewing history, Frankenmuth Brewery this week filled and labeled 1,862 bottles of a limited edition dark lager that includes some of an original batch of Frankenmuth Dark, first brewed in the 1940s.
The one-liter bottles of 150th Anniversary Frankenmuth Dark Lager went on sale at the brewery Tuesday and remaining bottles will be sold through select Michigan retailers beginning the week of Dec. 3, brewery officials said.
The original Frankenmuth Dark — which was kept under lock and key for an occasion such as this — was blended into the anniversary beer by brewmaster Jeff Coon.
The anniversary bottles, which will sell for $24.99 each, are hand-labeled, numbered and signed by Coon to validate their authenticity.
"When you are one of the oldest breweries in the country, you have a great legacy to uphold and a responsibility to carry on the legacy of those who come before you," the brewmaster said.
Established in 1862, the Frankenmuth Brewing Company claims to be the second-oldest brewery in the nation. It was destroyed by a tornado in 1996 and re-opened in 2002, operating as a restaurant until it was closed in November 2006. The Frankenmuth Brewery was purchased in January 2009 by Stewart Capital Management and now operates as a microbrewery and restaurant at 425 S. Main in Frankenmuth.
