Chicago’s Lost Brewery Returns: How Conrad Seipp’s 1854 Legacy Built the City (Plus: Archie’s Corner Bar Culture)

Learn how Seipp became Chicago’s beer baron and why his name is back on shelves now. Plus: corner bar culture at Archie’s Iowa Rockwell Tavern.

Conrad Seipp Brewing Co. owner Laurin Mack joins the podcast at Archie’s Iowa Rockwell Tavern to trace how she resurrected the family brewery, which was founded in 1854, survived the Great Chicago Fire, and once ranked among America’s largest. She tells the wild story of her great-great-great-grandfather Conrad Seipp, an immigrant carpenter turned beer baron, and how his brewery rose to become one of the top-producing operations in the U.S. Along the way, she explains how 19th-century brewery fires and the Great Chicago Fire reset competition, how the World’s Columbian Exposition shaped beer branding, and how Prohibition shuttered Seipp despite pivots like cereal beverages and ginger ale. She also discusses the Black Point Estate & Gardens in Lake Geneva—the preserved Seipp summer home you still reach by boat—and how it influenced her decision to revive the Conrad Seipp Brewing brand as a living link between Chicago’s past and its present beer scene.

After the beer break, Laurin discusses Seipp’s Columbia World’s Fair Bock (a crisp 6% dark lager) and unpacks brewer Doug Hurst’s role in translating tradition into modern lagers. She explains what their detective work revealed about why the first American Pilsners didn’t work and how small adjuncts like flaked corn helped pre-Prohibition Pilsners achieve the snap people craved. Plus: 19th-century “strength” vs. today’s ABV, Seipp’s early refrigerated boxcar distribution, and how the revived brand landed with drinkers.

To wrap up, Archie’s Iowa Rockwell Tavern owner Katrina Arthur joins the conversation to share Archie’s origin story, why a giant Hamm’s sign still glows over the intersection of Iowa and Rockwell, the free cheese balls, wooden drink tokens, and what it’s like to grow up in a tavern — all before the Final Toast (featuring… the Tamale Guy?!).

About Conrad Seipp Brewing Company: Seipp’s beer is Chicago’s beer. Founded in 1854, the Conrad Seipp Brewing Company tells the story of the city’s history. The times have changed, but the principles of Seipp remain: accessible, well-crafted beer made from high quality ingredients. Learn more on their website at https://www.seippbrewing.com/

About Archie's Iowa Rockwell Tavern: This longtime neighborhood watering hole with funky decor offers board games, free pool, and a jukebox. Follow Archie’s at https://www.instagram.com/archies.chicago

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You can learn more about Crafty Brewers and get in touch with us on our official website, https://craftybrewerspod.com

Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC. Is your brewery or business looking to capture a loyal audience to drive business results with the power of podcasting? Then visit https://quantum-podcasts.com/ to learn more.

Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you’ll learn about: Seipp’s Extra Pale, Pre-Prohibition Pilsner, Bavarian Hefeweizen, Seipp Hollander, 1893 World’s Fair, Chicago brewing history, Bohemian hops, Lake Michigan water, six-row barley, rice adjunct, lager yeast, adjunct lager history, Pilsner brewing techniques, American lager history, Pilot Project Milwaukee, Metropolitan Brewing Chicago, Beer Culture Center, Ukrainian Village Chicago, Cottage Grove brewery site, Pabst Brewery complex, refrigerated boxcars history, Chicago saloon history, immigrant brewer Chicago, Chicago corner taverns, archival beer labels, historical beer ephemera, Chicago beer heritage, pre-Prohibition beer styles, Seipp brand revival, Chicago lager renaissance, historic tavern culture, neighborhood bar Chicago, beer detective work, Conrad Seipp legacy, German-style lagers, Chicago World’s Fair beer, historic brewery resurrection, and Midwestern beer history.