Good evening,
This weekend, to celebrate my birthday, my parents decided to visit me in Mankato, Minnesota. It was blisteringly hot and humid, so we decided to make a trip to the Schell Brewery in nearby New Ulm.
Bottling Machine
I've taken the tour quite a few times, as it's close and inexpensive. A $5 fee gets you the tour and includes a taste test of six beers, followed by a pint of whichever you liked best. These photos are all from the tour, as I didn't want to bother anyone in the taste test with photos... this time.
Old-fashioned Cooling
Every time I take the tour, I learn something new. Every guide tells things a little differently and covers different information. This time, he spoke about the above cooling system which was invented and patented by a member of the Schell brewing family. Apparently, it used compressed ammonia to cool the breweing area. Modern cooling systems have long since replaced it, but the mechanical portion remains.
Barrel Maker?
Back in the museum, many pieces of historic brewing equipment are displayed. Schell's brewery is one of longer-lived ones in the United States, having survived the Dakota War, Prohibition, and the "light beer" craze of the 50's that was the end of so many smaller breweries.
While I couldn't find a description for the above piece, my best guess is that it was used to create barrels. A metal band was probably placed on the hooks, the boards inserted around it, and the screw used to pull the band into place.
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