The Carson Brewing Company is the Carson City Historical Building Ornament collectable for 2025 and is now available in time for the 2025 holiday season!
The ornament is available at the following locations:
- The Purple Avocado, 904 N Curry St, Carson City.
- Brewery Arts Center 449 King St, Carson City.
- Nevada Legislature Gift Shop, Room 1189 of the Legislative Building, 401 S Carson St, Carson City
- The Nevada State Museum, 600 N Carson St, Carson City.
The Carson Brewing Company was first established by Jacob Klein in 1860. By 1864, Klein had constructed a sturdy new building composed of handmade bricks. A saloon was located on the ground floor and the Carson Masonic Lodge held meetings upstairs. This is the building you see today. Klein crafted robust steam beer made with the crystal-clear water coming from King’s Canyon Creek. When the brew was ready for market it was transferred to wooden barrels and bottles and then delivered to the local saloons by horse and wagon.
In 1888 the brewery was sold to James A Reycraft, Frank Golden and F. A. Schultz. Over the years, the signature steam beer that had been blended from malt and hops, was switched to lager beer by the new brewmaster Fritz Hagemeyer in 1908. As Fritz brewed his magic, he convinced his brother-in-law, Max Stenz Sr, to buy the Brewery in 1910. Born in Bavaria, Max also a brewer, rebranded his product as Tahoe Beer, “famous as the Lake”.
To survive through prohibition 1920 to 1933, the Carson Brewing Company business changed course. One owner burned off the alcohol content of this beer and called it near beer, and Max Stenz Sr. began bottling mineral water from the local hot springs to stay in business. Years later, during World War II, Max had difficulties acquiring metal for cans and bottle tops, slowing the production of beer and profits. In 1948 Carson Brewing Company closed permanently.
Soon after, this oldest commercial building in Nevada became the headquarters for the Nevada Appeal from 1951 to 1975. By the mid-1970s, the brewery building was not large enough for this growing newspaper operation and the Nevada Appeal moved elsewhere.
Today the building houses The Brewery Arts Center, a hub for creativity, offering a home for the theatrical arts and visual arts. Old classic cinema shows, dance education, plays, music festivals, and a plethora of community events now reverberate through the walls of this famous historical building. A mesmerizing book, “History of the Carson Brewing Company” is for sale at the Brewery Arts Center for the full story.
This content was submitted by a Carson Now reader. Do you have photos, an announcement, or exciting news to share? We want to know! Send your community news to us at the form below:
Have an event to share? Submit it to our events calendar here.
