Torch Lake Brewery
Bosch Brewing Co.

10 Aug 2021, last revised 12 Aug 2024

Joseph Bosch

Perhaps the most celebrated name in Copper Country brewing history is that of Joseph Bosch. Born into a family well adept at the art of good beer making, Joseph carried on the family trade by learning the brewing business under his father. He accumulated additional knowledge and experience on his own, which eventually led him to establish a brewery in Lake Linden. This small enterprise would grow to produce preferred varieties of beer recognized throughout the Upper Peninsula for 99 years. This record would remain as a lasting tribute to Joseph Bosch and to all the people associated with the Bosch Brewing Company.

Joseph Bosch was born in Baden, Germany on 11 Feb 1850 and immigrated to New York in 1854 with his family at the age of four (2,5). In 1862, when he was 12 years old, his family moved to Port Washington, WI where he worked under his father in the brewing industry (2,5). In 1867, they moved to Torch Lake (5) and Joseph erected the first house in Lake Linden and worked at the Calumet & Hecla stamp mill for four years (2,3). To gain better knowledge of the brewing business, he moved to Milwaukee, WI to work at the Schlitz brewery, and then to Cleveland, OH and Louisville, KY (2). In 1874, he returned to Lake Linden and established a small brewery (2,5).

Bosch operated the brewery on his own for the first two years (1,2) and produced 1,717 barrels of beer in his first year (1). In 1876, he partnered with Joseph Wertin & Sons of Hancock (3) and formed the firm Joseph Bosch & Co. (2). This partnership may have stemmed from Bosch being Joseph Wertin's son-in-law (2,3). The firm Wertin & Sons operated a general store in Calumet (8) and then a second store in Hancock (9). In 1877, the brewery produced 2,124 barrels of beer (15). By 1882, they were producing 4,000 barrels per year, one-fourth of which was bottled (3). Bottling started in 1877-1878, as indicated by the bottles, following the advent of pasteurization. The bottles during this partnership bear the name TLB or TORCH LAKE BREWERY. The firm name was specified on the bottles as JOSEPH BOSCH & CO., J. BOSCH & CO., or JOS. BOSCH & CO.

First Brewery Building

Second Brewery Building - built in 1887

Bottling House

Bosch Wagon

In 1886, the plant was enlarged to meet growing demand (1). A 790-ft deep artesian well was bored and its water, claimed to treat kidney, liver, and stomach troubles, was used in brewing (1). On 20 May 1887, fire, which started at Neumann & Trelease's store (28), destroyed nearly all of Lake Linden including every building belonging to the firm (1), but the artesian well survived (27). The brewery was rebuilt and started selling beer again by Oct 1887 (1). In 1889, the brewery's production ranked 11th within the state of Michigan (29). The Sanborn map placed the brewery on the southeast corner of Center St. and Schoolcraft St.

Sanborn map - Sep 1885 (pre-fire)

Sanborn map - Sep 1893 (post-fire)

Sanborn map - Jul 1900

In May 1891, Bosch had plans to wire the brewery, bottling works, and office for electric lights (18). In 1892, the brewery expanded with new kettles and mash tubs, and a refrigerator that maintained the desired temperature for fermentation and storage, thus eliminating the need for ice (1). The improvements doubled the storage capacity of the brewery (22). In Aug 1896, a new bottling works was near completion (30). It was constructed of Portage Lake sandstone and the floor was caulked and waterproof (30). It was equipped with a patent bottle cleaning machine with a capacity of 3,000 bottles per hour and a steam corker or sealer (30). This building is shown on the 1900 Sanborn map.

In Nov 1892, the company claimed that a few competitors imitated their labels sufficiently enough to deceive some customers into believing they were purchasing Torch Lake beer (23). In late Nov 1892, they announced that all their bottles would now bear a trademark, as shown in the advertisement (24).

Newspaper ad - Aug 1892

Newspaper ad - Nov 1892

George Wertin died in 1890 (7). After Joseph Wertin Sr. died in 1893 (1), Bosch purchased his interest and that of Joseph Wertin Jr. (2). On 01 Mar 1894, Bosch formed a stock company, the Bosch Brewing Co., for which he maintained controlling interest and served as president (1,2,5,26). The bottles reflected this transition with the embossing changed to BOSCH BREWING CO. / LAKE LINDEN, MICH. from about 1895.

The newspaper stated in Jan 1892, "'Superior Stock' is the name given a special product of the Torch Lake Brewery..." (45), suggesting that this brand name originated at about that time. The company released Bavarian beer in Jan-Feb 1892 (19), and then about a month later, changed its name to Ulmer to distinguish it from the Bavarian beers of other breweries (16,20). The company then released Export beer in Feb-Mar 1892 as a low-alcohol beer brewed from only malt and hops (21), and Bock beer in Apr-May 1892 made from selected malt and imported hops (17).

The company pamphlet described the three types of beer produced by 1899 (1):

"Superior Stock", a beer second to none, is brewed from the choicest imported hops and malt especially manufactured for this Company. The "Ulmer" is a rich, dark and heavy beer, brewed after the Bavarian process. The "Export" is a mild, light beer, but highly nutritious.

Newspaper ad - Oct 1899

Newspaper ad - Jan 1893

Newspaper ad - Jun 1899

The company stated that bottling was the most substantial aspect that extended its reach (1). Superior Stock and Ulmer were sold in kegs and bottles, while Export was only sold in bottles (1). In Jun 1893, the company announced that Superior Stock could now be purchased in pint bottles, with a 24-bottle case selling for $1.25 (25). By 1899, the company bottled 1,063,452 bottles and thousands of kegs of its number one beer, Superior Stock (1). The company had branches and storehouses in Hancock, Calumet, Ishpeming, Eagle Harbor, and Baraga (1). In the late 1890s, the embossing on the bottles changed to the script Bosch design. In 1902, annual production was about 20,000 barrels (10).

Aside from brewing, Joseph Bosch was a prominent member of the community. He helped to organize the First National Bank of Lake Linden in 1888 and then became its president (2). He became a partner in a general merchandise store in Lake Linden, which was purchased from D. W. Sutter in 1885 (5). He served as mayor of Lake Linden for four years (5). He was known to have a charitable disposition: giving his time freely to worthy enterprises, extending a helping hand to the needy (2), and contributing to the development of Lake Linden and neighboring towns (5). He was elected president of the Upper Peninsula Brewers Association in 1905 (35).

In Dec 1899, the company launched Gilt Edge and marketed it in "clear white bottles" (recognized today as aqua glass). In May 1902, the company started to sell Porter in bottles and claimed it equaled any imported brand (34). In Jan 1903, the company listed four varieties in a Daily Mining Gazette ad: Superior Stock, Gilt Edge, Ulmer, and Porter (but not Export). More beer varieties were marketed in later years.

Newspaper ad - Dec 1899

Newspaper ad - Jun 1902

Newspaper ad - Feb 1903

Newspaper ad - Dec 1911

The company continued to renovate the brewery over the years as business grew. In Apr 1900, the company was installing a new ice-making machine, which required 9,000 ft of pipe (41). In Nov 1901, ten new vats were being installed (32). In Apr 1902, a new concrete floor was being laid in the cellar where new tanks would be installed (33). In Nov 1905, an addition was being built to house a new boiler with a new 26,000-gallon tank (36). The boiler would be used to generate electricity to power the brewery (36). In Jan 1906, the company installed a new generator that would drive a 25-ton motor, supply water to power other machinery, and generate electricity to light the plant (37). They also installed new steam feed pumps to supply the boiler with water, and received a new ice machine (37). Three months later, the new electrical system powered by the generator was nearly in full operation (38). All machinery at the plant was then run by electricity (38). They were also installing an improved private telephone system for employees and an automatic oiling device for the machinery (38). In Nov 1907, they installed a new soaking tank and barrel washer, a new malt mill, and a new grain elevator (44).

The company also renovated its bottling works. In Jan 1900, the company received a new bottle washer with the capacity of 1,000 bottles per hour (39). A new bottle labeling machine was put in operation in Jan 1901 (40). It automatically labeled the bottles and dated the labels, with a capacity of 30-40 bottles per minute (40). By Jun 1902, the company had a pipeline to transport beer from the tanks in the brewery to the bottling works (42). The pipeline and pipes from a large ice machine traveled through a tunnel that was 6 ft high, 4 ft wide, and 80 ft long (42). This new system allowed the beer to be bottled directly from the storage tanks while maintaining temperature and preventing exposure to the atmosphere (42). The old system involved transporting beer in barrels to the bottling works (42). In Mar 1907, the company installed a Volz bottle soaking machine, which was one of the most modern of its kind and would save on labor (43). In Aug 1907, Bosch installed an automatic bottle filling machine from the Bishop & Babcock Co. that could fill 72-pint bottles or 48-quart bottles per minute without workers touching the bottles (31). In Nov 1907, the bottling works was fitted with a conveyer system to transport cases of returned bottles to the basement, bottles to the soaking machine, empty cases to an elevator and up to the bottling department, and filled cases to teamsters (44). With such continual improvements, Bosch maintained one of the most up-to-date operations in the Upper Peninsula (37).

The brewery and its bottling works had 24 employees in 1905 (12) and 44 in 1913 (13).

When Prohibition hit Michigan in 1918, Bosch was listed as manufacturing "soft drinks" (14), but then shortly suspended operations (4). After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Bosch re-opened at the Scheuermann plant in Houghton (4). Thus, ABM bottles and wooden cases with HOUGHTON as the location date to post-Prohibition. Joseph Bosch died on 09 Jan 1937 at the age of 86 (4) and was buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Lake Linden (6). His business continued to operate in Houghton, with peak sales of 100,000 barrels per year occurring from 1955 to 1961 (11). Sales then dwindled down to only 22,000 barrels in 1972 (11). The brewery closed on 28 Sep 1973, marking 99 years of existence (4). It suffered from higher grain prices, high taxes, and shrinking patronage; and couldn't compete with regional giants like Pabst, Stroh, and Anheuser-Busch (4,11).

Superior Stock label

Superior Stock label

Ulmer label

Bock label

Bock label

Gilt Edge label

Porter label

Citations

1. anonymous. 1899. Compliments of The Bosch Brewing Co.: Bottlers and Brewers of Fine Lager Beer, Lake Linden, Michigan. Mining Journal Print, Marquette. (company pamphlet)
2. anonymous. 1903. Biographical Record: Houghton, Baraga and Marquette Counties, Michigan. Biographical Publishing Company. Chicago, IL.
3. anonymous. 1883. The History of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Western Historical Company. Chicago, IL.
4. Monette, C. J. 1978. Joseph Bosch and the Bosch Brewing Company. Welden H. Curtin. Lake Linden, MI.
5. Sawyer, A. L. 1911. A History of the Northern Peninsula of Michigan and its People. The Lewis Publishing Company. Chicago, IL.
6. Find a Grave. accessed Aug 2021. Joseph Bosch. findagrave.com/memorial/167328156/joseph-bosch
7. Find a Grave. accessed Oct 2021. George Wertin. findagrave.com/memorial/193883878/george-wertin
8. R. L. Polk & Co. 1877. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1877. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
9. R. L. Polk & Co. 1879. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1879. The Detroit Free Press Company. Detroit, MI.
10. anonymous. 1903. One Hundred Years of Brewing. H. S. Rich & Co., Publishers. Chicago and New York.
11. Kent, E. (1973, Oct 03). Brewery closes after 99 years. Michigan Tech Lode. p. 8.
12. Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics. 1906. State of Michigan Twenty-Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics Including the Thirteenth Annual Report of State Inspection of Factories. Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co., State Printers. Lansing, MI.
13. Michigan Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics. 1914. Thirty-First Annual Report of the Department of Labor of the State of Michigan. Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co., State Printers. Lansing, MI.
14. State of Michigan Department of Labor. 1919. Thirty-Sixth Annual Report of the Department of Labor of the State of Michigan. Fort Wayne Printing Co. Fort Wayne, Indiana.
15. anonymous. (1879, Jul 24). Amount of lager beer made and sold in this district last year. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
16. anonymous. (1892, Mar 03). Our merchants. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 5.
17. anonymous. (1892, Apr 28). untitled. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 1.
18. anonymous. (1891, May 19). untitled. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
19. anonymous. (1892, Feb 02). untitled. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
20. anonymous. (1892, Mar 01). Have changed the name. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
21. anonymous. (1892, Mar 01). untitled. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
22. anonymous. (1892, Aug 30). untitled. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
23. anonymous. (1892, Nov 01). Imitation is the sincerest flattery. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
24. anonymous. (1892, Nov 29). untitled. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
25. anonymous. (1893, Jun 13). untitled. The Native Copper Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
26. anonymous. (1894, Feb 27). untitled. The Native Copper Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
27. anonymous. (1887, Jun 07). untitled. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 2.
28. anonymous. (1887, May 24). Lake Linden's calamity. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 2.
29. anonymous. (1889, Jul 02). The Torch Lake Brewery. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
30. anonymous. (1896, Aug 11). Second to none. The Native Copper Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
31. anonymous. (1907, Aug 03). Bottle filler is sanitary. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
32. anonymous. (1901, Nov 06). Improvements. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 7.
33. anonymous. (1902, Apr 11). Improvements. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 7.
34. anonymous. (1902, May 20). Porter in bottles. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
35. anonymous. (1905, Sep 08). Officers elected. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 2.
36. anonymous. (1905, Nov 13). New addition to the Bosch brewing plant. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
37. anonymous. (1906, Jan 22). Bosch Brewing Co. installs machinery. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
38. anonymous. (1906, Apr 01). Bosch Brewing Company's machinery. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
39. anonymous. (1900, Jan 18). Lake Linden-Grover briefs. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 7.
40. anonymous. (1901, Jan 23). Bottle labeling machine. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 7.
41. anonymous. (1900, Apr 09). News notes from the Lake Lindens. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 7.
42. anonymous. (1902). Jun 27). New contrivance for bottling beer. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 7.
43. anonymous. (1907, Mar 02). More machinery. The Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 7.
44. anonymous. (1907, Nov 17). Modern machinery in Bosh brewery here. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 12.
45. anonymous. (1892, Jan 19). untitled. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.