West Bend, WI – Gunter Woog of West Bend served in the city’s Rotary Club for 32 years and considers himself a visionary inventor, having been awarded over 20 patents.
He said his “thinking process is lateral; creative innovation comes naturally to me.” So what does that have to do with local West Bend brew history?
About 15 years ago, Woog decided to save the Lithia Trademark for West Bend, rather than taking the chance of having it move elsewhere, with the hopes of someday using it for the betterment of the community. That came at an expense.
Registration and annual fees to maintain the trademark for 10 years cost Woog over $10,000 and hadn’t even begun using the name yet.
Five years ago Woog created a licensed brewery corporation, as well as a non-profit Lithia 501c Foundation, and adopted the Lithia name. Woog also contracted with Sprecher Beer to brew an all-natural, 4-ingredient, old-world German beer based on his own formulation.
“The first time out, our Lithia Bucky Blonde Beer won the “best craft beer” award at a beer tasting judged by over 400 attendees,” said Woog.
“The chief international brewmaster for Miller beer, Dr. David Ryder, who lives in Mequon, was very impressed with Lithia Bucky Blonde beer. He and his wife came back to our tasting table numerous times just to tell us it was their favorite beer at the tasting.
“His comment was “it is a very well-balanced beer’” and he and his wife, really enjoyed it,” said Woog.
“Lithia Bucky Blonde is a great beer,” said Woog, “which is also trademarked. Bucky Blonde and Big Red beer could be huge in the Wisconsin university market.”
In the 1940’s, West Bend Lithia rolled out a special Christmas brew by sending postcards to neighbors. It’s just this sort of history that inspired Woog to take his passion to a new level.
With a heart for the preservation of West Bend days gone by and the safeguarding of a beloved local brewery name, Woog put more than just love and labor into his venture.
“This has been an expensive hobby,” said Woog, “We exerted great effort creating this entity, such as product creation, logos, artwork, signage, neons, LED signs, glassware, tap handles, labor costs, and even the world’s first fire engine draft beer wagon conversion, all of which cost us several hundred thousand dollars over the years. We have also donated tens of thousands of dollars to the community.”
This year, the building that was home to the West Bend Brewery, 415 N. Main St. and 445 N. Main St., West Bend, was sold. Demolition began in July 2021 in preparation for apartments and retail space that will sit in place of the historical landmark. Woog said, “It’s a shame. People in Milwaukee would preserve things like the Pabst Brewery and turn it into something that’s historic. West Bend’s just losing all its roots.”
Seasons change and Woog is ready to pass the torch, or hobby, off to someone who shares his passion for the continuance of the West Bend Lithia Company which comes with fire-engine-turned-draft-beer-wagon that goes by the name of ‘Big Red.’
Woog said, “I would like to see the community take over this opportunity.”
“My passion is inventive creation and not long-term operation,” he said.
According to Woog, Lithia Beer has had its roots in West Bend since 1848 and needs to stay, be expanded, and exploited by the community. There is precious little historic identity left in West Bend.
Woog said, “Lithia beer needs community support and widespread distribution. With it, the sky is the limit.”
When talking about Big Red, Woog had all the beer stats memorized, right down to the last drop.
“The profit margins on beer are extremely high, especially due to Lithia being a licensed brewery and having the fire truck to sell the beer out of,” said Woog, “Due to this rare combination, it is possible to buy beer at $60 per 1/2 keg and sell it directly out of the truck for over $600 per 1/2 keg. Charging others for the use of the truck and selling the beer at $140 per 1/2 keg is also a lucrative venture.”
“Last year,” said Woog, “Lithia beer showed $1,000 per month in sales in one store alone. There are hundreds more outlets available.”
Woog has taken Big Red’s potential capabilities a step further. “Utilizing volunteers to operate this program is a no-brainer for non-profit community service organizations. This could be the most fun community service opportunity and should attract a lot of volunteers to run it.”
Woog said the concept he created of turning an old fire engine into a draft beer wagon was the basis for his contract brewer proceeding with five conversions of them for portable beer gardens in Milwaukee parks.
“Milwaukee beer gardens in parks now generate over a million dollars annually for their park system,” he said. “Their fire truck conversions are nothing like ours. Theirs are simple, limited conversions, utilizing window air conditioners for cooling, etc. Ours even has an overhead winch system to lift kegs of beer into it, if needed. Lithia Big Red is the top of the line, a true showpiece.”
Woog said matter-of-factly, “It is the World’s Biggest and Baddest Draft Beer Wagon.”
When it comes to Big Red, Woog knows his vehicle inside out. “Lithia Big Red is a 20-ton monster draft beer truck, powered by a two-stroke Detroit Turbo diesel engine and an Allison automatic transmission, both with only 19,000 miles on them. This 1978 Seagrave fire truck was built in Chilton, WI. The sheet metal on the truck is all 1/8″ thick steel. The compartment doors are double-wall 1/8 steel. It is built to last 100 years as a Draft Beer Wagon.”
But wait, there’s more. “It features 22 beer faucets in perfect height compartments,” said Woog, “It can hold 25-1/2 kegs of beer if needed. It is equipped with a true new refrigeration system for ice-cold beer and also a new generator to run it all if needed. It also features cool operating, efficient, LED lighting, a PA sound system, and even laser projectors to animate trees at outdoor events.”
And if that’s not enough bells and whistles, Woog said Big Red is also equipped with three wine CO2-driven pump faucets and three nitrogen/CO2 gas Stout beer faucets as well. “This is a unique setup and extremely rare. They are easily convertible to straight CO2 beer faucets,” he said.
All draft beer operating components are internalized and compartmentalized on Big Red. “This particular fire truck was made to be converted into a beer wagon,” said Woog.
Woog said, “Lithia and Big Red are huge assets to West Bend and Washington County and will help put it on the map for many years and generations to come.”
If interested in saving a bit of West Bend history contact Woog at [email protected]
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