A Detroit Tradition Restored - Michigan's Favorite Beer Reborn
Detroit has always loved its beer. By the 1880’s, Detroit had around 40 independent brewers. In the 1900s, Detroit was putting the world on wheels. The men and women in the factories and shops of Detroit demanded cool liquid refreshment at the end of the day. Altes Beer, a Detroit original is born. Born in 1910 at the Tivoli Brewery o
n Detroit’s East Side at the corner of Mack and Hurlbut, Altes was known as “the beer that bewitches.” European trained brew masters modeled the brand after the crisp refreshing lagers of their homeland, made for the hardworking Detroit boom town. Altes was the beer of choice for many hardworking Detroiters by the time Prohibition hit in 1919, and according to legend it was still brewed during the dry years and sold at speakeasies across town. An immediate regional favorite after the beer ban was lifted in 1933, Altes grew with Detroit, becoming the brisk beer with sealed in flavor by the 1940s. Favored by sportsmen and factory workers alike, the brewery sold over half a million barrels in 1947. By the 1960’s Altes was a major Detroit brand, sponsoring the Detroit Lions and the Detroit Tigers, and launching Fassbier – with an always fresh draft beer taste. Altes became Michigan's favorite beer. The Demise of Local Breweries. Tough times in the 1970s hit regional brewers hard, and Altes was no exception. Across the country, the big industrial brewers were buying up the local breweries and brands, wrapping them into large national companies, and producing low quality swill. At the same time, Detroit was fighting hard times across the board, and Altes production moved to Frankenmuth. By the 1990’s, as the big got bigger, the Altes brand was retired in favor of the larger and undistinctive national brands. In recent years, national brewers have been gobbled up on a global scale, and now almost all the historic brews in this country are owned by foreign companies. Altes Reborn. Today, Detroit is on the rebound and the Michigan beer industry is thriving. Nationwide, craft brewers are making better quality and more diverse brews than the major multi-national brewing conglomerates. At Detroit National Brewing Company, we are proud to be an independent and Michigan owned business, established to return Altes to its original European style, and to reintroduce today’s beer drinkers to the high standard, great tasting, German style lager beer of Detroit’s heritage. With Detroit style hard work and dedication to producing high quality lager, we bring you handcrafted Altes Original Detroit Lager. In December 2021, Altes Sportsman returns to Michigan as Altes Sportsman Copper Lager. Craft brewed and locally owned again, Altes is Back! Detroit National Brewing Company, LLC is responsible for the content of this page. Any references on social media to any licensed beer retailer carrying Altes beer are included exclusively to communicate product location, and is not intended to otherwise promote or assist any such retailer(s) in any way.
