…we’re still working on the JubJub Bird
The Doclopedia #328
Tiny Folk & Their Big Friends: Mik Brewer and Paul Schuller
Back in the late 19th and early to mid 20th centuries, folks in western South & North Dakota, Nebraska and eastern Montana and Wyoming knew and loved Schuller Beer. Old Peter Schuller had founded the brewery in 1880 in Deadwood and it operated right up until the small breweries all over America began shutting down or getting bought out by the big breweries. Schuller Brewing closed up shop in June of 1971.
And reopened 10 years later as one of the first microbreweries.
Paul Schuller, great grandson of Peter, loves beer. He spent a bunch of time and money restoring and modernizing the old place and it really shows. Tourists and locals alike keep things busy, because the beers are great.
That last part is where Mik Brewer, Tiny Folk brewmaster and beer lover, comes in. When the brewery closed, it was a sad time for the Brewer Clan. Oh sure, they could still brew beer themselves, but they missed the hustle and bustle and sights and smells of a working brewery. It would mean more work to harvest their own grain, hops and such, but they had no choice. For ten long years, Mik and his family worked only in their own tiny brewery beneath the larger one.
When Paul began restoring the old place, Mik was as happy as a mouse in a bakery. Downright giddy, you might say, which is probably why Paul saw him that night in March and several times afterwards.
See, Paul had developed the habit of going into the main brewing area late at night and just sitting there, not doing anything but thinking of all the family tradition that was soaked into the place. One night, as he sat in the dark, he saw a 6 inch tall man walk through a shaft of moonlight. The little guy was humming a merry tune that morphed into the old Schuller Beer jingle.
“Schuller Beer, it hits the spot…good clean taste is what it’s got…have a glass and give a cheer…everybody loves Schuller Beer!”
Naturally, Paul thought he was hallucinating due to stress, but when he saw the little man three more times in less than a week, he knew he was real. He could also tell that the tiny fellow loved beer and brewing, because only a brewer would speak so lovingly to the huge copper kettles and bags of hops. So one night, Paul just up and spoke out.
“You sure do love this place, don’t you?”
Without thinking, Mik replied “Well of course! We’ve lived here since just after old Pete finished building it! Wonderful guy, old Pete.” At that point, he realized who he was talking to. Being a bit too portly to really want to run and having really grown to respect Paul, Mik just shook his head and chuckled, then introduced himself.
As so often happens when two people share a passion and a couple of beers, they were soon coming up with ideas about the brewery, beer and everything related to the brewing art. Mik told Paul about a few of his secret recipes and Paul suggested that he could get some more modern brewing equipment made for Mik. They discussed bottles, labels, advertising, the best barley and much more until the sun came up and the workmen arrived.
Today, Schuller Brewing has six brewpubs in four states and ships beers, ales & stouts all over the world. An entire wall of Paul’s office is covered with awards they have won. He even has a letter from the President saying how much he enjoyed visiting the Deadwood brewery and how much he likes Old Mik’s Ale. Three or four times a week, Paul and Mik meet up and tour the brewery…and hoist a glass or two…while discussing beer and business.
Meanwhile. underneath Paul’s office, in a secret basement built by the finest non-English speaking workers, the Brewer Clan are using scaled down modern equipment to brew great beers for the local Tiny Folk, just as they have for over 130 years.
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