Worth Brewing Company

Worth Brewing Company

The Worth Brewing Company is housed within the historic People's Gas and Electric (PG&E) Building in the Northwood Central Avenue Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building dates to 1886 and served as the original home of the Worth County State Bank. When the bank moved in 1907 to a new building next door, the Butler Land Co. moved in for a time. For most of the past century, utility companies owned the building before Worth Brewing Company purchased it in November 2006. The building saw many changes in its history. In the spring of 1935, the Northwood-Kensett Electric Company altered it severely, removing its elaborate cornice and brick window hoods, among other changes. The lower story was expanded 41 feet to the rear (where the kitchen and brewery now operate). In 1984, the window storefront was bricked over. In late 2006, the new owners began a major rehabilitation of the building. They removed the brick storefront, replacing it with by Northwood’s largest storefront window and returning the building’s lower storefront to its 1880s glory. They removed walls and a ceiling to return the interior to its 1930s configuration. They were delighted to discover and reveal the Worth County State Bank’s original tile walkway. The Tap Room bar (the bank’s original teller cage, they believe) is on permanent loan from the Worth County Historical Society, donated by residents Gary and Nancy Hengesteg. Residents Ann Johnson and Tanna Moretz volunteered their time to restore the wood finish. The building is one of about 50 in the Northwood Central Avenue Historic District. Most contributing buildings have historic plaques and we hope you’ll tour the district on your next visit. Worth Brewing Company may be the smallest licensed brewery in the country, making beer in 10-gallon batches for local consumption. The brewery’s workhorse is the Sabco recirculating mash system. This three-vessel brewhouse on a stand includes the sparge kettle, a mash tun and boiling kettle. Malted barley is milled, mashed and lautered (strained) into the boiling kettle, where hops are added in at least three additions. After boiling, the sweet wort is pumped through a plate heat exchanger to 27-gallon cylindro-conical fermenters. Yeast is added and the wort is allowed to ferment at controlled temperatures. After fermentation the young beer is transferred to serving kegs and kept at 35 F until tapped for consumption in our Tap Room or elsewhere in Worth County.