In the fall of 1853, a brewer named Norbert Kimmick bought a slice of land with a spring-fed stream and cool, natural caves — the perfect recipe for beer. That hillside site on South Main Street, now the location of the Oasis Cafe, would soon become the home of the Northwestern Brewery, one of Stillwater’s major breweries.
Originally starting with just a kitchen still and five gallons a week, Kimmick joined forces with Frank Aiple, and together they built up one of the largest breweries in the St. Croix Valley. After Kimmick’s death, Aiple married his widow Suzanne and took over the operation. Aiple’s industrious spirit — and generous hospitality — became legendary in Stillwater.
Though fire destroyed the original brewery in 1888, the Aiple family rebuilt it in stone by 1890. The new brewhouse was considered one of the most modern and up to date plants in the area. By 1899, the brewery had rebranded as the Jung Brewery, operating until Prohibition shut it down in 1919. In 1933, the old limestone brewery buildings and Aiple home were demolished to widen South Main Street.
Today, the only remnants of this once-bustling brewery are found in historical records, family legacies — and incredible photos like these, preserved in the library’s John Runk Photo Collection and digitally at the Minnesota Historical Society.