Permit issued to update look of iconic 'World's Largest Six

The white exteriors of tanks that make up the "World's Largest Six-Pack" stand Aug. 3 at City Brewing in La Crosse. Vinyl covers with logos were removed from the holding tanks last year, uncovering some of the original paint job from when the tanks were first painted to resemble Old Style beer cans.

The “World’s Largest Six-Pack” at City Brewing Co. is one step closer to being refaced, after the city of La Crosse issued a building permit for the work last week. The landmark is to be restored for $40,000 by The La Crosse Sign Group, according to city documents.

City Brewing representatives have been tight-lipped about what the new refacing project will look like, although the issued permit references “Old Style” in the subject line, indicating the cans could be refaced with their original look. City Brewing declined to comment.

The Tribune first reported about plans to update the appearance of the tanks in August 2022.

The iconic tourist attraction has had a few different looks since 1969, when Heileman Brewery first decorated the large storage tanks to look like giant beer cans. The tanks were painted to resemble cans of Heileman’s Old Style Lager Beer.

Thirty years later, the brewery was sold to City Brewing and painted over in white, before in 2003 they were decorated again — this time in homage to the new owner’s La Crosse Lager. Last year, the old faded vinyl coverings were removed to make way for the new project.

Pabst Brewing Co. acquired the Old Style brand in 1999, when it purchased Stroh Brewing, and in 2019 the beer giant announced in an industry newsletter it would move most of its production to City Brewing facilities, which has plants in a La Crosse, Memphis and Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

City Brewing Co. also received a permit to construct a new building in “silo alley” and extend an underground tunnel from the brewhouse to the new structure. The project was estimated to cost $1.8 million.

This advertisement for Old Style Lager appeared in the La Crosse Tribune in 1957.

Pickets and officials of G. Heileman Brewing Co. swarm around a car and truck in 1969 during one of many strikes over the years.

This 1970 photo shows the final stages of construction of the World's Largest Six Pack at the G. Heileman Brewery. Just two of the tanks are painted to resemble Old Style cans. Today, the six-pack features La Crosse Lager, and it can hold 22,000 barrels of beer.

Thirty tanks were installed in 1972 along Third and Winnebago streets, nearly doubling the capacity of the G. Heileman Brewery. Also part of the expansion, as reported in the La Crosse Tribune, was a new bottling line.

The G. Heileman Brewing Co. joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1973 when it received the ticker symbol GHB. Shown here, from left, are Merle S. Wick, vice president of the stock exchange; Russell Cleary, president of Heileman; and Michael Creem, a stock trader.

Brewmaster Al Brietzke jots notes about his opinions of a sample of beer in 1976 at the G. Heileman Brewery.

Russell Cleary, center, president of the G. Heileman Brewing Co., and Local 1081 business agent Bill Akright prepare to pound the bung into the 6-millionth barrel of beer as John Pedace, left, executive vice president of marketing, looks on during the 1977 ceremony. In 1960, Heileman was the nation's 39th largest brewery. Cleary told the Tribune that the brewery would be No. 6 in the nation by the end of the year.

Sculptor Elmer Petersen, right, created a steel version of the King Gambrinus statue at the G. Heileman Brewing Co. headquarters along the city's downtown riverfront. Built in 1979, 100 Harborview Plaza was the first building of a riverfront redevelopment project that includes the La Crosse Center and the Radisson Hotel. Today, the building is occupied by Reinhart FoodService, Mutual of Omaha Financial Advisors and the 4 Sisters Wine Bar & Tapas restaurant. The statue is no longer on public display.

An open house was held in 1982 to let the public see inside the new brewhouse at the G. Heileman Brewery. The new facility brought the total capacity of the brewery to 10 million barrels of beer a year.

G. Heileman Brewery worker Duane Arentz examines a can of Old Style L.A. when it was first introduced in 1984. The low-alcohol beer was later discontinued.

A valve broke at the G. Heileman Brewery in 1986, causing beer to spill into a sewer line and bubble out a manhole cover at 900 S. Third St.

Fans of pure artesian water crowd the Heileman Brewery’s free water tap at Fourth and Mississippi streets on Oct. 14, 1994. This free water site was in operation from 1982 to 1998 and was popular with the public due to the water’s “fresher, cleaner taste,” according to Tribune files. During 1994, Heileman gave away a total of 744,000 gallons of water at this tap — for an average daily rate of 2,038 gallons. Anyone with more information about this photo or wishing to donate photos of the Coulee Region may contact the La Crosse Public Library Archives at 608-789-7136.

Jim Strupp (pictured) and John Mazzuto purchased the former G. Heileman Brewery and renamed it City Brewery in 1999. The company quickly ran into financial trouble under their leadership.

City Brewery employee Jim Skoy checks a can of La Crosse Lager as it moves past on the assembly line. A group of 12 investors who live in the La Crosse area or have longtime ties to the brewery purchased City Brewery in 2000 and continue running it today.

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