Potosi Brewing

What Potosi Brewing does

Potosi Brewing Company is a craft brewery and hospitality operator based in Potosi, Wisconsin, originally established in 1852 and re-established at its historic site in 2008. The company produces craft beer, craft sodas, non-alcoholic beer, vodka seltzer, and branded merchandise, and operates a brewpub alongside two on-site museums: the American Breweriana Association National Brewery Museum and the Great River Road Interpretive Center. Products are sold through three channels: on-premise consumption at the Potosi brewpub and gift shop, regional wholesale distribution concentrated in Wisconsin with extension into parts of Iowa (including retailers such as Theisen's), and a merchandise and apparel DTC channel.

The business model combines beverage production, hospitality, and heritage tourism, monetizing the 170-year-old brand across draft and packaged beer, sodas, NA variants, vodka seltzer, apparel, and gift cards. Notably, all profits are directed to the Potosi Foundation, a charitable entity, which structures the enterprise as a for-profit company with a philanthropic profit allocation rather than a traditional shareholder-return model. The operating footprint is single-site and regional, with no disclosed funding rounds, no enterprise customer concentration, and headcount reported in the 11-50 range.

Name

Potosi Brewing

Legal name

Potosi Brewing Company

Website

https://potosibrewery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1852

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Potosi Brewing Company is a craft brewery in Potosi, Wisconsin, producing craft beer, sodas, NA beer, vodka seltzer, and merchandise, operating a brewpub, museums, and regional wholesale distribution in Wisconsin and Iowa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer

NAICS

Breweries (312120)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Craft Brewing (AFAFAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Brewpub restaurant
• Craft sodas
• Brewery tours
• Contract brewing

Headquarters

HQ city

Potosi

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Beer Sales: Sale of packaged beer (cans, bottles) through retail distribution and direct sales at brewpub.
2. Brewpub Restaurant: On-site restaurant and brewpub operations with food service, beverages, and on-tap beers. Open Monday-Sunday with varying hours.
3. Merchandise Store: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel, accessories, glassware, and novelty items through on-site gift shop and online store.
4. Gift Cards: Sale of gift cards usable at brewpub, beer garden and gift shop in $10, $25, $50, $75 and $100 increments.
5. Contract Brewing: Offers contract brewing services as indicated in their brewery section.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Potosi Brewing Company is a craft brewery that brews and sells small-batch craft beer, craft sodas, and vodka seltzers. The company operates a brewpub restaurant and taproom on-site in Potosi, Wisconsin, offers brewery tours and contract brewing services, and maintains two on-site museums (ABA National Brewery Museum and the Great River Road Interpretive Center and Transportation Museum). All profits are directed to the Potosi Foundation for charitable purposes.

Product overview

Potosi Brewing Company is a craft brewery founded in 1852 and re-established in 2008 in Potosi, Wisconsin. The company offers a portfolio of core beers (Haze Break, Snake Hollow IPA, Cave Ale Amber Ale, Good Old Potosi Golden Ale, Czech Style Pilsner, Tangerine IPA, Hazy Bluff IPA, Cow Pie, Varsity Golden Ale), seasonal releases (Steamboat Lemon Shandy, Oktoberfest, Holiday Beer, WITsconsin), non-alcoholic options (NA Golden Brew, NA Hazy IPA), craft sodas (Root Beer, Orange Cream Soda), and Varsity Vodka Seltzers. The company also operates a Brewers Choice Limited Release experimental series with quarterly releases. Beyond beverages, Potosi offers a merchandise store featuring apparel (t-shirts, hoodies, hats, work shirts), glassware (pint glasses, Silipint cups, mason jars), and accessories (koozies, coolers, bar mats, openers). The company operates a brewpub restaurant, offers brewery tours, contract brewing services, and maintains on-site museums including the ABA National Brewery Museum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Varsity: Varsity branded products including Varsity Golden Ale and Varsity Vodka Seltzer
• Potosi Foundation

Products and services

• Core Craft Beer Lineup

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Theisen'sminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTheisen's retail stores carry Potosi Root Beer and Potosi Orange Cream Soda products.
• Verena Street Coffee Co.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided cold-pressed proprietary blend of fresh ground beans for Potosi's Shot Tower Espresso Stout beer.
• Madison Homebrewers & Tasters GuildminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative brewing partnership on Troprocket Coconut IPA using Gorst Valley Hops.
• Gorst Valley HopsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided Skyrocket hops for Troprocket Coconut IPA collaboration with tropical flavors.
• Blaum BrothersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration brew Border War Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale, brewed by Potosi and aged in Blaum bourbon barrels.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ale Asylum: Madison-based Wisconsin craft brewery with a similar core/seasonal portfolio and regional distribution, competing in the same on-premise and retail channels as Potosi.
• Surly Brewing Company: Minnesota craft brewery known for a large destination taproom/restaurant plus regional distribution — a clear analog for Potosi's brewpub-plus-wholesale model, though at a larger scale.
• New Glarus Brewing Company: Wisconsin-based craft brewery (famous for Spotted Cow) with similar regional concentration, brand-loyal following, and a small-batch craft production model. Most directly comparable Wisconsin craft peer to Potosi.
• Karben4 Brewing: Madison, Wisconsin craft brewery producing core year-round and seasonal beers distributed regionally. Comparable in scale, Wisconsin footprint, and craft portfolio depth to Potosi.
• 3 Sheeps Brewing Company: Sheboygan, Wisconsin craft brewery with a comparable core/seasonal lineup and Wisconsin distribution footprint, competing for similar retail and tap handles.
• Millstream Brewing Company: Iowa craft brewery with a heritage dating to the 1980s, regional distribution, and a taproom. Comparable craft scale and geographic overlap with Potosi's Iowa markets.
• Indeed Brewing Company: Minneapolis craft brewery operating a taproom and core/seasonal packaged lineup distributed regionally. Comparable brewpub-plus-distribution model and craft scale to Potosi.
• Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. Iowa craft brewery with strong regional pull, core and seasonal lineup, and direct-to-consumer taproom. Comparable to Potosi's Iowa/Wisconsin regional footprint and craft positioning.
• Lakefront Brewery: Milwaukee craft brewery combining a brewpub/restaurant, brewery tours, and packaged distribution — directly mirroring Potosi's brewpub-plus-distribution model with on-site hospitality.

Broad incumbents

• Bell's Brewery: Michigan-based heritage craft brewery (Oberon, Two Hearted) with broad multi-state distribution and broad portfolio. Relevant comparable for craft positioning and Upper Midwest distribution, though materially larger and more established than Potosi.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/follow
• Facebookfacebook.com/PotosiBrewingCo
• Instagraminstagram.com/potosibrewingco
• TikToktiktok.com/@potosibrewingco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Potosi Brewing