Yusay Beer Car
Pilsen Brewing Company, Chicago, Illinois

The Pilsen Brewery was started in 1903 and continued until 1962. Located in the near west side of Chicago, Pilsen occupied a rather notable edifice done in European style and it sported a large open beer garden, a landscaped park with pavilions paths and places to sit and enjoy a brew or two with friends. At the time, the neighborhood had a very interesting ethnic mix, primarily dominated by recent immigrants form middle Europe. They included laborers and many very skilled craftsmen such as machinists and toolmakers that were drawn to Chicago opportunities when it was a manufacturing center.

Among the later brews offered by Pilsen, they offered the Yusay brand. Yusay was a nice, but mild, brew believed to be a westernized version of a formula brought over from Austria. Yusay became very popular in the Chicago area and beyond. In time, however, Pilsen found itself unable to compete against the overwhelming advertizing expenditures and effective promotional use of television by the big nationwide brewing companies.

By the 1960s, the railroad siding next to the brewery was idle and growing long undisturbed grass and weeds. By 1962, the brewery closed its doors. Only one building still remains, a sort of warehouse type of structure with none of the old world charm that was a hallmark of the original brewhouse.

There are many Chicagoans and former Chicagoans that still remember the brand. The name usually comes up when people gather to remember happy days and times from the west side. They include some old timers now, but those conversations undoubtedly relate a delightful "West Side Story" or two from the Midwest.

Listen closely closely when your Yusay car rolls past.

$20.00
Catalog number beer_yusay

Orders made after October 15, 2023 will ship in Spring 2024.