Armin Reinke

Armin Reinke was a commercial artist from Oshkosh. He worked here for more than 60 years beginning in the 1920s.

Armin Reinke in 1978.

Reinke provided artwork for dozens of American businesses, including breweries. There's going to be more on that coming in the not-too-distant future. For now, here's a piece of his work from the early 1930s. This package was once seen in nearly every Oshkosh grocery store.

Lee-Precour was a coffee importing and roasting company run by Harry Lee and William Precour. Their roastery was just east of where the Oshkosh Convention Center now stands.

After Prohibition ended, Lee & Precour quit coffee and got into beer. That business eventually became Lee Beverage of Wisconsin. It’s now one of the largest beer distributorships in the state.

January 14, 1936.

Lee Beverage would play a major role in Oshkosh beer history. I've touched on that a couple of times on the blog. The story of the early years of Lee Beverage is here. The role the company played in the undoing of the Oshkosh Brewing Company is here.