Archive record · Brewery
Miller Brewing Company
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, USA
- Founded
- 1855
- Archive ID
- TB-FYDHPG4R
- Last checked
- 2026-08-05
Who owns this brewery?
The direct owner is recorded. No company is held above it.
- Miller Brewing CompanyThis brewery
- Molson Coors Beverage CompanyConglomerate
From the record
Summary
A pillar of Milwaukee brewing history, now fully integrated into the Molson Coors beverage empire.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
A foundational pillar of Milwaukee brewing history, now fully integrated into the massive Molson Coors empire.
Ownership & corporate history
- Acquired by W. R. Grace & Co.1966
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Published Wisconsin brewing history states Lorraine Mulberger sold majority interest to W. R. Grace; exact transaction structure should be treated as company-control evidence.
- Controlled by Philip Morris1969
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Published history states Grace sold its Miller shares to Philip Morris in 1969.
- Acquired by South African Breweries (SAB)2002
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Molson Coors official history records the 2002 acquisition.
- Acquired by Molson Coors Brewing CompanyOctober 2016
What the sources say
Researched 2026-09-13 (Wikidata parent lead); no held claim preceded it. USD 12.0bn for SABMiller's 58% of MillerCoors LLC (the 2008 US joint venture) plus the Miller brands outside the US. Wikidata's 'SABMiller' is the 2002-2016 owner.
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
The Museum
Timeline
- 2016Molson Coors takes full control
In October 2016 Molson Coors acquires SABMiller's stake in the MillerCoors joint venture — a required divestiture from the AB InBev/SABMiller deal — taking outright ownership of the Miller brands and becoming the largest brewer in North America.
The People
Behind the beer
Milwaukee brewing landmark established in the mid-19th century.
WHS Magazine documents contributions to the early Miller family/brewery story. Do not convert family labor into a formal corporate office without evidence.
WHS Magazine documents her active participation in the Miller family/brewery story. Formal management title is not inferred.
The Beer Library
Beers
Miller High Life
Year-RoundAmerican Lager
The Champagne of Beers, in a clear bottle with a tapered neck, unchanged since 1903. It survived by never once trying to be premium in the way everything else did.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Miller Lite
Year-RoundLight Lager
The first light beer that actually sold, launched nationally in 1975. It created a category that now accounts for a substantial share of all beer drunk in America.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1855Founded
- 2016Molson Coors takes full control
In October 2016 Molson Coors acquires SABMiller's stake in the MillerCoors joint venture — a required divestiture from the AB InBev/SABMiller deal — taking outright ownership of the Miller brands and becoming the largest brewer in North America.
Today the chain tops out at Molson Coors Beverage Company.
Surviving objects
2 objects catalogued here so far, held by Wisconsin Historical Society. That is what the archive has recorded, not the extent of what the holder keeps — follow each link for the institution's own finding aid or catalogue. The archive links to each record rather than reproducing its photograph; the images belong to the holding institution and are licensed object by object.
Historical photograph
- Miller Delivery Wagon with High Life AdvertisingDate unknown
Historical photograph
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Miller Brewing Company is controlled by Founder / family.
Molson Coors — SEC DEF 14A Proxy Statement · U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · 2026-04
PrimaryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-05Claim last checked 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Miller Brewing Company
- Who owns Miller Brewing Company?
- Miller Brewing Company is owned by Molson Coors Beverage Company. Miller Brewing Company is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
- Is Miller Brewing Company still independent?
- No. Miller Brewing Company is owned by Molson Coors Beverage Company and is no longer independent.
- When was Miller Brewing Company acquired?
- 2016. In October 2016 Molson Coors acquires SABMiller's stake in the MillerCoors joint venture — a required divestiture from the AB InBev/SABMiller deal — taking outright ownership of the Miller brands and becoming the largest brewer in North America.
- When was Miller Brewing Company founded?
- Miller Brewing Company was founded in 1855 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
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