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The 105-year-old family-owned Milwaukee luxury bar appliance manufacturer

Posted at 6:12 PM, Feb 16, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-17 10:16:22-05

MILWAUKEE — This 105-year-old Milwaukee family-owned company makes some of the most high-end bar appliances in the world, and you've probably never heard of them.

I'm talking about the Perlick Corporation. It makes high end beer taps, refrigeration systems, dispensers, and more. If you ever bought a beer from Fiserv Forum, AmFam Field, or Lambeau Field, odds are it came from a Perlick refrigerator or Perlick beer tower. A beer tower is the long cylindrical tube that all the beer taps are attached too. Perlick also makes the device responsible for keeping the beer coming out of the draft cold.

But it's not just Wisconsin sports arenas that use Perlick appliances. They are in fancy restaurants and bars across the country. It's even a global brand. A luxury high rise condominium complex in Qatar recently purchased a large order of Perlick supplies.

Theodore Perlick Molinari
Theodore Perlick Molinari is a 5th generation owner of the Perlick Corporation.

"Perlick is a company in your backyard that you didn’t know about," Theodore Perlick Molinari, a 5th generation Perlick, said.

The company has stayed in the family since 1917. It was started by Theodore's great great grandfather.

“It’s pretty special. It’s very rare to have a fifth generation family-owned business. Many don’t make it that long," he said.

And when you drink a Miller, you can thank this factory for keeping your beer sediment free. They make a cone-shaped strainer the Miller factory uses.

“Miller Brewing in the valley has large large systems that have large pipes. These go in the pipe, and it takes the sediment out of the beer as its going into production," Perlick said.

They are the name in bar and kitchen appliance manufacturing, and since the pandemic began, their residential business has exploded.

Perlick Corporation

“The luxury end of the market and the residential side of our business tends to be much more recession resistant and helps us get through the issues that may impact our commercial business," Dick Palmersheim, the CEO said.

Their wine and beer refrigerators cost anywhere from $3,500 dollars to $12,000. They said you are paying for the durability, quality, and Perlick name.

So from the Middle East to Fiserv Forum to a Milwaukee bar, you can thank Perlick for your beer coming out on time and cold.

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