Old timers around West Bend, including Herb Tennies, fondly remember the famous Lithia Xmas Brew.

"It had a good flavor and gave you a lot of Christmas cheer," grinned Tennies remembering the days the men went to Pat's Tavern for a nip as the women went shopping at the old Bylow grocery store.

"Bylow's grocery used to be the Friday night stop for farmers that came to town," said Tennies. "Their wives would do the shopping and the men would go to Pat's and pick up supplies for the weekend."

When the Lithia brewery was in town, Tennies said, there was nothing like getting a freshly brewed beer right from the tap house. "I worked construction with my dad and we put additions on the brewing company. They brought sausage from the butcher shop at 10 o'clock for your brunch break along with fresh bread from the bakery and we'd go in the tap house and we'd have ice cold beer from the keg," said Tennies, recalling how they worked hard and we were happy working.

Carl "Cracker" Kircher, an 80-year-old resident of West Bend, remembered Christmas Lithia. "It just had a darn good flavor and you didn't get the headache you would with Old Timers," Kircher said, referencing one of Lithia's other beers. "It wasn't as heavy as their Old Timers. It was an in-between beer that was really flavorful."

Kircher felt if the brewer had marketed its specialty beer year round, the local brewery would still be operating. When Lithia went out of business in West Bend, the brand names were sold to Walter Brewing of Eau Claire.

"We drank a lot of beer," chuckled Kircher, who now settles for Dos Equis, a Mexican beer. In his heyday Kircher would buy his Christmas Lithia at several places around town including Kuhns Liquor, run by Jewel Kuhns and Staehler's Liquor, which was next to Apple Barrel and is now Schalla Jewelers in West Bend.

"Taverns sold Christmas Lithia in bottles," said Ed German of West Bend who bought his stock from Kuhn's Liquor located across from the old brewery.

"Christmas Lithia was a little heavier beer and maybe a little darker," said German, who remembered paying $2 a case about 30 years ago and driving out of town to get the best bargain. "I used to go out to Schwai's because he had a better price. I'd buy five cases at a time and I think that would last me two to three weeks," he said, remembering how he'd carry the cases out of the store and place them in the back of his station wagon.

In the coming months, a local brewer in West Bend is going to try his hand at recreating a Lithia lager. We'll post an update when the process gets underway.