From the time William Hodson opened the “Janesville Brewery” in the mid 1840’s until Esser’s Brewery closed their doors in 1940, Janesville was home to 15 different breweries.  During their 80 plus years of operation, the breweries played a central role in the Janesville’s social and industrial fabric as it grew from a small outpost of 800 people in 1835 to more than 22,000 people by 1940.  In addition to providing an overview of each brewery, Rob Bier will also share some of the photographs, maps, and artifacts from this era along with some interesting anecdotes about the colorful brewers who worked to quench a city’s thirst.