Brew kettle Museum

Editor's Note: Alas, Miller no longer offers tours of its Fort Worth plant, so you can't visit the museum either.

History awaits visitors to the Miller Marketplace and Brew Kettle Museum, located in a sleek, modern building on the grounds of the Miller Brewing Co. plant in Fort Worth, Texas.

As you enter the museum reception area, you're welcomed to "Miller Town" by a mural of the same name. Painted by artist Brad Smith of Burleson, Texas, it incorporates a variety of Miller logos into the landscape of Fort Worth. Next, a timeline provides a brief history of the American brewing industry, while another set of panels depicts the brewing process, from grain to glass, and offers information on different beer styles.

A brief video hosted by a German-accented actor claiming to be Frederick Miller tells you about the history of Miller. While working at the Hohenzollern Castle brewery in Bavaria, the faux-Miller claims, he discovered a secret strain of yeast, which he brought with him to the United States in 1855. It is upon this yeast the Miller and his sons built the Miller Brewing dynasty, he says.

The first Miller "tied house" in the city was the Maverick, downtown at Main and Exchange streets, and you can still see old advertising on an outside wall of the building. In 1967 Miller purchased a Carling Brewing Co. plant, site of the current Fort Worth plant, which makes more than 7 million barrels a year.

The dome of the museum rotunda is made from an actual brewing kettle, and walking into it gives visitors the sense of being in a kettle (sans the boiling water). The dome is 22 feet in diameter, and if the room were a kettle, it would hold 30,000 gallons. On display here are old pieces of brewing equipment, including a bottle capper, filter and labeler, a keg brander and a keg rocker, which was used to disperse dry hops in the cask.

Display cases hold more breweriana, some of it Miller related. Bottles and cans reveal beers from Miller's past, such as Miller Bock and Miller Export Lager. A large tray, pinback buttons and other items depict the "Girl in the Moon," a Miller logo from years gone by. Many of the pieces are from the collection of Herb and Helen Haydock, which Miller bought in 1996. At the time, the Haydocks had one of the largest collections of breweriana in the world, more than 1 million pieces. One case is devoted to Texas breweriana, including mementos of old beers such as Grand Prize, White Rose and Crown. Others are filled with classic beer trays, vintage postcards and can openers.

The museum winds around to a pub displaying a collection of autographed memorabilia from athletes and entertainment personalities. It opens onto an outdoor beer garden with a fountain. Visitors can conclude their tour with samples of Miller products, such as Miller Lite, Red Dog, Icehouse and Genuine Draft. After that, you can stroll into the Marketplace, which sells a variety of Miller memorabilia such as clothing and glassware.

The Miller Marketplace and Brew Kettle Museum is 10 minutes south of downtown Fort Worth, on the Interstate 35W access road. Exit at Sycamore School Road. From Memorial Day through Labor Day its is open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The rest of the year it is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. For information, call (817) 568-BEER.