[2] Peter Hand, a Prussian-born Civil War veteran, who had previously worked for the Conrad Seipp Brewing Company, established his brewery in 1891 in Chicago.

The brewery continued to grow and though it was "officially" closed between 1920 and 1933 (as a result of prohibition), the company survived and expanded several times.

In 1965, an investor group purchased the brewery and renamed the company Meister Brau Inc., intending to further expand and begin national distribution.

Early light beers were typically created by adding more water to existing lagers, resulting in a mediocre product.

[5] After it was discontinued the recipe was given to Peter Hand Brewing, which made minor adjustments and successfully relaunched it as Meister Brau Lite.