OUR STORY

INNOVATION AND CRAFTsMANSHIP ARE IN OUR DNA

In 1917, Robert K. Perlick, a young German immigrant, started the R. Perlick Brass Works in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Armed with a knack for innovation, an insistence on quality, and the ability to recognize opportunities, Perlick and his family grew the business into a thriving enterprise supporting the city’s booming beer industry.

More than 100 years and five generations later, Perlick is still family-owned and headquartered in Milwaukee. And innovation and craftsmanship are still in its DNA as it continues to evolve as a global manufacturing leader in commercial bar and beverage systems, premium residential refrigeration, and brewery fittings.

Perlick innovation and craftsmanship have literally reshaped the beer and brewing equipment industries; transformed the world’s finest bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues; and set new standards for first-class entertaining at home. And we’re committed to carrying this legacy into the next century and beyond.

WE PIONEERED BEVERAGE REFRIGERATION AND DISPENSING

Perlick tapped into its history with the brewing industry to pioneer everything from the first remote beer system capable of transporting perfectly cold beer 100 feet and beyond to today’s most sophisticated beer towers and wine towers.

THE WORLD’S FINEST VENUES TRUST PERLICK

Four-star restaurants, major league stadiums, and top-tier entertainment spaces trust Perlick’s experts to create custom beverage systems that not only serve their unique needs but also serve up extraordinary patron experiences.

WE DESIGN, ENGINEER, AND MANUFACTURE EXCEPTIONAL REFRIGERATION FOR THE HOME

Perlick’s luxury line of residential refrigeration has become the designer’s choice for creating a perfect environment to entertain life’s key moments—celebrating the holidays, raising a glass with family and friends, and marking special occasions.

FOCUS ON QUALITY AND CRAFTSMANSHIP SINCE 1917

Perlick is a brand recognized for all the things you want a brand to be recognized for. Over the decades, Perlick products have earned a reputation for being best-in-class when it comes to construction, performance, quality, durability, and attention to detail. Perlick’s commercial line includes custom bar, beverage, and refrigeration equipment engineered to optimize energy and longevity; innovative underbars designed to improve profitability;

industry-leading beverage dispensing equipment, and time-tested brewery fittings. Manufactured to the same high level of quality, Perlick’s award-winning, luxury residential line features indoor and outdoor undercounter refrigerators, wine reserves, freezers, freezer and refrigerator drawers, ice makers, and beer dispensers.

100 YEARS OF INNOVATION

1868

Robert K. Perlick was born in Germany. He immigrated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with his mother and five brothers and sisters, in 1885. Robert worked in tool shops for years and, at age 41, decided to open his own business. He borrowed $1,000 from his oldest son Walter and contributed $1,000 of his own money to get the business started.

1917

The R. Perlick Brass Works opened on 2nd Avenue and Reed Street in Milwaukee’s Third Ward. Perlick manufactured brass parts and battery terminals for multiple industries, including automobile, truck, tractor, and streetcar manufacturers.

1920

Prohibition bans the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages—except “near beer,” which at just 0.05% alcohol was still legal. So, Perlick found a profitable niche as the only manufacturer and distributor selling brass dispensing products to the city’s breweries. Now the R. Perlick Brass Company, Walter’s brothers Arthur and Hilbert (H.R.) joined the business.

1930s

Prohibition’s repeal reinvigorated Milwaukee’s booming beer industry despite the Great Depression. New bars continued to open, and Perlick had the dispensing products owners needed to serve beer. With H.R. now at the helm, the company tripled in size, moved to a new facility, and introduced the direct draw Pony Pump for dispensing beer straight from the keg.

1940s

Perlick celebrated 25 years by moving to a more modern building on Meinecke Avenue and continuing to create innovative products that transformed the brewing and bar industries—including its first refrigeration products, the Dixie bottle cooler and the Black Beauty cabinet dispenser. During WWII, Perlick machined aluminum parts for the U.S.

1950s

Perlick leveraged its beer dispensing expertise to expand into the entertainment market, introducing more refrigeration and beverage dispensing products. With beer at the ballgame an American tradition, Perlick’s engineers set out to solve the logistics of serving in large sports stadiums. Their ingenious solution: the Century Beer System.

1960s

At the 1964 New York World’s Fair, visitors saw Perlick’s Century Beer System at work. It was the first beer system that let large venue owners transport perfectly balanced beer 100 feet! The third generation, Robert D. and Gordon Perlick, took the lead, and the company moved to the current headquarters and manufacturing facility on Good Hope Road.

1970s

Perlick’s reputation as a beer expert was strong, but the future of beverage sales was definitely in taverns and restaurants. So, Perlick became a bar design expert, revolutionizing how establishments bought bar equipment and designed their businesses with an innovative modular underbar system and a total bar package: beer, back bar, and underbar. .

1980s

The company found new success with the rise of restaurant chains, like Chi-Chi’s and Applebee’s, that were eager to take advantage of Perlick’s latest innovations and their positive impact on reliable performance and profitability. Solidifying its leadership, the company becomes the Perlick Corporation with a highly visible presence at industry tradeshows.

1990s

For the 1990 renovation of Madison Square Garden, Perlick engineers boosted the Century System’s capacity to deliver clear, cold beer up to 360 feet—for a total of six miles of Perlick beer lines serving the Garden’s 18,000 patrons! Larry Molinari and Steve Bergum—fourth-generation Perlick family members by marriage—assumed company leadership.

2000s

After investing in the latest technology, implementing continuous production, and adopting lean manufacturing principles, Perlick opened up an exciting new growth channel: premium residential refrigeration for the luxury home market. Starting in 2005, the Perlick line won three consecutive Platinum Awards for Design Excellence from Design Journal.

2010s

The meteoric rise of the craft beer movement and exploding interest in cocktails and mixology both brought new prestige and professionalism to the bar and restaurant business—and new opportunities to Perlick. In 2015, Perlick partnered with celebrity bartender and bar designer Tobin Ellis to develop the industry’s first ergonomic, zero-step bartending system.

2020s

With guidance from the previous generation, Perlick’s fifth generation of family members assumed company leadership. Perlick is proud to have remained a locally owned family company for more than a century and has plans in place to continue innovating and thriving in Milwaukee for the next 100 years!

Perlick Family History Company Video

OUR customers Say

David Castino

Castino Restaurant Supply

All the Perlick products for my recent order came in perfect! Thank you for having the units assembled. They looked amazing!”

Aaron

Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co

Our Perlick products are going in an old building I renovated when we bought in 2015. The building is on the National Historic Registry. Tell the crew we are very proud to be using Perlick equipment. I have always held the Perlick name in high regard as the best appliances in the industry.”

Chris

RHI in Seattle

Please let the people at Perlick know every order they ship helps keep many people’s businesses going.”

ASK OUR EXPERTS

Contact Perlick to learn more about our innovative line of products.