MEISTER BRAU WESTPHALIAN STALLION HITCH
Peter Hand Brewery Company proudly presents the magnificent MEISTER BRAU WESTPHALIAN STALLION HITCH, the only horses of the Westphalian breed in America. Another rarity is the fact that the Meister Brau Westphalians are the only stallions trained to work together in a draft hitch. It takes two years before it can be determined whether a Westphalian stallion will work along with others in a hitch. Each Meister Brau Westphalian stallion stands 17 to 18 hands high and weighs more than a full ton. The team can pull a 10 ton load. The handcrafted Old World harness took eight months to fashion and is valued at more than $10,000. The stallions, Pauli, Damerl, Michl, Custl and Bias! (four are hitched to the authentic keg wagon at one time, the fifth used on a rotating basis) are descendants of 13th Century Westphalians that carried the Knights in shining armor. Further developed in size and strength, Westphalian stallions took their place in the history of German beer brewing and for decades have pulled the huge Bavarian beer wagons over cobblestone streets and muddy roads. Because these beautiful stallions have had such a prominent role in the history of brewing, Donald E. Gingery, chairman of the board of Peter Hand Brewery Company, purchased them at the close of the New York World's Fair in 1965. Now they are a permanent part of the Chicago and midwest scene, a colorful reminder of the early days of brewing.