Historic Beer Birthday: Jacob Ruppert Sr.

March 4, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Jacob Ruppert, Sr. (March 4, 1842-May 25, 1915). Although his son Jacob Ruppert, Jr. was more well-known, in politics and in baseball, his father made that possible when he founded the Jacob Ruppert Brewing Company in 1867.

Here’s a biography from Find a Grave:

Founder of the Jacob Ruppert Brewing Company. Jacob Ruppert, Sr. was one of the first and most noted brewers in the US. He was born in NYC and was a son of Franz and Wilhelmina Zindel-Ruppert of Bavaria. Under he expert guidance of his father, Jacob learned the brewing trade thoroughly. At ten he began working for his father’s Turtle Bay Brewery in Midtown Manhattan which was then only two years old. Work was hard for him and his father, as machinery was scarce during the Civil War. In 1867 he opened the Jacob Ruppert Brewing Co. on Manhattan’s then-forested Upper East Side. With a 50 foot square brick building, he opened what was to be the first of many breweries. The Jacob Ruppert Brewery steadily became one of the largest and best-equipped breweries in the world. He eventually broadened his entrepreneurial interests to include real estate which became the biggest money maker for the Rupperts helping them to survive (along with Jacob Jr’s interest in baseball) the coming war, Prohibition and Great Depression. Jacob Jr. eventually took over the brewing business and brought it and the Ruppert name to greater fame and glory. Jacob Ruppert, Sr. was a forceful, single-purposed man with a great capacity for work. His charities were numerous but unostentatious.He married Anna Gillig, daughter of brewer George Gillig, and had six children: Cornelia, Jacob, Frank, Anna, George and Amanda, all interred with their father in our family’s mausoleum. Jacob died of cirrhosis at the age of 74, an illness brought on by the years of testing the very brew he sold.

Historic Beer Birthday: George Klotter

March 4, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of George Klotter (March 4, 1805-July 29, 1882). He was born in Baden, Germany, but moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and established the Hamilton Brewery with partner Johann G. Sohn in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1846. Klotter left that brewery, while Sohn continued alone, and Klotter started another brewery, the George Klotter Brewery in 1866 The following year George Jr., and his brother Louis, joined the brewery, and it was renamed the George Klotter and Sons Brewery, which it remained until 1888. Unfortunately, there’s very little information I could find about Klotter or his brewery.

Here’s a short biography from Find-a-Grave:

Clyffside Brewing Company (242 McMicken) is a defunct brewery in Cincinnati, located on the site of Hamilton Brewery, founded in 1845 by Johann Sohn and George Klotter as the Hamilton Brewery. By 1853, the company became known as the Klotter, Sohn and Company. In 1866, Sohn bought out Klotter, and Klotter went on to establish his own brewery on Klotter Street.

And this is his obituary, also from Find-a-Grave:

It 1888, it was renamed the Bellevue Brewery until finally closing in 1919.

Beer Birthday: Lucy Corne-Duthie

March 4, 2026 By Jay Brooks 1 Comment

Today is the 47th birthday of Lucy Corne, a.k.a. Lucy Corne-Duthie, who’s a beer writer in South Africa, although she was originally born in Great Britain. She first began writing travel books, before moving on to beer in her adopted home of South Africa, writing African Brew: Exploring the Craft of South African Beer and Beer Safari: A journey through the craft breweries of South Africa. She also used to go by the moniker Brewmistress. I first met Lucy in Nashville during World Beer Cup judging when she attended one our beer writers guild seminars. We also worked together on Flagship February, and last year I was happy to join her in South Africa to judge the African Beer Cup, a continent-wide competitions she co-founded and helps to run. But I spent even more time with her in Germany and Belgium for the Brussels Beer Challenge and a press trip directly afterwards through Flanders. She’s a great ambassador for craft beer, not only in South Africa but the world. Join me in wishing Lucy a very happy birthday.

Lucy with Emily Sauter (whose birthday is also today) and me in Belgium last year.

Lucy, with Pete Slosberg, Greg Casey, and me at the judge’s after-party at the Afro-Caribbean Brewery.

On our to way to Eupen, we stopped for a quick look-see in Maastricht with Marek Kaminski, Em Sauter, me, Lucy and Jan Lichota

At the very end of our press trip through Flanders. From left: Edu Villegas, me, Lucy, Stijn Van Houdt, Jaime Ojeda Selamé, Stephen Beaumont, and Andy Crouch.

Beer In Ads #5143: The Bockiest Bock Beer In Town

March 4, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Wednesday’s first ad is for Brucks Bock Beer, which was published on March 4, 1941. This ad was for the Bruckmann Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio, which was originally founded in 1905 as the Ohio Union Brewing Co. This ad ran in The Grand Rapids Press of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Beer Birthday: Tonya Cornett

March 4, 2026 By Jay Brooks 3 Comments

Today is Tonya Cornett’s 57th birthday. Tonya was the brewmaster of Bend Brewing in Oregon, for a number of years, but several years back moved to another Bend brewery — 10 Barrel Brewing — to become their R&D brewer. After being sold, her part of the brewery was unceremoniously shown the door, and she and her team regroup and opened their own place in Bend, UPP Liquids Pub, and Fermentations (of Immersion Brewing). And the best part, the new brewery just a few months after opening was named the Best Brewery of the Year (in the 251-500 barrel class). She was also featured prominently in the film, The Love of Beer, and more recently Beers of Joy. Tonya’s a great brewer and, of course, being born 1 day and ten years after me makes her a terrific human being, too. Join me in wishing Tonya a very happy birthday.

P1070571 — Tonya and me during a visit to Bend quite a few summers ago.

tonya-cornett-1 — Tonya at GABF in 2008.

Tonya Cornett, from Bend Brewing, with Larry Horwitz from Iron Hill — Tonya with Larry Horwitz from Iron Hill at the 2009 GABF.

tonya-cornett-2 — With Tomme Arthur of Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey at Falling Rock in Denver. (Special thanks to Sage from the Lost Abbey for photos 2 and 4.)

P1200477 — Elva Ellen Kowald, Tonya and Teri Fahrendorf at the Craft Brewers Conference in Chicago.

P1010378 — Tonya and Megan Flynn, former publisher of Beer West, then-Beer Northwest, at GABF in 2010.

tonya-and-me-in-bend — Meeting for a quick beer in Bend a few years back.

Beer Birthday: Emily Sauter

March 4, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the 43rd birthday of the extraordinary Emily Sauter, who used to work at Two Roads Brewing as their Social Media and Communications Manager, where on Two Roads’ website she reveals an intense love of soup but an equally powerful dislike of broccoli. I wonder how broccoli soup fits in with that? She now works part-time at the Fox Farm Brewery, but at night dons the cape and cowl to draw Pints and Panels, her blog of beer reviews, done in a comic strip style, putting to good use her education from Vermont’s Center for Cartoon Studies. And she’s written and a few books, Beer is For Everyone!: Of Drinking Age, Hooray for Craft Beer!, and Pairing Beer with Everything. Emily is one of my favorite people to hang out with at beer events, a kindred spirit. Join me in wishing Emily a very happy birthday.

DSCN1635 — Stan Hieronymus and Emily at GABF a few years ago.

DSCN1222 — At the Beer Bloggers Conference in San Diego, opening a bottle of Crazy Pucker.

Sam-Emily-Me — Sam Calagione, Emily and me at Belmont Station in Portland during CBC a few years ago.

emily-me-pliny — In 2018 at Russian River for the release of Pliny the Younger.

Em with her husband Matt in Connecticut when I visited them last summer.

Lucy Corne-Duthie (whose birthday is also today), Em, and me in Belgium last year.

Beer In Ads #5142: First Taste Of Spring Sunshine Bock Beer

March 3, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Tuesday’s second ad is for Sunshine Bock Beer, which was published on March 3, 1937. This ad was for the Sunshine Brewing Co. of Reading, Pennsylvania, near my hometown growing up, which was originally founded in 1859 by Peter Barbey. This ad ran in The Shamokin News Dispatch of Shamokin, Pennsylvania.

Historic Beer Birthday: Geörg Ziegelmaier

March 3, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Geörg Ziegelmaier (March 3, 1852-December 27, 1908). He was born in Württemberg, Germany, but emigrated to the U.S. on July 2, 1854. He was originally trained as a baker and a miller, but became a brewer and founded the George Ziegelmaier Brewery in 1966, which was located in Boscobel, Wisconsin. He ran the brewery for nearly twenty years before selling it to William Bruer. It then went through a series of owners before becoming the Boscobel Brewing Co. in 1920, before closing for good in 1942.

Here’s his biography from Tavern Trove:

He became a farmer in New Hartford, Connecticut, then opened a milling business after the first harvest. In 1856 he established a farm in Crawford County, Wisconsin, but moved away after only one season. History next finds Ziegelmaier forty miles to the west, in McGregor, Iowa, a port city on the Mississippi River. He stayed long enough there to get married, to Mary Koss, and have two children.
In 1857 he moved his family back to Wisconsin to the town of Boscobel, where he opened a brewery and bakery shop. The brewery burned soon after, and he returned once again to McGregor. He came back to Boscobel in 1866 where he purchased the old brewery property and rebuilt it. He ran the brewhouse until 1884, when he sold it to William Bruer.
By 1890 Ziegelmaier had relocated to Milwaukee. The next decade saw him follow several of his children, now numbering an even dozen, to Washington state. Geörg died there on December 27th, 1908. He was 76 years old.

This is from another history of Boscobel beer that discusses the early history of the brewery.

This short biography is from “The History of Grant County, Wisconsin,” by Willshire Butterfield, and published in 1881.

Beer In Ads #5141: Out Today Sunshine Genuine Bock Beer

March 3, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Tuesday’s first ad is for Sunshine Genuine Bock Beer, which was published on March 3, 1939. This ad was for the Sunshine Brewing Co. of Reading, Pennsylvania, near my hometown growing up, which was originally founded in 1859 by Peter Barbey. This ad ran in The Intelligencer Journal of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Beer Birthday: Jeff Cioletti

March 3, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the 54th birthday of Jeff Cioletti, president of Drinkable Media and Editor-at-Large for Beverage World magazine. He’s been covering the business of beer for quite a long while. I run into Jeff at numerous industry events, and we’ve taken a press trip to Belgium. Join me in wishing Jeff a very happy birthday.