Historic Beer Birthday: William Hamm Sr.

September 26, 2026 By Jay Brooks 1 Comment

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Today is the birthday of William Hamm (September 26, 1858-June 10, 1931). William Sr. was the son of Theodore Hamm, who founded Hamm’s Brewery in St. Paul, Minnesota. William Sr. took over for his father when Theodore retired and ran it until he died shortly before prohibition was repealed, and his son William Jr. took over.

Here’s a brief history from the brewery’s Wikipedia page:

The Theodore Hamm Brewing Company was established in 1865 when, a German immigrant Theodore Hamm (1825-1903) inherited the Excelsior Brewery from his friend and business associate A. F. Keller, who had perished in California seeking his fortune in the gold fields. Unable to finance the venture himself, Keller had entered into a partnership with Hamm to secure funding. Upon Keller’s death, Hamm inherited the small brewery and flour mill in the east side wilderness of St. Paul, Minnesota. Keller had constructed his brewery in 1860 over artesian wells in a section of the Phalen Creek valley in St. Paul known as Swede Hollow. Hamm, a butcher by trade and local salon owner, first hired Jacob Schmidt as a brew master. Jacob Schmidt remained with the company until the early 1880s, becoming a close family friend of the Hamms. Jacob Schmidt left the company after an argument ensued over Louise Hamm’s disciplinary actions to Schmidt’s daughter, Marie. By 1884, Schmidt was a partner at the North Star Brewery not far from Hamm’s brewery. By 1899 he had established his own brewery on the site of the former Stalhmann Brewery site. In need of a new brewmaster, Hamm hired Christopher Figge who would start a tradition of three generations of Hamm’s Brewmasters, with his son William and grandson William II taking the position. By the 1880s, the Theodore Hamm Brewing Company was reportedly the second largest in Minnesota.

Hamm’s Brewery c. 1900.

And here’s more about William, from Beer Capital of the State — St. Paul’s Historic Family Breweries, by Gary J. Brueggeman:

Theodore and Louisa were the parents of six children – five girls and one boy. The lone son, curly-haired William (1858-1931) was the heir to his father’s business. William Hamm worked at the brewery in an executive capacity for forty years, serving as general manager from 1880 to 1891, vice president-secretary from 1891 to 1903, and president from 1903 until his death in 1931. In addition to his brewing activities, William was heavily involved with his steamboat business, his and his father’s milling and realty companies, and Democratic Party politics.
Although Theodore was the brewery’s official president until his death from a heart attack on July 31, 1903, he unofficially retired from active management in 1891. Thus, it would be essentially under William’s direction that the Hamm Company would emerge as not only the state’s leading brewery, but as a bona fide national entity.

William Hamm’s wedding photo.

This was part of “The Hamm’s Brewery Past, Present and Future,” written by Mark Thompson in 2000 for a Friends of Swede Hollow presentation:

William Hamm was taken out of school at the age of 13 years and taught the brewery business. He would later succeed his father.
The size of the work force grew, as did the total number of barrels brewed. In 1865 there were 5 employees that brewed 500 barrels a year that grew to 75 employees brewing 40,000 barrels a year in1885. In 1894 the brewery expanded to include a bottling works and that was followed by artificial refrigeration in1895. In1894 an open house was held and free samples of beer were handed out and the long tradition of brewery tours began, along with the creation of a booklet a “Modern Brewery” in 1903. It explained the brewing process and illustrated all the rooms in the brewery. (Harris 2-3) In 1886 Theodore and Louise made a trip back to their homeland in Herbolzheim, Germany. While his father was away William built a mansion for his father at 671 Greenbrier, Street, St. Paul. The Hamm’s mansion joins 3 other houses that were occupied by 3 Hamm sisters. Theodore lived there until his death and it was then occupied by William until his death and it remained unoccupied by a Hamm’s family member until it was burned down by an arsonist in 4/21/1954. On Theodore’s return home from his homeland, he saw the need for a shift in leadership to his son William. The brewery was incorporated in 1896, leaving Theodore with the title of president and William having the title of vice-president and secretary. The line to succession of the brewery was thus established as the brewery remained in domain of the Hamm’s family for 100 years.
The brewery continued to expand from 8,000 barrels in 1879 to 26,00 barrels in1882 to 600,000 barrels in1915. This growth was stymied from 1919-1933 during prohibition. Theodore died in 7/31/1903 leaving an estate valued at $1,114,388.20. The five sisters were given 500 shares to the brewery with the rest of the brewery being left to William.
William Hamm, having been indoctrinated to the brewery at a young age, was well prepared to take on the role as president of the brewery. William was the first Borealis Rex in the first St. Paul winter carnival in1886. He also was very much involved in the civic duties of the city. From 1889-1890 he was a city council member and council president in1890. From 1890-1902 he worked with the park board to develop the park system. And he privately donated a plot of land near his home later to be named Cannon Park. William expanded his business interest to form Hamm’s Reality in1896. Hamm funded many developmental projects in downtown St Paul. In 1899 Hamm’s became president in the Northwest Theater Circuit, which had 150 showhouses in the Upper Midwest. Two motion picture theaters were built. The State Theater in Minneapolis and the Capital Theater in St. Paul.About the same time the Hamm’s Building was built and still stands today.

The Hamms on vacation.

Preferred-Stock-Beer-Labels-Theodore-Hamm-Brewing-Co-1903

Historic Beer Birthday: John Bechtel

September 26, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of John Bechtel (September 26, 1815-May 26, 1881). He was born in Weissenheim, Germany, in Bavaria, and came to the U.S. in 1840. In 1853, he founded a brewery on Staten Island, New York, which initially was known as the John Bechtel Brewery. In 1863, John Bechtel was elected as the second president of the Brewers Association, which he had helped to found. But in 1865, he sold the brewery to his son, George Bechtel, who renamed it the George Bechtel Brewery. His son continued to operate it until it closed for good in 1907.

This account is from “100 Years of Brewing,” published in 1903. The second part of the article is about John Moffat:

This early history of the brewery is from “History of Richmond County, from its discovery to the present time,” by Richard Mather Bayles, published in 1887:

Bechtel’s Brewery, perhaps the largest of these, was located at Stapleton, where it was founded by John Bechtel, in 1853. In 1865 he sold the concern to his son, George Bechtel, the present proprietor. The capital invested here amounts to well nigh half a million dollars. In 1865 the revenue tax of this brewery was $10,000, and ten years later it had increased to $60,000. It employs about fifty hands.
George Bechtel, was born in Germany in 1840. He came with his parents to America at the age of six months, and in 1851 entered the grammar school of ColumbiaCollege. After finishing his course at that institution he began an apprenticeship in the brewery which his father had established at Stapleton in 1853. From 1860 to 1865 he occupied the position of superintendent of the establishment, and while engaged in that capacity he established the first ice-house in the East. In 1865 he rented the property from his father, and in 1870 purchased his entire interest, becoming the sole proprietor.
The original building proving too small for his rapidly increasing business, Mr. Bechtel concluded to tear it down and in its place he built the present elegant structure, special attention being given to its equipment. So energetically was the work of erection pushed that in ten weeks after the first stone was laid brewing had recommenced. The continued increase of his business is due to the high quality of excellence which he maintains in all his productions. Mr. Bechtel has been foremost in all public and benevolent matters. During the riots in 1861 he sheltered large numbers of these homeless people in the woods and sent them nourishment daily till the trouble had subsided, a circumstance which the colored people on Staten Island have never forgotten and for which they have been ever grateful.
Mr. Bechtel’s benevolent qualities show themselves on all occasions, and many poor families on Staten Island have been the recipients of his charity. It is said of him that he is ever ready to help where it is needed. In 1879 the Japanese embassy, together with the secretary of state and several other gentlemen, paid a visit to Mr. Bechtel’ s brewery. As a result they ordered one hundred thousand bottles of beer to be sent to Japan. On their return they sent him several very flattering letters and a pair of costly vases as a token of their esteem.

Historic Beer Birthday: Phillip Best

September 26, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Phillip Best (September 26, 1814-July 17, 1869) Phillip Best was the son of Jacob Best, who founded the brewery that eventually became Pabst Brewing Co., with his four sons in 1844. The Best family’s business was originally called “The Empire Brewery,” and then it was “Jacob Best & Sons Brewery” until 1859 when Phillip Best took over the firm and renamed it the “Phillip Best Brewing Company.” Upon Phillip’s retirement Frederick Pabst and Emil Schandein became the company’s president and vice-president in the mid-1860s and the brewery’s name was amended to Phillip Best & Company. After Schandein died, the company was renamed the Pabst Brewing Company in 1889.

Immigrant Entrepreneurship has a lengthy article about the Bests, centered around Frederick Pabst, but with background that includes Phillip and the rest of the Best family:

In 1844, Phillip Best (born September 26, 1814, in Mettenheim, Grand Duchy of Hesse; died July 17, 1869, in Altenglan, Kingdom of Bavaria), together with his father and three brothers, opened the Jacob Best & Sons Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Twenty years later, Phillip’s son-in-law Frederick Pabst (born March 28, 1836, in Nikolausrieth, Kingdom of Prussia; died January 1, 1904, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) joined the company and helped to transform it into the nation’s leading beer producer – first in 1874 and then again in 1879, a position that was maintained until the turn of the twentieth century. As the company’s president, the former ship captain led the firm through a remarkable period of growth and the Pabst Brewing Company (as it came to be called from 1889 onwards) became the epitome of a successful national shipping brewery. Pabst not only contributed to the firm’s (and Milwaukee’s) economic growth, he also left a permanent cultural and social mark both on the German-American community and on the public at large. A decade after the height of his success, Pabst died on New Year’s Eve of 1904, passing on his commercial and cultural legacy to his sons.
The Best family’s relocation from Mettenheim to Milwaukee went relatively smoothly. After spending a few weeks in the summer of 1844 looking for a suitable location, Jacob Sr. purchased two lots on Chestnut Street (today West Juneau Avenue) on September 10 and founded the Empire Brewery. Jacob Sr.’s sons, Charles and Lorenz, soon went on to establish independent brewing ventures, so Jacob Sr. formed a new partnership with his other two sons, Phillip and Jacob Jr., in 1851, which stayed in place until Jacob Sr. retired two years later. After several arguments about the expansion of the firm, Jacob Jr. sold out to Phillip on October 1, 1859, who continued the business as its sole proprietor under the name of the Phillip Best Brewing Company.
In its inaugural year, the Best brewery produced 300 barrels (one barrel equaling 31 US gallons). The firm initially produced ale and porter, but added German-style lager on February 22, 1845. In 1847, Phillip reported in a letter to his wife’s family that the business was developing well and selling 28-30 barrels of beer weekly for $4.50 per barrel ($5 if delivered). The brewery owned three horses for the malt grinding mill, as well as for deliveries in the city and county, and planned to buy another. By 1850, the company’s 2,500-barrel annual production classified it as a medium-sized producer, ranking fourth out of the twelve largest reported breweries in Wisconsin.
As production increased, the company acquired and built new facilities. In 1850, the family purchased a lot on Market Street between Biddle and Martin Streets (today East Kilbourn Avenue and East State Street). Five years later, the company built a new brick house on Market Street with a beer hall on the ground floor, and in 1857 it erected a new main brewery on the north side of Chestnut Street between Ninth and Tenth Streets with large storage cellars. The Milwaukee Sentinel reported on October 9, 1857, that the brewery had the “deepest cellars in the city” and it may be seen from almost any part of the city. The building is a fine looking one, and were it not for a life-sized figure of a sturdy Teuton which is perched on top, in the act of sipping a glass of lager, one would never suspect its being a brewery. It has much more the appearance of a public building of some sort.
The article went on to explain that demand for Best beer was not only “constantly increasing” locally but also across the whole nation: “Everybody has tasted Best’s beer, and it’s very generally acknowledged to be the best in the country.” Although the article certainly exaggerated the national impact of Best’s beer at mid-century, the company had begun to sell their brands outside Wisconsin in the early 1850s when it established a sales office in Chicago, Illinois. While Milwaukee and the surrounding region provided the main market for Best products throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, this early effort to serve the national and – beginning in the 1860s – international market was a distinctive feature of the company’s development.
Best’s production and profits increased during the nationwide economic boom of the 1850s, but the panic of 1857 and the economic disruption of the Civil War slowed the firm’s growth rate. At the height of its early prosperity in 1857, the brewery employed steam power to produce nearly 40,000 barrels a year and was valued at $50,000 (approximately $1.4 million in 2014$). It employed eight men and used ten horses for delivery. Not until after the Civil War would these production levels be reached again. But as the expansion of the family business began to stall, Phillip made his two sons-in-law, Frederick Pabst and Emil Schandein, equal partners in 1864 and 1866 – a decision which turned out to have a lasting impact on the future development of the company.

philip-best-brewery-1880 — The Best’s South Side brewery in 1880, a few years after Jacob died and it became the Philip Best Brewing Co.

Here’s a shorter account from “American Breweries of the Past” by David G. Moyer:

best-brewery-long — And this is the main Best brewery, the original Empire Brewery.

A biography of Phillip Best from the National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, published in 1893.

phillip-best-brewing-company-became-pabst-brewing-company-signed-by-fred-pabst-as-president-milwaukee-wisconsin-1874-12 — A stock certificate for the Phillip Best Brewing Company from 1874.

This history is from A Spirited History of Milwaukee Brews & Booze by Martin Hintz:

And finally there’s this from the Industrial History of Milwaukee, published in 1886.

Beer In Ads #5359: Bautzener Doppel-Bock

September 25, 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.

Friday’s poster is for Bautzener Doppel-Bock, which was created between 1900-1920. This poster was made for the Bautzener Brauerei und Mälzerei, which was founded in 1847 as a cooperative “Commun-Brauerei” founded by 77 innkeepers on Neusalzaer Straße in Bautzen, Germany. The poster was created by the lithography and advertising company Werbe-Metz Leipzig.

Historic Beer Birthday: James Moffat

September 25, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of James Moffat (September 25, 1808-April 4, 1863). He was the son of John Moffat, and helped his father in founding one of the earliest breweries in Buffalo, New York in 1833. It was later called the James Moffat Brewery, and after that the Moffat & Service Brewery. His son, who took over after James died, renamed it the Henry C. Moffat Brewery in 1890, which was closed by Prohibition in 1920. It briefly reopened after repeal, in 1934, as Moffat’s Ale Brewery, but closed for good the same year.

This account of his brewery is from “100 Years of Brewing,” published over 40 years after he died:

According to John & Dave’s Buffalo Brewing History, John Moffat, along with his son James, acquired what was Buffalo’s second brewery and named it the Moffat Brewery.

Kane, Peacock and Relay brewery was short lived however and a 1909 article in the Buffalo Evening Times indicates John Moffat and his son James purchased the brewing operation around 1833. Also, the 1836 Buffalo City Directory lists Moffat as a brewer at that location. The 1839 Directory lists James Moffat & Co. as a “Brewery, Soap and Candle Factory”. The Moffat Brewery continued in operation until son James died and it was sold to Arthur Fox and became the Fox and Williams Brewery. In 1876 it was sold back to the Moffat family and continued in operation at the same location until the advent of Prohibition forced their closure in 1920. After Prohibition the Phoenix Brewery continued brewing “Moffats Pale Ale” through an agreement with the Moffat family.

And “History of the City of Buffalo and Erie County, Volume 2,” published in 1884, has this to say about Buffalo’s earliest brewers, including Moffat:

Beer Birthday: Charles Finkel

September 25, 2026 By Jay Brooks 3 Comments

Today is the 83rd birthday of Charles Finkel, one of the pioneers of the better beer movement. He founded Merchant du Vin in 1978, the company responsible for importing a number of word-class beers to the U.S., including a few favorites of mind: Traquair, Ayinger, Westmalle, Rochefort and Orval. He also started the Seattle brewpub, Pike Brewing , in 1989, where Fal Allen was head brewer there from 1990-96. I first met Charlie around 1996 during a visit to Seattle. The following year, the Finkels sold both Pike Brewing and Merchant du Vin. In 2006, they bought back Pike Brewing. In Chicago for CBC a couple of years ago, I was fortunate enough to spend an evening out and about town with the Finkels, and I wrote a profile of them for Beer Connoisseur a few years back. Charlie and his late wife Rose Ann are some of my favorite people in the industry. Join me in wishing Charlie a very happy birthday.

Charlie at CBC in Chicago a few years ago, with Mark Blasingame, owner of the Map Room.

Charlie at Pints for Prostates’ Rare Beer Tasting at Wynkoop during GABF.

Charlie and Rose Ann Finkel behind their Pike Brewing booth at GABF a few years ago.

Charlie and Rose Ann Finkel with past and present Pike brewers during the 2006 CBC in Seattle.

Charles with Rose Ann, Daniel Bradford, Rick Lyke, Jim Cline then with Rogue, and Ron Jeffries from Jolly Pumpkin at GABF in 2009.

Beer In Ads #5358: Heineken’s Bockbier

September 24, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Thursday’s poster is for Heineken’s Bockbier, which was created between 1910-1920. This poster was made for the Heineken Brewery, which was founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken. The poster was created by prominent Dutch commercial artist and graphic designer André Vlaanderen. The text at the bottom reads: “Is niet voor de ganzen gebrouwen” (“It is not brewed for the geese”), apparently “plays on a traditional Dutch proverb meaning that high-quality beer should be properly appreciated and not put to waste.”

Historic Beer Birthday: Francis Xavier Hebrank

September 24, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Francis “Frank” Xavier Hebrank (September 24, 1821-December 14, 1900). He was born in was born in Owingin, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, where he married Felicitas Harz. In 1848, he emigrated to the U.S., initially settling in Morgan County, Tennessee. His wife and daughter Mary Louise followed a year later, but apparently they didn’t love Tennessee so ten years later, in 1858, they moved to Wabaunsee County, in the Kansas Territory.

In 1864, Hebrank founded the Francis Xavier Hebrank Brewery along the Santa Fe Trail (at what today is 110 East Main, Council Grove, Kansas). He ran the brewery until 1871, when he retired. Hebrank died on December 14, 1900, at the age of 79.

Francis “Frank” Xavier Hebrank . In 1848 Francis emigrated to America. His wife and child followed a year later. In 1850 they found a home in Morgan County, Tennessee. Apparently that did not meet his family’s satisfaction so in 1858 they removed to Wabaunsee County, Kansas Territory. In 1964 he established a brewery on the Santa Fe Trail near Council Grove. The brewery closed about 1871. Frances Xavier

This is Hebrank’s obituary from December 1900:

The site of where the brewery stood today.

Historic Downtown Council Grove, Kansas.

Beer In Ads #5357: Bavaria St. Pauli Bock

September 23, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Wednesday’s poster is another one for Bavaria St. Pauli Bock, which was also created around 1935. This poster was made for the Bavaria-St. Pauli-Brauerei, of Hamburg, Germany, which was founded in 1922 from the merger of Bavaria Brauerei AG (founded in 1897) and St. Pauli Actien-Brauerei (founded in 1862). The poster was part of a series created by German artist Ottomar Anton.

Historic Beer Birthday: Conrad Walter

September 23, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Conrad Walter (September 23, 1819-July 29, 1873). He was born in Horstein, Alzenau in Unterfranken, in Bavaria, Germany. He came to the United States in August of 1846, arriving in Baltimore, Maryland aboard the Isaac Newton, which set sail from Bremen. He eventually settled in Louisville, Kentucky, where he married Eva Bessenbacher on May 23, 1848. Ten years later, in 1858, he founded what would become the Clay Street Brewery in Louisville, Kentucky, which was originally known simply as the Conrad Walter Brewery.

After founding the Clay Street Brewery (on Clay between Walnut and Madison), he operated it from 1858 until his death in 1873. His widow continued to operate the brewery until 1890 when sons John E. Walter and Frank Walter became the owners.

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