New York Archives - Brookston Beer Bulletin

Historic Beer Birthday: Joseph Fallert Jr.

October 1, 2017 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Joseph Fallert Jr. (October 1, 1867-March 23, 1919). He was the son of Joseph Fallert, who founded the Joseph Fallert Brewery in 1878. Incorporating in 1884, he renamed it the Joseph Fallert Brewing Co. Ltd. in Brooklyn, New York. Junior over the brewery in 1893, when his father died, but it closed in 1920 for good when prohibition began, the year after he passed away.

Like his father, there’s very little biographical information I could find, not even a photograph.

Take a look at this amazing newspaper ad from 1897, extolling the virtues of Fallert’s Alt-Bayerisch and especially its “family use.” “It’s a food.”

The Joseph Fallert Brewery at 52-66 Meserole Street in Brooklyn.

Beer Birthday: Jonathan Goldsmith

September 26, 2017 By Jay Brooks 2 Comments

Today is the birthday of Jonathan Goldsmith, who “is an American actor. He began his career on the New York stage, then started a career in film and television. He appeared in several TV shows from the 1960s to the 1990s.” And if that were all, he wouldn’t be here, but he’s probably best known now “for appearing in television commercials for Dos Equis beer, from 2006 to 2016, as the character ‘The Most Interesting Man in the World.'” I confess that I’ve never been a fan of the Dos Equis ad campaign and wrote a post against back when it began because I hated the “stay thirsty, my friends” tagline. I probably got more angry comments over the years about my negative reaction than any other post I wrote. And while I’ve never come around on that aspect of the campaign, I do have to admit it’s been very successful. It’s certainly not the first time I’ve been in the minority opinion on something. I briefly met Goldsmith at a comedy event in Napa a few years ago, and he was certainly an interesting person. Despite my protestations, his character has certainly become iconic in the decade Dos Equis ran with it.

Here’s his biography, from his Wikipedia page:

Goldsmith was born on September 26, 1938, in New York. His mother was a model and his father was a gym teacher. His parents were Jewish. Goldsmith graduated from Boston University in 1958, after which he pursued an acting career.

Jonathan has made over 350 television appearances in his career. Among them was the role of Marvin Palmer in the 1964 Perry Mason episode, “The Case of the Blonde Bonanza.” To advance his acting career, Goldsmith moved to California from New York in 1966.[6] Like many aspiring actors, he found it difficult to gain enough acting work to survive and wound up working various jobs, including driving a garbage truck and working in construction, to help make ends meet.

During his early years in film, Goldsmith performed as “Jonathan Lippe”, having taken the name of his stepfather at the age of six. He subsequently changed his professional name back to his birth name, later recalling, “It always made me feel bad for my father, who never caused me any grief about it…. As my career grew and my son was born, I changed my name back to my real name, Goldsmith, so my father could enjoy his son’s success and have a grandson to carry his name as well.”

Goldsmith first established himself as an actor in Western films, with 25 such appearances. In the 1976 film The Shootist, Goldsmith played a villain who was shot between the eyes by hero John Wayne, who fired blood capsules from a special pellet gun at point blank range into Goldsmith’s face for seven painful takes.

Goldsmith also made guest appearances on 45 television series, including Gunsmoke; Adam-12; Knight Rider; CHiPs; Eight Is Enough; The Rockford Files; Hawaii Five-O; Barnaby Jones; MacGyver; Murder, She Wrote; Charlie’s Angels; Petrocelli; Manimal; The Fall Guy; Dynasty; T.J. Hooker; Hardcastle and McCormick; Magnum, P.I.; Knots Landing; and The A-Team, as well as a few made-for-TV movies. His longest run in a television series was on Dallas, in which he appeared 17 times.

In the 1980s Goldsmith started network marketing businesses (waterless car wash products) Dri Wash & Guard, and also SPRINT which was successful enough to allow him to “retire” from the Hollywood scene; he purchased an estate in the Sierra. He taught theater at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York from 1999-2004. He moved onto a large sailboat moored in Marina del Rey. As of 2011 he and his wife Barbara (who was his agent when he obtained the Dos Equis role) are moving to a house in the area of Manchester, Vermont.

Starting in 2016 Goldsmith writes for True.Ink, a web site that “celebrates The Noble Pursuit, a mix of adventure, expertise, and kindness.”

Beginning in April 2007 and continuing through 2015, Goldsmith had been featured in a high-profile television ad campaign, promoting Dos Equis beer. The campaign, which transformed Goldsmith into “the most interesting man in the world”, has been credited for helping to fuel a 15.4 percent sales increase for the brand in the United States in 2009 and also made him into a very popular meme.

Goldsmith landed the Dos Equis gig by auditioning for the role. Auditioners were given the ending line “…and that’s how I arm wrestled Fidel Castro” and asked to improvise. Goldsmith began his audition by removing one sock and then improvised for 30 minutes before reaching the concluding line. The character was inspired by his deceased sailing partner and friend Fernando Lamas.

On March 9, 2016, Dos Equis announced that it would replace Goldsmith in the role as the “Most Interesting Man in the World”, saying that the brand hoped to “reboot (the character) in a way that’s relevant for today’s drinker so the brand doesn’t get stale.” In September 2016, French actor Augustin Legrand (who also speaks English and Spanish) became the new “Most Interesting Man in the World”.

In June, 2017, he returned to television advertising; he switched to tequila, and does ads for Astral Tequila.

And this is the Wikipedia entry for The Most Interesting Man in the World:

The Most Interesting Man in the World is an advertising campaign for the Dos Equis brand of beer. The ads feature “the world’s most interesting man,” a bearded, debonair gentleman, with voiceovers that are intended to be both humorous and outrageous. The advertisements first began appearing in the United States in 2006 and have since then become a popular Internet meme.

The advertisements first began appearing in the United States in 2006, with The Most Interesting Man in the World portrayed by American actor Jonathan Goldsmith, and Frontline narrator Will Lyman providing voiceovers. They were produced by the marketing firm Euro RSCG (now Havas Worldwide) for Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery.

Goldsmith landed the Dos Equis gig by auditioning for the role. Auditioners were given the ending line “…and that’s how I arm wrestled Fidel Castro” and asked to improvise. Goldsmith began his audition by removing one sock and then improvised for 30 minutes before reaching the concluding line. The character was inspired by his deceased sailing partner and friend Fernando Lamas.

In March 2016, Dos Equis announced Goldsmith’s retirement from the role, with a commercial sending him on a one-way journey to Mars amid much acclaim, and the narration: “His only regret is not knowing what regret feels like”. In September, they introduced French actor Augustin Legrand as Goldsmith’s replacement

The Goldsmith advertisements feature an older bearded, debonair gentleman. They also feature a montage (mostly in black and white) of daring exploits involving “the most interesting man” when he was younger, in which the character is played by actor Claudio Marangone.

The precise settings are never revealed, but he performs feats such as freeing an angry bear from a painful-looking bear trap, shooting a pool trick shot before an audience (by shooting the cue ball out of the mouth of a man lying on the pool table), catching a marlin while cavorting in a Hemingway-esque scene with a beautiful young woman, winning an arm-wrestling match in a South American setting, surfing a killer wave, and bench pressing two young women, each seated in a chair, in a casino setting. The voiceovers themselves are intended to be both humorous and outrageous, and include humorous undertones such as his giving his own father “the talk”, experiencing an awkward moment just to know how it felt, and finding the Fountain of Youth but not drinking from it, “because he wasn’t thirsty”. Other feats are more centered on his physical abilities and personality. These include his small talk changing foreign policies, parallel-parking a train, and slamming a revolving door.

At the end of the advertisement, the most interesting man, usually shown sitting in a night club or other social setting surrounded by several beautiful young women, says, “I don’t always drink beer. But when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.” Each commercial ends with him stating the signature sign-off: “Stay thirsty, my friends.”

There are secondary advertisements that are similar to the final part of the original advertisements. They feature the man sitting in a social setting, surrounded by beautiful young women, conveying a short opinion to the viewer on certain subjects, such as bar nuts, the two-party system, self-defense, trophy wives, and “bromance”. He then finishes the advertisement by holding a Dos Equis beer and saying, “Stay thirsty, my friends.”

The agency’s rationale for the brand strategy was defined as: “He is a man rich in stories and experiences, much the way the audience hopes to be in the future. Rather than an embodiment of the brand, The Most Interesting Man is a voluntary brand spokesperson: he and Dos Equis share a point of view on life that it should be lived interestingly.” According to the company, U.S. sales increased each year between 2006–2010 and tripled in Canada in 2008, although exact figures were not provided. Sales of Dos Equis are said to have increased by 22% at a time when sale of other imported beer fell 4% in the U.S.

Goldsmith said in an interview that he realized how successful the campaign had been when a man came up to him in a restaurant, telling Goldsmith that the man had asked his young son what he wanted to be when he grew up, and the son replied: “I want to be The Most Interesting Man In The World.”

Here’s a fun video from Business Insider about “How Jonathan Goldsmith Became ‘The Most Interesting Man In The World:'”

The ad campaign was successful enough that it also created a popular meme generator to make your own:

i-dont-always-drink-beer-oh-wait-yes-i-do

Historic Beer Birthday: John Bechtel

September 26, 2017 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: James Moffat

September 25, 2017 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.

Moffats-Pale-Ale-Labels-Phoenix-Brewery-Corp

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:

Historic Beer Birthday: John Fitzgerald

September 17, 2017 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of John Fitzgerald (1838-September 17, 1885). No one is sure of his actual birthdate. Not even his tombstone gives it, listing only the date he died and saying he was age 47 in 1885. So today will have to do. There isn’t much biographical information about John Fitzgerald. His brother Edmund acquired in 1866 the Troy, New York brewery that was founded in 1852 which was first known as Lundy & Ingram Brewery, but went through several name changes before it was changed to the Fitzgerald Bros. Brewery when John and their other brother Michael joined the business. Michael left the business in 1870, but Edmund and John soldiered on and the family business, although they stopped brewing in 1963, continues to this day in New York. The brewery survived prohibition and continued brewing afterwards until 1963, when the family shut down the brewery and became a Pepsi bottler and distributor, among other products, and for 25 years was a Coors distributor. Today the company is known as Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. – Glens Falls Bottler and Beverage Distributor.

This account of the brewery is from “The City of Troy and Its Vicinity,” by Arthur James Weise, published in 1886:

This is the history presented on the current company’s website:

Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. was founded in 1857 in Troy, New York. It is currently in its 6th generation of ownership.

The Company started out distributing various liqueurs, gins, whiskeys and brandies. A decade later, it began brewing it’s own brand of beer, Fitzgerald Beer and Ale. During the next 150+ years, the Company continued to adapt and change based upon the needs of it’s customers.

In 1961, Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. purchased the Pepsi Bottler located on Dix Avenue in Glens Falls and continues to operate out of this location.

In 1986, as Coors Brewing Company expanded east of the Mississippi River for the first time, Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. was awarded the distribution rights in the Albany Capital District for all Coors brands, which it serviced for 25 years until 2011.

In 1996 Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. acquired two Full-Line Vending businesses to expand its services into Full-Line Vending. After 18 years, in April 2014 Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. divested its Full-Line Vending business.

Today, Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. continues to provide a full portfolio of beverages to nearly 1,750 customers in Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties.

And this is the history of the brewery ownership, since it’s a bit complicated:

James Lundy, North River Brewery 1852-1853
Lundy & Ingram Brewery 1853-1855
Lundy & Kennedy Brewery 1855-1857
Lundy, Dunn & Co. Brewery 1857-1859
Dunn & Kennedy Brewery 1859-1866
Fitzgerald Bros. Brewery 1866-1899
Fitzgerald Bros. Brewing Co. 1899-1920
Brewery operations shut down by National Prohibition in 1920
Issued U-Permit No. NY-U-221 allowing the operation of a brewery 1933
Fitzgerald Bros. Brewing Co. 1933-1963

Fitzgerald-Half--Half-Labels-Fitzgerald-Bros-Brewing-Company

Fitzgeralds-Garryowen-Ale-Labels-Fitzgerald-Bros-Brewing-Company

Historic Beer Birthday: Frank B. Haberle

September 2, 2017 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Frank B. Haberle (September 2, 1855-September 8, 1916). He was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Benedict Haberle, who founded the Benedict Haberle Brewing Co. in 1857. Frank went to college in Germany to learn brewing, and returned to join his father in the business in 1875, when the name was changed to B. Haberle & Son. When Frank’s father Benedict died in 1881, it was incorporated as the Haberle Brewing Co. After merging with the Crystal Spring Brewing Co. in 1892, the name was again changed to the Haberle-Crystal Spring Brewing Co. (and also the Haberle Brewery) until 1920, when it was closed by prohibition. It reopened in 1933 as the Haberle Congress Brewing Co., and it remained in business until 1961, when it closed for good.

Here’s his obituary from the Herald newspaper of Syracuse, New York:

FRANK B. HABERLE, HEAD OF BREWING COMPANY, DEAD
Had Been Ill Long Time, Critically So Since Monday.
Deceased Born in This City in 1855 – Studied in Germany.

Frank B. Haberle, one of the pioneers in the brewing business of the city, died this morning at 8:30 o’clock at his home, No. 802 McBride street. He was 61 years of age.

Mr. Haberle had been in poor health for a long time. He had been seriously ill since Monday. Mr. Haberle was a lifelong resident of the city and was affiliated with more than thirty societies, some of which he had helped to ring into existence here.

Born here on September 2d, 1855, Mr. Haberle was the son of Benedict Haberle. After receiving an education in the schools of Syracuse, he went to Germany and attended college for a year. In 187- he returned to this city and engaged in the brewing business, which had been started by his father in 1857. The firm was known as Benedict Haberle & Son.

His father died in 1881 and Mr. Haberle reorganized the brewing company into a stock company, known as the Haberle Brewing company. He became president of the new concern. In 1892, the company was merged with the Crystal Springs Brewing company, under the name of the Haberle Crystal Springs Brewing company. Mr. Haberle was president of this new company up to the present time.

Mr. Haberle was active socially. His father had been one of the founders of the Syracuse Turn Verein and the Syracuse Leiderkranz. His name is on the membership roll of more than thirty societies in the city. He was affiliated with Salt Springs lodge, F. and A. M.; Syracuse lodge of Elks, Syracuse Aerie of Eagles, the Odd Fellows, Syracuse Turn Verein, Syracuse Leiderkranz, Independent Order of Foresters and several other societies.

Mr. Haberle was devoted to charity work and had done much to relieve suffering among the poor. His charitable work was carried on quietly and he avoided publicity. He was never married and politics never aroused his interest.

Mr. Haberle leaves two sisters, Mrs. Olive Biehler and Mrs. W. T. Woese; six nieces, Mrs. George O’Hara, Mrs. Burns Lyman Smith, Mrs. Leonora Haberle Warner of New York, Miss Amorita C. Schwarz, Miss Louise Haberle Schwarz and Miss Marion Schwarz; and five nephews, Frank Biehler, Benedict F. Haberle, Carl Haberle, Warren J. Haberle and Carl F. Woese.

Here’s another obituary from the Brewers Journal, Volume 47:

And this account is about the brewery, from 100 Years of Brewing:

Haberles-Light-Ale-Labels-Haberle-Congress-Brewing-Company

Historic Beer Birthday: Rudolph J. Schaefer III

August 29, 2017 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Rudolph J. Schaefer III (August 29, 1930-June 10, 2011). Also nicknamed “Rudie” — he was the great-great-grandson of Rudolph J. Schaefer, who was the son of Maximilian Schaefer, and he, along with his brother Frederick, founded the F&M Schaefer Brewing Company in 1842. Rudie’s great-grandfather Rudolph became the president of F&M Schaefer Brewing in 1912, and continued in that position until his death. He also bought out his uncles and their heirs, and controlled the entire company, which allowed his father Rudie to become president in 1927, a position he held until retiring in 1969. Rudie III then became president, and held that position until 1975. “In 1981 Schaefer was acquired by Stroh Brewing Company which, in turn, was acquired by Pabst Brewing Company in 1999.”

Here’s his obituary from Find-a-Grave:

Rudolph J. Schaefer III, of Stonington and Key Largo, Fla., died Friday, June 10, 2011, in his home, surrounded by his loving family.

Mr. Schaefer was born on Aug. 29, 1930 in New York City to Rudolph Jay Schaefer Jr. and Lucia (Moran) Schaefer.

Rudie attended the Rye Country Day School, Choate, Washington and Lee and graduated from Hofstra University with a bachelor of business administration. Rudie also attended the Harvard Business School PMD Management Program.

After graduation, Rudie enlisted in the Navy in June, 1952. He served active duty aboard the USS MacGowen DD678 from 1953 to 1957 in the Middle East, attaining the rank of lieutenant JG. He remained in the Naval Reserves until 1969.

Rudie married Jane A. Isdale of New Rochelle, N.Y. at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Larchmont, N.Y. in 1956.

Joining the F&M Schaefer Brewing Co. in 1957, he later served as president of the brewery from 1972 to 1975. His great-grandfather founded the F&M Schaefer Brewing Company in 1842.

Mr. Schaefer was involved, and worked on many boards throughout his life. He was vice president and board member of the New York School For The Deaf, board member of the United Hospital in Port Chester N.Y., the New Rochelle Hospital as well as L&M Hospital in New London. Rudie was also a board member of the Lincoln Savings Bank and the New London Savings Bank.

A philanthropist throughout his life, Rudie was especially proud of his work with the Mystic Seaport, serving as a trustee in 1975 and later president and chairman of the board from 1983 to 1989.

His love of the sea and yachting, sparked a life long interest in marine art. He was very proactive in supporting many aspiring marine artists. Rudie was instrumental in building the Mystic Maritime Art Gallery at the Mystic Seaport in honor of his father, Rudolph J. Schaefer Jr.

Mr. Schaefer was actively involved in many clubs and organizations including the Cruising Club of America, founder of the Stonington Country Club, Stonington Harbor Yacht Club, Ocean Reef Club, member and commodore of the Key Largo Anglers Club, New York Yacht Club. Former memberships include the American Yacht Club, Larchmont Yacht Club and the Shelter Island Yacht Club.

And here’s another obituary from the Hartford Courant, published September 18, 2011:

Extraordinary Life: Rudolph J. Schaefer III of Stonington, was a successful businessman and a generous philanthropist, but the sea was his passion. He also was an heir to the F&M Schaefer Brewing Co., New York’s longest operating brewery.

Rudie Schaefer was a successful businessman and a generous philanthropist, but the sea was his passion. He enjoyed being on the water, collecting modern marine art and working for Mystic Seaport, where he served as president of the board of trustees.

He also was an heir to the F&M Schaefer Brewing Co., New York’s longest operating brewery.

Rudie Schaefer III was born Aug. 29, 1930, and grew up in Larchmont, N.Y., outside Manhattan. His mother, Lucia, was a homemaker and his father was commodore of the Larchmont Yacht Club. Rudie grew up on the water, sailing small and large boats. He graduated from Rye Country Day School and Choate, then attended Washington and Lee University for two years. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in business from Hofstra University in 1952.

After graduation, he enlisted in the Navy and served in the Middle East from 1953 to 1957. He was en route to the Suez Canal during the Middle East crisis of 1956, when many people thought war was imminent. His ship was the last to go through the canal before it closed, but the issues were resolved and he did not see combat.

In the fall of 1956, he married Jane Isdale, a fellow sailor from Larchmont. They had six children; one daughter Anne, predeceased him.

F&M Schaefer, the family beer company, was founded by Schaefer’s great-grandfather Max Schaefer and Max’s brother, Frederick Schaefer, who came to New York in the late 1830s. They worked for a small brewery, owned by Sebastian Summers, but Max introduced the formula for lager beer, popular in Germany but unknown in the United States. Lager became extremely popular, and in 1842 the brothers bought the company. It was a family company for nearly 150 years, and its memorable slogan was “Schaefer: The one beer to have when you are having more than one.”

After his Navy servicer, Schaefer joined the family company in 1957, and went first to Albany to run a plant. The family moved several times as Schaefer rose in the company, and he lived in Rye while he served as president from 1972 until 1975. He retired in 1976.

In 1981, the Stroh Brewery bought the company, and Pabst Brewery bought Stroh in 1999, but Schaefer beer continues to be brewed and distributed in the Northeast and Puerto Rico.

For about five years, Schaefer was a partner in Aquasport, a company that manufactured small fishing boats in Florida.

He also was an outdoorsman who loved trap shooting, hunting and fishing. He once hooked a “grander,” a 1,000 pound black marlin, in Australia, which took 3-1/2 hours to reel in. Broken eardrums kept him from deep sea diving, but he loved going out on his 46-foot yacht built from the hull of a lobster boat.

In the early 1980s, Schaefer became one of the founders of the Stonington Country Club. A perfectionist, he would go around the course picking up rocks, or take a dinghy out to retrieve balls lost in the pond.

The high spirits that led him to dress up in crazy costumes for clown dives at the country club as a teenager never faded. He was a storyteller and had a sense of humor about himself. He liked to tell the story of how he once took a golf swing and missed, then knocked the ball into the clubhouse on the way back.

In 1982, the Schaefers moved to Stonington.

“Mystic Seaport brought us here,” said Jane Schaefer who like her husband, became an active volunteer at the seaport. Like his father, he became a trustee and served as president and chairman of the board from 1983 to 1989.

Schaefer was one of the early Pilots, a group of seaport volunteers who spend two weekends a year doing odd jobs, including painting and maintenance at the port. Schaefer’s preferred activity was shingling, and he would suit up in his tool belt and repair roofs wherever it was needed.

Schaefer had an encyclopedic knowledge of boating.

“He just knew every boat yard up and down the East Coast,” said Russell Burgess, a sailing friend. To make sure that old-boat-building techniques and sailing yarns weren’t forgotten, Schaefer funded a position for an oral historian at Mystic who interviewed boat builders, architects and famous sailors. He supported the library and was active in finding collections and boats for the museum.

Always interested in art, Schaefer was instrumental in establishing the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport, a showcase for modern, international marine art and donated a building in honor of his father. Some of the younger artists whom Schaefer collected and promoted became well-known, such as Don Demers, a Maine painter whose work he first encountered at the gallery.

“Rudie took note of the paintings, introduced himself and made a point of complimenting me,” recalled Demers. Schaefer began buying Demers’ work, and in 1988, Demers had a one-man show at Mystic that sold out.

“He had a lot of influence,” Demers said. “If you got Rudie’s stamp of approval, you were validated, and that certainly happened to me.”

Schaefer’s approach to art mirrored his approach to life: He was gregarious and effusive.

“He’d pull people over and say, look at this. We’d talk and talk and talk about it,” said Demers. “It was really a joy to show him a painting.”

“He was a rare trustee,” said Paul O’Pecko, the reference librarian. “He really did give freely of his time, talent and treasure.”

“He had a motto,” said his wife. “Make one person smile every day.”

Historic Beer Birthday: Louis Wiegand

August 24, 2017 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Louis Wiegand (AUgust 24, 1840-March 2, 1912). He was born in Frankfort, Germany, he emigrated to America when he was 27, in 1867. He was initially in the meat business but in 1878, along with partners Carl Durr and William Wagner, he founded the Oswego German Brewing Co. in Oswego, New York. A few years later, in 1882, he bought out his partners, and renamed if the Wiegand Brewing Co. and then the Louis Wiegand Brewing Co. When his sons joined him in the business in 1896 it became known as Louis Wiegand & Son. It was closed by prohibition in 1916 and never reopened.

This is his obituary, from the Oswego Daily Times, for Monday, March 4, 1912:

The death of Louis Wiegand senior member of L Wiegand & son brewers, which occurred at his home, No 166 East Second street, Saturday evening at 4:45 o’clock, will be received with sorrow by citizens generally. Mr. Wiegand had been in failing health since last May and for several months had been confined to his home. Born in Wirthheina, near Frankfort, Germany, in 1840, Mr. Wiegand came to Oswego in 1867, He engaged successfully in the meat business in East Bridge street for several years. In 1882, Mr. Wiegand organized the Germania Brewing Company and shortly thereafter took over the business, which he has successfully conducted ever since. Deeply interested in the St. Peter’s Cemetery association and one of its organizers, Mr. Wiegand was zealous in promoting it. He had been president of the society for several years. When It was desired to acquire more property for the extension of the cemetery, the funds on hand were not sufficient. Mr. Wiegand purchased the property and sold it to the association without profit to himself. He was a constant visitor to the cemetery and gave much of his time to plans for beautifying it.

Mr. Wiegand’s first wife died several years ago. He is survived by his second wife, formerly Miss Catherine Stoke; one son, Louis X, and a sister, Mrs. Margaret Cook, all of Oswego. The funeral will be held tomorrow morning from his home and at St Peter’s church.

Unfortunately, apart from his obituary, there was almost nothing else I could find about him, his sons or his brewery, not even any photos or breweriana.

Historic Beer Birthday: Jacob Ruppert, Jr.

August 5, 2017 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Jacob Ruppert, Jr. (August 5, 1867–January 13, 1939). He was the son of Jacob Ruppert, who founded the Jacob Ruppert Brewing Company in 1867. Jacon Jr., who went by Jake “was an American brewer, businessman, National Guard colonel and United States Congressman who served for four terms representing New York from 1899 to 1907. He also owned the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball from 1915 until his death in 1939.

Starting out in the family brewing business, Ruppert entered the United States National Guard in 1886 at the age of 19, eventually reaching the rank of colonel. While he was the owner of the Yankees, he purchased the contract of Babe Ruth and built Yankee Stadium, reversing the franchise’s fortunes and establishing it as the premier club in the major leagues. Ruppert was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2013.”

Ruppert was born in New York City, the son of brewer Jacob Ruppert, Sr. (1842–1915) and his wife, the former Anna Gillig (1842–1924). He was the second oldest of six children, along with Cornelia Ruppert-Franko (1865–96), Anna Schalk (born 1870), Frank (born 1872), George (1875–1948) and Amanda Elizabeth “Lizzie” Ruppert-Silleck (1878–1952). His grandfather Franz (1811–83), a brewer from Bavaria, had emigrated to the United States in 1836 or 1842. His mother was also of German ethnicity, and was herself the daughter of prominent brewer George Gillig. Although he was a second-generation American, to the day he died he spoke with a noticeable German accent.

He grew up in the Jacob Ruppert, Sr. House on Fifth Avenue. Jacob Jr. attended the Columbia Grammar School. He was accepted into Columbia College, but instead began working in the brewing business with his father in 1887. He started as a barrel washer, working 12-hour days for $10 a week ($267 in current dollar terms), and eventually became vice president and general manager of the brewery.

Ruppert enlisted in the Seventh Regiment, National Guard of New York, serving in the rank of private from 1886 through 1889. In 1890, he was promoted to colonel and appointed to serve on the staff of David B. Hill, the Governor of New York, serving as aide-de-camp. He became a senior aide on the staff of Roswell P. Flower, Hill’s successor as governor, until 1895.

The Jacob Ruppert Brewery around 1932.

Ruppert was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1898 as a member of the Democratic Party to the Fifty-sixth United States Congress, defeating incumbent Philip B. Low of the Republican Party in New York’s 15th congressional district. He was supported in his election by Richard Croker, the political boss of Tammany Hall. Ruppert won reelection over Alderman Elias Goodman in 1900. Ruppert was renominated for Congress, this time running in New York’s 16th congressional district, in 1902. Ruppert was not a candidate for reelection in 1906, and he left office in 1907.

Ruppert was also president of the Astoria Silk Works and the United States Brewers Association from 1911 through 1914. In January 1914, he bought J&M Haffen Brewing Company for $700,000 ($16,737,209 in current dollar terms), intending to close the brewery down and develop the property, which was located near The Hub in The Bronx. Upon his father’s death in 1915, Ruppert inherited the Jacob Ruppert Brewing Company and became the company’s president. Ruppert also owned real estate, including Pass-a-Grille Key in Florida.

Ruppert, interested in baseball since his childhood, began to pursue ownership of a Major League Baseball team, and attempted to purchase the New York Giants on numerous occasions. In 1912 he was offered an opportunity to purchase the Chicago Cubs, but decided that Chicago was too far away from New York for his tastes. However, Frank J. Farrell and William S. Devery, owners of the New York Yankees, were looking to sell their franchise. Ruppert and Tillinghast L’Hommedieu Huston, a former United States Army engineer and captain, purchased the Yankees from Farrell and Devery before the 1915 season for $480,000 ($11,363,684 in current dollar terms). The Yankees were, at that time, a perennial also-ran in the American League (AL), posting winning records in only 4 of their 12 seasons – and only once since 1906 – since relocating to New York prior to the 1903 season from Baltimore, where the team had played as the Orioles during the AL’s first two years of operation, 1901 and 1902.

After the 1917 season, Ban Johnson, president of the AL, suggested that Ruppert hire St. Louis Cardinals manager Miller Huggins to take over the same position with the Yankees. Huston, who was in Europe at the time that Ruppert was considering the appointment, disliked Huggins and wanted to hire the manager of the National League’s crosstown Brooklyn Robins, Wilbert Robinson, his drinking buddy. However, Ruppert interviewed Huggins on Johnson’s recommendation, and agreed that Huggins would be an excellent choice Ruppert offered the job to Huggins, who accepted and signed a two-year contract. The hiring of Huggins drove a wedge between the two co-owners that culminated in Huston selling his shares of the team to Ruppert in 1922.

Ruppert and Huston purchased pitcher Carl Mays from the Boston Red Sox in 1918, in direct opposition of an order issued by Johnson. The matter was taken to court, where Ruppert and Huston prevailed over Johnson. The case led to the dissolution of the National Commission, which governed baseball, and helped lead to the creation of the Commissioner of Baseball. Ruppert eventually organized opposition to Johnson among other AL owners.

The Yankees purchased star pitcher-outfielder Babe Ruth from the Red Sox in 1919, which made the Yankees a profitable franchise. The Yankees began to outdraw the Giants, with whom they shared the Polo Grounds. In 1921 the Yankees won the AL pennant for the first time, but lost to the Giants in the World Series. As a result of the Yankees’ increased popularity, Charles Stoneham, owner of the Giants and the Polo Grounds, raised the rent for Ruppert and Huston for the 1922 season. The Yankee owners responded by purchasing land in The Bronx, across the Harlem River from the Polo Grounds, from the estate of William Waldorf Astor for $675,000 ($9,658,002 in current dollar terms), breaking ground on a new stadium in May 1922. That year, the Giants once again defeated the Yankees in the World Series. Yankee Stadium opened on April 18, 1923,[the first ballpark with three tiers of seating for fans, and the first referred to as a “stadium”. Ruppert and Huston financed the project with $2.5 million of their own money ($35,770,378 in current dollar terms).

In 1923, Ruppert bought out Huston for $1.5 million ($21,084,961 in current dollar terms), and he became the sole owner. Later that year, the Yankees finally beat the Giants to win their first World Series title. The Yankees went on to dominate baseball throughout most of the 1920s and 1930s, winning three more pennants from 1926 through 1928, including the Murderers’ Row team which won the 1927 World Series and repeated as champions the following year. They returned to the top with the 1932 World Series title, and then began their strongest period yet with the Bronx Bombers teams of the late 1930s, becoming the first team to win three consecutive World Series titles in 1936, 1937 and 1938. In 1937, the Yankees became the first team to win six World Series titles, and in 1938 they surpassed the Philadelphia Athletics to become the first team to win ten AL championships, with only the Giants winning more pennants in the 20th century.

Lous Gehrig, Ruppert and Joe McCarthy in 1935.

In 1929, Ruppert added numbers to the Yankees’ uniforms, which became a feature of every team. He said, “Many fans do not attend games on a regular basis and cannot easily pick out the players they have come to see.”

in 1931 Ruppert bought the Newark Bears who played at Ruppert Stadium in Newark, New Jersey, and begin building the farm system for the Yankees. Ruppert’s 24 years as a Yankee owner saw him build the team from near-moribund to a baseball powerhouse. His own strength as a baseball executive – including his willingness to wheel and deal – was aided by the business skills of general manager Ed Barrow and the forceful field managing of Miller Huggins, until his sudden death at age 50 late in the 1929 season, and Joe McCarthy, beginning in 1931. By the time of Ruppert’s death, the team was well on its way to becoming the most successful in the history of Major League Baseball, and eventually in North American professional sports.

Ruppert and Ruth had public disagreements about Ruth’s contracts. Nevertheless, they were personal friends; according to Ruth, Ruppert called him “Babe” only once, and that was the night before he died. Usually, Ruppert called him “Root” (as “Ruth” sounded in his German-accented voice); he always called everyone, even close friends, by their last name. Ruth was one of the last persons to see Ruppert alive.

Ruppert suffered from phlebitis in April 1938, and was confined to his Fifth Avenue apartment for most of the year. He was too sick to follow the Yankees to the 1938 World Series, what would be their seventh world title under his stewardship; he listened on the radio. In November 1938, he checked into Lenox Hill Hospital, where he died on January 13, 1939.

New York Yankees Tony Lazzeri, Joe DiMaggio, and Frankie Crosetti with their team owner Jacob Ruppert taken in the late 1930’s.

Ruppert’s father, Jacob, Sr., left behind an estate of $6,382,758 ($111,618,204 in current dollar terms) when he died in 1915, which Ruppert increased to $40 million by the time of his death in 1939. This was managed by his heirs. His brother George, who served as the Yankees’ vice president, declined to take over the team presidency, and instead recommended that general manager Ed Barrow be given control of the club. Under Barrow’s leadership, the Yankees won a fourth consecutive World Series in 1939, and captured three more AL titles and two World Series from 1941 to 1943 as the nation entered World War II. After mismanaging Ruppert’s brewery, the heirs sold the Yankees to Dan Topping, Del Webb and Larry MacPhail in 1945. The brewery sold its flagship beer, Knickerbocker beer, to Rheingold, and went out of business in 1965.

On April 16, 1940, the Yankees dedicated a plaque in Ruppert’s memory, to hang on the center field wall of Yankee Stadium, near the flagpole and the monument that had been dedicated to former manager Miller Huggins. The plaque called Ruppert “Gentleman, American, sportsman, through whose vision and courage this imposing edifice, destined to become the home of champions, was erected and dedicated to the American game of baseball.” The plaque now rests in Monument Park at New Yankee Stadium.

An apocryphal story says that Ruppert is responsible for the Yankees’ famous pinstriped uniforms; according to this account, Ruppert chose pinstripes in order to make the often-portly Ruth appear less obese, but the uniform was in fact introduced in 1912.

A beer was named after Ruppert, as were Ruppert Stadium in Newark, New Jersey. Ruppert Park in Manhattan, is part of the Ruppert Yorkville Towers housing complex was built on the site the brewery in Yorkville, Manhattan.

Ruppert and Lou Gehrig in 1938.

Special-Knickerbocker-Export-Brew-Labels-Jacob-Ruppert--pre-Prohibition-

Beer Birthday: Garrett Oliver

July 29, 2017 By Jay Brooks 3 Comments

Today is Garrett Oliver’s 55th birthday. Garrett is the brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery and has done more for the craft beer industry to promote pairing food and beer than just about any other person alive. If you haven’t picked up a copy of his book, The Brewmaster’s Table, you should definitely do so. He was also tapped to be the editor of the Oxford Companion to Beer, which came out four years ago (and which I also contributed to). He’s the best-dressed brewer in the world and a great person. Join me in wishing Garrett a very happy birthday.