Historic Beer Birthday: Anselm Ehret

April 21, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Anselm Ehret (April 21, 1808-January 24, 1896). He was the son of George Ehret, who founded the George Ehret Brewery, which was also known as the Hell Gate Brewery, in 1866. It stopped producing beer in 1920 due to prohibition and limped along until 1927, when it closed due to his death. During that time, Anselm, a widower, was active in his son’s business.

Here’s his obituary from the New York Tribune, from January 26, 1896:

And here’s another, from the New York Times, on January 25, 1896:

Beer Birthday: Steve Parkes

April 21, 2025 By Jay Brooks 6 Comments

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Today is the 65th birthday of Steve Parkes. Steve owns and runs the American Brewers Guild, which trains brewers. I’ve known Steve for a number of years now and he’s one of my favorite Brits in the industry. I had the pleasure of writing a profile of him for Beer Advocate magazine a few years ago, from which I learned the following. Steve studied brewing sciences at Heriot-Wyatt University in Edinburgh and worked at several small UK breweries before moving to Maryland to open British Brewing (later known as Oxford Brewing). He then moved to California and created Red Nectar for Humboldt Brewing, which is also where he caught the teaching bug. Eventually buying the ABG school in 1999, several years ago making the leap to running the school full-time. In 2009, Steve was awarded the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing by the Brewers Association at CBC in Boston. Steve said at the time. “It’s gratifying when someone notices what you’re been doing every day. It just feels tremendous, like standing on the shoulder of giants. The willingness to share is the best part of this industry. I love being part of a working community that thinks like that. It makes you a better person.” Join me in wishing Steve a very happy birthday.

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Pete Brown and Steve at the GBBF in 2009.

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Steve at Cantillon in Brussels.

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Enjoying a Rodenbach.

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Words fail me. Happy birthday Steve. [Note: Last three Photos Purloined from Facebook.]

Beer In Ads #4946: Rahr’s Bock Beer

April 20, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Last year I decided to concentrate on Bock ads. 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.

Sunday’s ad is for Rahr’s Bock Beer and was published April 20, 1935. The brewery was Rahr’s Brewing Co. of Green Bay, Wisconsin, which was originally founded in 1853. This ad ran in The Green Bay Press Gazette, also of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Beer Birthday: Drew Beechum

April 20, 2025 By Jay Brooks 3 Comments

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Today is the 50th birthday of Drew Beechum, who’s a past president of the Maltose Falcons homebrewing club and its current webmeister. He’s also the author of The Everything Homebrewing Book: All you need to brew the best beer at home! and wrote a regular column for Beer Advocate magazine. Join me in wishing Drew a very happy birthday.

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Drew’s Facebook Profile picture.

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Drew at 21st Amendment.

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Drew in a Jayne hat — from Firefly — with his wife, Aymee. (NOTE: All photos purloined from Facebook.)

Beer Birthday: Des De Moor

April 20, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the 64th birthday of Des de Moor, who’s a London-based freelance beer writer. I honestly can’t recall exactly when we met, but we’ve been judging together at beer competitions and attending other beer events around the world for a number of years, and Des is great fun to share a pint with. He’s also the author of the CAMRA Guide to London’s Best Beer Pubs & Bars. Join in wishing Des a very happy birthday.

Beer Birthday: Brenden Dobel

April 20, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the 55th birthday of Brenden Dobel, who until recently was the head brewer at Thirsty Bear in San Francisco, but then briefly at 21st Amendment, before moving over to Almanac on Alameda. Brenden grew up in the Bay Area, but learned brewing in Bavaria, at Doemans. He also brewed at Reccow and Broken Drum, before coming to Thirsty Bear over ten years ago. Brenden’s a terrific guy to share a pint with and discuss arcane subjects like history or English literature. If he hadn’t found brewing, he most likely would have ended up a teacher, or perhaps a sailor. Please join me in wishing Brenden a very happy birthday.

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Me and Brenden at the East Bay opening gala for the 2023 SF Beer Week.

Shaun O'Sullivan, from 21st Amendment, and Brendan Dobel, Thirsty Bear
With Shaun O’Sullivan at the SF Brewers Guild festival in 2010.

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Brenden at some old unknown event.

Lars Larson (Trumer) & Brendan Dobbel (Thirsty Bear)
With Trumer brewmaster Lars Larson at the Celebrator’s 22nd anniversary party in 2010.

Clockwise from Left: Rich Higgins, John Tucci, Brenden & Aron Deorsey with our 4 bottles of dessert at a Sierra Nevada beer dinner after beer camp a few years ago where we made a beer for SF Beer Week.

Beer In Ads #4945: Coors Genuine Bock Beer

April 19, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Saturday’s ad is for Coors Genuine Bock Beer and was published April 19, 1935. The brewery was Coors Brewing Co. of Golden, Colorado, which was originally founded in 1873. This ad ran in The Joplin News Herald, of Joplin, Missouri. It’s interesting that they’re advertising that Coors Bock Beer will be released the next day, April 20th.

Historic Beer Birthday: Henry Becker

April 19, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Henry Becker (April 19, 1851-April 20, 1906). He was born in Bavaria, and emigrated to the U.S. when he was 21, coming first to New Orleans, and two years later settling in Terre Haute, Indiana. At some point, he became involved with the Seventh Street Brewery, which had been founded in 1848 (although another source seems to dispute that believing they are unrelated and that Becker’s was founded independently in the 1870s, which actually makes some sense to me). Its name was changed to the Terre Haute Weiss Beer Brewery in 1898 (if related to Seventh Street), but after Becker’s death in 1906, his son took it over, renaming it the Henry J. Becker Brewery. Becker’s son then sold it two years later, in 1908. The buyer, Charles J. Graf, closed it for the good the same year.

Henry-Becker-obit-abr — Obituary of Becker from the American Brewers’ Review in 1906.

There’s very little information I could find on Becker or his brewery. It appears to have been very small, with capacity below 500 bbl, making it something of a proto-nano in its day. I could also not find any photos of Becker or the brewery and no breweriana whatsoever, aprt from the bottle below, which must be from between 1906-09. One unusual fact I did find is that they brewed a Berliner Weiss.

Beer In Ads #4944: Just The Thing To Drink In Spring

April 18, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Friday’s ad is for Hamm’s Bock Beer and was published April 18, 1914. The brewery was the Theo. Hamm Brewing Co. of St. Paul, Minnesota, which was originally founded in 1865. This ad ran in The Appeal, of the Twin Cities and Chicago. The headline is priceless: “Just the Thing to Drink in Spring Ham’s Bock Beer.”

Beer Birthday: Neil Miller

April 18, 2025 By Jay Brooks 2 Comments

Today would have been the 51st birthday of New Zealand beer writer Neil Miller. He wrote regularly for Beer and Brewer magazine, the beer blog at Real Beer NZ and the Malthouse Blog. Though born in Scotland — Broxburn — he made Wellington his home. I met Neil when he was visiting the states with Luke Nicholas and other New Zealand beer aficionados for the Craft Brewers Conferences in 2009. They came over early to tour the west coast before CBC began in San Diego that year. We met up at my local brewpub, Moylan’s, and Neil hilariously tells a story about that meeting that I was completely unaware of at the time. Thanks to the series of tubes known as the internet, we’ve managed to keep in touch since then. Unfortunately, Neil passed away June 1, 2021. Join me in drinking a toast to Neil tonight.

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Neil in his cups at his table at the Malthouse

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Behind the bar at the Mussel Inn.

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With recently married Kate Pullar. The correct caption: “when are you going to buy me another of these Epic Armageddon IPAs?”

Neil with Luke Nicholas.
[Note: Photos Purloined from Facebook.]