Brookston Beer Bulletin

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Beer Birthday: Charles Finkel

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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 Birthday: Bill Owens

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Today is the 88th birthday of Bill Owens, who founded one of California (and America’s) earliest brewpubs, Buffalo Bill’s, in Hayward, California. The brewpub opened in 1983, but in 1994 he sold it to his then-brewer, Geoff Harries, who still owns and operates it today. Bill also founded American Brewer magazine, which today is owned by Jamie Magee. Bill’s also an accomplished photographer, and has published several volumes of his photos, the most famous of which is Suburbia. More recently, he’s been involved in micro-distilling, in 2003 founding the American Distilling Institute. Please join me in wishing Bill a very happy birthday.

Bill and me at the Anchor Xmas Party in 2009.
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Bill and Fritz Maytag at an event for Maureen Ogle’s book “Ambitious Brew” in 2006.
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Bill at Buffalo Bill’s in 1985.
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A press shot from the 1980s.
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Manning the mash paddle around 1985, the year he made his first batch of Pumpkin Ale, probably the first pumpkin beer in modern times.
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Bill Owens’ early book — more of a pamphlet really — on How to Build a Small Brewery.

Beer In Ads #5358: Heineken’s Bockbier

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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.

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.”

Beer Birthday: Aaron Gore

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Today is the 39th birthday of Aaron Gore, who has been working in some capacity in the craft beer world since he reached adulthood. He’s a freelance writer as The Ale Chaser from his home in South Carolina, and works full time for the 5th Ingredient, a brewing software company. He’s also a co-founder of the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame and the Evergreen Brewing Initiative. I’d been interacting with Aaron online for some time now, but started working with him more closely on the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame, and finally had a chance to meet in Philadelphia earlier this year during the Craft Brewers Conference. He’s a great advocate for craft beer and a worthy addition to the new generation of beer personalities championing better beer. Join me in wishing Aaron a very happy birthday.

Me and Aaron finally meeting in person at this year’s CBC in Philadelphia this year.
Me and Aaron again, but this time from Aaron’s perspective (and camera).
Marty Nachel and Aaron.
Pete Slosberg and Aaron at this year’s CBC.

[NOTE: Last two photos purloined from Facebook.]

Historic Beer Birthday: Francis Xavier Hebrank

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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

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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.

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

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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.

Beer Birthday: Yuseff Cherney

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ballast-point cutwater
Today is the 57th birthday of Yuseff Cherney, co-founder, former COO and head brewer of Ballast Point Brewing in San Diego. Although not too long after selling Ballast Point in later 2015 to Constellation Brands, Yuseff left the brewery, in July of 2016. For a time, he was focusing his energy on their rebranded spirits division, called Cutwater Spirits, although more recently that was sold, as well. I used to run into Yusseff in the Bay Area or at GABF, but I’m not sure we’ll see him as much in the beer world. He’s a great person and a terrific brewer. Join me in wishing Yusseff a very happy birthday.

Sierra Nevada’s Steve Dressler with Yuseff and his wife at the Chico leg of Beer Camps Across America a few years ago.
Claudia Pamparana, co-founder of Faction Brewing, Yuseff, Jeff Bagby, and his then-assistant brewer, Noah Regney, now with Hollister Brewing at the Boonville Beer Festival in 2007.
Yussef with Fal Allen (from Anderson Valley) at Prost Brewing during CBC a few years ago in Denver.
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Matt Matthew Brynildson, Earl Kight, and Yuseff at the European Beer Star Awards in Germany a few years ago.
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Yuseff with 2013’s Hop Queen. (Note: last two photos purloined from Facebook.)

Beer In Ads #5356: Bavaria St. Pauli Bock

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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.

Tuesday’s poster is for Bavaria St. Pauli Bock, which was 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 created by German artist Ottomar Anton.

Historic Beer Birthday: Lord Chesterfield

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lord-chesterfield
Today is the birthday of Lord Chesterfield, whose full name was Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (September 22, 1694-March 24, 1773). He “was a British statesman, and a man of letters, and wit. He was born in London to Philip Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Chesterfield, and Lady Elizabeth Savile, and known as Lord Stanhope until the death of his father, in 1726. Educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he subsequently embarked on the Grand Tour of the Continent, to complete his education as a nobleman, by exposure to the cultural legacies of Classical antiquity and the Renaissance, and to become acquainted with his aristocratic counterparts and the polite society of Continental Europe.

In the course of his post-graduate tour of Europe, the death of Queen Anne (r. 1702–1714) and the accession of King George I (r. 1714–1727) opened a political career for Stanhope, and he returned to England. In the British political spectrum he was a Whig and entered government service, as a courtier to the King, through the mentorship of his relative, James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope, the King’s favourite minister, who procured his appointment as Lord of the Bedchamber to the Prince of Wales.

Chesterfield
Today he’s arguably best known for two things. The first is the numerous letters written to his illegitimate son Phillip Stanhope. They consisted of 400 private correspondences written over thirty years, first published a year after Lord Chesterfield’s death as “Letters to His Son on the Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman.” From that correspondence, many quotations have become well-known, such as “Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well,” “Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked,” “Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves,” and “Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no delay, no procrastination; never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” Then there’s “Young men are apt to think themselves wise enough, as drunken men are apt to think themselves sober enough” and “Choose your pleasures for yourself, and do not let them be imposed upon you. Follow nature and not fashion: weigh the present enjoyment of your pleasures against the necessary consequences of them, and then let your own common sense determine your choice.”

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Portrait by Jonathan Richardson from 1728.
Here’s the description from the Oxford edition of Chesterfield’s collected letters:

Not originally intended for publication, the celebrated and controversial correspondences between Lord Chesterfield and his son Philip, dating from 1737, were praised in their day as a complete manual of education, and despised by Samuel Johnson for teaching “the morals of a whore and the manners of a dancing-master.” Reflecting the political craft of a leading statesman and the urbane wit of a man who associated with Pope, Addison, and Swift, Lord Chesterfield’s Letters reveal the author’s political cynicism, his views on good breeding, and instruction to his son in etiquette and the worldly arts. The only annotated selection of this breadth available in paperback, these entertaining letters illuminate the fascinating aspects of eighteenth-century life and manners.

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The second thing he’s known for today is Yuengling Brewery’s Lord Chesterfield Ale, which the brewery first brewed in 1829, the year they were founded as the Eagle Brewery.

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The Lord Chesterfield Ale label in 1934.
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