Historic Beer Birthday: Johann George Moerlein

June 8, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Johann George Moerlein, who went by “George” (June 8, 1852-August 31, 1891). He was the son of Christian Moerlein, who founded the Christian Moerlein Brewery in 1853, when his son was one year old. He later joined the firm and was the vice-president at the time of his untimely death at 39.

And while he was obviously involved in the family business for all of his life, he’s perhaps more well-known for something else.

In 1884, he “got the idea to take a trip around the world. Ten days later he was on his way to traveling a total distance of 35,194 miles by railroad and steamer. Throughout his trip, Moerlein wrote letters documenting his journey which were published in the local papers, The Commercial Gazette and the Volksblatt. The Krebs Lithographing Company of Cincinnati created 110 color illustrations, chosen from a collection of over 800 original pictures gathered during Moerlein’s travels. In 1886 George Moerlein’s “A Trip Around the World” was published.”

While having little to with their brewery, the book is still fascinating. Here’s a few more of the illustrations from it:

Beer Birthday: Van Havig

June 8, 2026 By Jay Brooks 1 Comment

Today is the 56th birthday of Van Havig, co-founder and master brewer at Gigantic Brewing in Portland, Oregon. Van used to be the brewer at Rock Bottom in Portland, but left shortly after the merger between Rock Bottom and Gordon Biersch, when some offhand remarks got him the boot. That’s when I first became aware of met Van, when he brewed a beer called Ned Flanders for OBF, a Flanders red that was aged in five different kinds of barrels and then was blended back together. And this was back in 2006, long before sour beers became trendy. I remember enjoying the beer near the line for it and overhearing someone complaining about the beer, saying to a friend that it didn’t taste right and that something was wrong with it. Laughing to myself, that persuaded me it was a very bold choice of a beer to make for the festival, as there was clearly nothing else like it at OBF that year. I spent a morning with Van, Ben Love and John Harris, from Ecliptic Brewing, during OBF a few years ago as they brewed a collaboration together, which afforded me an opportunity to discover what a thoughtful, philosophical brewer Van is, and what a pleasure he is to share a beer with. Join me in wishing Van a very happy birthday.

Van and me the day after Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival last weekend.

Van and me at the Firestone Walker Invitational last year.

During a collaboration brew at Gigantic a few years ago during OBF, with John Harris (from Ecliptic Brewing) and Gigantic’s Van and Ben Love.

Van, back in his Rock Bottom days, circa 2006.

Beer In Ads #5262: Absolutely Pure Daufer’s Celebrated Bock Beer

June 7, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

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

Sunday’s ad is for an unspecified Daufer’s Celebrated Bock Beer, which was published on June 7, 1897. This ad was for Daufer & Co., which was located in Allentown, Pennsylvania from 1860 until 1938, although it was known by a variety of names over that time period. It’s curious that it’s available “Saturday and Monday,” meaning not on Sunday, until you realize that at the time in Pennsylvania they had Blue Laws, which prohibited the sale of alcohol on Sundays. They were still in place when I was growing up in Pennsylvania, before moving to California in 1985. This ad ran in the Allentown Leader, also of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Beer & Whiskey Birthday: John Hansell

June 7, 2026 By Jay Brooks 2 Comments

Today is the 66th birthday of John Hansell, who is the creator and publisher of Malt Advocate, the whisky magazine in America, which also puts on WhiskyFest in several cities, including San Francisco. In 2010, he sold the magazine to M. SHanken, who rebranded it as Whiskey Advocate. John’s a terrific person I don’t see nearly often enough, and sadly, not for many years. Join me in wishing John a very happy birthday.

beerbistro-03 — John with All About Beer’s Julie Johnson at the beer bistro in Toronto.

Toasting Stephen & Maggie Beaumont’s wedding, with Tom Peters, from Monk’s Cafe, and Stephen Beaumont.

Amy-and-me-2 — John in a publicity shot with his wife Amy.

Historic Beer Birthday: Charles Voegtle

June 7, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Charles Voegtle (June 7, 1841-September 27, 1914). He was born in Rothwell, Germany, and emigrated to the U.S. just as the Civil War was ending, in 1865, initially settling in Illinois. He started work in a brewery there and was promoted to foreman after five years. In 1869, he married Johanna Weisenhorn, herself a German immigrant who arrived through New Orleans in 1857 with her family and also settled in Adams County, Illinois.

The couple later moved to Boulder, Colorado, where Voegtle would co-found the Crystal Springs Brewing & Ice Co. with his brother-in-law, Frank Sales Weisenhorn in 1875.

The Crystal Springs Brewing & Ice Co. sometime between 1879-1907.

Here’s Tavern Trove picks up the story:

Voegtle’s brother-in-law, Frank Sales Weisenhorn, was the son of a well-to-do farmer and saloon operator. In 1873, Franks’s younger brother August moved his family and business out to Montana, where he quickly found success making wagons for miners who had plenty of gold and nothing to purchase.
Frank decided he might try his own luck in a boomtown, and in 1876 he persuaded his brother-in-law Charles Voegtle to pack up their families and move west to Boulder, Colorado. There they purchased the Crystal Springs Brewery from Keller & Zuelfehofer. Frank’s father had likely provided the funding, and Charles provided the skill, as the firm was christened with Frank’s name first, “Weisenhorn & Voegtle.” Their brewhouse was situated on the picturesque Boulder Creek, near where the Boulder County Library is today. The creek was both the source of the water used to cool the brewing beer and the source of the gold that fed the quickly growing town.
Weisenhorn and Voegtle ran the brewery as partners for eleven years, after which Voegtle sold his partnership to Weisenhorn. At age 45, Voegtle retired from the rough and tumble occupation of a brewer in a mining town. He, Johanna, and their children moved away from the rowdy brewhouse to a then-rural plot of land under the shadow of the Flatirons. There they grew flowers and sold fruit.

Sketch of the old Crystal Springs Brewing property by Joseph Bevier Sturtevant.

After Voegtle left the brewery, it went through several different owners and configurations of owners before closing for good due to prohibition in 1911. He died September 27th, 1917, at the age of 76 years.

A Crystal Springs Brewing Ice Wagon in 1901.

Beer In Ads #5261: Bockbier Aus Der Actienbrauerei Basel

June 6, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Saturday’s work is for “Bockbier aus der Actienbrauerei Basel” created around 1915. It was created for the Actienbrauerei Basel, which was founded in Basel, Switzerland in 1883. This poster was done by the Swiss commercial artist Rudolf Urech.

Historic Beer Birthday: Ernest G.W. Woerz

June 6, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Ernest Gottlieb Wilhelm Woerz (June 6, 1834-May 9, 1916). He was born in Stuttgart, Stadtkreis Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, but emigrated to the U.S. as a young man and immediately started working in the brewing business, spending a dozen years at the Yuengling Brewery before becoming brewmaster at New York City’s Beadleston & Price Empire Brewery in 1865.

In New York City, the Empire Brewery traded under that name after being founded in 1846, but the business name shifted with changing ownership structures. Woerz became part owner in 1865, when he became brewmaster (and later vice-president and treasurer), it was renamed the Beadleston, Price & G. W. Woerz, Empire Brewery, and in 1877 the name changed again to the Beadleston & Woerz Empire Brewery with his sole partner Ebenezer Beadleston, which it remained until shortly after his death, when it closed for good due to prohibition in 1920.

Here’s his short obituary from the New York Times:

And here’s another obituary:

Beer In Ads #5260: It’s Beer Weather

June 5, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Friday’s ad is for an unspecified Wisconsin Bock Beer, which was published on June 5, 1942. This ad was for the Washington Tavern on Washington Ave., probably in Racine, Wisconsin. This ad ran in Racine Journal Times, also of Racine, Wisconsin.

Beer Birthday: Kevin West

June 5, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the 65th birthday of Kevin West, who had worked at Anchor Brewing for just under thirty years, and was lead brewer. He started as a bottler, and worked as a tour guide for a time in the late 1990s, but joined the brewing team twenty years ago. I’m not sure when exactly I first met Kevin, but it was a good while ago, and I certainly remember a memorable night at The Falling Rock in Denver watching Giants playoff baseball. But he’s a great advocate for craft beer in the Bay Area and Anchor in specific, of course. Join me in wishing Kevin a very happy birthday. Hopefully, he’ll be able to return to Anchor under its new management at some point.

At home in front of the brewery. (Photo by Shaun O’Sullivan)

Kevin with Shaun O’Sullivan, Dave McLean, Jamie Floyd, and Ben Spencer.

Behind the bar in the tap room. (Photo by Shaun O’Sullivan)

Historic Beer Birthday: Andrew Leicht

June 5, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Andrew W. Leicht (June 5, 1817-February 12, 1884). He was born in Schotte Stein, Germany, which is located in Bavaria. I’m not sure when he arrived in the U.S., but he became a naturalized citizen in 1840. He married Maria Semler Leicht and the couple had six children. He joined his son-in-law at his brewery, John Roemmelt & Co., which Roemmelt had founded New York in 1854. By 1858, Leicht brought in another partner, Anton Hupfel, and a few years later he bought out Leicht. In the meantime, Leicht and Roemmelt opened another brewery across the river, in Jersey City, New Jersey, which they called the Hudson County Brewery.

Here, Tavern Trove picks up the story:

Apparently, Leicht was the owner, as the 1860 census lists Leicht owning an estate of $25,000 and Roemmelt having no estate of value. The 1870 census states that Leicht and Roemmelt owned a combined estate value of $300,000 with personal estates totaling $200,000. But the Panic of 1873 hit hard, and the business never recovered. In 1875 their brewery declared bankruptcy, and Roemmelt left the firm. Leicht consolidated and carried on the business without him, but the newly-organized business failed again in 1879, and Leicht was declared bankrupt.
Leicht passed away in February of 1884, when he was 66 years old.