Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #5156: Straub Bock Beer

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Last year 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 Straub Bock Beer, which was created around 1940. This poster was for the Straub Brewery of St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania, which was originally founded in 1872. I’m not sure who the artist was who created it.

Beer Birthday: John Dean

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Today is the 59th birthday of John Dean, who co-founded Blind Tiger Brewing in Topeka, Kansas in 1995 and has been its brewmaster for 27 of the 30 years it’s been open. Along with his head brewer Alvaro Canizales, they’ve won a hefty number of awards over the years so I was very aware of the brewery but only got a chance to finally met John this past year at GABF. He was born in Topeka and is the heart and soul of the brewery, and it great hanging out with him and a group of friends behind his booth this year. Join me in wishing John a very happy birthday.

John (in the center) with assorted brewers and beer people behind his booth at GABF in 2025.
John and head brewer Alvaro Canizales in a promotional shot from the brewery’s Facebook page.
John and Avaro with Ashton Lewis from Brew Your Own Magazine at GABF in 2024. [Purloined from Ashton’s Facebook feed; hopefully he won’t mind.]

Beer In Ads #5155: Bock Beer Festival Parade

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Last year 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.

Monday’s poster is for Bock Beer, which was created probably in the mid-1800s. The title of the oil sketch is “Bockbierfestzug” or “Bock Beer Festival Parade.” The artist was Anton Muttenthaler, who was originally born in Höchstädt an der Donau (Höchstädt on the Danube) in 1820 and died in Leipzig in 1870. The work is in the Munich City Museum.

Historic Beer Birthday: August A. Busch, Sr.

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Today is the birthday of August A. Busch, Sr. (December 28, 1865–February 10, 1934). He “was an American brewing magnate who served as the President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch, based in Saint Louis, Missouri, from 1913 to 1934.”

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August Busch in 1918.
August Anheuser Busch was born on December 29, 1865 in St. Louis, Missouri. His father, Adolphus Busch, was the German-born founder of Anheuser-Busch. His mother, Lilly Eberhard Anheuser, was the third daughter of brewer Eberhard Anheuser, who owned the Aneuser Brewery.

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Here’s a short biography from Find-a-Grave:

Businessman, President of Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company. Born in St Louis, Missouri on December 29, 1865, August was the eldest son of Lilly (Anheuser) and Adolphus Busch. After completing his studies at Lyon Free School in St Louis, Missouri, he attended Morgan Park Military Institute in Chicago, Illinois and the Kemper School of Boonville, Missouri. He then spent several years in Germany and New York City learning brewing techniques and the brewing business. August Busch began his career at Anheuser-Busch by serving as a brewer’s apprentice for three years and then, by successive steps, he advanced within the company learning all facets of the business. August married Alice Ziesemann on May 8, 1890 and they had five children: Adolphus, Marie, Clara, August A, and Alice. After the death of his father, Adolphus Busch, on October 10, 1913, August became president of Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company. He guided the company through three major crises—World War I, Prohibition and the Great Depression. In order to survive the turbulent times, he began to diversify the company’s products. August patented the first diesel engine, which he installed in the brewery to increase production. During World War I, a subsidiary was formed to produce the engine for U S Navy submarines. To support the war effort, the Busch family purchased sufficient war bonds to finance two bombers; each of them was named “Miss Budweiser”. In November 1918, President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill instituting Prohibition in 1920. Unable to brew beer, August diversified the business into related products: malt syrup, for home beer production; a refrigerated car to transport perishables; corn products; baker’s yeast; ice cream and soft drinks. Even though most of these products were discontinued after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, his legacy of diversification is a hallmark of the Anheuser-Busch Companies today. After suffering in extreme pain for over 6 weeks with heart disease, dropsy and gout, August A Busch Sr. took his own life on February 10, 1934 with a self-inflicted bullet to the abdomen. Adolphus Bush III succeeded his father as president of the company.

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August A. Busch (center) and his sons, Adolphus III (left) and August Jr., seal the first case of beer off the Anheuser-Busch bottling plant line in St. Louis on April 7, 1933, when the sale of low-alcohol beers and wines was once again legal. Prohibition didn’t officially end until Dec. 5 of that year.

This focuses on his “Career” on Busch’s Wikipedia page:

Busch became President of Anheuser-Busch in 1913, shortly after his father’s death. Under his leadership, the company survived World War I, Prohibition and the Great Depression by innovating and diversifying. The company delved into the production of corn products, baker’s yeast, ice cream, soft drinks and commercial refrigeration units to stay afloat during Prohibition. After Prohibition ended in 1933, many of these operations were discontinued. August also managed to keep Anheuser-Busch prosperous during anti-German bias of World War I. He built the Bevo Mill, about halfway between his mansion on Gravois Road and the Anheuser-Busch brewery downtown.

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August A. Busch with two of his grandchildren on his knee.

Beer Birthday: Michael Lewis

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Today is 88th birthday of Dr. Michael Lewis, who ran the brewing sciences department at U.C. Davis beginning in 1962, and became the Professor Emeritus in 1995, when Charlie Bamforth succeeded him, although Dr. Lewis remains active in teaching and in brewing. He was my instructor, along with Charlie, when I took the brewing short course at Davis over a decade. He’s taught countless working brewers over the years and has greatly influenced the industry as a whole. Join me in wishing Dr. Lewis a very happy birthday.

Michael receiving an award for a lifetime of achievement at the 2008 CBC in San Diego.
Michael at the podium receiving his recognition award from the Brewers Association in 2008.
Michael J. Lewis, front row, right, and his brewing lab class in Sonoma, in the mid-1970s, with Jack McAuliffe, left, at his New Albion Brewing Co., the first microbrewery in the United States. Photo taken by UC Davis student Doug Muhleman, who would earn a bachelor’s degree in 1977 and a master’s in 1979 and go on to become vice president of brewing operations and technology for Anheuser-Busch.
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Michael with Ruhstaller founder J.D. Paino at Sudwerk (photo from the Davis Enterprise).
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Michael (at far left) with the gang at Sudwerk Privatbrauerei in Davis (photo from the Davis Enterprise).

Beer Birthday: Kurt Widmer

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Today is Kurt Widmer’s 73rd birthday. Kurt is, of course, one of the bros in Widmer Brothers. He and his brother Rob helped found the Oregon Brewers Festival, created the style American Hefeweizen and are one of the few small brewers that have managed to retain their spirit and reputation as they’ve grown much larger. A few years ago, Kurt retired, which hopefully he’s enjoying to the fullest. Join me in wishing Kurt a very happy birthday.

Kurt (at left) and Rob Widmer with their wives at the Oregon Brewers Festival in 2003.
Kurt and Rob after their win for Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year at GABF in 2002.
Rob and Kurt Widmer accepting the gavel in July 2007 from Jack Joyce and John Maier from Rogue, for 2008 when that next year they hosted OBF.
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Gary Fish, Kurt and beer writer Fred Eckhardt at Don Younger’s memorial (photo by Tom Dalldorf).
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Ray, Kurt and Ron Widmer at the start of the brewery.

Beer In Ads #5154: Springtime Is Bock Beer Time

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Last year 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.

Sunday’s ad is for Bock Beer, which was first published in February of 1950. This ad was part of the Beer Associations’ “Beer Belongs” and “Home Life in Americ” series that ran from the 1940s into the early 1960s. This one was an inset piece that was part of Ad No. 39, entitled “Impromptu Concert, by John Gannam.

Historic Beer Birthday: George C. Schemm

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Today is the birthday of George Christoph Schemm (December 28, 1862-October 20, 1904). He was the son of John G. Schemm, who in 1866 founded what became the J. G. Schemm Brewing Co. in Saginaw, Michigan. George took over his father’s brewery in 1899, incorporating the brewery. Schemm’s wife tried to keep it going after his death, but it closed in 1919 due to prohibition, and was sold to another business who tried reopening it as the Schemm Brewing Co. Inc., but it closed for good in 1938.

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This is the only photo I could find of Schemm. That’s him in the middle row, seated on the left, as a member of the 1884 University of Michigan Football Team.

This is George Schemm’s obituary from the American Brewers’ Review in 1904:

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In this blog post from Pure Saginaw, entitled “Saginaw’s Historic Schemm Brewing Co. ‘Pure and Without Drugs or Poison’,” George’s involment in the brewery is mentioned:

John’s son George C. Schemm also helped with the business and was well educated. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in medicine and was a practicing physician in Saginaw. After the passage of the food and drug act of 1906 requiring truth in labeling, “pure and without drugs or poison” was added to the bottles. It seems kinda funny to read it now, I can’t imagine a beverage manufacturer ever referring to poison on their bottles but the Schemm brewery and family was well respected by the people of Saginaw and known for the high quality of the beer they brewed.

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This short account is from “100 Years of Brewing,” published in 1903.

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Beer Birthday: Marc Worona

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Today is the 58th birthday of fellow Pennsylvania transplant Marc Worona. Marc used to be the brewer at Stoudt’s Brewing in Adamstown, Pennsylvania but a number of years ago moved to California and for a long while worked with Brewers Supply Group, and was their VP of Sales and Marketing before recently retiring. For a time, he and his wife were traveling the country in an RV visiting state and national parks, though more recently he was involved in a beverage startup. Join me in wishing Marc a very happy birthday.

RV’ing.
Marc goofing around at the CBC beer and chocolate event at TCHO chocolate that he co-sponsored.
Marc with Marin brewer Arne Johnson at the Anchor Christmas Party in 2007.
Marc (center) with Brendan Moylan and Denise Jones getting the top prize in the Chocolate Beer competition sponsored by Brewers Supply Group and TCHO chocolate company during CBC in San Francisco a few years ago.
Out in front of the Bistro at the Double IPA Festival in 2008. Rodger Davis’ wife Claudia (who nworks at 21st Amendment), brewster Melissa Myers, Shane Aldridge (brewer at Marin & Moylan’s) and Marc.
Marc and his wife at Sedona.

Beer Birthday: Tyler King

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Today is also the birthday of Tyler King, who was the senior director of brewing operations, and employee #1, at The Bruery in Southern California. I first met Tyler at the Boonville Beer Festival several years ago although Patrick must have kept him locked up in the Bruery making great beer, because I didn’t run into him very often after that. At the beginning of 2015, he left to open his own brewery, and spent some time consulting and brewing for the Congregation Ale House and also Iron Triangle Brewing. His new place, Brewery Rex, opened in 2016. Join me in wishing Tyler a very happy birthday.

Tyler, with Rachel and Patrick Rue, shortly after they opened The Bruery at the Boonville Beer Festival in 2008.
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Tyler with Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery along with Bruery founder Patrick Rue, after they did a collaboration beer together.
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Apparently Tyler has a thing for unicorns. I wonder if he ever visited the Mystic Brewpub in Pennsylvania before they went out of business? That place was a unicorn lover’s dream.