Historic Beer Birthday: Max Helmrich

January 24, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Max Helmrich (January 24, 1824-March 24, 1879). Helmrich was born in Germany, but later relocated to Stockton, California, where he opened the Chicago Lager Beer Saloon and ran it for around five years until his premature death at 55 in 1879.

There’s not much information I could find, but this ad from the Daily Evening Herald of Stockton, California on September 13, 1875 is announcing the opening of his brewery saloon.

It appears he also owned another saloon in Stockton, Helmrich’s Weber Avenue Saloon.

Beer In Ads #5180: STEG-Maier Bock It’s Truly Brewed

January 23, 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.

Friday’s ad is for Stegmaier Bock Beer, which was published on January 23, 1959. This ad was for the Stegmaier Brewing Co. of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, which was originally founded in 1857. This ad ran in The Times Leader , also of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Historic Beer Birthday: Ellis Wainwright Sr.

January 23, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Ellis Wainwright (January 23, 1809-May 16, 1949). He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of brewer Joseph Wainwright and the brother of brewer Samuel Wainwright. He and his brother both learned the trade from their father, and later moved to St. Louis to open a brewery together, which was known by various names, usually with their surname Wainwright in the title beginning in 1831.

Much later joining the St. Louis Brewing Association (Eighteen St. Louis breweries merge into the English syndicate called the St. Louis Brewing Association.).

Here’s a short history of Ellis, from Tavern Trove:

Ellis Wainwright was born in Pennsylvania. He was the son of the Prominent Pittsburgh brewer Joseph Wainwright. From a young age he and his brother Ellis apprenticed in his father’s Brewery where they learned the brewing of ale and beer in the English method. In 1831, at age 22, Ellis ventured westward with the intention of establishing one of the first breweries in St. Louis Missouri.
On or about 1840 his brother Samuel (younger by 13 years) joined him in the Fulton Street Brewery. Together they guided the brewery to become one of the largest in a city of many large breweries. Ellis Wainwright died in the cholera epidemic of 1849 on May 16th. He was just 40 years of age. Upon his brother’s death Samuel purchased his brother’s share from the estate and ran the brewery, expanding it even more until another generation of Wainwrights took it over in the 1870s.

This short biography is from the St. Louis, Missouri’s government website:

Ellis Wainwright was one of the City’s first brewers, establishing the Fulton Brewery in 1831. The brewery was tremendously successful, and Wainwright became on the wealthiest men in St. Louis in the mid-1800s. By the 1890s, the family businesses were run by his son, Ellis Jr., who commissioned Louis Sullivan to build the landmark Wainwright Building downtown.

The Wainwright Building, created by architect Louis Sullivan.

And while his Find-a-Grave page is nearly empty, his brother Samuel’s includes a biography and since they grew up in the same place with the same parents and started a business together, there’s undoubtedly several similarities to their life’s story:

Businessman, Brewmaster. Born in Pennsylvania, Samuel’s father was a well-known and wealthy brewer of ale and beer in England. Samuel served his apprenticeship to the brewer’s trade under his father’s directions, thoroughly mastering every detail of the art of manufacturing ale and beer in accordance with English methods. In 1846, Samuel purchased a small brewery in St. Louis which had previously been known as the Fulton Brewery. Along with his brother Ellis, he conducted the brewing business established under the firm name of Ellis & Samuel Wainwright until 1849 when Ellis died. For two years afterwards, the business was conducted under the old firm name, but after that Samuel purchased the interest of his brother’s estate and continued the business along until the formation of a new partnership with Charles A. Fritz. In 1857, he purchased George Busch’s interest in a malt-house and lager beer brewery and took the name of Fritz & Wainwright and engaged exclusively in the manufacture of lager beer. The business continued until 1870, when Fritz sold his interest and the business became known as Samuel Wainwright & Co.

Beer In Ads #5179: Nix Besser The First Sign Of Spring

January 22, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Thursday’s ad is for Neuweiler Bock Beer, which was published on January 22, 1960. This ad was for the Neuweiler Brewing Co. of Allentown, Pennsylvania, which was originally founded in 1875 by Benedict Nuding. Nuding retired in 1900, and Neuweiler bought him out, but didn’t change the name until 1905. This ad ran in The Morning Call , of Allentown, Pennsylvania. In case you’re curious, “Nix Besser” is a Pennsylvania Dutch phrase I grew up with which means “none better.” It’s believed to have been derived from “nichts besser,” which means “nothing better” in German.

Beer In Ads #5178: I’m In Town Boys!

January 21, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Wednesday’s ad is for Duqesne Bock Beer, which was published on January 21, 1941. This ad was for the Duquesne Brewing Co. of Baltimore, Pennsylvania, which was originally founded in 1899. This ad ran in The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Historic Beer Birthday: Gottlieb Storz

January 21, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Gottlieb Storz (January 21, 1852-October 23, 1939). He was born in Benningen, Wurttemberg, Germany. After moving to the U.S., he eventually settled in Omaha, Nebraska when he ws 24, around 1876. He bought an existing brewery there and had partners over a few years, eventually starting his own Storz Brewing Co. which continued in Omaha until 1967 when it was bought by Grain Belt Brewing, who closed it in 1972. In 2013, the brand was revived by descendants of Storz and is still a going concern, offering four beers under the Storz Beer name. I suspect they’re a contract brewery as the company website talks a lot about the beer and the history, but doesn’t mention a brewery or brewmaster.

This biography of Storz is from his Wikipedia page:

After immigrating to the United States in 1870 from Germany, in 1876 Storz moved to Omaha and became the foreman of a brewery founded in 1863. Storz learned brewing in Wurttemberg and had several years experience in New York and at the William Lemp Brewing Company in St. Louis. After arriving in Omaha, Storz worked at Joseph Baumann’s brewery. In 1876, Bauman died. Storz was renamed the foreman under Baumann’s widow, then rented the brewery from her to run it himself.
In 1891 Storz founded the Omaha Brewing Association, with himself as president. After purchasing the company, in 1892 Storz built a state-of-the-art facility at 1819 North 16th Street in North Omaha, located at the intersection of Sherman Avenue (North 16th Street) and Clark Street.
Storz also owned many saloons, also called “tied houses”, and ran one next to his plant. In response to pressure from the Prohibition Movement, in 1907 the Nebraska Legislature passed the Gibson Law which made it illegal for breweries to own saloons. In response, Storz transferred his saloons to the Independent Realty Company. While this appeared to meet the letter of the law, in 1914 the Nebraska Supreme Court revoked an Independent Realty Company saloon’s liquor license, finding that the grounds were still controlled by Storz Brewery. Additionally, they also found that the company’s president was Storz’s wife, Minnie; the vice-president was Maggie Buck, who was also the Storz brewer and Minnie’s cousin, and; the secretary/treasurer had also previously worked for the brewery.
The brewery won medals in international competitions at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha in 1898, at the Lewis & Clark Exposition in Portland, Oregon in 1905, and in Paris in 1912.
In 1905 Gottlieb had a mansion built at 3708 Farnam Street that today is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Statewide prohibition went into effect in Nebraska in 1916, with the law taking effect in 1917. On January 16, 1919, Nebraska became the required 36th state to ratify the Eighteenth Amendment. Nationwide Prohibition began exactly one year later. When Nebraskans voted to repeal the state’s constitutional prohibition in 1934, Storz was again in business and quickly was making up to 150,000 barrels a year.
Gottlieb Storz died in 1939. The brewery made beer until 1972.

This account of the brewery is from “100 Years of Brewing,” published in 1903:

This history of the brewery is from the newly reopened brewery:

The Storz Brewing legend started in the early 1860s, as the Saratoga Brewery in Saratoga, Nebraska. It was sold in 1863, then again in 1865, becoming the Columbia Brewery.
In 1876, a young German immigrant named Gottlieb Storz moved to Omaha. In 1884, he bought the Columbia Brewery from the previous owner’s widow to run it himself. Seven years later, after moving Storz Brewing Company to Omaha, Gottlieb founded and served as president of the Omaha Brewing Association.
Success followed for Storz Brewing Company, winning medals in 1898 and 1905 at international competitions in Omaha and Portland, respectively. In 1905, with business booming, Gottlieb commissioned a mansion to be built in Omaha. Today, the Storz Mansion is on the National Registry of Historic Places.

On January 16, 1919, Nebraska became the 36th state to ratify the Eighteenth Amendment, which brought Prohibition to the United States. Storz Brewing Company began producing near beer, ginger ale, soft drinks and ice to help save as many jobs as possible.
After a long wait, Prohibition ended in Nebraska in 1934. Once again, Storz began brewing and was making up to 150,000 barrels of beer a year.
In 1939, Gottlieb Storz suffered a fatal heart attack. The brewery’s founder had passed and the reins of the company went to his son, Adolph Storz, who became president.
With the coming of World War II, the brewery business took off and Storz became Nebraska’s biggest seller.
The family finally sold the brewery and brand name rights to Grain Belt Brewery from Minnesota in 1966. The brewery continued to operate in Omaha until it was closed in 1972.

Here’s a second obituary from Find-a-Grave, although it’s a little hard to read:

gottlieb-storz-1933 — This is Gottlieb Storz in 1933, tapping the first keg after the repeal of Prohibition.

Beer In Ads #5177: You Mean You Still Haven’t Tasted Lucky Lager Real Bock Beer?

January 20, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Tuesday’s ad is for Lucky Lager Bock Beer, which was published on January 20, 1966. This one was for the Lucky Lager Breweries, known at this time as the General Brewing Corp., which was located in Vancouver, Washington, among other places, and was originally launched in 1934. This ad ran in The Great Falls Tribune , of Great Falls, Montana. If you read the fine print, you’ll discover their goat’s name is “Chet.”

Beer In Ads #5176: Springtime Prescription From Old Doc Bock

January 19, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Monday’s ad is for Wiedemann Bock Beer, which was published on January 19, 1962. This ad was for the George Wiedemann Brewing Co. of Louisville, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio, which was originally founded by George Wiedemann in 1860 in Louisville, Kentucky, and later also opened a brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio. This ad ran in The Cincinnati Post , of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Beer Birthday: Henry “Zadie” Benesch

January 19, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today would have been the 106th birthday of Henry “Zadie” Benesch. Unfortunately, he passed away a few days shy of his 101st birthday on January 11, 2021. Until then, the centenarian was believed to be the oldest living person working for a brewery, where he helped out at his grandson’s brewery in Baltimore, Maryland, Union Craft Brewery. Thanks to Gregg Wiggins and Tom Cizauskas for alerting me to this story. You can read more about Zadie in an interview of him from a few years before when he turned 99 from the Washington City Paper. Here is what Yours For Good Fermentables had to say:

Happy 100th birthday to America’s (and the world’s?) oldest brewery worker: Henry ‘Zadie’ Benesch. A World War II veteran, Mr. Benesch works at Union Craft Brewing in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
On Jan. 19, 2020, Henry will celebrate his 100th birthday. He isn’t sure what’s kept him alive for a full century. ‘I can’t answer that, but I say I drank from the fountain of youth when I was 17 and I smoked cigars when I was 22 and I’m still smoking cigars and drinking bourbon.’ “
“His badass-ness just rubs off on all of us,” said Union Craft Brewing co-founder Kevin Blodger. His fellow co-founder, Adam Benesch, is one of Henry’s 16 grandchildren.

Sounds like a fascinating person with a lot of stories to tell. The brewery has declared January 19th as “Zay Day” and thrown a big birthday bash at the brewery. Join me in drinking a toast to Zadie with a beer, a cigar, or bourbon.

In his obituary on Baltimore Jewish Living they reprinted Zadie’s 11 Life Lessons, and I think they bear repeating and taking to heart.

You can never have too many hats.
Vegetables are always optional.
Exercise will kill you.
Travel often and see the world.
Coffee, bourbon, Blackwing Lager and cigars are the four basic life necessities.
Show up and work hard.
Treat everyone you meet with kindness and compassion.
Don’t take life so seriously.
Stay humble.
Keep it simple.
Appreciate what you have.

Historic Beer Birthday: George Bechtel

January 19, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

bechtel
Today is the birthday of George Bechtel (January 19, 1841-July 16, 1889). He was born in Germany, but moved to the U.S. with his parents at just six-months-old. His father was John Bechtel, who founded a brewery on Staten Island, New York, in 1853. It was initially was known as the John Bechtel Brewery, but in 1865, he sold the brewery to his son, George Bechtel, who renamed it the George Bechtel Brewery. George Bechtel continued to operate it until it closed for good in 1907.

This brief biography is from “Staten Island Brewery Barons” by Patricia M. Salmon, published in 2016:

George Bechtel was the owner and operator of the Bechtel Brewery on Staten Island. He was born in Germany and immigrated to New York with his family when he was six years old and by the age of 18 he was working in the brewery started by his father John Bechtel in Stapleton as a brewery worker. He purchased all of his father’s interests in the brewery in 1870 and by 1874 the main building was named George Bechtel’s Brewery.
By 1882, brewers at Bechtel Brewery produced about 80,000 barrels per year, which reached up to 150,000 barrels annually by the turn of the century. The business was valued at three quarter million dollars. For many years the Bechtel Brewery was the most significant business on Staten Island.
George married the former Eva Schoen, whose family has the mausoleum next to the Bechtel mausoleum, in 1865. They had four daughters, Anna, Carrie, Louise, Agnes and two sons, John and George Jr. Their six-year-old son John died in 1875.
George suffered from severe heart problems for at least two months before his death at the age of 48.

This account is from “100 Years of Brewing,” published in 1903. The second part of the article is about John Moffat:

george-bechtel-brewery

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.

Bechtel-brewery-1897