Historic Beer Birthday: Theodore Hollencamp

November 2, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Theodore Hollencamp (November 2, 1834-June 21, 1902). He was born in Hanover, Germany.

This biography is from A Brief History of the Hollenkamp Family, by H. Robert Schoenberger:

Early Years in America: Theodore Hollencamp Sr. was born in November, 1834 in Hanover, Germany. He was the son of Henry H. and Kate (Gerling) Hollencamp.
At the age of 20 he came to America. For thirteen years, he resided in Cincinnati where he learned the brewery business. Eventually, he moved to Xenia where he continued in the brewery business with an uncle.
In 1870, he married Miss Anna Tepe in Cincinnati. She, likewise, was born in Hanover, Germany. It is interesting to note they knew each other while growing up in Hanover, but at that time there was no thought of marriage. They had six children, Anna, Elizabeth (Fr. Charles’s mother), Lena, Katie, Theodore (our “Co-Founder”), and Benjamin.
Brewery Business: The Xenia uncle died in 1871, and Theodore Sr. moved his family to Dayton where he worked in a brewery. In 1885, he and a John Aleschleger established a partnership, which was known as the Dayton Ale Brewery. This partnership was short-lived, and, two years later, Mr. Aleschleger’s position was assumed by a Henry Kramer. Eventually in July, 1885, he bought out this partner and became the sole owner of the brewery. Thus began the Hollencamp Brewing Co.
The plant was located at the corner of Brown and Hickory. Chiefly, ale and porter were produced, and the annual production was about 5,000 barrels, consumed mostly in Dayton.
An early article on Theodore Hollencamp Sr. described the family as “members of Emmanuel Catholic Church and standing well in the esteem of the community”. The article went further in describing Theodore Sr. as “having achieved a creditable success in business, having begun his life in Cincinnati without a dollar, and being now one of the solid capitalists of Dayton. He is broad-minded and open hearted, ever ready to give assistance to the needy and to aid all enterprises for the public good.” He was known as a staunch Democrat, but he never ran for public office.
On June 21, 1901 he passed away at the age of 66. All six of his children were living at the time of his death. Anna Tepe Hollencamp, his wife, lived until January 21, 1907 and was 64 at the time of her death.
His son, Theodore Jr., who we have lovingly called our “Co-Founder” when writing about this reunion, assumed the presidency of The Hollencamp Brewing Co. upon the death of his father in 1901. He was only 19.

hollenkamp-brewery

And here’s another short biography:

And this short biography is from Breweries of Dayton – A toast to brewers from the Gem City: 1810-1961:

Theodore was born to Henry H. and Kate (Gerling) Hollencamp in Hanover, Germany on November 2, 1834 At the age of twenty-four he came to the United States and lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, working at any odd jobs he could find, until he finally found a position in the brewery industry, and set out to learn the trade. After thirteen years he moved to Xenia, Ohio where he worked with his uncle in the brewery business. When his uncle passed away in 1871 Theodore decided to move on to Dayton.
In 1885 Theodore, along with his partner John F. Oehlschlager, established the Dayton Ale Brewery.
Theodore married Anna Tepe on November 22, 1870 in Cincinnati. They had six children. Theodore was a member of the Emanuel Catholic Church of Dayton, as well as a great supporter of the St. Joseph’s Orphanage.
Theodore passed away on June 21, 1902, leaving his wife to carry on the brewery business.

And this about the brewery from the same source.

Dayton Ale Brewery
Hollencamp & Kramer Brewery
HoIlencamp Ale Brewing CompanyTheodore Hollencamp and John F. Oehlschlager opened the Dayton Ale Brewery in 1885 at 816 South Brown Street, on the location of the old Ohio Brewery. The two-story plant had a 10,000-barrel capacity, which needed a fifteen horsepower engine to supply the enormus amount of power to run the equipment. There was also a separate bottling plant where they bottled their own products of ale and porter. Oehlschlager sold his share to Henry Kramer in 1888, using the profits to open the Gem City Ale House, a beer distributing center for Cincinnati Brewing Company and Xenia and Morrow Ales. Kramer stayed on for seven years before selling his shares of the business to his partner, Theodore Hollencamp. Kramer used the money to begin his own street sprinkling business. Theodore ran the business on his own until his death in 1902. His wife, Anna, took over that same year, changing the name of the company to Hollencamp Ale Brewing Company. The output of the plant was exclusively ale and porter, with the brewery producing about 5,000 barrels year.
From 1907 until prohibition the brewery was run by Theodore Hollencamp, Jr. The brewery stayed in business during prohibition by making soft drinks, cereal beverages (near beer) and ice.

Beer In Ads #5380: Oshkosh Bock Beer

November 1, 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.

Sunday’s ad is for Oshkosh Bock Beer, which was published in 1935. The poster was created for the Oshkosh Brewing Co., which was founded in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1894. The lithograph was produced by the R.H. Eichner & Co., Lith. & Pub. of Baltimore, Maryland. This design was originally created in 1891, and reused for many years.

Historic Beer Birthday: Edmund Fitzgerald

November 1, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

fitzgerald-brothers
Today is the birthday of Edmund Fitzgerald (November 1, 1847-1911). He was born in Ireland. In 1866, he acquired the Troy, New York brewery that was founded in 1852 which was first known as Lundy & Ingram Brewery, but went through several name changes before it was changed to the Fitzgerald Bros. Brewery when Edmund and his brothers John and Michael joined the business. Michael left the business in 1870, but Edmund and John soldiered on and the family business, although they stopped brewing in 1963, continues to this day in New York. The brewery survived prohibition and continued brewing afterwards until 1963, when the family shut down the brewery and became a Pepsi bottler and distributor, among other products, and for 25 years was a Coors distributor. Today the company is known as Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. – Glens Falls Bottler and Beverage Distributor. There isn’t much biographical information about Edmund Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald-Bros-Brewing-Burgomaster-Troy-Ny

This account of the brewery is from “The City of Troy and Its Vicinity,” by Arthur James Weise, published in 1886:

This is the history presented on the current company’s website:

Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. was founded in 1857 in Troy, New York. It is currently in its 6th generation of ownership.
The Company started out distributing various liqueurs, gins, whiskeys and brandies. A decade later, it began brewing it’s own brand of beer, Fitzgerald Beer and Ale. During the next 150+ years, the Company continued to adapt and change based upon the needs of it’s customers.
In 1961, Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. purchased the Pepsi Bottler located on Dix Avenue in Glens Falls and continues to operate out of this location.
In 1986, as Coors Brewing Company expanded east of the Mississippi River for the first time, Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. was awarded the distribution rights in the Albany Capital District for all Coors brands, which it serviced for 25 years until 2011.
In 1996 Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. acquired two Full-Line Vending businesses to expand its services into Full-Line Vending. After 18 years, in April 2014 Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. divested its Full-Line Vending business.
Today, Fitzgerald Brothers Beverages, Inc. continues to provide a full portfolio of beverages to nearly 1,750 customers in Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties.

Fitzgeralds-Burgomaster-Beer-Labels-Fitzgerald-Bros-Brewing-Company

And this is the history of the brewery ownership, since it’s a bit complicated:

James Lundy, North River Brewery 1852-1853
Lundy & Ingram Brewery 1853-1855
Lundy & Kennedy Brewery 1855-1857
Lundy, Dunn & Co. Brewery 1857-1859
Dunn & Kennedy Brewery 1859-1866
Fitzgerald Bros. Brewery 1866-1899
Fitzgerald Bros. Brewing Co. 1899-1920
Brewery operations shut down by National Prohibition in 1920
Issued U-Permit No. NY-U-221 allowing the operation of a brewery 1933
Fitzgerald Bros. Brewing Co. 1933-1963

Fitzgerald-Half--Half-Labels-Fitzgerald-Bros-Brewing-Company

Fitzgeralds-Garryowen-Ale-Labels-Fitzgerald-Bros-Brewing-Company

Historic Beer Birthday: Benjamin Lee Guinness, 1st Baronet

November 1, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

guinness-new
Today is the birthday of Benjamin Lee Guinness, 1st Baronet (November 1, 1798–May 19, 1868). He was the grandson of Arthur Guinness (1725–1803), “who had bought the St. James’s Gate Brewery in 1759. He joined his father in the business in his late teens, without attending university, and from 1839 he took sole control within the family. From 1855, when his father died, Guinness had become the richest man in Ireland, having built up a huge export trade and by continually enlarging his brewery.”

In 1851 he was elected the first Lord Mayor of Dublin under the reformed corporation.
In 1863 he was made an honorary LL.D. (Doctor of Laws) by Trinity College Dublin, and on 15 April 1867 was created a baronet by patent, in addition to which, on 18 May 1867, by royal licence, he had a grant of supporters to his family arms.
Guinness was elected to the House of Commons in 1865 as a Conservative representative for Dublin City, serving until his death. His party’s leader was Lord Derby. Previously he had supported the Liberal Lord Palmerston, but in the 1860s the Liberals proposed higher taxation on drinks such as beer. Before 1865 the Irish Conservative Party did not entirely support British conservative policy, but did so after the Irish Church Act 1869. The government’s most notable reform was the Reform Act 1867 that expanded the franchise.
From 1860 to 1865, he undertook at his own expense, and without hiring an architect, the restoration of the city’s St Patrick’s Cathedral, an enterprise that cost him over £150,000. In 1865 the building was restored to the dean and chapter, and reopened for services on 24 February. The citizens of Dublin and the dean and chapter of St. Patrick’s presented him with addresses on 31 December 1865, expressive of their gratitude for what he had done for the city. The addresses were in two volumes, which were afterwards exhibited at the Paris Exhibition.
In recognition of his generosity, he was made a baronet in 1867. He was one of the ecclesiastical commissioners for Ireland, a governor of Simpson’s Hospital, and vice-chairman of the Dublin Exhibition Palace. He died the following year at his Park Lane London home. At the time of his death he was engaged in the restoration of Archbishop Marsh’s public library, a building which adjoins St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was finished by his son Arthur.
He showed his practical interest in Irish archæology by carefully preserving the antiquarian remains existing on his large estates around Ashford Castle in County Galway, which he bought in 1855. Nearby Cong Abbey was well-known, and the famous Cross of Cong had been moved to a Dublin museum in 1839.

On 24 February 1837 he married his first cousin Elizabeth Guinness, third daughter of Edward Guinness of Dublin, and they had three sons and a daughter, living at Beaumont House, Beaumont, in north County Dublin. In 1856 he bought what is now Iveagh House at 80 St Stephen’s Green. Ashford Castle was described in William Wilde’s book on Lough Corrib in the 1860s.
He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, Arthur, who took over the brewery with his brother, the third son, Edward. His second son Benjamin (1842–1900) married Henrietta, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Howth; they moved to England where he was a Captain in the Royal Horse Guards. His daughter Anne (1839–1889) married William, Lord Plunket in 1863. The present-day Guinness Baronets descend from his second son Benjamin.
He was buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, in the family vault, on 27 May. His personalty was sworn under £1,100,000 on 8 August 1868. A bronze statue of him by John Foley was erected by the Cathedral Chapter in St. Patrick’s churchyard, on the south side of the cathedral, in September 1875, which was restored in 2006.

Historic Beer Birthday: Petrus Van Roy

November 1, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Petrus Van Roy (November 1, 1830-December 27, 1908). He was born in Denderbelle, a small village in the province of East Flanders, Belgium, and in 1866 he founded the Brouwerij Van Roy on his farm. It was later known as the Brouwerij Het Anker Wieze.

After Petrus dies, the brewery “was continued from 1907 by his son Raymond, who later became mayor in Wieze and died in 1951. Raymond had further expanded the brewery, but during World War I all the necessary copper was stolen.

During the Second World War, the beer was contract brewed and in 1952, Petrus’ grandsons Jan and Willy Van Roy launched the Wieze Pils.

From 1956 to 1986, the Van Roy Brewery organized the Wieze Oktoberfeesten, a sixteen-day party based on the German model.

The Van Roy Brewery, which once employed 370 employees, went bankrupt for the first time in 1994. A new company was founded and the brewery continued under the name Wieze Het Anker and employed 50 employees. Nevertheless, production fell from 120,000 hectoliters to 30,000 hectoliters. This was partly due to the loss of a number of contracts with supermarkets. In 1997, the brewery was declared bankrupt again.

In 1999, the developer Matexi Group bought the buildings and land. In 2001 the buildings were demolished. In 2008 it was decided to divide the vacant land into 58 building lots, after the site had been converted into a residential zone.

Now there is a new Brouwerij Wieze located in Wieze which has taken over the old logo as well as the registered trademarks for the Benelux, which appears to have been started by members of the Van Roy family.

Historic Beer Birthday: Jean Baptiste Bechaud

October 31, 2026 By Jay Brooks 1 Comment

Today is the birthday of Jean Baptiste Bechaud (October 31, 1848-April 20, 1922). He was born in Franfhein, Lower Bavaria on the Rhine, in Germany, but moved to the U.S. with his parents at the age of six, settling in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. At some point, he anglicized his name to John Bates, but seems to have used the two interchangeably depending on the setting. In 1871, along with two of his brothers, Adoph and Frank, founded the A.G. Bechaud Brewery, which was also known as the A.G. Bechaud & Bros. Brewery and later, beginning in 1875, traded under the Empire Brewery name, before returning to Bechaud Brewery when it reopened after prohibition ended, before closing for good in 1941.

This is Bechaud’s obituary in the Fond du Lac Daily Reporter, on Thursday April 20, 1922:

JOHN B. BECHAUD DIES, AGED 75. Well Known Businessman of City Succumbs to Long Illness. LEAVES SIX CHILDREN. John Bates Bechaud, aged 75 years, prominent in Fond du Lac business circles for many years, died at 2:50 o’clock this afternoon after an illness of a year, which had been acute for the past two months. He had been a resident of Fond du Lac for 53 years. Funeral arrangements have not yet been made. Mr. Bechaud was born in Germany Oct. 31, 1846, his parents immigrating to America in 1851. The father, John P. Bechaud, conducted a hotel in Fond du Lac for four years after the family arrived in America, later removing to a farm. The son remained with the father until 1871, when he joined with his brothers, Adolph and Frank H. Bechaud, in the organization of the Bechaud Brewing company. Serving as a private in the Sixth Michigan Cavalry from the date of his enlistment in 1864 until the close of the Civil war, Mr. Bechaud served with another Michigan cavalry regiment in the West until his discharge in 1866. He was affiliated with the Elks, Eagles and Masonic order. The surviving relatives are the widow, Mrs. Mary Bechaud, and three sons and three daughters, Mrs. M.H. Nelson, Mrs. M.H. Boudry, Mrs. P.L. Kolb, and Rudolph and Louis Bechaud, Fond du Lac, and Armand Bechaud, Chicago.

Jean Baptiste with his wife, Mary Ann *Kraemer* Bechaud.

And here’s another obituary from the Fond du Lac Daily Commonwealth, also on Thursday, April 20, 1922:

J.B. BECHAUD IS DEAD, WAS FAILING FOR LONG PERIOD. End Comes at Residence Near 3 O’clock. WAS A CIVIL WAR VETERAN. John B. Bechaud, one of Fond du Lac’s prominent citizens and businessmen, died at 3 o’clock this afternoon at the residence 108 South Union street. He had been in failing health for some time. Mr. Bechaud was born Oct. 31, 1846 in Germany, and came to this country in 1851. Mr. Bechaud on acquiring his majority followed agricultural pursuits until 1871 when he became associated with his brothers, F.H., and Adolph, in the brewing business. He served as vice president of the Bechaud Brewing Co. He was a member of the Masons, Elks, Eagles and National Union. He served as a member of the city common council and the school board.

This history of the Bechaud Brewery is from Oshkosh Beer’s post “An Illustrated History of the Brewing Industry in Fond du Lac.”

In 1871, Fond du Lac’s most successful brewery was opened at 515 Main Street by the brothers Frank, John and Capt. A.G. Bechaud. Formed during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, their brewing company also set the standard for longevity among Fond du Lac beer makers, surviving until 1941, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt began his third term in office.

The Bechaud brothers, all born in Bavaria, started brewing at their Main Street location but they also bought lakeshore property on Lake Winnebago just northwest of the city limits, where they envisioned locating their permanent brewing empire. However, the beachfront brew-house was not to be. Instead, in 1873, the Bechauds opened their new large brewery on Eleventh Street, just west of Hickory Street.

The Bechauds also maintained a Main Street address. Their “sample room” gave people a chance to enjoy the freshest beer the company had to offer. The most popular brand produced by Bechaud, “Empire” was bottled and sold in various cities. Their other beers included “Műnchner” and “Pilsener.” In all, the company sold an average of 15,000 barrels of their beers annually.

Historic Beer Birthday: George Weisbrod

October 31, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

weisbrod-hess
Today is the birthday of George Weisbrod (October 31, 1851-January 1, 1912). Weisbrod was born in Germany, and that’s about all I could find out about the man who co-founded, along with Christian Hess, the George Weisbrod & Christian Hess Brewery, usually shortened to just the Weisbrd & Hess Brewery, and also known as the Oriental Brewery.

george-weisbrod-cartoon

Both Weisbrod and Hess were German immigrants, and originally their intention was simply to make enough beer to supply their Philadelphia saloon on Germantown Avenue. Some sources say they began as early as 1880, but most put the founding at 1882. The brewery was going strong until closed by prohibition. They managed to reopen in 1933, but closed for good in 1938.

A brewery poster from 1905.In 1994, Yards Brewing renovated the old Weisbrod & Hess Brewery, but after the partners split, it became the Philadelphia Brewing Co., while Yards under the direction of Tom Kehoe moved to another location.

In the Philadelphia Brewing Co. tasting room upstairs, an old photo of the employees of the original brewery on the premises, Weisbrod & Hess Oriental Brewing Company.Both Philadelphia Weekly and Hidden City Philadelphia have stories about the brewery and efforts to re-open it.

weisbrod-hess-1892
The brewery two years closing, in 1940.

The brewery was designed by famed local architect Adam C. Wagner, and this is an illustration of his design for the brewery from 1892.

W&H-1892

OrientalBreweryPhila1899
An ad from 1899.

Factory-Scene-1912-calendar-Signs-Pre-Pro-Weisbrod-Hess-Brewing-Co
And a calendar from 1912.

Historic Beer Birthday: Frederick Hinckel Sr.

October 29, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

hinckel
Today is the birthday of Frederick Hinckel Sr. (October 29, 1832-October 29, 1881). He was born in Prussia (Germany) and along with Johann Andreas Schinnerer founded the Cataract Brewery (a.k.a. the F. Hinckel & A. Schinnerer) in 1852. “Its premises occupied half a city block, bounded by Swan Street, Myrtle and Park Avenues.” Twelve years later, in 1864, Hinckel owned the brewery outright, and changed its name to the Hickel Brewery, which remained its name until closing in 1920 (or 1922) due to prohibition.

fred-hinkle-sr

hinckel-brewery-letterhead

Here’s a biography of Hinckel from a “Bi-centennial History of Albany,” published in 1886:

A Hinckel Brewery beer wagon.

Henkel-Brewery-1880-malthouse
Although the brewery closed in 1920 because of prohibition, and never reopened afterwards, the build was preserved and today is an apartment complex.

Historic Beer Birthday: Ellef Ringnes

October 25, 2026 By Jay Brooks

ringnes
Today is the birthday of Ellef Ringnes (October 25, 1842–March 15, 1929). He “was a Norwegian brewer and patron,” who in 1876 founded the Ringnes brewery in Norway, along with his brother Amund and financial director Axel Heiberg.

This is his biography from Wikipedia:

He was born at the Ringnes farm in Krødsherad, Buskerud to farmer Anders Knudsen Ringnes (1813–75) and his wife Maren Amundsdatter (1815–76). His father left the farm in 1855, and Ellef was employed as travelling salesman for Christiania Bryggeri at the age of 18. In 1876, he founded Ringnes & Compani brewery with his brother Amund Ringnes and the businessman Axel Heiberg. It was the eighth brewery in Christiania (now Oslo), and later had its name changed to Ringnes Bryggeri.
The Ringnes brewery became successful, and Ellef Ringnes and his brother became patrons in Christiania. They invested in the construction of the Holmenkollen Line and sanatoriums in the Holmenkollen area. From 1896 to 1906, Ellef Ringnes was a member of the board of the Holmenkolbanen light rail company, which built and operated the Holmenkollen Line. Ellef and Amund Ringnes sponsored Fridtjof Nansen’s Fram expedition, which they in a short period of time led together with businessman Axel Heiberg and shipowner Thomas Fearnley. They also sponsored explorer Otto Sverdrup’s 1898–1902 Fram expedition; as a compensation Sverdrup named two discovered islands after them: Ellef Ringnes Island and Amund Ringnes Island.
On 30 June 1869, Ringnes married Karen Tonette (“Kaja”) Maartmann (1851–1933) with whom he had 14 children. His father-in-law was Knud Geelmuyden Fleischer Maartmann. In 1896, Ringnes became a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. In the same year, he bought Ringnes farm from his brother Amund, who earlier had inherited it from his father. Many parties were arranged at the farm house, to which both royal personages and prominent society members were invited. His residence at St. Hanshaugen Park, dubbed “Cairo” and “Ringnes Castle”, was likewise the scene of many parties in his lifetime. In 1901, Ringnes was succeeded by his brother-in-law Harald Sigvart Maartmann as managing director of Ringnes brewery. Maartman was in turn succeeded by his son Knud Maartmann Ringnes (1875–1945) in 1920.
Ringnes was decorated as Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1896, and upgraded to Commander of the First Class in 1908. He was also a Commander of the Legion of Honour. Ringnes was an honorary member of the Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish brewery associations. In 1930, a bust of him was erected at Holmenkollen. Ringnes died in Oslo on 15 March 1929, aged 86.

Ringnes-Brewery

And here’s a short history of the brewery, from the tourism site, Go Norway:

Ringnes is Norway´s largest brewery company with approximately 1,200 employees. The company is owned by “Carlsberg Group”, the world´s fourth largest brewery group. We deliver beer, soda and water to the entire Norwegian beverage market and we are proud of our many strong brands!
Ringnes brewery was established in 1876 by brothers Amund Ringnes and Ellef, who came from Ringnes Gard. Amund was brewer, Ellef administrator and salesman, and Axel Heiberg was the financier behind now. 28 November 1877 could Amund Ringnes put the first brewed, thus starting what has now been 130 years of brewing history. Ringnes-brothers stood centrally among those who did Fridtjof Nansen and Otto Sverdrup “Fram” – Finished possible. A lasting memory of this is the three islands in the northernmost Canada (west of Greenland), as Sverdrup named after the brewery´s founders, Axel Heiberg Island, Amund Ringnes Island and Ellef Ringnes Island.

rignes-brewery-photo

Historic Beer Birthday: Elias Daniel Barnitz

October 24, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Today is the birthday of Elias Daniel Barnitz (October 23, 1715-February 6, 1780). He was the son of John Barnitz, who founded the first brewery in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1748, along with his son Elias. When his father died a year later, Elias continued running the brewery, but changed the name from the John Leonard Barnitz & Elias Daniel Barnitz Brewery to the Elias Daniel Barnitz Brewery. In 1780, he appears to have sold it and the brewery proceeded to go through no less than twenty name changes, and multiple ownership changes, and by 1888 was known as the Globe Brewery, the name that it continued under until 1963, when it closed for good.

This biography of John Barnitz is from “The Barnitz Family,” by Robert M. Torrence, published in 1961, and also mention his son Elias:

John Leonard Barnitz is assumed to have been born in Falkenstein, Germany, November 24, 1677 (tombstone), because his son, John George Charles (Carl) Barnitz, stated in his own will that he was born there in 1722, so his father must have been there too. He died in York, Pa., November 19, 1749 and was buried in the Christ Lutheran Churchyard on South George Street. His remains must have been moved twice to make room for two new churches, during which his stone was broken and his J.L. letters were lost. Someone, attempting to make it right, just cut on it N.N .—no name. [The first Lutheran Church in York was built of logs in 1744 and was small. In 1760-61, this was replaced by a new church, forty feet by sixty-five, which lasted until 1812. The present Christ Lutheran Church was finished in 1814. They were all on the same location.] The date of his arrival is not of record in the Pennsylvania Archives or in any other standard publication consulted by the compiler. Evidently, he was well provided with ample funds and a knowledge of brewing, a business in which he was conspicuously successful, and he was correspondingly generous in sharing it with the Lutheran churches wherever he went. His first brewery was in York, the second in Hanover, Pa., and the third in Baltimore, Md., where he and his son, Elias Daniel Barnitz, bought Lot No. 27 from Charles Carroll of Annapolis, Md. Since his first wife
was not mentioned in his will, it is assumed that she died in Germany. His second wife was the widow of Frederick Gelwick (sic), who had a son by her first marriage, John Frederick Gelwick, born in 1733; married Maria Dorothea Uler; became York County Treasurer in 1756, succeeding Colonel Robert McPherson.
He was the first individual to be baptized in the Evangelical Lutheran Church on-the-Conowago “when Lenhart Barnitz and Frederick Gel wicks (sic) were the first Elders.”

wehr-hobelman-gottlieb-globe — This view of the brewry is from the 1880s, when it was known as the Wehr-Hobelmann-Gottlieb Brewing & Malting Co.

And this account is from “Zion Church and Baltimore’s First Brewer,” by Dr. Eric W. Gritsch:

Zion Church can claim the first brewer of Baltimore Town, Elias Daniel Barnitz, as a founding member our congregation. Along with his father John, they established their brewery in 1748. John was born in Falkenstein in the Palatinate of Germany on November 24, 1677, arriving in America in 1732 at the age of 55. In Germany he had been an apprentice brewer. Elias Daniel was also born in Falkenstein, on October 24, 1715. After residing in York County, Pennsylvania, John arrived in Baltimore Town in 1748 at the age of 71. He and his son found the Baltimore settlement surrounded by a stockade fence, erected in 1746. Lost to history is the purpose of the stockade, but it was said to provide protection from hostile Native Americans west of the town. A more plausible reason for the fence was to keep wandering hogs and other livestock from wandering into the town. The fence was eventually dismantled and used for kindling after several cold winters.
The Barnitz brewery was gratefully welcomed by Baltimore’s early inhabitants, about 30 families in all. The brewery was viewed as both a source of liquid refreshment and impetus to attract other businesses to the nascent settlement, then just 22 years old. The original brewery was located at the southwest corner of Baltimore and Hanover Streets, today the entrance to Hopkins Plaza and cater-corner to the Lord Baltimore Hotel. This was one of the original lots of Baltimore Town, purchased from Charles Carroll, Sr. He was father of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
To place this brewery in historical context, George II was King of England and Sovereign Lord of the Province of Maryland. Samuel Ogle was Governor of Maryland, and George Washington was just a lad of sixteen. Tobacco was used as currency.
Unfortunately, the elder Barnitz died on November 19, 1749, surviving his brewery but for one year. The brewery was then passed on to Elias Daniel. Although no description of Baltimore Town’s first brewery exists, it was assumed to be diminutive in size and small in output, one or two stories in construction and employing no more than three workers. Equipment was likely crude, consisting of copper cookers, fermenting tubs and racking for casks and kegs. The entire brewing process was done by manual labor. The water supply was drawn from a well. The “ageing” period was likely a short one as there was no cooling cellar to lager the beer. Records indicate beer was produced at this location until about 1815, with the building itself lasting over 100 years, until 1853.

This video is from when the Barnitz’s were Baltimore Beer Legend Inductees in 2017.

« Previous Page