Beer In Ads #5207: Good News! Good Cheer! Dawson’s Bock Beer Is Here!

February 17, 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.

Wednesday’s second ad is for Dawson’s Bock Beer, which was published on February 17, 1943. This ad was for the Dawson’s Brewery, Inc., of New Bedford, Massachusetts, which was originally founded in 1899. This ad ran in The Boston Globe, of Boston, Massachusetts.

Historic Beer Birthday: George Younger

February 17, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of George Younger (February 17, 1722-September 28, 1788). Well, not exactly. His exact birthdate was not recorded, but he was baptized today, so that’s the best date we have to use.

Here’s a biography from the University of Glasgow’s Scottish Brewing Archive.

George Younger (1722–1788), a member of a family of saltpan owners in Culross, Fife, Scotland, was brewing in Alloa, Scotland from 1745. He established his first brewery, later known as Meadow Brewery, in Bank Street, Alloa, in about 1764. After his death the business was passed on from father to son, trading as George Younger & Son. Additional premises adjacent to the brewery were acquired in 1832 and 1850.
The Candleriggs Brewery, Alloa, owned by Robert Meiklejohn & Co, was leased in 1852 and bought outright for GBP 1,500 in 1871. The Meadow Brewery ceased brewing in 1877 and was turned into offices for the business. Craigward Maltings, Alloa, were built in 1869 and a new bottling department was established at Kelliebank, Alloa, in 1889. The Candleriggs Brewery was badly damaged by fire in 1889 and rebuilt on a larger scale to cover nearly 2 acres, becoming the largest brewery in Scotland outside Edinburgh.
George Younger & Son Ltd was registered in February 1897 as a limited liability company to acquire the business at a purchase price of GBP 500,000. The company traded extensively to the North of England, West Indies, Australia and North America and from the 1880s to India, the Far East and South Africa. It took over R Fenwick & Co Ltd, Sunderland Brewery, Low Street, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, England, and Robert Fenwick & Co, Chester Brewery, Chester–le–Street, Durham, England (closed 1934), in 1898.
The first chilling and carbonating plant in Scotland was installed at Kelliebank Bottling Stores in 1903. The company’s own bottling works was established there in 1908 and a new export bottling plant opened in 1912. The company built up large supply contracts with the armed forces at home and abroad and by 1914 had a lucrative regimental canteen business at Aldershot, Hampshire, England.
It acquired the Craigward Cooperage of Charles Pearson & Co, Alloa; George White & Co, Newcastle–upon–Tyne, Tyne & Wear; and the Bass Crest Brewery Co, Alloa, in 1919. During the same year the Kelliebank bottle manufacturing plant was floated as a separate company and eventually became known as the Scottish Central Glass Works. The Grange Brewery closed in 1941 and the Sunderland Brewery was rebuilt, being sold in 1922 to Flower & Sons Ltd, Stratford–upon–Avon, Warwickshire, England.
The company took over Blair & Co (Alloa) Ltd, Townhead Brewery, Alloa, in 1959. It was acquired by Northern Breweries of Great Britain Ltd in April 1960 and became part of the combined Scottish interests of that company, Caledonian Breweries Ltd, later United Caledonian Breweries Ltd, which merged with J & R Tennent Ltd, Glasgow, Strathclyde, in 1966 to form Tennent Caledonian Breweries Ltd. The Candleriggs Brewery ceased to brew in December 1963.

And here’s another short account from the Scottish Antiquary.

george-younger-scottish-antiquary

Here’s his Meadow Brewery around 1890, before it became known as George Younger & Sons.

George-Younger-meadow-brewery

Ron Pattinson has a post about Boiling at George Younger in the 1890’s, and also about the early years of George Younger.

Historic Beer Birthday: Joseph Ibach

February 17, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Joseph Warr Ibach (February 17, 1832-January 24, 1908). He was born in Leiberstung, Buehl, Baden, Germany, but moved to the U.S. as a young man and opened a short-lived brewery in Mankato, Minnesota known as the Joseph Ibach Brewery in 1878. Two years later he inexplicably re-named it for his wife, the Mrs. Margaret Ibach Brewery. In 1887, it was destroyed by fire and was not rebuilt.

This biography is from the “History of Blue Earth County and biographies of its leading citizens,” by Thomas Hughes, published in 1909:

IBACH, JOSEPH. This retired brewer and substantial citizen of Mankato is a native of Baden, Germany, born February 17, 1832, the son of Joseph and Celestia (Spier) Ibach, also born in the Fatherland. The father died before he had reached middle age, leaving different members of the family to make their way in the world according to their abilities and foresight. The mother afterward came to the United States, and of her two sons one was drowned.
Under such circumstances it is but natural that Joseph’s education should have been limited, and that he should have commenced to earn his own living at quite an early age. In 1853, when he had just passed his majority, he came to the United States, and, in company with several companions, reached Dubuque and Davenport, Iowa, in search for some permanent means of livelihood. At the latter place the friends entered into a debate whether they should journey north or south, the majority deciding in favor of a northward course. They therefore started up the Mississippi River for St Paul, and while enroute the captain of the boat offered Mr Ibach a position as fireman at fifty dollars per month. This offer was eagerly seized and resulted in extending his career as a boatman on the river and the Great Lakes over a period of five years.
Mr Ibach settled down as a landsman in 1858, when he located at Preston, Minnesota, and there engaged in the brewing business until 1874, when he disposed of his plant and removed to Mankato. He then purchased the brewery of the late Stephen Lamm, and, after operating it for a year, sold out and rented the Pete Welsh establishment, which he conducted for three years. In 1878, Mr Ibach established a brewery near what is known as Tinkcom’s Addition and operated it profitably until it was destroyed by fire in 1887. The plant was not rebuilt, but since that time he has been engaged in taking care of his property and enjoying the comforts of a business man, who by many years of arduous labor has earned a period of rest in the declining years of his life.
Mr Ibach was married September 4, 1860, to Miss Margaret Kreamer, daughter of Jacob and Barbara Kreamer, of Stratford, Ontario, Canada and by this union has had the following children Louisa, wife of Anton Oberly, of Decoria Township, Blue Earth County; Savina, now Mrs Thomas Lewis, a resident of Judson Township this county; Antilla, Mrs Walter Anderson, of Mankato; Herman, living in Washington, District of Columbia; Andrew, of Chicago; and Rudolph and Arthur, both residents of Mankato.
Mr Ibach is one of the staunchest and oldest Democrats in this section of the county, casting his first presidential vote for Pierce in 1852; in local affairs, however, he considers the personal qualifications of the candidate rather than party affiliations. Fraternally he is a member of the I00F.

And this is from the Blue Earth County Historical Society:

Ibach Brewery was a little-known brewery was once located on James Avenue at the present site of Jefferson School in Mankato. Joseph Ibach was born on February 17, 1832, in Baden, Germany, one of 12 children. In 1853 he emigrated to America whereupon he and several companions reached Davenport, Iowa, and Dubuque. They started up the Mississippi to St. Paul and while on the way the boat captain offered Joseph a position as a fireman at a salary of $50 a month. His work thus began on the river and the Great Lakes for five years. Joseph’s education was limited by the necessity of supporting his widowed mother and his brother in America.
Joseph settled for a time in Preston, Minnesota, where he met his future wife, Margaret Kramer. They were wed in Preston and six children resulted from this union. One son, Rudolph, was engaged as an agent for the Mankato firm of Rosenberger and Currier Confectioners. He preceded Joseph in death. While in Preston, Joseph entered the brewing business until 1874, then sold it and moved to Mankato. He purchased the brewery owned by Stephen Lamm and operated it for a year, sold out, and leased the Peter Welsh brewery, located at the crossing of the Blue Earth River in West Mankato for three years.
In 1878 Joseph purchased a brewery located on Fairfield Street in Tinkom’s Addition for Anton Jacoby and operated it for him. Soon Joseph bought the brewery outright. Back of the Ibach brewery, in the steep hill, was a man-made cave, lined with brick, and it was used to store the product, beer. Joseph built his home, a huge mansion which he named “Chateau D’Amour”, across the street from his brewery. The house had both a magnificent interior décor as well as wonderful architecture without. The brewery lasted until 1887 when it was destroyed by fire. On January 28, 1908, Joseph Ibach passed on from La Grippe (influenza) and anemia. The funeral service was conducted in German and English, and the Twentieth Century Band rendered several selections.

Ibert’s obituary from the Keister Courier.

Beer In Ads #5206: What Is Rainier Bock Beer?

February 17, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Tuesday’s first ad is for Rainier Bock Beer, which was published on February 17, 1934. This ad was for the Rainier Brewing Co., of Seattle, Washington, which was originally founded in 1878. This ad ran in The Reno Gazette-Journal, of Reno, Nevada.

Historic Beer Birthday: John A. White Jr.

February 17, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of John A. White Jr. (February 17, 1878-August 4, 1925). He was the son of John A. White, who in 1866 bought the M. Benson Brewery, along with Jacob Gimlich, which they called Gimlich & White, and which later became known as the Berkshire Brewing Association. Junior’s father died just before prohibition, and as far as I can tell he continued in his father’s footsteps until it was closed by Prohibition in 1918, and never reopened after repeal.

This is a short history of the brewery from 100 Years of Brewing:

Here’s a story of the brewery from the website iBerkshires.com:

One can only wonder what John White and Jacob Gimlich would have thought as federal officers poured 15,000 gallons of locally crafted beer into the sewer on an early May morning in 1922.
Gimlich and his brother-in-law White had first purchased a small brewery on Columbus Street in 1868 from Michael Benson. First called simply “Jacob Gimlich & John White,” the business began at an output of just six barrels a day, but would grow to be a major manufacturer in the West Side Pittsfield neighborhood.
Both men had immigrated to the country from Germany in their youth, and both served tours in the Civil War. Gimlich worked briefly for the Taconic Woolen Mills before going into the beer business with his sister Rachel’s husband.
By 1880, operating as Gimlich, White & Co., the brewers erected a much larger facility in a five-story brick building measuring 40 by 80 feet. The expanded plant employed from 15 to 20 men and was shipping about 16,000 barrels a year.
Gimlich and White built houses directly across the road from their plant on John Street, and as their fortunes grew became increasingly prominent members of the community. Gimlich in particular became enmeshed in a variety of financial and civic affairs. From 1884-1885, he served as the city’s representative in the Legislature, and was one of the organizers and directors of City Savings Bank. Gimlich likewise served on the board of the Berkshire Loan and Trust Co. and of the Co-Operative Bank, was a past chancellor of the local lodge, Knights of Pythias, and member of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and of the local Sons of Veterans.
“Pittsfield has been pleased with the success of Gimlich & White and they are counted among the town’s leading, liberal, and most public spirited citizens,” states one Pittsfield Sun editorial of the time.
By the early 1890s the torch was being passed to the next generation, with sons David Gimlich along with Fred and George White taking on more leadership of the company when it reincorporated as Berkshire Brewing Association in 1892. An additional four-story building was added, with the brewing complex now taking up the full block along Columbus Avenue between Onota and John Street to Gilbert Avenue.

The White brothers in 1899. John is in the upper right.

Among Berkshire Brewing’s most popular products were Mannheimer Lager Beer, Berkshire Pure Malt Extract, Lenox Half Stock Ale, and Berkshire Pale Ale, considered to be one of the finest India pale ales then on the market. The plant also churned out bottled mineral waters, ginger ale and other soft drinks.
The elder Gimlich and White passed away in 1912 and 1916, respectively, but the enterprise they founded continued to see steady growth. The only brewery of the kind within 50 miles of Pittsfield, Berkshire Brewing Association had something of a monopoly in the region, along with a thriving distribution throughout the east coast as far south as the Carolinas. At its peak, it employed 150 workers and put out 75,000 to 100,000 barrels worth of beer annually. Records indicate between 1910 and 1920, Berkshire Brewing Association paid $1 million in federal taxes, in addition to state and local taxes and fees, including $1,200 a year for a brewer’s license and $800 for an annual bottling license.
The company was not without its occasional hiccups, such as a lengthy strike in the fall of 1911 by the Pittsfield Brewers Union, culminating in the reinstatement of a dismissed employee.
Real crisis came at the end of the decade, as increasing restrictions on alcohol grew into total national prohibition. They first ceased brewing beer temporarily in December 1918, after a directive from the National Food Administration following the passage of the the Wartime Prohibition Act. Even after the passage of the Volstead Act the following fall, BBA voted to remain in business, focusing on bottled soft drinks while hoping the ban to be a brief legislative phase.
They also continued to brew beer, as did several major brewers throughout the country at first, seeing the government’s lack of resources tasked to enforce the rule. Finally in spring 1922, federal officers arrived to turn off the taps, disposing of 15,000 gallons worth and estimated $15,000 to $20,000 at the time.
Ironically, the company waited it out until nearly the end of the failed domestic policy, the board of directors voting to close down in January 1929.
The brewery building was dismantled soon after; for a time, the Siegel Furniture Co. operated out of the former bottling building, which later became the Warehouse Furniture Co. In 1975, this, too, was cleared as the land passed to the Pittsfield Housing Authority, which developed the Christopher Arms housing project that occupies the former site of the brewery today.

And this biography is from Western Massachusetts; a history, 1636-1925 (Volume 3):

JOHN A. WHITE — Napoleon used to say that in his army every soldier carried the marshal staff among his belongings, and he meant to convey that the successive rise from the bottom to the top rung of the ladder was, and by rights ought to be open to any man able to prove his worth and his competence to occupy and successfully hold a leading post. John A. White, sole owner of the John A. White Motor Company, of No. 576 North Street, Pittsfield, and vice-president and secretary of the Berkshire Brewery Association rose through his own merits and personal qualifications from
the position of bottle washer, which he occupied at the age of eleven years, in the above brewery to the leading posts in the same concern.
He was born February 17, 1878, at Pittsfield, a son of John and Rachel (Gimlich) White, and was educated in the public schools of Pittsfield. In 1923 Mr. White’s spirit of enterprise prompted him to take up a new line
in addition to the brewery, and he decided to go into the auto business. On Januarj’ i, 1924, he formed the present company, which is not incorporated, as Mr. White has no desire to share its ownership with anybody else. He has the exclusive agency of the Grey touring and the Auburn touring cars for the southern half of Berkshire County, and is the representative for the entire Berkshire County of the Grey trucks and Sanford trucks. Throughout his territory Mr. White is represented by agents, who are doing a very satisfactory business. Mr. White, who is a very popular citizen of Pittsfield, has numerous fraternal connections, such as membership of the Crescent Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; the Berkshire Chapter of Royal Arch Masons; the Berkshire Council and Commandery of Knights Templar; the Melha Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the Pittsfield Lodge, of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Turn Verein. Mr. White, who is very fond of outdoor sports, is never so happy as when he can go on a day’s holiday or play a game of baseball, in which he is quite an expert. He used to be one of the best semi-professional baseball pitchers in his section of Massachusetts, and his pitching was largely responsible for the high standing of the Pittsfield ball team in many games. In September, 1904, Mr. White married Mable F. Durkee, and with her has one daughter, Evelyn, a for- mer graduate of Pittsfield High School, now a student
of Columbia University.

Beer In Ads #5205: Bock Time Is Schmidt’s Time

February 16, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Monday’s ad is for Schmidt’s Bock Beer, which was published on February 16, 1940. This ad was for the C. Schmidt & Sons, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was originally founded in 1860 by Christian Schmidt. This ad ran in The North Penn Reporter, of Lansdale, Pennsylvania.

Historic Beer Birthday: Wilhelm Bierbauer

February 16, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Captain Wilhelm ‘William’ Bierbauer (February 16, 1826-November 30, 1893). He was born in Einselthum, Donnersbergkreis, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany into a family of brewers and had five brothers. The family moved to upstate New York when he was 23, in 1849, where his brother Charles opened a brewery. Wilhelm, who later called himself William, along with his brother Jacob, moved to Mankato, Minnesota and opened their own brewery in 1856, called William & Jacob Bierbauer, trading under the name City Brewery. By 1863, William appears to be going it alone. They brewery was closed by prohibition, reopened afterwards as the Mankato Brewing Co. and eventually closed in 1966.

This biography is from Mankato: It’s First Fifty Years, published in 1902:

BIERBAUER, Capt William, was born in Einseltburn, Bavaria, February 26, 1826. He was well educated and served a term in the German army. He became involved in the German Revolution of 1848 with Carl Schurz, and others, and was forced to leave his native country, and landed in New York in 1849. He soon became interested in the brewery business, first at Seneca Falls, and subsequently at Milwaukee, with Philip Best. In 1856, he came to Mankato, and with his brother Jacob, established a brewery, which grew to be a large and prosperous plant. At first he occupied a small frame building erected in 1858 on North Front street, but in 1873 removed to the present site. William Bierbauer was a patriotic citizen, and when the Indian outbreak of 1862 occurred, he promptly raised a Company, of which he was made captain, and went to the relief of New Ulm, where he rendered valiant service. He was a gentleman of fine presence, good judgment and with a high sense of honor.
In 1858, he was married to Miss Louisa Dornberg, daughter of Dr A G Dornberg, of this city. To this marriage, there were born seven children, six of whom are now living, viz: Albert, Bruno, Rudolph, William, Addie and Ella. Capt Bierbauer died in this city universally respected and lamented November 30, 1893, and is buried in Glenwood cemetery.
The Bierbauer brewery in 1888.
And this obituary of Bierbauer was published in the Saint Paul Globe:

This is a biography of him from Tavern Trove:

Captain Wilhelm “William” Bierbauer was born to a family of brewers in Einselthum, Pfalz, Bavaria. He and his five brothers, Charles, Louis, Jacob, Henry, and Simon, emigrated to America in 1849. They settled in Oneida County New York, where they likely worked in Charles’s brewery on the West End of Utica.
After living in New York for five years, William and Jacob moved to Mankato Minnesota. In 1856 they established the first brewery in Blue Earth County. In 1863 Jacob left the partnership to deal in grain, and later malt. The brewery continued with William as sole proprietor for another 31 years, until his death on March 1st, 1896.
Upon his death the Mankato Brewery was run by his estate, then in 1903 his wife Louisa assumed control. The firm not only survived these tumultuous times but thrived. It even survived National Prohibition for thirteen years. Brewing operations resumed in 1933 after repeal. In 1951 the company was purchased by the Cold Spring Brewery, who ran it for a few years as a branch before shutting it down for good in 1954.

Historic Beer Birthday: Philip Zang

February 15, 2026 By Jay Brooks 2 Comments

Today is the birthday of Philip Zang (February 15, 1826-February 18, 1899) who’s most remembered for his brewery in Denver, Colorado, although he also founded a brewery in Louisville, Kentucky, before moving west in 1869. He was born in Bavaria, Germany, but came to the U.S. in 1853.

Here’s a short biography from Find a Grave:

Brewing Magnate in Denver. Owner of first brewery in Denver, Rocky Mountain Brewery, which was also the largest west of the Mississippi from 1880 to the start of prohibition. Arrived in the USA in 1853; initially settled in Louisville, Kentucky where he owned Phoenix Brewery (later Zang Brewing Co.), the largest in Kentucky, for 16 years; relocated to Denver in September 1869; acquired Rocky Mountain Brewery in 1871 and changed its name to Philip Zang Brewing Co.; increased production over the years to achieve over 65,000 barrels per year while surviving a couple of destructive fires; sold Philip Zang Brewing Co. in 1888 to British investors; retired from brewing in 1889 and listed the same year as one of 33 millionaires living in Denver. Was involved in mining holding interests in a number of gold and silver mines in Silverton, Cripple Creek and Eagle County. A prominent Denver citizen, he was also elected as a democrat to a term as city alderman.

And here’s a fuller biography, from the Zang Mansion website:

PHILIP ZANG, founder of the Ph. Zang Brewing Company, of Denver, was a native of Bavaria, Germany, immigrated to United States in by ship in 1853. Married Elizabeth Hurlebaus, who died in Chicago, leaving an only child, Adolph J. Zang.
Founded Phoenix brewery in Louisville (1859-1869) then moved to Denver
Bought Rocky Mountain Brewing Co. from John Good (1871)
Changed name to Philip Zang & Co. (7/1880)
Sold to UK syndicate-chg. name to PH. Zang Brewing Co. (1889)
Son; Adolf J. Zang took over management (General Manager)
Second Marriage (10/1870) to Mrs. Anna Barbara Buck, nee Kalberer, (b.1836)(d.4/1896)
Previously widowed from marriage to Jacob Buck (b.1832) m(1857-xxxx)
The family residence, built in 1887, was at 2342 Seventh street, Denver, CO
ROOTS
Philip Zang, founder of the PH. Zang Brewing Company, of Denver, was a native of Bavaria, Germany, and next to the oldest among the six sons and two daughters of John and Fredericka (Kaufman) Zang. His father, who was a member of an old Bavarian family, engaged in farming and the milling business, and took part in the Napoleonic wars, accompanying the illustrious general on his march to Moscow. He (John) died in 1849, at the age of sixty-two. Two of John and Fredericka’s sons, Alexander and Philip, immigrated to America. During the Civil War Alexander served in the Thirty-ninth New York Infantry; he died in Denver in 1892.
BOUND FOR AMERICA
Philip was a brewer’s apprentice for two and one-half years, after which he traveled around Germany, working at his trade. In 1853 he came to America, going from Rotterdam to Hull, then to Liverpool, and from there on the “City of Glasgow,” which landed him in Philadelphia after a voyage of eighteen days.
LEAPING FORWARD
Ignorant of the English language, his first endeavor was to gain sufficient knowledge to converse with the people here, and during the first six months in this country, while working as a railroad hand, he was storing in his mind a knowledge of our customs and language. In Philadelphia Mr. P. Zang married Miss Elizabeth Hurlebaus, who died in Chicago, leaving an only child, Adolph J. Zang. In January 1854, he went to Louisville, Ky., where he worked at his trade for one year. Later, desiring to learn engineering, he secured employment in a woolen mill, and remained there until January 1859, meantime becoming familiar with the engineer’s occupation.
THE BREWERY BUSINESS
Mr. P. Zang built a brewery in Louisville and this he conducted alone until 1865, when he erected a large brewery, which was carried on under the firm name of Zang & Co. Selling this in February 1869; he decided to locate in the growing town of Denver.
Here he was engaged as superintendent of the brewery owned by John Good until July 1871, when he bought out his employer and continued the business alone. Mr. Good had started the business in 1859 on the same spot, under the title of the Rocky Mountain Brewery, which continued to be its name for some years. In July 1871, Mr. Zang enlarged the brewery, which then had a capacity of one hundred and fifty thousand barrels per annum, and is the largest between St. Louis and San Francisco. There was also a malt house, with modern equipments; an ice plant, lager beer vaults, boiler house, brewery stables, and a switch from the railroad connecting with the main lines, in order to facilitate the work of shipment. In 1880 the name was changed to Philip Zang & Co., and in July 1889, the business was sold to an English syndicate, who changed the name to the Ph. Zang Brewing Company.
LOCAL AFFAIRS
In Denver, October 18, 1870, he was united in marriage with Mrs. Anna B. Buck, nee Kalberer, an estimable lady and one who has many friends in this city. The family residence, built in 1887, stood at 2342 Seventh street. For one term Mr. Zang served as an alderman of the sixth ward, to which position he was elected on the Democratic ticket, but he himself is independent in politics. While in Louisville he was made a Mason and an Odd Fellow, and he belonged to Schiller Lodge No. 41, A. F. & A. M., and Germania Lodge No. 14, I. O.O. F., of Denver, of both of which he was a charter member. He was also connected with the Turn Verein, Krieger Verein and Bavarian Verein, and took a prominent part in all local affairs.

And in this short account, it is suggested it was gold fever that enticed Zang west, and when that didn’t pan out, he returned to what he knew: brewing beer.

“Zang came to Denver in 1870 – a few years after the Civil War – having run the Phoenix Brewery in Louisville Kentucky for 16 years. Even though his brewery had thrived through the turmoil of the war, he caught gold fever, sold that brewery and headed west. His gold mining career in Leadville lasted about a month. Soon he found himself back in the more palatable environment of Denver, running the Rocky Mountain Brewery for a “Capitalist” (his official title) called John Good. Within a couple years, Zang bought the brewery from Good and soon increased its capacity ten-fold. From then until the complication of Prohibition in 1920, Zang Brewing Company was the largest beer producer west of the Missouri.”

The wonderful book 100 Years of Brewing, published in 1901, also has a short account of Zang’s brewery:

Beer In Ads #5202: Here’s To You Our Valentine Fidelio Bock Beer

February 14, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Saturday’s ad is for Fidelio Bock Beer, which was published on February 14, 1939. This ad was for the Fidelio Brewery, Inc., of New York, New York, which was originally founded in 1844 by Alexander Gregory and Philip Harmon. This ad ran in The Mount Vernon Argus, of White Plains, New York.

Historic Beer Birthday: Benedict Frank Haberle

February 14, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Benedict Frank Haberle (February 14, 1888-January 9, 1938). He was the grandson of Benedict Haberle, who founded the Benedict Haberle Brewing Co. in 1857. When he died in 1881, it was incorporated as the Haberle Brewing Co. and eventually Benedict Frank Haberle became president of the brewery. After merging with the Crystal Spring Brewing Co. in 1892, the name was again changed to the Haberle-Crystal Spring Brewing Co. (and also the Haberle Brewery) until 1920, when it was closed by prohibition. It reopened in 1933 as the Haberle Congress Brewing Co., and it remained in business until 1961, when it closed for good.

This is his obituary, from the The Syracuse Journal on January 10, 1938:

Benedict Haberle Dies on Auto Ride

President of Brewing Company Succumbs To Heart Attack; Funeral to Take Place Tuesday Afternoon.

Victim of a fatal heart attack early Sunday morning, Benedict F. Haberle, 49, president of Haberle Congress Brewing Company, Inc., will be interred in Woodlawn cemetery tomorrow afternoon. The funeral will be at the home at 2 p.m. He died while riding in an automobile with his wife toward their home in Maple dr. They had gone out for “some fresh air” after he had complained of feeling ill. According to Mrs. Haberle, the couple left in their automobile from their home about 45 minutes before her husband succumbed. She said he was driving at first, but when they reached downtown Syracuse he was feeling worse, and asked her to drive home.

SLUMPS IN SEAT.

When the car reached Erie blvd. and Thompson rd. Mrs. Haberle noticed her husband had slumped in his seat and was quiet. She then drove to a nearby inn and summoned a St. Joseph Hospital ambulance and deputy sheriffs. The interne who responded to the call pronounced him dead. Coroner Winne later said that death was due to a heart attack, and permitted the body to be removed to the Haberle home by deputy sheriffs. According to Coroner Winne’s report, Mrs. Haberle told him that her husband had been trap shooting Saturday afternoon, and on Saturday night had complained of indigestion.

ACTIVE IN BUSINESS.

Mr. Haberle was long associated with the local brewing company, which are the Turnverein, the father, Benedict F. Haberle in 1857. It was then known as the Benedict-Haberle & Son Brewery. He was also vice president of the Arctic Ice Company and a member of many organizations, among which are the Turn Verein, the Liederkranz, the Syracuse Lodge of Elks and the DeWitt Fish and Game Club. Members of the DeWitt Fish and Game Club today announced that in respect to Mr. Haberle their banquet scheduled for Jan. 11, at the Yates hotel, will be postponed until Jan. 18. Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Edith Smith Haberle; a son, Benedict Jr.; three daughters, Mrs. Peter Caragol, Mrs. Richard Wegener and Miss Elizabeth L. Haberle; his mother, Mrs. Charles Haberle, and a brother, Warren J. Haberle. The funeral, at the home at 2 p.m. Tuesday, will be conducted by Rev. W. J. Woesner of Fayetteville Trinity Church.

And this account is about the brewery, from 100 Years of Brewing:

Haberles-Light-Ale-Labels-Haberle-Congress-Brewing-Company

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