Historic Beer Birthday: August Uihlein

August 25, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Today is the birthday of August Uihlein (August 25, 1842-October 11, 1911). He was born in Wertheim am Main, Baden, Germany. He came to the U.S. with his grandfather and August was educated as a brewer in the U.S., working initially for the Uhrig Brewery in St. Louis. In 1867, he returned to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where his grandfather had settled, and “joined what was now the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company, the same brewery that had been founded by his uncle August Krug in the 1840s (Krug’s widow, Anna Maria, had married Joseph Schlitz in 1858).”

On the death of Schlitz in 1875, control of the firm passed into the hands of Uihlein and his brothers. When Mrs. Schlitz died in 1887, the Uihlein brothers acquired complete ownership of the corporation. Uihlein was secretary and chairman of the board (1874–1911). He was also actively involved in banking, real estate, and many other Milwaukee businesses.

Here’s a biography of August Uihlein from Find-a-Grave:

Brewer and business executive. He was the first of the Uihlein dynasty that owned and operated Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. over the years. Born Georg Carl August Ühlein, son of Josef Benedikt Ühlein and Katherina Krug, in Wertheim am Main, Baden, Germany. At age eight he endured a rough immigration on the way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1850, traveling with his grandfather, Georg Krug. He survived the mid-Atlantic fire and sinking of the S.S. Helene Schlomann, during which his grandfather managed to save him and $800 in gold that was subsequently used to expand his uncle August Krug’s brewery and to hire a bookkeeper, Joseph Schlitz. He attended Milwaukee’s German-English Academy, then studied at St. Louis University in Missouri (1855 to 1857). His uncle, August Krug, died in 1856 and Schlitz became the manager of the brewery and two years later married Krug’s widow and changed the name to Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. In 1858, at age 16, Uihlein convinced Schlitz to hire him as a bookkeeper after only 60 days training in the subject in St. Louis. August proposed to take a company inventory and revamp the brewery’s accounting system from single to double-entry bookkeeping. While holding down a full-time job (age 17) at the Second Ward Savings Bank (now First Wisconsin) without salary, he applied this training to the brewery’s accounting during evenings. For his efforts at the bank, he received a gold pen from Valentine Blatz after a year of service. He then worked the Uhrig Brewery in 1860 in St. Louis (the Uhrig family had a summer home in Milwaukee) as a bookkeeper, collector, and shipping clerk for $20 a month and two years later, shortly before his 20th birthday, he was promoted to the position of general manager. Returning to Milwaukee in 1867, he became the bookkeeper for the Joseph Schlitz brewery, and on the death of Schlitz in 1875, management control of the firm passed into the hands of him and his brothers, all nephews of the brewery’s original founder, August Krug. Along with his brothers Henry and Edward, he continued the business strategies initiated by Schlitz. The company developed a system of agencies across the United States to sell beer, and developed its own vast rail distribution network. When Mrs. Schlitz died in 1887, the Uihlein brothers acquired complete ownership of the enterprise. From a ranking of tenth largest US brewer in 1877, their national marketing plan propelled the company to third by 1895. Sitting among the top three breweries was little comfort when prohibition came about. The company met the challenge as did others, restructuring the brewery as Joseph Schlitz Beverage Co. to produce near beer, yeast, soft drinks, malt syrup and a chocolate candy named “Eline” (a phonetic play on the family name). Returning to brewing in 1933, the company launched an acquisition plan and new construction that led them to second and then first place in US beer production. For the next 40 the years the company would remain near the top and at one point was ranked as the largest in the world. August Uihlein was Schlitz company secretary from 1874 and also chairman of the board from 1880 until his death in 1911, and was prominently identified with banking, real estate, and many other Milwaukee enterprises. Interested in racing horses, he maintained a large stock farm near Kenosha and was the owner of the famous trotting-horse champion, “Harvester.” Noted for his local philanthropy, he donated large sums to the German-English Academy and to the Milwaukee Public Library. He died while visiting in Germany.

Uihlein family photo, early 1880’s – bottom row, from left; Charles, superintendent of the bottling works; Edward, vice president in charge of developing the Chicago markets; Henry, president. Top row, from left; William J., assistant superintendent of the brewery; Alfred, superintendent and brewmaster; August, secretary and chief operating officer.

Beer In Ads #5329: Wolf-Biere Bock

August 24, 2026 By Jay Brooks

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.

Monday’s poster is for Wolf-Biere Bock, from the Brauerei Wolf, from Fuchsstadt, a town near Würzburg, which was founded in 1739 by Johann Wolf. It was created by German poster artist Ludwig Hohlwein.

Historic Beer Birthday: Louis Wiegand

August 24, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Today is the birthday of Louis Wiegand (August 24, 1840-March 2, 1912). He was born in Frankfort, Germany, he emigrated to America when he was 27, in 1867. He was initially in the meat business but in 1878, along with partners Carl Durr and William Wagner, he founded the Oswego German Brewing Co. in Oswego, New York. A few years later, in 1882, he bought out his partners, and renamed it the Wiegand Brewing Co. and then the Louis Wiegand Brewing Co. When his sons joined him in the business in 1896 it became known as Louis Wiegand & Son. It was closed by prohibition in 1916 and never reopened.

This is his obituary, from the Oswego Daily Times, for Monday, March 4, 1912:

The death of Louis Wiegand senior member of L Wiegand & son brewers, which occurred at his home, No 166 East Second street, Saturday evening at 4:45 o’clock, will be received with sorrow by citizens generally. Mr. Wiegand had been in failing health since last May and for several months had been confined to his home. Born in Wirthheina, near Frankfort, Germany, in 1840, Mr. Wiegand came to Oswego in 1867, He engaged successfully in the meat business in East Bridge street for several years. In 1882, Mr. Wiegand organized the Germania Brewing Company and shortly thereafter took over the business, which he has successfully conducted ever since. Deeply interested in the St. Peter’s Cemetery association and one of its organizers, Mr. Wiegand was zealous in promoting it. He had been president of the society for several years. When It was desired to acquire more property for the extension of the cemetery, the funds on hand were not sufficient. Mr. Wiegand purchased the property and sold it to the association without profit to himself. He was a constant visitor to the cemetery and gave much of his time to plans for beautifying it.
Mr. Wiegand’s first wife died several years ago. He is survived by his second wife, formerly Miss Catherine Stoke; one son, Louis X, and a sister, Mrs. Margaret Cook, all of Oswego. The funeral will be held tomorrow morning from his home and at St Peter’s church.

Unfortunately, apart from his obituary, there was almost nothing else I could find about him, his sons or his brewery, not even any photos or breweriana.

Beer In Ads #5328: R & H Bock Beer

August 23, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Sunday’s poster is for R & H Bock Beer, from the Rubsam & Horrmann Brewing Co., from Stapleton, a town on Staten Island, New York, which was founded in 1865. It was created in 1935 by the Gamse Lithographing Co. of Baltimore, Maryland.

Historic Beer Birthday: George W.C. Oland

August 23, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Today is the birthday of George W.C. Oland (August 23, 1855-January 25, 1933). He was born in Hampshire, England but emigrated to Canada, settling in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was the son of Susannah Oland, who founded Moosehead Breweries. After his mother died in 1885, he took over control of Moosehead, but “sold the brewery to an English syndicate and used the proceeds to acquire the Highland Spring Brewery of Halifax and another brewery in Saint John.

George W.C. Oland seated in the front, with his sons, Sidney, George Bauld, and Geoffrey behind him.

The Halifax brewery was destroyed in the explosion of 1917 and, as a consequence, George W. C. Oland transferred all his energies to the Saint John Brewery, which was run by his son George Bauld (see Halifax Explosion). His second son, Sidney, joined him in the business at the end of the First World War and with the aid of government compensation for victims of the Halifax explosion, the Olands rebuilt the old Highland Spring Brewery.”

The Oland Brewery after the Halifax explosion in 1917.

During Prohibition, when the sale of intoxicating beverages was illegal, the Olands supplemented the little money they made from soft drinks and 2 per cent beer, which was legal to produce, with profits from selling illegal “strong” beer in pubs and shops. In 1927, George Bauld admitted to selling illegal beer to various pubs and shops, which cost his business some $24,000 in fines over the course of Prohibition. This dodgy practice helped keep the business afloat. In 1928, Oland & Sons purchased the Alexander Keith’s Brewery when it came up for sale. Keith’s was the oldest brewery in the Maritimes and its acquisition gave Oland & Sons a monopoly on brewing in Nova Scotia.

The Moosehead Brewery in the 1930s or 40s.

Soon after the Oland family acquired the Keith’s brewery, Sidney Oland’s older brother, George Bauld Oland, acquired the James Ready Brewery in Saint John, which was renamed New Brunswick Breweries (and again renamed Moosehead Breweries Limited in 1947). In 1933, George Bauld introduced Moosehead Pale Ale to the public. Ever since they were boys, Sidney and George had been in competition with one another. While their father was alive, the intense rivalry was never allowed to descend into a family feud. But when George Sr. died in 1933, the brothers went their separate ways. By the end of the Second World War, there were two distinct branches of the Oland family: the Nova Scotia Olands, who owned and operated the Alexander Keith’s Brewery, and the New Brunswick Olands, who controlled Moosehead. Eventually, control of the Moosehead brewery in Saint John was given to George Bauld’s son, Philip, while Oland & Sons of Halifax was taken over by Sidney’s three sons Victor, Bruce, and Don.

Historic Beer Birthday: Carl Funke

August 22, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Today is the birthday of Carl Funke (August 22, 1855-April 15, 1912). While he’s best known as “a German industrialist, President of the Chamber of Commerce, City Councilor in Essen, Germany, and a Privy Councilor of Commerce, he was also involved running the Stern-Brauerei, in Essen. In 1890, he took over his father’s shares in the brewery, “and became chairman of the supervisory board of the Actien beer brewery in Essen an der Ruhr, which later became the Stern brewery. He held the office until his death in 1912.”

Here’s a biography of Funke from Wikipedia:

As the son of the industrialist Fritz Funke, Carl Funke attended the Humboldtschule secondary school in Essen with an upper secondary school leaving certificate. He then studied linguistics at the University of Geneva. This was followed by commercial training at the Kalk Chemical Factory in Cologne and at the AG for the Chemical Industry in Gelsenkirchen-Schalke.
Carl Funke married the wealthy Katharina geb. Waldthausen, which made a significant contribution to the assets of the Funke family. They had four children together, with the son Fritz Funke (1888–1975) successfully continuing the family legacy.
At the age of 22, Carl Funke took over the management of the Pörtingsiepen colliery in Fischlaken, a later district of Essen. Among other things, he decisively increased their sales through a railway connection. In 1884, at the age of 29, he took over his father’s stake in the mine and continuously expanded his property in the following years by acquiring additional shares. Carl Funke was a member of the supervisory boards of a total of twenty companies and unions, including Deutsche Bank. In 1906 he completed his coal – mines the Essen coal mines AG together, whose supervisory board chairman he became. This year the Heisinger Tiefbau colliery on the Ruhr was named the Carl Funke colliery.
By taking over his father’s shares in 1890, Funke also became chairman of the supervisory board of the Actien beer brewery in Essen an der Ruhr , which later became the Stern brewery. He held the office until his death in 1912.

Since 1882 Funke was a city councilor in the city council of Essen and a member of the Essen district council. As a member of the Essener Verkehrsverein, Funke played a key role in the construction of the Kaiserhof Hotel on Lindenallee around 1900, bringing representative space to Essen for congresses and conferences. The building was badly damaged in World War II and finally abandoned in 1973. Today the SEB Bank, also known as the Lindencenter, is located here. In 1910 Funke was elected as a member of the Prussian provincial parliament. From 1910 to 1912 he followed Max Rötger as President of the Chamber of Commerce.
In the Protestant Church, Funke was involved in the presbyteries of the parishes of Essen-Altstadt, Rellinghausen – Heisingen and Dorstfeld.
Funke received several awards through numerous foundations and donations to charitable purposes such as schools, a hospital, a lung sanatorium and the Karl-Funke-Stiftung parish hall as well as the Carl and Katharina-Funke Foundation for the Essen Realgymnasium. In 1899 he was appointed to the Commerce Council, nine years later to the Secret Commerce Council. He received the Order of the Red Eagle III. Class.
When Carl Funke died in 1912 after an otitis media, he was buried in the family crypt of the Funke and Schürenberg families in the cemetery at Kettwiger Tor. The funeral procession on the afternoon of April 19, 1912 was followed by several thousand people, including representatives of the Ruhr industry, employees of its trade unions and high city officials. After the cemetery was closed in 1955, the common crypt was moved to the Ostfriedhof Essen.

Historic Beer Birthday: Christian Diehl

August 21, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Today is the birthday of Christian Diehl (August 21, 1842-1928). He was born in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany and moved to the U.S. when he was 28, in 1870, settling in Defiance, Ohio. There, Jacob Karst and Joseph Bauer hired Diehl to be the brewmaster for their Defiance Brewery, which Karst had founded in 1867. The next year, Diehl bought out Karst and the brewery became known as the Bauer & Christian Diehl Brewery. Shortly after Bauer died, and in 1885 it became the Christian Diehl Brewery and later the Christ. Diehl Brewing Co., with Diehl as sole owner. The brewery reopened after prohibition and remained in business for another twenty years, closing for good in 1955.

Here’s a portion of an article about Diehl, by Carl Miller, entitled What A Diehl! from the Defiance Crescent News.

The Legacy Begins
On October 21, 1870, a twenty-eight-year-old Christian Diehl arrived in Defiance to take a position as brewmaster at the local brewery. He had learned the art of brewing beer in his hometown of Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany before emigrating to America in 1861. European-trained brewers like Christian found employment easily in mid-nineteenth century America due to the hundreds of small breweries operating throughout the east and midwest.
The young Christian Diehl took full advantage of the demand enjoyed by his profession, traveling from state to state exploring his newly adopted country. Before coming to Ohio, he worked in breweries in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Missouri. Just prior to his arrival in Defiance, he had been employed by a Toledo brewer.
The brewery which lured Christian Diehl to Defiance was established in 1867 by German immigrant Jacob Karst. Known simply as the “Defiance Brewery,” the works was situated on North Clinton street just near the Maumee River. In 1869, local saloonkeeper Joseph Bauer purchased an interest in the brewery, and it was the firm of Karst and Bauer which hired Christian as brewmaster in 1870. By the following year, Christian had accumulated resources enough to buy Karst’s share in the brewery, and the partnership of Bauer and Diehl was established. Aside from a brief participation in the business by Bauer’s son, the brewery operated basically unchanged until the passing away of Joseph Bauer in 1883. Christian, who had apparently achieved a certain degree of financial success with the brewery by this time, purchased Bauer’s interest from his family in 1885.
The Next Generation
In 1896, three of Christian’s sons — Christian Jr., John C., and Albert F. Diehl — were initiated into the brewery’s management. The young men had virtually grown up inside the brewery and each was already well acquainted with the business. Christian Jr., in fact, had shown such an early “adaptability for business” that he was put in charge of the firm’s books at age thirteen. John C. Diehl, having graduated from the American Brewing Academy in Chicago, took over his father’s post as Diehl brewmaster.
Although the elder Christian Diehl officially continued to fill the office of brewery president, he gradually relinquished control of the family business to his sons. After the turn of the century, Christian spent much of his time tending to the family farm just outside Defiance, where he died in 1928.
The young Diehls lead the brewery into what was perhaps the most prosperous period in its history. By 1899, the Diehl brewery employed 21 men and produced annually about 12,000 barrels of beer (32 gallons per barrel), a nearly five-fold increase over the brewery’s early days. And production continued to climb well into the new century.
The great majority of Diehl beer was consumed within Defiance County in the years before Prohibition. However, a small portion of the brewery’s product was shipped to outside markets. Proximity to the Maumee River provided easy transportation to, among other locations, Ft. Wayne and Toledo. The latter city was quite possibly the brewery’s largest market outside of Defiance. By 1911, sales of Diehl beer in Toledo had justified the construction of a brewery-owned distribution depot in that city. The brewery was said to have sent beer as far north as Grand Rapids before the onset of Prohibition.
Nevertheless, the Diehl brewery’s lifeblood was its local market. In fact, the brewery’s long-time feature brand of beer was named in honor of the city itself: Centennial Beer was introduced in 1894 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Fort Defiance. Early bottle labels for Centennial Beer depicted General Anthony Wayne engaged in the Battle of Fallen Timbers. Other early Diehl brands included Hofbrau and Diehlgold. All were advertised as being “Diehlicious.”

The Big Drought
By about 1910, it had become apparent that prohibitionist groups such as the Anti-Saloon League and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union were rapidly gaining ground in their quest to abolish the manufacture of alcoholic beverages. The Diehl brothers, having fostered significant growth and expansion of the brewery throughout the early years of the century, were now charged with guiding the family business through what promised to be uncertain times ahead.
The Diehls felt it prudent to begin investigating alternative fields of business in the event that the brewing industry suffered a fatal blow. The milk condensing business emerged as a promising option due to the surrounding farmland, the lack of local competition, and the compatibility of the brewing equipment. Christian Jr. traveled to Wisconsin to observe state-of-the-art condensories in operation and returned with a glowing account of the condition of the industry.
The Prohibition crusade, in the meantime, had reached its peak. A 1918 statewide referendum left Ohio completely dry beginning in May of 1919. And, shortly thereafter, ratification of the 18th Amendment marked the beginning of National Prohibition. Brewers nationwide scrambled to find new areas of business in hopes of being among the lucky few who survived.
Although the Diehls’ plans to enter the milk condensing business had not fully materialized by the time Prohibition came, the proposed venture had attracted a significant amount of local interest. By 1922, several investors with experience in milk condensing had been recruited, and the Defiance Dairy Products Company was soon in full operation in a portion of the old brewery. The Crescent News called the opening of the condensory “a milestone in the commercial life of Defiance.” Indeed, the milk condensory — still owned and operated by the Diehl family — is today one of the city’s largest enterprises.
Incidentally, the brewery was kept in operation well into Prohibition, making “near beer,” a de-alcoholized version of real beer. The bottling works remained active as well, packaging a wide variety of soft drinks.

And this history of the brewery is from “100 Years of Brewing:”

Historic Beer Birthday: Fritz Goetz

August 20, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Today is the birthday of Fritz Goetz (August 20, 1849-May 3, 1917). He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but moved to Chicago as a young man, eventually going into the copper business, which changed names a few times, but settled on the Goetz Company. In addition to copper brewing equipment, they also sold tanks, and general brewing and bottling equipment. The business was so successful that in his obituary, it was noted that “There is hardly any brewery, bottlery or malting plant in the United States or Mexico where there is not some machine or apparatus manufactured by the Goetz Company.”

Here is his obituary from the American Brewers’ Review for 1918:

Historic Beer Birthday: John Eichler

August 20, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Today is the birthday of John Eichler (August 20, 1829-September 3, 1915). He was born in Rothenburg, Germany and trained as a brewer there, and moved to the U.S. in 1853, settling in New York City. In 1865, he bought Kolb’s Brewery, which had been founded three years before by brothers Henry Kolb and Christian Gottlieb Kolb, renaming it the John Eichler Brewery (and later the John Eichler Brewing Co.). It weathered prohibition, but was bought by Rheingold in 1947.

This biography of Eichler is from the “History of German Immigration in the United States and Successful German-Americans,” published in 1905:

This account of the history of the John Eichler Brewery is from 100 Years of Brewing:

Eichlers-Beer-Serving-Trays-10-16-inches-John-Eichler-Brewing-Co--Post-Prohibtion

Historic Beer Birthday: Bernhard Stroh

August 20, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Today is the birthday of Bernhard Stroh (August 20, 1822-June 24, 1882). He was born in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, and after a detour in Brazil, emigrated to the U.S. and settled in Detroit.

This biography is from Find-a-Grave:

Businessman. He left Germany in 1848, and joined a group of German settlers in Brazil for three years before arriving in America. He landed in Buffalo, New York heading by way of the Erie Canal. The boat he was on docked in Detroit. So Stroh took it upon him self to venture into the city. He liked what he saw and decided to stay. With a few hundred left from the Brazilian business venture he started a small brewery at 57 Catherine Street in Detroit. Soon after establishing his German brewery local patrons in Detroit aquired a desired taste for his German lager beer. Bernhard Stroh would have his sons personally cart small kegs of beer to his customers by wheelbarrow. For over a century now, local Detroiters have enjoyed the same “fire-brewed” taste that the Stroh Family created over 150 years ago.

Stroh-family-1871 — The Stroh family around 1871.

This is what Wikipedia has to say about Stroh’s early days through Julius Stroh’s tenure:

The Stroh family began brewing beer in a family-owned inn during the 18th century in Kirn, Germany. In 1849, during the German Revolution, Bernhard Stroh (1822-1882), who had learned the brewing trade from his father, emigrated to the United States. Bernhard Stroh established his brewery in Detroit in 1850 when he was 28 and immediately started producing Bohemian-style pilsner, which had been developed at the municipal brewery of Pilsen, Bohemia in 1842. In 1865, he purchased additional land and expanded his business and adopted the heraldic lion emblem from the Kyrburg Castle in Germany and named his operation the Lion’s Head Brewery. (The lion emblem is still visible in its advertising and product labels.)
Bernhard Stroh’s original beer selling operation consisted of a basement brewing operation and was then sold door-to-door in a wheelbarrow. The new beer (Stroh’s) sold door-to-door was a lighter-lager beer, brewed in copper kettles.

Stroh-brewery-1864-scan — The Stroh Brewery around 1864.

This short account about Bernhard is from the Entrepreneur Wiki:

The Stroh family has a long history of brewing beer, which first began in Germany. However, due to the German Revolution, in 1849, Bernhard Stroh moved the business to the United States after three years of living in Brazil. He started his company with a budget of $ 150.00.
Stroh selected Detroit, Michigan as the location for his brewery and settled there in 1850. Stroh was 28 years old at the time. The company was known for making a Pilsner (also known as Pilzen) style beer. Pilsner beers are fire-brewed and lighter than traditional beers. In 1855, the company increased in size, and then shortly thereafter became known as Lion’s Head Brewery. The company had been known as Stroh’s Brewery until this time.
The most popular beer sold, Stroh’s, was first peddled via wheelbarrow. The new beer was brewed in copper kettles to enrich the flavor. The company name was then changed to B. Stroh Brewing Company when Bernhard passed in 1882, and his son, Bernhard Junior, took over the business. In 1988, Forbes estimated that the Stroh family had an estimated worth of 700 million dollars. The brewing company stayed in the Stroh family until the year 2000.

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