Beer In Ads #5072: Schaffhauser Bock Sign

September 6, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Last year I decided to concentrate on Bock ads. 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.

Saturday’s poster is for Falken Schaffhauser’s Bock, and was published in 1936. This one was made for the Bierbrauerei Falken Schaffhausen, or Falcon Brewery, of Schaffhausen, Switzerland. The brewery was founded in 1799, and is still in business today, and is “considered the only independent brewery in the Schaffhausen region,” and is Switzerland’s 5th largest brewery. This one is for their Schaffhauser Bock and shows a soldier standing in the snow, holding a pike, looking up at a glowing mug of beer in the sky above a medieval town like it’s a sign from the heavens. It was created by Swiss artist Arnold Oechslin.

Historic Beer Birthday: Johann Peter Griess

September 6, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Johann Peter Griess (September 6, 1829-August 30, 1888). He was born in Kirchhosbach (now part of Waldkappel), Germany. He was “an early pioneer of organic chemistry.” While known for his work on synthetic dyes, and he was the first to develop “the diazotization of aryl amines (the key reaction in the synthesis of the azo dyes), and a major figure in the formation of the modern dye industry.” He also “worked for more than a quarter of a century at the brewery of Samuel Allsopp and Sons in Burton upon Trent, which, owing to the presence of several notable figures and an increase in the scientific approach to brewing, became a significant centre of scientific enquiry in the 1870s and 1880s.”

This is his biography from his Wikipedia page:

After he finished at an agricultural private school, he joined the Hessian cavalry, but left the military shortly after. He started his studies at the University of Jena in 1850, but changed to the University of Marburg in 1851. During his student life he was several times sentenced to the Karzer (campus jail) and was also banned from the city for one year, during which time he listened to lectures of Justus Liebig at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich. After most of the family possession had been spent, he had to start working at the chemical factory of Oehler in Offenbach am Main in 1856. This was only possible after the recommendation of Hermann Kolbe, who was head of the chemistry department in Marburg. The devastating fire of 1857 ended the production of chemicals at the factory and a changed Peter Griess rejoined Hermann Kolbe at the University of Marburg. His new enthusiasm for chemistry yielded the discovery of diazonium salts in 1858. The discovery of a new class of chemicals convinced August Wilhelm von Hofmann to invite Griess to join him at his new position at the Royal College of Chemistry. During his time at the Royal College, he studied the reactions of nitrogen-rich organic molecules. It took him quite long to become accustomed to his new home in England, but the fact that he married in 1869 and founded a family made it clear that he did not intend to return to Germany, even though he was offered a position at the BASF. He left and started a position at the Samuel Allsopp & Sons brewery in 1862 where he worked until his retirement. His wife died after a long, severe illness in 1886; he survived her for two years and died on August 30, 1888. He is buried in Burton upon Trent.
In 1858 he described the Griess diazotization reaction which would form the basis for the Griess test for detection of Nitrite. Most of his work related to brewing remained confidential, but his additional work on organic chemistry was published by him in several articles.

And this short piece is from the journal “Brewery History,” from 2005. The article was called “The Brewing Connection in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Part II,” and was written by Ray Anderson:

Another man whose activities extended far beyond his brewery work was Griess, (Johann) Peter (1829-1888), chemist to Samuel Allsopp & Sons for 26 years from 1862 until his death. Griess’s inclusion in the dictionary rests on his discovery and subsequent work on ‘a new and versatile chemical reaction which could provide a route to a wide range of new compounds’. These diazo compounds, so called because they contained two atoms of nitrogen per molecule, were to be widely utilised in the production of azo dyes, and the dictionary hails Griess’s synthesis of them as ‘perhaps the greatest single discovery in the history of the dyestuffs industry’. Historians of chemistry place Griess in the front rank of Victorian chemists.

And this is an Abstract from an article, entitled “Johann Peter Griess FRS (1829–88): Victorian brewer and synthetic dye chemist” is from “Notes and Records, The Royal Society Journal of the History of Science,” by Edwin and Andrew Yates:

The German organic chemist Johann Peter Griess (1829–88), who first developed the diazotization of aryl amines (the key reaction in the synthesis of the azo dyes), and a major figure in the formation of the modern dye industry, worked for more than a quarter of a century at the brewery of Samuel Allsopp and Sons in Burton upon Trent, which, owing to the presence of several notable figures and an increase in the scientific approach to brewing, became a significant centre of scientific enquiry in the 1870s and 1880s. Unlike the other Burton brewing chemists, Griess paralleled his work at the brewery with significant contributions to the chemistry of synthetic dyes, managing to keep the two activities separate—to the extent that some of his inventions in dye chemistry were filed as patents on behalf of the German dye company BASF, without the involvement of Allsopp’s. This seemingly unlikely situation can be explained partly by the very different attitudes to patent protection in Britain and in Germany combined with an apparent indifference to the significant business opportunity that the presence of a leading dye chemist presented to Allsopp’s. Although his work for the brewery remained largely proprietary, Griess’s discoveries in dye chemistry were exploited by the German dye industry, which quickly outpaced its British counterpart. One less well-known connection between brewing and synthetic dyes, and one that may further explain Allsopp’s attitude, is the use of synthetic dyes in identifying microorganisms—the perennial preoccupation of brewers seeking to maintain yield and quality. Developments of Griess’s original work continue to be applied to many areas of science and technology.

That’s just the abstract, of course, but you can read the whole article online.

Historic Beer Birthday: William McEwan Younger

September 6, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Sir William McEwan Younger, 1st Baronet (September 6, 1905–April 15, 1992). He was a Scottish brewer and political activist.

According to Wikipedia, “His father, William Younger, was a brother of George Younger, 1st Viscount Younger, and of Robert Younger, Baron Blanesburgh; his great uncle was William McEwan, a Liberal MP for Edinburgh and the founder of McEwan’s Brewery.”

He was educated at Winchester College and at Balliol College, Oxford, before joining the firm of McEwan’s Brewery, which later became Scottish Brewers before merging with the Newcastle Brewery Company in 1961 to become Scottish & Newcastle. Younger was the first chairman and managing director of the new company.
He stood twice as the Unionist Party candidate for the West Lothian at the 1950 general election, but it was a safe seat for Labour and he came a poor second. He was honorary secretary of the Scottish Unionist Association from 1955 to 1964, and was later chairman of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party from 1971 to 1974.

Here’s an obituary, by Peter Lloyd, that ran in the Alpine Journal, a climbing club to which was a member:

Bill Younger, who died in 1992 after a long illness, outlived his climbing contemporaries, and it falls to me, who only knew him in the last 20 years of his life, to write his obituary. He was a great figure in the business world, especially in Edinburgh and in the Conservative Party in Scotland. He was elected to the Club in 1927 while still an undergraduate on the proposal of A M Carr Saunders and Geoffrey Winthrop Young, so totalling 65 years of membership.
On leaving Oxford he went straight into the family brewing business of McEwans and proceeded to build this up first by the acquisition of another family company, William Youngers, and later by the takeover of Newcastle Breweries and several smaller Edinburgh companies to form Scottish and Newcastle with about 10% of the market. He had an outstanding war record, enlisting in 1939 in a lowland anti-aircraft regiment of the Royal Artillery with which he served in the North African campaign, including the first siege of Tobruk, and in Italy, finishing up in command of the regiment. His double-barrelled name, evocative of beer, earned him the nickname ‘Colonel Screwtop’.
After the war he remained chairman of his company until 1969 and was also active as director of a number of other Edinburgh companies. He was Deputy Lieutenant of Midlothian and later of the City of Edinburgh and, in the seventies, Chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party. Through his charitable trust he supported many good causes, notably his college Balliol, of which he became an Honorary Fellow, many Edinburgh charities
including the Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Mount Everest Foundation and the A C Irvine Travel Fund.
Bill Younger’s mountaineering record is largely lost in the sands of time, but his companions in his Oxford days included Douglas Busk, A M Binnie and Carr Saunders. In the thirties and after the war he climbed with John Tilney and Claude Elliott. There is a splendid portrait in oils, now in the possession of his daughter, showing him as a young man against the background of the Cresta Rey on Monte Rosa.
When I knew him, in the seventies and eighties in Edinburgh, in Glen Lyon and then in his final home near Henley, we were both past anything more than walks on the Scottish hills. I remember him best in his beautiful house in Moray Place, a swell but quite without pomposity, easygoing but suddenly coming out with trenchant criticisms of the good and the great, casually dressed with a glass of whisky and a cheroot in his hand, enjoying life.

William McEwan Younger is also featured in The Brewing Connection in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, by Ray Anderson, published in Brewery History in 2005.

Scottish brewers get a good airing in the dictionary. Heading the list is McEwan, William (1827-1913), described as ‘a plain, blunt man’ but ‘undoubtedly one of the most successful brewers of his generation … a shrewd, hard headed, hard working businessman…one of the merchant princes of Scotland.’ The piece on McEwan also has a mention of his uncle John Jeffrey with whom he trained before in 1856 ‘he established his own business at the Fountain brewery,’ and of McEwan’s nephew William Younger who joined him as an apprentice in 1874, and who ‘played an increasingly important role … becoming managing director of the firm on its incorporation in 1889 with McEwan … devoting himself increasingly to politics.’ McEwan’s ‘presumptive only child,’ Greville [née Anderson], Dame Margaret Helen (1863-1942), ‘society hostess,’ is also in the dictionary in her own right and has her own place in brewing history having on her death left all her ordinary shares in the brewery to Younger, Sir William McEwan, of Fountainbridge, baronet (1905-1992), who would go on to become the first chairman of Scottish & Newcastle Breweries. The dictionary succinctly explains the background of this splendidly named and unconventional ‘brewer and political activist,’ thus: ‘His father was the brother of George Younger, first Viscount Younger, and of Robert Younger, Baron Blanesburgh [a judge]; his paternal grandmother, Janet, née McEwan, was the eldest sister of William McEwan, Gladstonian Liberal MP for Edinburgh and the founder of McEwan’s Brewery. He was thus brought up with a background of brewing and politics… .’ Younger (known as Bill) joined McEwans when he left Oxford shortly before the firm merged with fellow Edinburgh brewers William Younger (not a relative) as Scottish Brewers Ltd. He had good war and was: ‘Known by his men as Colonel Screwtop, the main supplier of beer to the army being McEwan Youngers.’ The dictionary contains the following intriguing passage on Bill Younger’s unconventional approach to business as managing director of Scottish Brewers: ‘… when the main rival to Scottish Brewers Ltd in Scotland was offered to him he refused the offer on the basis that the resultant combine would so dominate the Scottish brewing scene as to extinguish competition and blunt the competitive edge of his company. His business philosophy was at variance with that of the rest of the brewing industry and he took no part in the councils of the various trade associations.’

McEwan’s is still around, as a brand at least, and today is owned by Wells & Youngs.

Beer Birthday: Frank Boon

September 6, 2025 By Jay Brooks 1 Comment

Today is the 71st birthday of Frank Boon, from the Belgian lambic brewery Brouwerij Boon. In 1978, Boon acquired the small “R. De Vits” Lambiek brewery that dated back to 1680, relocating the brewery to downtown Lembeek in 1986. His beers are imported to the U.S. by Latis Imports. Like most lambic fans, I’ve enjoyed his beers for many years, and was fortunate enough to meet Frank a few years ago during Philly Beer Week, and happily spent some time talking with him at the World Beer Cup judging a few years ago. More recently, a few of us toured his brewery after Brussels Beer Challenge judging and he was a gracious host. Join me in wishing Frank a very happy birthday.

Tom Peters, Frank Boon, Jean Van Roy, Fergie Carey and Armand Debelder at a Lambic Beer Dinner held at Monk’s Cafe in Philadelphia several years ago.

Frank and me at the Great Lambic Summit at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology & Anthropology on June 9, 2010.

Frank-Boon-2018-1 — Frank leading a few of us on a tasting at his brewery a couple of years back.

Chris Swersey, Karel Boon, Frank, Carl Kins, and Susan Boyle during a visit to the brewery.

Historic Beer Birthday: Samuel Simon Loeb

September 4, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

independent-wash
Today is the birthday of Samuel Simon Loeb (September 4, 1862-January 22, 1947). He was born in Indiana, but settled in Tacoma, Washington as a young man, and was involved in several area breweries there, first the Milwaukee Brewery (which merged to form the Pacific Brewing & Malting Company) and then the Independent Brewery, before being bought by the Seattle Brewing & Malting Co. After his brewery was acquired, Loeb remained in charge, and after retiring, he and his wife moved to Los Angeles.

This short description of Loeb is from Brewing in Seattle, by Kurt Stream:

old-german-lager

Here’s an account of Loeb from “An Illustrated History of the State of Washington” by H. K. Hines, published in 1893

S. S. Loeb is president of the Milwaukee Brewing Company of Tacoma, incorporated with a capital stock of $35,000, all paid up. The present officers of the company are S. S. Loeb, president, and A. Weinberg, secretary and treasurer. The brewery was formerly called the United States Brewery, and was organized by D. Stegman and M. Karcsecte. The latter sold out to John Frazier, who continued in the business till May, 1891, when the present firm bought out the concern, reincorporated and formed the Milwaukee Brewing Company. The plant was a small one when they first bought it, the output being only forty-two barrels per day. The capacity has been increased until it is now 125 barrels per day. Their trade extends throughout the Sound country.
Mr. Loeb, the president, was born in Ligonier, Indiana, on the 4th of September, 1862. He was the son of Simon Loeb, who was a prominent brewer. The subject of this sketch was reared in Chicago, where he went when a child. He became concerned in the cigar business with Ruhe Bros. (Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Chicago), and later traveled for the same firm, with whom he continued for four years. He then worked four years for Schloss, Ochs & Co., wholesale gentlemen’s furnishers. In 1889 he came to Tacoma and engaged in the wholesale liquor business, which he continued for three years, when he closed out that business, and has since given his attention to the brewing business.
Mr. Loeb was married November 18, 1890, to Miss Blanch Moses, a native of Gallipolis, Ohio. They have one child, Sidney.

Garry Flynn, on his Brewery Gems website, picks up the story of Loeb after the “Illustrated History of the State of Washington:”

In 1897, four years after the foregoing was written, Samuel sold the Milwaukee Brewery and merged it with the Anton Huth’s Puget Sound Brewery, forming a new enterprise – the Pacific Brewing & Malting Company.
In 1899, Pacific purchased the Donau Brewery and closed the Milwaukee plant. Loeb continued with his other business interests in Tacoma, as well as holding a minority interest in Pacific. As late as 1901 he was still secretary of the company. But by 1902 he and his partners from the Milwaukee Brewery decided to actively re-enter the brewing business.

You can pick up the rest of his story at Brewery Gems.

Historic Beer Birthday: William Hamm, Jr.

September 4, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

hamm
Today is the birthday of William Hamm, Jr. (September 4, 1893-August 20, 1970). He was born in Minnesota, and was the grandson of Theodore Hamm, who founded Hamm’s Brewery in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was also the son of William Hamm Sr., who took over for his father when Theodore retired and ran it until he died shortly before prohibition was repealed, when his son William Jr. took over.

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

William Hamm, Jr., was the grandson of Theodore Hamm, founder of the Hamms Brewery. William Jr. inherited the Chairmanship of the company from his father. In 1933, William Junior was kidnapped by the Barker-Karpis Gang as he walked home for lunch. Hamm was released after 3 days in exchange for a $100,000 ransom.

Here’s a brief history from the brewery’s Wikipedia page:

The Theodore Hamm Brewing Company was established in 1865 when, a German immigrant Theodore Hamm (1825-1903) inherited the Excelsior Brewery from his friend and business associate A. F. Keller, who had perished in California seeking his fortune in the gold fields. Unable to finance the venture himself, Keller had entered into a partnership with Hamm to secure funding. Upon Keller’s death, Hamm inherited the small brewery and flour mill in the east side wilderness of St. Paul, Minnesota. Keller had constructed his brewery in 1860 over artesian wells in a section of the Phalen Creek valley in St. Paul known as Swede Hollow. Hamm, a butcher by trade and local salon owner, first hired Jacob Schmidt as a brew master. Jacob Schmidt remained with the company until the early 1880s, becoming a close family friend of the Hamms. Jacob Schmidt left the company after an argument ensued over Louise Hamm’s disciplinary actions to Schmidt’s daughter, Marie. By 1884, Schmidt was a partner at the North Star Brewery not far from Hamm’s brewery. By 1899 he had established his own brewery on the site of the former Stalhmann Brewery site. In need of a new brewmaster, Hamm hired Christopher Figge who would start a tradition of three generations of Hamm’s Brewmasters, with his son William and grandson William II taking the position. By the 1880s, the Theodore Hamm Brewing Company was reportedly the second largest in Minnesota.

Hamm’s Brewery c. 1900.

Unfortunately, he’s perhaps best known not for having successfully run his family’s brewery, but for an incident that occurred in June of 1933. While he was walking home for lunch on that summer day, he was kidnapped by the Barker-Karpis gang and held for a $100,000 (which is over $1.8 million in today’s dollars). The family paid the money two days later, and he was released, but the crime reverberated beyond Saint Paul and became a national story. Up until that time, the Minnesota city was corrupt and allowed gangsters and criminals to stay in the city, even finding them lodgings and women, as long as they promised to behave within the city limits. But the kidnapping broke that bargain, and within a year most of the cities corrupt police and officials had either resigned or were facing jail time. You can read more about it in “A Hamm’s ransom: How the kidnapping of one of St. Paul’s most prosperous brewers reshaped a corrupt system,” “Abducted in St. Paul!” or read accounts from the time in Read All About 1933.

William-Hamm-Jr-and-Marie-Hersey-Carroll-Hamm

William Jr. and his wife Marie Hersey Hamm.

Hamms-Preferred-Stock-Beer--Labels-Theo-Hamm-Brewing-Company--Post-Prohibition

Beer In Ads #5071: Schaffhauser Bock Maypole

September 3, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Wednesday’s poster is for Falken Schaffhauser’s Bock, and was published in 1935. This one was made for the Bierbrauerei Falken Schaffhausen, or Falcon Brewery, of Schaffhausen, Switzerland. The brewery was founded in 1799, and is still in business today, and is “considered the only independent brewery in the Schaffhausen region,” and is Switzerland’s 5th largest brewery. This one is for their Schaffhauser Bock and shows a man climbing a maypole, presumably to steal the beer hanging from it. It was created by Swiss artist Arnold Oechslin.

Historic Beer Birthday: Joseph Haefner

September 3, 2025 By Jay Brooks 1 Comment

Today is the birthday of Joseph Haefner (September 3, 1848-January 10, 1916). He was born in near Bamberg, Germany. When he was 24, in 1872, he came to America, working in several breweries for fourteen years, before buying out Lawrence Knapp’s Empire Steam Brewery in 1886. He renamed it the Joseph Haefner Brewery, although it was also known as the Empire Brewery, and it’s best-known brand was Tivoli Beer. It reopened after prohibition as Haefner Brewing Co. and remained in business until 1946, when it became the Lancaster Brewing Co. for another three years, closing for good in 1949.

haefners-brewing-company-beer-delivery-truck

This biography is from the “Biographical Annals of Lancaster Co., Pa.,” published in 1903 by J. H. Beers & Co.:

JOSEPH HAEFNER, proprietor of the Empire Brewery, one of the largest enterprises of the kind in Lancaster, is a native of Germany, born in Ganstadt bei Bamberg, Sept. 3, 1848, son of John B. and Barbara (Stall) Haefner.
John B. Haefner, father of Joseph Haefner, was also a native of Germany, and for twenty years conducted a brewery in his native country, doing a large business and performing the duties of a prominent citizen. His death took place in 1899, when he was aged seventy-eight years. His wife died in 1893, at the age of seventy-two years. Both were worthy members of the Catholic Church. Mr. and Mrs. Haefner had the following children: John B. (deceased) also followed the brewing business; Peter resides in Germany and follows the butcher business; Joseph is mentioned below; Lizzie married Gottleib Smith, a farmer in Montgomery county, Pa.; Anna married William Kurtz, who conducts a hotel in Lancaster; Lena married Lawrence Rateline, a farmer in Germany.
Joseph Haefner learned his trade in Germany with his father, with whom he remained until he was sixteen years of age, then securing work in other breweries, where he continued until coming to America, in 1872. For two years he was employed in Rupert’s brewery, in New York, going then to Union Hill, N. J., where he remained one year. Coming to Lancaster, he served one year in Henry Frank’s brewery, and then went to Reading, where his knowledge of the business secured him a good position with Fred. Lauer, with whom he remained six years. Mr. Haefner then went to Pottsville, and in partnership with Peter Lauer and Lawrence Smith operated the Archard brewery for two years, and then for about five years was in Philadelphia. In 1886 Mr. Haefner returned to Lancaster and bought of Florence Knapp his present plant, which he has enlarged to thrice its original dimensions, and has more than trebled its producing capacity. This immense plant covers at present a half acre of ground and gives employment to twenty men. It is fitted with all modern improvements and is the only brewery in the locality which manufactures its own ice. This business was established in 1868 by Lawrence Knapp, and since Mr. Haefner became its proprietor has grown in importance until it ranks with the leading industries of the city.
Mr. Haefner is independent in politics. He takes a deep interest in everything looking to the advancement of the community, and votes for those whom he deems will best carry out his ideas. Fraternally he belongs to the B. P. 0. E. and the Brewers’ Association. In person Mr. Haefner exemplifies the best class of prosperous German- American citizens. Genial, pleasant, liberal in his benefactions and charitable to the poor, he has many in Lancaster who delight to call him friend. He has won his way to success through his own efforts, and well deserves the good fortune which has attended him.
In 1874, in Lancaster, Mr. Haefner was united in marriage to Margaret Fisher, daughter of Raphael Fisher, who operated a hotel in Lancaster for a number of years. He died in 1893, at the age of seventy-four years, and his wife died in 1884. They were members of the Catholic Church, and were interred in the Catholic cemetery. The following named children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Haefner: Mary, who died at the age of four years; Miss Elizabeth, at home; and Anna, Joseph, Catherine, Lauer and Margaret. Mr. Haefner built his present fine home, opposite his place of business, in 1890.

And this is from the “American Brewers’ Review,” for 1916:

Historic Beer Birthday: George I. Amsdell

September 3, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of George Isaiah Amsdell (September 3, 1820-February 17, 1906). He was born in upstate New York and founded the George I Amsdell Brewery in 1854, when he was 27, in Albany. His brother joined the firm three years later, renaming it the Amsdell Bros. Brewery. But in 1892, his brother Theodore left the business and it reverted to the George I. Amsdell Brewery. After his death in 1906, the family soldiered on, but in 1912 the name changed again to the Amsdell-Kirchner Brewing Co., suggesting a new partner, and in 1916 it became the Citizens’ Brewing Corp. before closing for good in 1920.

This biography of Amsdell is from “New York State Men: Biographic Studies and Character Portraits,” published in 1910:

“Brewer, was born at Kinderhook, Columbia County, N.Y., September 3, 1820. [Sources vary on the year of his birth. Some also cite 1825 or 1827; and at least one claims he was born the 2nd rather than Sep. 3.] He attended a boarding school at Chatham, and at the age of eleven he removed to New York and resumed his studies at a private academy at Bloomingdale. In 1843 he removed to Albany and connected himself with his father’s brewery business in the town of Guilderland, Albany county. In 1851 he formed a copartnership with his brother, Theodore M., under the firm name of Amsdell Brothers, and established a prosperous brewery in Albany. In October, 1892, the firm was dissolved, George I. continuing the business and establishing a branch in New York city under the management of his son, George H. Mr. Amsdell was vice-presidnet of the old Albany City Bank in 1865 and was a trustee of the Albany City Savings Institution at the time of his death. He was Alderman of the old Ninth Ward of Albany during the Civil War, and was one of the committee to raise men and funds for the Union army. He was member of Co., B, Albany Continentals, and the Tenth Regiment N.G.S.N.Y. Mr. Amsdell was of English descent, and on his mother’s side traced his ancestry to the Pilgrim band of the Mayflower. His father, William Amsdell, came to America in 1818, settled in Albany in 1820, where he died in 1870. Mr. George I. Amsdell died February 17, 1906.”

george-amsdell-brewery-workers-1910 — Brewery workers around 1910.

Here’s is Amsdell’s obituary from the New York Times:

george-amsdell-brewery-1857 — Amsdell Brothers Brewery & Malt House.

You can also read a different take on the brewery’s history at Drink Drank with Albany Ale: The Brothers Amsdell and also more generally at the Albany Ale Project.

Historic Beer Birthday: Frank B. Haberle

September 2, 2025 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Today is the birthday of Frank B. Haberle (September 2, 1855-September 8, 1916). He was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Benedict Haberle, who founded the Benedict Haberle Brewing Co. in 1857. Frank went to college in Germany to learn brewing, and returned to join his father in the business in 1875, when the name was changed to B. Haberle & Son. When Frank’s father Benedict died in 1881, it was incorporated as the Haberle Brewing Co. 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.

Here’s his obituary from the Herald newspaper of Syracuse, New York:

FRANK B. HABERLE, HEAD OF BREWING COMPANY, DEAD
Had Been Ill Long Time, Critically So Since Monday.
Deceased Born in This City in 1855 – Studied in Germany.
Frank B. Haberle, one of the pioneers in the brewing business of the city, died this morning at 8:30 o’clock at his home, No. 802 McBride street. He was 61 years of age.
Mr. Haberle had been in poor health for a long time. He had been seriously ill since Monday. Mr. Haberle was a lifelong resident of the city and was affiliated with more than thirty societies, some of which he had helped to ring into existence here.
Born here on September 2d, 1855, Mr. Haberle was the son of Benedict Haberle. After receiving an education in the schools of Syracuse, he went to Germany and attended college for a year. In 187- he returned to this city and engaged in the brewing business, which had been started by his father in 1857. The firm was known as Benedict Haberle & Son.
His father died in 1881 and Mr. Haberle reorganized the brewing company into a stock company, known as the Haberle Brewing company. He became president of the new concern. In 1892, the company was merged with the Crystal Springs Brewing company, under the name of the Haberle Crystal Springs Brewing company. Mr. Haberle was president of this new company up to the present time.
Mr. Haberle was active socially. His father had been one of the founders of the Syracuse Turn Verein and the Syracuse Leiderkranz. His name is on the membership roll of more than thirty societies in the city. He was affiliated with Salt Springs lodge, F. and A. M.; Syracuse lodge of Elks, Syracuse Aerie of Eagles, the Odd Fellows, Syracuse Turn Verein, Syracuse Leiderkranz, Independent Order of Foresters and several other societies.
Mr. Haberle was devoted to charity work and had done much to relieve suffering among the poor. His charitable work was carried on quietly and he avoided publicity. He was never married and politics never aroused his interest.
Mr. Haberle leaves two sisters, Mrs. Olive Biehler and Mrs. W. T. Woese; six nieces, Mrs. George O’Hara, Mrs. Burns Lyman Smith, Mrs. Leonora Haberle Warner of New York, Miss Amorita C. Schwarz, Miss Louise Haberle Schwarz and Miss Marion Schwarz; and five nephews, Frank Biehler, Benedict F. Haberle, Carl Haberle, Warren J. Haberle and Carl F. Woese.

Here’s another obituary from the Brewers Journal, Volume 47:

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

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