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Beer In Ads #5204: Bock Beer! The First Genuine Bock Of The Season

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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.

Saturday’s first ad is for Heublein’s Bock Beer, which was published on April 4, 1878. This ad was for the Heublien Company of Hartford, Connecticut, which was originally founded by Andrew Heublien in 1862 as a restaurant. They were one of the first companies to sell RTDs (Ready-to-Drink cocktails) in 1875 and soon after, in 1906, acquired the rights to sell, and later manufacture, A-1 Steak Sauce. WHile I couldn’t find anything specific about them brewing beer in the 19th century, they must have had someone brew it for them. This ad ran in the Hartford Courant, also of Hartford, Connecticut.

Historic Beer Birthday: Marcus Rapp

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Today is the birthday of Marcus Rapp (April 4, 1834-September 24, 1904). He was born in Gerlingen, Württemberg, Germany, but emigrated to the U.S. and settled in West Virginia. In 1859, with a partner, Louis Hebrank, he founded the Rapp & Hebrank Lager Beer Brewery, which later became known as the Parkersburg Brewing Co. But it only last until prohibition, closing in 1914.

Here’s a short history from the Huntington (West Virginia) Museum of Beer & Brewing:

The first Parkersburg Brewery was founded by Marcus Rapp in 1859. During the time the company was known as the Rapp & Hebrank Brewery, the original plant was built near present day Route 68 and Marrtown Road near Marrtown. The new brewery was built in 1896 because the Rapp-Hebrank brewery could not meet the demand for beer in Parkersburg.

After the move, the company became known as The Parkersburg Brewing Company and was a thriving business until Statewide Prohibition. The plant was located at Seventh Street where Daley Transfer is now located. The American Brewing Company was on Depot Street in Parkersburg, near the present-day laundry building of St. Mary’s Hospital.

The brewery only operated during 1934 – 1938. It was most likely an attempt by the original owners of the Parkersburg Brewery to re-enter the beer business after Prohibition. The original Parkersburg Brewery buildings were sold years later.

The brewery around 1880.
The Bottling Works around 1905.

Historic Beer Birthday: Henry Thrale

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Nobody’s sure exactly when the birthday of Henry Thrale is, not even the year is certain. He may have been born in 1724 or it may have been 1720. He did, however, die on April 4, 1781. He was the son of brewer Ralph Thrale (1698–1758), who bought the Anchor Brewery in Southwark, London, England in 1729. Henry Thrale became the owner when his father died. By “the early nineteenth century it was the largest brewery in the world. From 1781 [after Henry Thrale died] it was operated by Barclay Perkins & Co, who merged with Courage in 1955. The brewery was demolished in 1981.”

Henry_Thrale


This is his basic biography from his Wikipedia page:

Henry Thrale was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1765 to 1780. He was a close friend of Samuel Johnson. Like his father, he was the proprietor of the large London brewery, H. Thrale & Co.

Born at the Alehouse in Harrow Corner, Southwark, he was the son of the rich brewer Ralph Thrale (1698–1758) and Mary Thrale. He married Hester Lynch Salusbury on 11 October 1763; they had 12 children, and she outlived him. He was MP for Southwark 23 December 1765 – September 1780, an Alderman, and Sheriff of the City of London: a respected, religious man who was a good hunter and sportsman with a taste for gambling.

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Thrale’s Anchor Brewery around 1785.

This is the entry for Barclay, Perkins & Co. Ltd, which at one time had been Thrale’s Anchor Brewery, from “The Brewing Industry: A Guide to Historical Records,” edited by Lesley Richmond, Alison Turton, published in 1990:

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barclay-perkins-history-2


anchor-brewery-c1820-john-thomas-smith-1766-1833
The Anchor Brewery around 1820.

And finally, the famous English writer Charles Dickens, during the period when he was writing many of his major works, “he was also the publisher, editor, and a major contributor to the journals Household Words (1850–1859) and All the Year Round (1858–1870). In “Volume V, from March 30, 1861 to September 21, 1861,” in a piece entitled “Queen of the Blue Stockings,” from April 20, 1861, Ralph Thrale is mentioned in a history of the Barclay Perkins brewery to give context to his tale:

LondonSE1BarclayPerkinsAnchorPlaque2_SP_Mar10
A marker where Thrale’s brewery once stood in central London.

Beer In Ads #5203: Now’s The Time To Say … Blitz Weinhard Bock For Me!

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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.

Friday’s second ad is for Blitz Weinhard Bock Beer, which was published on April 3, 1951. This ad was for the Blitz Weinhard Brewing Co. of Portland, Oregon, which was originally founded in 1856. This ad ran in the Oregonian, also of Minneapolis, Oregon.

Beer Birthday: Dave Bonighton

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Today is the 56th birthday of Dave Bonighton, who is a co-founder of Australia’s Mountain Goat Beer. I first met Dave either judging in Japan or in the U.S. at the World Beer Cup, although we also judged together in Australia a few years ago at the AIBA. Dave’s a great guy and his beers are some of the best I’ve had from Australia. In 2015, Asahi Bought Mountain Goat, though Dave and his partner stayed on and at the time said “Mountain Goat will continue to operate as a stand-alone business.” Join me in wishing Dave a very happy birthday.

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Mountain Goat co-founder and brewmaster Dave Bonighton.
Dave and Cam Hines at the AIBA Awards.

Historic Beer Birthday: Frederick Hinckel Jr.

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Today is the birthday of Frederick Hinckel Jr. (April 3, 1859-February 25, 1917). He was the son of Frederick Hinckel Sr., who co-founded the Hinckel Brewery of Albany, New York. His father, Hinckel Sr., along with Johann Andreas Schinnerer, founded the F. Hinckel & A. Schinnerer brewery in 1852, which was also known as the Cataract Brewery. “Its premises occupied half a city block, bounded by Swan Street, Myrtle and Park Avenues. By 1864 Hinckel was the sole owner of the business.” When his father passed away in 1881, Frederick Jr., along with his brother Charles, took over the brewery. It closed in 1920 when prohibition went into effect, and did reopen after repeal. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any portraits of Frederick Jr.

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Here’s his obituary from “The Brewer’s Journal” for November 1916-October 1917:

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A Hinckel Brewery beer wagon.
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Although the brewery closed in 1920 because of prohibition, and never reopened afterwards, the build was preserved and today is an apartment complex.

Beer In Ads #5202: The Bock Beer Time Is Near, And It Comes But Once A Year

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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.

Friday’s first ad is for Gleuk’s Bock Beer, which was published on April 3, 1912. This ad was for the Gluek Brewing Co. of Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was originally founded in 1857. This ad ran in the Star Tribune, also of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Historic Beer Birthday: Henry Pierre Heineken

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Today is the birthday of Henry Pierre Heineken (April 3, 1886-May 3, 1971). He was born in Amsterdam, the son of Gerard Adriaan Heineken (although there is mention that he was not a biological son, but without explanation). He became the second director of the Heineken brewery. Heineken studied chemistry beginning in 1905 at the University of Amsterdam, where he also obtained his doctorate in 1914. After the sudden death of his father, Gerard Adriaan Heineken, in 1893 the company was run by a board led by his mother, Mary Tindal. From October 1, 1914, he was on the board of the Heineken Brewery Society, and in 1917 he became president.

According to Dutch Wikipedia:

Henry Pierre continued his father’s success and guided the company through the economic crisis of the 1930s. He took care of the purchase of a brewery in Brussels in 1927 for expansion outside Netherlands. One of the most important contributions made by Henry Pierre was to increase production while maintaining quality. In addition, he became known for his progressive social policy.

He continued to be involved in the company until 1951, although his son Freddy Heineken had already taken over the management in 1941. H.P. Heineken also served as chairman of the Board of Directors of NV Het Concertgebouw.

Henry Pierre as a young man.

Another curious tidbit I discovered about him is that “[i]n addition to product quality, his name is associated in particular with the progressive social policy he pursued, a policy that earned him his nickname, the ‘red brewer.'”

The Heineken Brewery around 1899.

And here’s some of his accomplishments from a Van Der Meer online history of the brewery.

Heineken was President Director of HEINEKEN from 1917 until 1940. Under his leadership, HEINEKEN became  the first company that had pension regulations (1923). From 1940 to 1951 he was delegated commissioner.  in 1938 he became knight in order of the Dutch Lion, and in France he got “Legion d’Honneur”. His name is attached to the “H.P. Heineken price” that is given every 3 years to the person who did an exeptional performance.  He established breweries in Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, the Belgian Congo and Egypt.

Heineken’s first beer truck, in 1900.

Beer In Ads #5201: The Old Brewmaster Says: Spring Time Is “Bock Beer” Time.

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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.

Thursday’s second ad is for Rainier Bock Beer, which was published on April 2, 1913. This ad was for the Rainier Brewing Co., of Seattle, Washington, which was originally founded in 1878, though during American prohibition they did brew Rainier in Canada at a brewery located in Kamloops, British Columbia. This ad ran in The Vancouver Sun, of Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada.

Historic Beer Birthday: John Frederick Oertel Jr.

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Today is not the birthday of John Frederick Oertel Jr. since no one’s quite sure exactly when he was born, but we do now that he died today. (1899-April 2, 1961). He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and was, of course, the son of John Frederick Ortel, who founded the Oertel Brewing Co. there in 1892. After his father passed away in 1929, he became the president of the brewery and ran it until he passed away today in 1961.

This is his obituary, from the Louisville Courier-Journal on April 3, 1961:

John F. Oertel, Jr., president of Oertel Brewing Company, died about 9:30 last night after collapsing at his home, 4922 Brownsboro Road. He was 61. Oertel, a leading Catholic layman here, apparently died of a stroke, his family physician said. Although he had been under medical treatment for the past year, his death was unexpected, the doctor said.
Oertel, a Louisville native, had headed the brewing company for about 30 years. He took over the presidency after the death of his father,. who founded the company here in 1892.
SOLD IN SIX STATES
Under the son’s leadership, the company embarked on expansion programs after the repeal of Prohibition and the end of World War II. Its product is now sold in about six states. The company, Kentucky’s oldest continuously operating brewery, stayed open during the prohibition era by limiting its output to soft drinks and “near beer,” a nonintoxicating beverage.
HONORED BY POPE
Oertel was made a Knight of St. Gregory by the late Pope Pius XII in 1955 for his services to the Catholic Church. He was a co-chairman of the church’s education fund drive here in 1953. Oertel was a member of St. Joseph Church. He was a member of the boards of Bellarmine College, Boys’ Haven, and the Stock Yards Bank. Oertel was a graduate of St. Joseph School and St. Xavier High School here. Survivors include his wife, the former Marie Hirt, and a sister, Miss Mary Louise Oertel.

Here’s the same obituary, but the hard copy from the newspaper: