Today is the birthday of Herman Adolph Schalk (May 3, 1833-May 2, 1908). He was born in Meßkirch, Germany and emigrated to the U.S. with his father and two brothers, Adolph and Oscar. They had been brewing already in Germany, so when they settled in Newark, New Jersey, the four of them opened a family brewery in 1841, which they called the Johann Nepomuk Schalk & Sons Brewery. After helping his sons’ build and manage the brewery, he moved back to Germany to return to running his own brewery, located in Konstanz. In 1856, the three sons renamed the brewery Schalk Bros. Brewery, though at that time it appears Oscar was no longer involved, only his brother Adolph.

From Tavern Trove:

By 1870 the Schalk Brothers Brewery was the largest in Newark, and approaching the top 20 in the nation. However the panic of 1873 left the company exposed and they were forced to cut back. They never recovered and in 1878 the brothers had to sell their assets to the aforementioned Ballantine Brewery. Herman Adolph Schalk died in 1908, one day before his 75th birthday.

Here’s a short obituary from the Time Union, May 2, 1908.

And a longer one from the New York Herald, also May 2, 1908:

And one more, from the Time Ledger: