Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

Socialize

Historic Beer Birthday: Danny Williams

By

goldmine
Today would have been Danny Williams’ 67th birthday today, having been born exactly two days before yours truly in 1959. Unfortunately, Danny lost a battle with cancer a little over eight years ago, and passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 23, 2012. For over a decade, Danny worked for the Brewers Association as the beer competition manager for both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. Danny left behind two grown children and a then-8-year old son, Fletcher. His friend Ben Spencer, who’s also a good friend of mine, lets me know from time to time how Danny’s kids are doing, which is great. Join me in raising a birthday beer and giving a toast to the memory of Danny Williams tonight. Danny would have wanted it that way.

Danny Williams and a friend at the World Beer Cup dinner in Chicago several years ago.
Tom Nickel (owner of O’Brien’s in San Diego), Nancy Johnson, Director of GABF and Danny at Slow Food Nation 2008 in San Francisco.
Danny in the former goldmine beer cellar.
Dannys-Angels
Danny’s Angels, after a BA event.

Historic Beer Birthday: Charles Weyand

By

Today is the birthday of Charles Weyand (March 1, 1869-April 28, 1905). He was born in upstate New York, and was the son of Christian Weyand, who co-founded what would become the Christian Weyand Brewing Co. in Buffalo, New York. There’s not too much information about Charles, I suspect because he died fairly young and worked as the secretary and treasurer for his family’s business. His brother, John Weyand, became the president of the brewery after his father died, and it remained in business until closed by prohibition in 1920.

This is his obituary, from the Buffalo News, April 28, 1905:

This biography of Weyand is from “Our County and its people, A descriptive work on Erie County, New York,” edited by Truman C. White, 1898:

Weyand, Charles M., Buffalo, secretary and treasurer of the Christian Weyand Brewing Company, is a son of Christian and Magdelen (Meyer) Weyand, and was born in Buffalo, March 1, 1869. In order to thoroughly equip himself for the business of life he intended to pursue, after passing through the Canisius College he entered the Bryant & Stratton Business College, where he obtained a thorough business education. He immediately entered business with his father and in 1890, when the concern was made a stock company, he was elected secretary and treasurer, which responsible position he now holds. He was married in October, 1891, to Bohumila Louise Andele of Buffalo, and they have one daughter. Mr. Weyand is a member of the Buffalo Orpheus and the St. Louis Dramatic Circle.

Beer In Ads #5137: Bock Is Back… Look For It March 1st

By

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 second ad is for not for a specific Bock Beer, but for every Bock made by the member breweries of the Western Pennsylvania Brewers’ Association. The ad was published on February 28, 1951. This one was for the Western Pennsylvania Brewers’ Association which was founded in 1902 by at least a dozen different breweries. This ad ran in The Pittsburgh Press, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Historic Beer Birthday: John Holme Ballantine

By

ballantine

Today is the birthday of John Holme Ballantine (February 28, 1834-April 27, 1895). He was the second of three sons of Peter Ballantine, who founded P. Ballantine & Sons. In 1857, he brought on his three sons as partners. John Holme served as president of the family brewery from 1883 until his death in 1895.

JohnBallantinephoto

This is John Holme’s obituary from the Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey:

John-Holme-Ballantine-obit
Ballantone-Postcard-1906
JohnHPoliceGazettews
ballantine-lagerbrewery

And here’s a history of the Ballantine brewery from “A History of American Manufactures from 1608 to 1860,” by John Leander Bishop, Edwin Troxell Freedley, Edward Young, published in 1868:

ballantine-brewery-bio-1
ballantine-brewery-bio-2
ballantine-brewery-bio-3
letterheadglassbeeraleCutOut
Ballantine-xmas-1964-blanks

American Craft Beer Hall of Fame: 2nd Year Inductees

By

Earlier today, the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame, announced the 2026 inductees, the second class of inductees, in a coordinated livestream from multiple locations. You can watch the ceremony on YouTube. The brainchild of Marty Nachel, the Hall of Fame welcomed eight new members.

American Craft Beer Hall of Fame:

The 2026 Class

Charles Bamforth

A British scientist specializing in malting and brewing, Bamforth is a former president of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and served as the endowed professor of malting and brewing sciences at the University of California, Davis Brewing School. He later worked as senior quality adviser to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and has received numerous industry honors, including the Brewers Association Recognition Award, the Master Brewers Association of the Americas Award of Honor, and honorary life membership in the MBAA.

Larry Bell

Bell founded Kalamazoo Brewing Company (later renamed Bell’s Brewery) in 1985 and became a frequent speaker and presenter throughout the industry. He received the Brewers Association Recognition Award for innovative brewing and dedication to craft beer, while Bell’s Two Hearted Ale earned recognition from the American Homebrewers Association as one of the best beers in the United States.

Sam Calagione

Alongside his wife Mariah, Calagione co-founded Dogfish Head Brewing Company in 1995 and became widely known for championing experimentation and nonconformity in brewing. He invented Randall the Enamel Animal draught flavoring device and later starred in the Discovery Channel series “Brew Masters” in 2010, helping bring craft beer culture to a broader audience.

Teri Fahrendorf

One of the first women brewmasters in the United States, Fahrendorf led brewing operations at Golden Gate, Triple Rock and Steelhead brewing companies and earned eight Great American Beer Festival medals. A 2014 Brewers Association Recognition Award recipient for lifetime achievement, she is also a respected consultant, technical writer and international speaker, and founded the Pink Boots Society to support women in the beer industry.

Kim Jordan

Jordan co-founded New Belgium Brewing Company in 1991 and guided the brewery’s growth from a small startup into one of the nation’s most prominent craft producers. Under her leadership, New Belgium became known for its sustainability initiatives and culture of social and environmental responsibility. She has also been named a 2025 inductee to the Colorado Business Hall of Fame.

Garrett Oliver

Oliver has served as brewmaster at both Manhattan Brewing Company and Brooklyn Brewery and is widely respected as an author and educator. His works include “The Brewmaster’s Table” and “The Oxford Companion to Beer.” Named an honorary Beer Academy Sommelier by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, he remains a sought-after speaker and international beer judge.

Pete Slosberg

Slosberg co-founded Pete’s Brewing Company in 1986, and its flagship Pete’s Wicked Ale helped define the American brown ale style while becoming the No. 2 selling craft brand at its peak in the mid-1990s. He later authored “Beer for Pete’s Sake” and continues to contribute to the industry as an international beer judge and co-founder of the South Beer Cup competition.

Carol Stoudt

Stoudt and her husband opened Stoudt’s Brewing Company in 1987, where she became one of the first female brewmasters in the United States and the nation’s first female sole proprietor of a brewery. A recipient of the Presidential Award from Breweries in Pennsylvania, she is widely recognized as a trailblazer who helped expand opportunities for women in the craft beer business.

Beer Birthday: Jeff Bell

By

ypres-castle
Today is the 47th birthday of Jeff Bell, whose alter ego was, until over a decade ago, Stonch, once one of England’s best bloggers. He retired from blogging to concentrate on his new job as landlord of a London pub, The Gunmakers, in Clerkenwell, a village in the heart of London. I stopped by to meet Jeff on my way back from a trip to Burton-on-Trent years ago. And several years back, I saw Jeff several times during GBBF week. But later, the blogging started up again, and he moved on from that pub, and for a time he was the landlord of the Finborough Arms in Earl’s Court, next to the Finborough Theatre, but he’s moved on from there, and for awhile was tramping around Italy as an “Englishman living in Tuscany.” But he’s back in England, and has taken up residence in the East Sussex town of Rye as the publican and proprietor of the Ypres Castle Inn, at least that’s the last I heard. Join me in wishing Jeff a very happy birthday.

In front of Gunmaker’s in the summer of 2009.
With a Gunmaker’s bartender at the British Beer Writers Guild event before the start of the Great British Beer Festival in 2009.
Ron Pattinson, talking with Jeff and Mark Dredge at the Carlsberg Laboratories in Copenhagen a couple of years ago.
Leaving Copenhagen; Pete Brown, Ron Pattinson, Jeff, Stephen Beaumont and Stan Hieronymus.
stonch-1
Jeff Bell, a.k.a. Stonch, at The Gunmakers Pub in central London.

Beer In Ads #5136: American Bock Beer Is Being Served Today!

By

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 American Bock Beer, which was published on February 28, 1951. This one was for the American Brewery Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland and was founded in 1863 by Joseph F. Wiessner. This ad ran in The Evening Sun, of Baltimore, Maryland.

Historic Beer Birthday: James Younger

By

george-younger
Today is the birthday of James Younger (February 28, 1818-August 5, 1868). He was born in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, and was the son of George Younger, and the grandson of George Younger, who founded the brewery that would become George Younger and Son in 1764. He was also a first cousin of Robert Younger (1850-1887) and the ancestor of the Younger family of York, North Yorkshire. Presumably because he wasn’t the first, but one of several in the very early days of the brewery, there’s very little information about him I could find.

James-Younger

He married Janet McEwan, daughter of John McEwan, in November 1850.

george-younger-labels

George-Younger-meadow-brewery


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

Historic Beer Birthday: Joseph Metcalfe

By

indiana
Today is the birthday of Joseph Metcalfe (February 28, 1832-September 26, 1858). He was born in Yorkshire, England, but came to the U.S. with his family as an infant, settling in Louisville when he was still a child. He was a brewer who owned breweries in both Louisville, Kentucky and New Albany, Indiana, which is just across the Ohio River from Louisville. He was often referred to as Colonel Metcalfe, and he was a veteran of the Mexican War as well as the Civil War.

He’s mentioned, curiously, in Germans in Louisville, in the prehistory of the town, from a German perspective.

matcalfe-germans-in-louisville

And again similarly in an Encyclopedia of Louisville:

Here’s the story from IndianaBeer.com:

Colonel Joseph Metcalfe started a brewery in New Albany in 1847 which he sold to William Grainger in 1856 who sold it to Paul Reising in 1857. Reising sold it to Martin Kaelin in 1861 who renamed it Main Street Brewery. This was a two-story building of 40×60 feet with two lagering cellars. It employed five men who made 3,600 bbls by 1868.

This little item ran in Louisville Courier on September 11, 1855:

And this is how he’s mentioned in Hoosier Beer: Tapping Into Indiana Brewing History:

Tavern Trove has a slightly different timeline for the brewery, as do a number of sources.

Joseph Metcalfe Brewery 1847-1857
William Grainger 1857-aft 1857
Paul Reising Aft. 1857-1861
Martin Kaelin, Main Street Brewery 1861-1882
Louis Schmidt, Main Street Brewery 1882-1883
Hornung and Atkins, Main Street Brewery 1883-1886
Jacob Hornung, Main Street Brewery 1886-1889
Indiana Brewing Co. 1889-1895
Pank-Weinmann Brewing Company. 1895-1899
Merged with the Southern Indiana Ice and Beverage Co. of New Albany, Indiana in 1899

paul-reising-brewery
This is Metcalfe’s brewery shortly after he had sold it to Paul Reising.
Reisling-brewers
The brewery crew when it was the Paul Riesing Brewery.

Beer In Ads #5135: What Record’s Bock Beer Is

By

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 Bushkill Bock Beer, which was published on February 27, 1912. This one was for Record Brewing Co. of Elmira, New York and was founded in 1902. This ad ran in The Elmira Star Gazette, of Elmira, New York.