Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Historic Beer Birthday: Charles F. Wiedemann

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Today is the birthday of Charles F. Wiedemann (June 16, 1857-November 3, 1928). He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but was raised in Kentucky, after his father, George Wiedemann, founded the moved to George Wiedemann Brewing Co. in Newport, Kentucky in 1870. It later became Kentucky’s largest brewery.” After his death, Charles became president and continued to run the business, with his brother George Jr. as vice-president. After prohibition, the brewery merged with G. Heileman Brewing Company, and in 1967 was operated as the Wiedemann Division of the G. Heileman Brewing Company, Inc. The brewery was closed in 1983.

This account is from the Northern Kentucky Tribune:

Wiedemann’s oldest son, Charles, studied brewing in Munich, and worked at a brewery in Milwaukee before coming home to Newport to become superintendent of the family brewery. His younger brother, George, also studied brewing in Munich, and then became foreman of the Wiedemann Brewery.

When Wiedemann died in 1890, Charles became president, and George vice-president of the brewery. When Prohibition arrived, the Wiedemann Brewery didn’t stop brewing. It kept on thanks to its alliance with George Remus, the so-called “king of the bootleggers.” Partnership with Remus provided a Star Wars-like shield of protection, but it didn’t last long. In 1927, it got busted by federal agents, causing the brewery to shut down.

Carl, the son of Charles, took the rap for his father, and did time (eight months) at the federal prison in Atlanta. Generally known as a “party boy,” Carl was not the family choice to run the brewery after Prohibition came to an end. Instead, it chose H. Tracy Balcom, a grandson of the founding father of the brewery, George Wiedemann. Thanks to him the brewery got back on its feet. In 1964, Richard Wagner, the son of a daughter of Charles Wiedemann, became president of the brewery, having served as secretary-treasurer since 1934.

By the 1960s, larger breweries were conducting aggressive advertising campaigns and price wars that made it increasingly difficult for smaller breweries. Given these conditions, the Wiedemann Brewing Company was sold in 1967 to the G. Heileman Brewing Company. By 1978, the number of breweries had plummeted to eighty-nine plants, but Heileman was still among the top ten, and still maintained the Wiedemann Division for its production of Wiedemann brews.

To strengthen its position, Heileman consolidated its holdings, which led to the closing of the brewery in Newport in 1983. Wiedemann brews were transferred to Heileman’s brewery in Evansville, Indiana, but the company, facing stiff competition, filed for bankruptcy in 1991. The closing of the brewery in Newport dealt a harsh economic blow, since it employed eight hundred workers at the time of its closing.
The rights to Wiedemann beer were sold to an investment group, and these were acquired by the Pittsburgh Brewing Company, which continued brewing until it filed for bankruptcy in 2006. Jon Newberry of Cincinnati then acquired these rights, and has subsequently opened the new Wiedemann Brewery in St. Bernard in Cincinnati.

Although the original Wiedemann Brewery is now gone, there still are several Wiedemann homes worth seeing in Newport. The Wiedemann Hill Mansion is located on a hillside overlooking the city and the Ohio River at 1102 Park Avenue. The home and carriage house were designed by Samuel Hannaford, and is no doubt one of the major architectural landmarks in the Greater Cincinnati area. It was completed in 1895, and Wiedemann’s widow, Agnes, lived there. After her death in 1899, it became the home of son Charles and his family. The original home of the Charles Wiedemann family is at 709 Overton Street, and the home of his brother George’s family is at 401 Park Avenue. The Wiedemann family gravesite is at the Evergreen Cemetery in Newport, and features a beautiful monument.

Wiedemann Brewery, 6th and Columbia Sts., Newport, KY., circa 1910.

Historic Beer Birthday: Anton Ruh

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Today is the birthday of Anton Ruh (June 11, 1845-November 26, 1925). Ruh was born in Germany, but made his way to America, settling in Kentucky. In 1889, he became the brewmaster of the Bavarian Brewing Co. of Covington, Kentucky, after Wilhelm Riedlin became the sole owner. He brewed there until prohibition began, and even though the brewery did reopen after repeal, he had passed away in 1925.

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There isn’t a great deal of information about Anton Ruh, although there’s this brief mention from the North Kentucky Tribune:

One Covington family contributed greatly to the beer brewing heritage of Covington. German immigrant Anton Ruh was a long-time brew master at Bavarian Brewery. Under his leadership, the Bavarian brand gained a reputation across the Midwest. Anton’s son, Joseph Ruh, was associated with both Bavarian and Heidelburg Breweries. Joseph’s son, Carl Ruh, was a teacher at Covington Catholic High School, a Kentucky State Representative and Kenton County Sheriff.

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It appears that Ruh may be front and center in this photo of the brewery workers from an unknown date.

And this history of the brewery is from “The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky,” edited by Paul A. Tenkotte, James C. Claypool:

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Beer In Ads #4976: Brucks Bock Beer

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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.

Wednesday’s ad is for Brucks Bock Beer. The ad was published on May 21, 1937. This one was for the Bruckmann Brewing Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio, which was originally founded in 1856 by brothers Johann and Frederick Bruckmann as the Cumminsville Brewery. After Prohibition they bought out the Ohio Union Brewing Co.and operated it as a second brewing facility until 1949, and both were renamed the Bruckmann Co. after 1919. This ad ran in the Advocate Messenger of Danville, Kentucky.

Beer Birthday: Gary Spedding

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Today is the 66th birthday of Gary Spedding, who owns and operates the Brewing and Distilling Analytical Services in Lexington, Kentucky. The BDAS focuses on “the testing of alcoholic beverages and beverage raw materials.” Gary was originally a biochemist before being bitten by the beer bug, and later becoming the director of the brewing test laboratories at the Siebel Institute of Technology. In 2002, Gary founded the BDAS and has been there ever since. I first met Gary when he started doing short seminars during judges orientation for both GABF and the World Beer Cup, creating sensory exercises for us to challenge our palettes and make us stronger judges. Join me in wishing Gary a very happy birthday.

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Gary looking every bit the scientist.
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Gary giving a presentation on Calculations for Routine Measurements and Parameters in the Brewhouse and Brewery Lab, at CBC, when it was in DC in 2013. [Photo by Thomas Cizauskas. Thanks, Tom!]

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 not 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:

Beer In Ads #2687: Serve Fehr’s With Ribs

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Saturday’s ad is for the Frank Fehr Brewing Co., from 1950. The Louisville, Kentucky brewery is advertising their Fehr’s XL Beer as a pairing with ribs. The ribs are laid out on a red and white checkerboard tablecloth with bread and a bowl of sauce. I’m not sure about the horseshoe handles on the baskets, which make it look like a yee-haw sort of restaurant, but if the food is tasty, then why not.

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Beer In Ads #2686: Serve Fehr’s With Beans ‘N’ Bacon — Boston Style

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Friday’s ad is for the Frank Fehr Brewing Co., from 1950. The Louisville, Kentucky brewery is advertising their Fehr’s XL Beer as a pairing with Boston baked beans and bacon. I think is well before the days when advertising agencies hired professional food stylists to make the food look perfect, and as appetizing as possible. And while they’re still using their tagline, “It’s Al-ways Fehr Weather,” I confess I don’t understand why there’s a hyphen in always.

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Beer In Ads #2685: Fehr Weather With Fish

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Thursday’s ad is for the Frank Fehr Brewing Co., from 1951. The Louisville, Kentucky brewery is advertising their Fehr’s XL Beer as a pairing with fish. I do love how they’ve cut the lemons on the fish so they look like flowers, that’s a nice touch. I’m not sure about the sides, though, which seem to include lima beans and what I think are some sad-looking French fries. They’re getting a lot of mileage out of their tagline. “It’s Always Fehr Weather.”

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Beer In Ads #2684: Fehr Weather For Dinner

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Wednesday’s ad is for the Frank Fehr Brewing Co., from 1951. The Louisville, Kentucky brewery is advertising their Fehr’s XL Beer as a pairing with food, although that is one seriously scary looking dish. What the hell is that thing? Is it a slap of meat in Jell-O. I see a bone, I think? And what’s on top, it may be rice but could just as easily be something far worse. Sheesh!

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Beer In Ads #1801: Fiddler On The Bock Barrel

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Monday’s ad is another one for Frank Fehr Brewing Co.’s Bock Beer, probably from the 1890s. The brewery was located in Louisville, Kentucky, but started out as the Otto Brewery. Its name changed to Frank Fehr in 1890, and remained that name until it closed in 1964. In this one, Tevye the Goat fiddles on top of a barrel of bock beer. He may be a small goat, but he plays with heart.

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