Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer Birthday: Pete Reid

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Today is Pete Reid’s 63rd birthday. Pete was the publisher of Modern Brewery Age. I first met Pete a number of years ago at a Craft Brewers Conference but finally got to know him much better during a trip to Bavaria a few years back, where the two of us took a side trip to Salzburg to visit the original Austrian Trumer Brauerei. I think he may be retired or at least shut down MBA, as the domain name is no longer active, plus I haven’t seen him at beer events lately, either. Still, join me in wishing Pete a very happy birthday.

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At the Zotler Brauerei in Germany.
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At the Bavarian Hop Museum, that’s Pete in the back row in the baseball cap.
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Pete, me and Chris Rice, then from All About Beer magazine, during a trip to Belgium a few years ago.
Peter Reid, with Gary Ettelman, of Ettelman & Hochheiser at the NBWA convention in 2008.
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Toasting with Horst Dornbusch at the Bamberg Brewing Museum.

Historic Beer Birthday: Bernhard Stroh

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Today is the birthday of Bernhard Stroh (August 20, 1822-June 24, 1882). He was born in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, and after a detour in Brazil, emigrated to the U.S. and settled in Detroit.

This biography is from Find-a-Grave:

Businessman. He left Germany in 1848, and joined a group of German settlers in Brazil for three years before arriving in America. He landed in Buffalo, New York heading by way of the Erie Canal. The boat he was on docked in Detroit. So Stroh took it upon him self to venture into the city. He liked what he saw and decided to stay. With a few hundred left from the Brazilian business venture he started a small brewery at 57 Catherine Street in Detroit. Soon after establishing his German brewery local patrons in Detroit aquired a desired taste for his German lager beer. Bernhard Stroh would have his sons personally cart small kegs of beer to his customers by wheelbarrow. For over a century now, local Detroiters have enjoyed the same “fire-brewed” taste that the Stroh Family created over 150 years ago.

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The Stroh family around 1871.

This is what Wikipedia has to say about Stroh’s early days through Julius Stroh’s tenure:

The Stroh family began brewing beer in a family-owned inn during the 18th century in Kirn, Germany. In 1849, during the German Revolution, Bernhard Stroh (1822-1882), who had learned the brewing trade from his father, emigrated to the United States. Bernhard Stroh established his brewery in Detroit in 1850 when he was 28 and immediately started producing Bohemian-style pilsner, which had been developed at the municipal brewery of Pilsen, Bohemia in 1842. In 1865, he purchased additional land and expanded his business and adopted the heraldic lion emblem from the Kyrburg Castle in Germany and named his operation the Lion’s Head Brewery. (The lion emblem is still visible in its advertising and product labels.)

Bernhard Stroh’s original beer selling operation consisted of a basement brewing operation and was then sold door-to-door in a wheelbarrow. The new beer (Stroh’s) sold door-to-door was a lighter-lager beer, brewed in copper kettles.

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The Stroh Brewery around 1864.

This short account about Bernhard is from the Entrepreneur Wiki:

The Stroh family has a long history of brewing beer, which first began in Germany. However, due to the German Revolution, in 1849, Bernhard Stroh moved the business to the United States after three years of living in Brazil. He started his company with a budget of $ 150.00.

Stroh selected Detroit, Michigan as the location for his brewery and settled there in 1850. Stroh was 28 years old at the time. The company was known for making a Pilsner (also known as Pilzen) style beer. Pilsner beers are fire-brewed and lighter than traditional beers. In 1855, the company increased in size, and then shortly thereafter became known as Lion’s Head Brewery. The company had been known as Stroh’s Brewery until this time.

The most popular beer sold, Stroh’s, was first peddled via wheelbarrow. The new beer was brewed in copper kettles to enrich the flavor. The company name was then changed to B. Stroh Brewing Company when Bernhard passed in 1882, and his son, Bernhard Junior, took over the business. In 1988, Forbes estimated that the Stroh family had an estimated worth of 700 million dollars. The brewing company stayed in the Stroh family until the year 2000.

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Beer Birthday: John Mallett

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Today is John Mallett’s 62nd birthday. John was, until recently, the production manager at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a post he’d held since 2001, and also for New Belgium Brewery more recently. John has a great sense of humor and I recall a particularly side-splitting kvetching evening-long conversation with him and Fal Allen at CBC in San Diego a number of years ago and a couple of years we judged together in Japan, which was great fun. In addition, John also published the Brewers’ Publications book on Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse. But even more recently, John’s retired and looking for the next great adventure. Join me in wishing John a very happy birthday.

Mugging for the camera at GABF in 2007, with Bob Pease, Ray Daniels and Mark Dorber.
Running out of beer in 2015 at FWIBW with Agostino Arioli (from Birrificio Italiano), John and Brian Hunt (from Moonlight).
At Bruce Paton’s “Tion” Beer Dinner in2006. That’s John in orange trying to smooch with Peter Bouckaert from New Belgium.
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John, me and other judges in Tokyo to judge at the Japanese Craft Beer competition in 2013.
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John with Fred Bueltmann of New Holland Brewing, at Red Horse Ranch in Michigan (photo purloined from Facebook).

If you’d like to see John wearing lederhosen, click here.

Beer In Ads #5288: Flint Bock, Exactly Like Imported Beer

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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.

Wednesday’s ad is for Flint Bock Beer, which was published on July 8, 1903. This ad was for Flint Brewing Co. of Flint, Michigan, which was originally founded in 1874. It’s kind of hilarious that the tagline starts with “Absolutely the Finest Beer Ever Sold in the City,” but then ends with “Exactly Like Imported Beer” like that’s a selling point. This ad ran in the Flint Journal, also of Flint, Michigan.

Beer In Ads #5283: Something Never Seen Before! XXX Bock Beer

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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 ad is for XXX Bock Beer, which was published on July 3, 1870. The bock in question was brewed for them by the Milwaukee Brewery of Detroit, Michigan, which was founded in 1866 by William Voigt. This ad was for “Del’s Tavern located at the corner of Third and Vine”Something Never Seen Before!, or the “Grand Reception of King ‘Gambrinus,’ in Detroit, on the 4th Day of July,” to be held at Long’s Saloon at No. 34 Monroe Ave. in Detroit, Michigan, which was part of the historic Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings. This ad ran in the Detroit Free Press, also of Detroit, Michigan.

Historic Beer Birthday: William F. Weber

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Today is the birthday of William F. Weber (July 2, 1853-October 19, 1909). He was born in Detroit, Michigan, but moved to Saginaw as a young man, marrying Bertha Raquet, whose father Peter Raquet founded the P. & J. Raquet Brewery in 1870, renaming it the National Brewery a few years later. When his father-in-law died, Weber and two other sons-in-law continued to run the business. One was bought out, and when another one died, his wife, one of Raquet’s daughter’s, Emma, stepped in and she and William F. Weber soldiered on and the brewery remained in business until 1941, when they switched back to soda (which they made during Prohibition) and continued making National Pop, at least until the 1980s.

This is his obituary, from the American Brewers’ Review:

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The National Brewery in the 1890s.

This account of the brewery is from the Michigan Federation of Labor’s “Official Year Book” for 1906-07.

And this obituary was published in the Saginaw News on October 20, 1909:

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Beer In Ads #5276: Last Call For Bock Beer

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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 ad is for an unspecified Bock Beer, which was published on June 26, 1952. This ad was for the Monroe Beer Cooler of Monroe, Michigan, which appears to still be in business. According to their Facebook page, they are “Monroe’s ONLY drive thru party store with much more than convenience to offer.” This ad ran in the Monroe Evening News, also of Monroe, Michigan.

Beer Birthday: Larry Bell

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Today is the 68th birthday of brewing legend, Larry Bell, the iconoclastic former owner of Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A few years ago, Larry was on a quest to attend every Chicago Cubs home game. A few years ago, there was the Bell’s 35th Anniversary I had planned on attending, but in the end could not due to that pesky pandemic. Sadly, now Larry has retired, but hopefully he’ll still be around.a beer functions. Bell’s doesn’t often get the credit it deserves for being the spark for craft beer in the midwest, having started in 1985, well before almost everybody else inside the two coasts. Join me in wishing Larry a very happy birthday.

Larry with Alan Sprints, from Hair of the Dog at the Full Sail Smoker during the Oregon Brewers Festival a few years ago.
Larry, with Ed and Carol Stoudt, from Stoudt Brewing, and Ken Allen, from Anderson Valley Brewing at the Craft Brewers Conference in Austin, Texas, in 2007.
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Larry accepting the BA Recognition Award at CBC way back when.
At OBF in 2008.
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Several years ago in Portland for CBC, wearing the Belmont Crown for a Bell’s event there.
Larry and Teri Fahrendorf at OBF in 2003.

Beer In Ads #5259: Be Hospitable During The Smeltania

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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 ad is for Menominee Bock Beer, which was published on June 4, 1938. This ad was for the Menominee-Marinette Brewing Co. of Menominee, Michigan, which was originally founded in 1870, though it wasn’t known as Menominee-Marinette until after Prohibition. This ad ran in The Escanaba Daily Press, of Escanaba, Michigan. While overall it’s not a terribly exciting ad, there are two features that make it stand out. First, what the hell is the Smeltania? It turns out it was “a historic ‘city on the ice’ and a modern winter festival in Boyne City, Michigan. It gets its name from the legendary, bustling shanty villages that popped up on Lake Charlevoix during the winter to catch smelt.” It appeared to be a thriving festival in the 1930s but eventually died out, and was resurrected recently, but that attempt appears to have also fizzled out. You can read about it in this short article from the Lake Charlevoix Association. The second feature is the phrase “For Home Use!” which strikes me as a hilarious way to say you don’t have to go to the bar, but can continue drinking beer at home.

Here are some photos from the Smeltania during its heyday:

Beer In Ads #5256: Oh Boy.. This Really Picks You Up!

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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.

Monday’s ad is for Menominee Genuine Bock Beer, which was published on June 1, 1941. This ad was for the Menominee-Marinette Brewing Co., of Menominee, Michigan, which was founded in 1870 as the De Heck & Scharmbruch Brewery. This ad ran in The Escanaba Daily Press, of Escanaba, Michigan.