Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Historic Beer Birthday: William Hamm Sr.

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Today is the birthday of William Hamm (September 26, 1858-June 10, 1931). William Sr. was the son of Theodore Hamm, who founded Hamm’s Brewery in St. Paul, Minnesota. William Sr. took over for his father when Theodore retired and ran it until he died shortly before prohibition was repealed, and his son William Jr. took over.

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Here’s a brief history from the brewery’s Wikipedia page:

The Theodore Hamm Brewing Company was established in 1865 when, a German immigrant Theodore Hamm (1825-1903) inherited the Excelsior Brewery from his friend and business associate A. F. Keller, who had perished in California seeking his fortune in the gold fields. Unable to finance the venture himself, Keller had entered into a partnership with Hamm to secure funding. Upon Keller’s death, Hamm inherited the small brewery and flour mill in the east side wilderness of St. Paul, Minnesota. Keller had constructed his brewery in 1860 over artesian wells in a section of the Phalen Creek valley in St. Paul known as Swede Hollow. Hamm, a butcher by trade and local salon owner, first hired Jacob Schmidt as a brew master. Jacob Schmidt remained with the company until the early 1880s, becoming a close family friend of the Hamms. Jacob Schmidt left the company after an argument ensued over Louise Hamm’s disciplinary actions to Schmidt’s daughter, Marie. By 1884, Schmidt was a partner at the North Star Brewery not far from Hamm’s brewery. By 1899 he had established his own brewery on the site of the former Stalhmann Brewery site. In need of a new brewmaster, Hamm hired Christopher Figge who would start a tradition of three generations of Hamm’s Brewmasters, with his son William and grandson William II taking the position. By the 1880s, the Theodore Hamm Brewing Company was reportedly the second largest in Minnesota.

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Hamm’s Brewery c. 1900.

And here’s more about William, from Beer Capital of the State — St. Paul’s Historic Family Breweries, by Gary J. Brueggeman:

Theodore and Louisa were the parents of six children – five girls and one boy. The lone son, curly-haired William (1858-1931) was the heir to his father’s business. William Hamm worked at the brewery in an executive capacity for forty years, serving as general manager from 1880 to 1891, vice president-secretary from 1891 to 1903, and president from 1903 until his death in 1931. In addition to his brewing activities, William was heavily involved with his steamboat business, his and his father’s milling and realty companies, and Democratic Party politics.

Although Theodore was the brewery’s official president until his death from a heart attack on July 31, 1903, he unofficially retired from active management in 1891. Thus, it would be essentially under William’s direction that the Hamm Company would emerge as not only the state’s leading brewery, but as a bona fide national entity.

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William Hamm’s wedding photo.

This was part of “The Hamm’s Brewery Past, Present and Future,” written by Mark Thompson in 2000 for a Friends of Swede Hollow presentation:

William Hamm was taken out of school at the age of 13 years and taught the brewery business. He would later succeed his father.

The size of the work force grew, as did the total number of barrels brewed. In 1865 there were 5 employees that brewed 500 barrels a year that grew to 75 employees brewing 40,000 barrels a year in1885. In 1894 the brewery expanded to include a bottling works and that was followed by artificial refrigeration in1895. In1894 an open house was held and free samples of beer were handed out and the long tradition of brewery tours began, along with the creation of a booklet a “Modern Brewery” in 1903. It explained the brewing process and illustrated all the rooms in the brewery. (Harris 2-3) In 1886 Theodore and Louise made a trip back to their homeland in Herbolzheim, Germany. While his father was away William built a mansion for his father at 671 Greenbrier, Street, St. Paul. The Hamm’s mansion joins 3 other houses that were occupied by 3 Hamm sisters. Theodore lived there until his death and it was then occupied by William until his death and it remained unoccupied by a Hamm’s family member until it was burned down by an arsonist in 4/21/1954. On Theodore’s return home from his homeland, he saw the need for a shift in leadership to his son William. The brewery was incorporated in 1896, leaving Theodore with the title of president and William having the title of vice-president and secretary. The line to succession of the brewery was thus established as the brewery remained in domain of the Hamm’s family for 100 years.

The brewery continued to expand from 8,000 barrels in 1879 to 26,00 barrels in1882 to 600,000 barrels in1915. This growth was stymied from 1919-1933 during prohibition. Theodore died in 7/31/1903 leaving an estate valued at $1,114,388.20. The five sisters were given 500 shares to the brewery with the rest of the brewery being left to William.

William Hamm, having been indoctrinated to the brewery at a young age, was well prepared to take on the role as president of the brewery. William was the first Borealis Rex in the first St. Paul winter carnival in1886. He also was very much involved in the civic duties of the city. From 1889-1890 he was a city council member and council president in1890. From 1890-1902 he worked with the park board to develop the park system. And he privately donated a plot of land near his home later to be named Cannon Park. William expanded his business interest to form Hamm’s Reality in1896. Hamm funded many developmental projects in downtown St Paul. In 1899 Hamm’s became president in the Northwest Theater Circuit, which had 150 showhouses in the Upper Midwest. Two motion picture theaters were built. The State Theater in Minneapolis and the Capital Theater in St. Paul.About the same time the Hamm’s Building was built and still stands today.

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The Hamms on vacation.

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Historic Beer Birthday: William Hamm, Jr.

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hamm
Today is the birthday of William Hamm, Jr. (September 4, 1893-August 20, 1970). He was born in Minnesota, and was the grandson of Theodore Hamm, who founded Hamm’s Brewery in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was also the son of William Hamm Sr., who took over for his father when Theodore retired and ran it until he died shortly before prohibition was repealed, when his son William Jr. took over.

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Here’s a short biography from Find-a-Grave:

William Hamm, Jr., was the grandson of Theodore Hamm, founder of the Hamms Brewery. William Jr. inherited the Chairmanship of the company from his father. In 1933, William Junior was kidnapped by the Barker-Karpis Gang as he walked home for lunch. Hamm was released after 3 days in exchange for a $100,000 ransom.

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Here’s a brief history from the brewery’s Wikipedia page:

The Theodore Hamm Brewing Company was established in 1865 when, a German immigrant Theodore Hamm (1825-1903) inherited the Excelsior Brewery from his friend and business associate A. F. Keller, who had perished in California seeking his fortune in the gold fields. Unable to finance the venture himself, Keller had entered into a partnership with Hamm to secure funding. Upon Keller’s death, Hamm inherited the small brewery and flour mill in the east side wilderness of St. Paul, Minnesota. Keller had constructed his brewery in 1860 over artesian wells in a section of the Phalen Creek valley in St. Paul known as Swede Hollow. Hamm, a butcher by trade and local salon owner, first hired Jacob Schmidt as a brew master. Jacob Schmidt remained with the company until the early 1880s, becoming a close family friend of the Hamms. Jacob Schmidt left the company after an argument ensued over Louise Hamm’s disciplinary actions to Schmidt’s daughter, Marie. By 1884, Schmidt was a partner at the North Star Brewery not far from Hamm’s brewery. By 1899 he had established his own brewery on the site of the former Stalhmann Brewery site. In need of a new brewmaster, Hamm hired Christopher Figge who would start a tradition of three generations of Hamm’s Brewmasters, with his son William and grandson William II taking the position. By the 1880s, the Theodore Hamm Brewing Company was reportedly the second largest in Minnesota.

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Hamm’s Brewery c. 1900.

Unfortunately, he’s perhaps best known not for having successfully run his family’s brewery, but for an incident that occurred in June of 1933. While he was walking home for lunch on that summer day, he was kidnapped by the Barker-Karpis gang and held for a $100,000 (which is over $1.8 million in today’s dollars). The family paid the money two days later, and he was released, but the crime reverberated beyond Saint Paul and became a national story. Up until that time, the Minnesota city was corrupt and allowed gangsters and criminals to stay in the city, even finding them lodgings and women, as long as they promised to behave within the city limits. But the kidnapping broke that bargain, and within a year most of the cities corrupt police and officials had either resigned or were facing jail time. You can read more about it in “A Hamm’s ransom: How the kidnapping of one of St. Paul’s most prosperous brewers reshaped a corrupt system,” “Abducted in St. Paul!” or read accounts from the time in Read All About 1933.

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William Jr. and his wife Marie Hersey Hamm.

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Historic Beer Birthday: Armin Louis Neubert

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Today is the birthday of Armin Louis Neubert (August 2, 1864-July 3, 1946). He was born in Wolkenstein, Saxony, Germany. His father died when he was five, and he grew up with an uncle, who allowed him to train as a brewer while attending school. After a stint in the German-Saxon Army, he moved with his uncle to the United States. After helping his uncle set up his American business, he moved from city to city working for prominent breweries for several years before finally settling in Minnesota, spending twenty years as the head brewer of the Minneapolis Brewing Co., though his official title was “Production Superintendent.” The year after he took the job, he introduced the popular “Grain Belt Beer.”

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In 1900, the Minneapolis Brewing Co. bought the Black Hills Brewing Co. in Central City, South Dakota. A new brewery was built, designed by Armin Neubert and he was also named vice-president when the business was reorganized.

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When Neubert retired from the Minneapolis Brewing Co. in 1914, he moved his family to Central City, which he’d become fond of during his numerous visits there over the years, and continued to work at Black Hills. Unfortunately, the brewery closed at the beginning of 1917 when the state voted to start prohibition two years before the national prohibition, though it stayed in business by switching to soft drinks and near-beer. But it was a pain in the ass, and Armin apparently was disheartened by what had happened to the industry he loved and the brewery was closed in 1927, and sold the next year. “After that, he moved to a ranch he’d bought near Great Falls, Montana and became a wheat farmer. But after a few years he turned the ranch over to his son and retired to Santa Cruz,” California.

Apparently, a new Black Hills Brewing Co. is in the works, though it gives the original founding date as 1878.

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But after prohibition ended in 1933, Neubert was lured back into the brewery industry and was asked to get involved in reopening the old Salinas Brewery, in California.

Armin was to receive equity in the new company as payment for his engineering work, and his son, Armin K., who had an engineering degree, was included in the deal. The Salinas Brewing & Ice Company was opened and soon gaining recognition for its excellent “Monterey Beer.” Armin, Sr. was brewmaster, and Armin, Jr. was the treasurer of the firm.

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Eventually, Neubert ended up owning the Salinas Brewery outright, with his son, who’d been involved since the beginning, as president.

Then in February of 1937, Rettenmayer met with an untimely death, followed in November by the death of a prime stockholder and director of the company, Dr. Wm. Fehliman. This resulted in the restructuring of the company in 1938, and the Neubert family gaining sole control. The company’s name was changed to the Monterey Brewing Co., with Armin, Jr., president.

There’s surprisingly very little information about Neubert, and no pictures I could find, and almost everything here is from the website Brewery Gems. They also have a much fuller biography of Armin Neubert.

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Beer In Ads #3956: Hamm’s Eagle

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Friday’s ad is for “Hamm’s,” from the late 1800s, I believe. This ad was made for Hamm’s Brewing, which was founded in 1865 by Theodore Hamm in St. Paul, Minnesota. At its peak, it was the 5th largest brewery in America, and operated facilities in five cities, including San Francisco, L.A., Baltimore and Houston, in addition to the original brewery in Minnesota. This one was most likely a promotional poster and features an eagle perching on a series of Hamm’s beer bottles.

Beer In Ads #3955: Brewed From America’s Finest Barley

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Thursday’s ad is for “Hamm’s,” from the 1950s. This ad was made for Hamm’s Brewing, which was founded in 1865 by Theodore Hamm in St. Paul, Minnesota. At its peak, it was the 5th largest brewery in America, and operated facilities in five cities, including San Francisco, L.A., Baltimore and Houston, in addition to the original brewery in Minnesota. This one features a barley farming scene with a giant bottle f beer in the foreground, with the tagline “Hamm’s Beer, Brewed From America’s Finest Barley.”

Beer In Ads #3954: Mount Rainier, It’s The Beer Refreshing

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Wednesday’s ad is for “Hamm’s,” from 1959. This ad was made for Hamm’s Brewing, which was founded in 1865 by Theodore Hamm in St. Paul, Minnesota. At its peak, it was the 5th largest brewery in America, and operated facilities in five cities, including San Francisco, L.A., Baltimore and Houston, in addition to the original brewery in Minnesota. This one features picture of Mount Rainier on one half and a paneled wood background on the other half with the Hamm’s logo and a can and full mug of beer, with the tagline “It’s the Beer Refreshing.”

Beer In Ads #3953: A Special Kind Of Refreshment

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Tuesday’s ad is for “Hamm’s,” from 1959. This ad was made for Hamm’s Brewing, which was founded in 1865 by Theodore Hamm in St. Paul, Minnesota. At its peak, it was the 5th largest brewery in America, and operated facilities in five cities, including San Francisco, L.A., Baltimore and Houston, in addition to the original brewery in Minnesota. This one features five bottles of beer that spell out Hamm’s, with the tagline “A sp3ecial kind of refreshment … from the land of sky blue waters!”

Beer In Ads #3952: Good Cheer From The Land Of Sky Blue Waters

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Monday’s ad is for “Hamm’s,” from 1967. This ad was made for Hamm’s Brewing, which was founded in 1865 by Theodore Hamm in St. Paul, Minnesota. At its peak, it was the 5th largest brewery in America, and operated facilities in five cities, including San Francisco, L.A., Baltimore and Houston, in addition to the original brewery in Minnesota. This one is a newspaper ad showing the Hamm’s Bear wearing a scarf and hat trudging through the snow carrying a case of Hamm’s Beer, with the tagline “Good Cheer from the land of sky blue waters.” The ad appears to be for Moslander Distributing Co. who were located in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Beer In Ads #3951: The Better The Water … The Better The Beer

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Sunday’s ad is for “Hamm’s,” from 1967. This ad was made for Hamm’s Brewing, which was founded in 1865 by Theodore Hamm in St. Paul, Minnesota. At its peak, it was the 5th largest brewery in America, and operated facilities in five cities, including San Francisco, L.A., Baltimore and Houston, in addition to the original brewery in Minnesota. This one shows two bottles of beer, one with a normal Hamm’s label and the other torn open to reveal a lake scene with a fish jumping out of it and an overflowing mug of beer, with the tagline “Hamm’s inside story: The better the water … the better the beer.”

Beer In Ads #3950: Good Cheer

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Saturday’s ad is for “Hamm’s,” from the 1950s. This ad was made for Hamm’s Brewing, which was founded in 1865 by Theodore Hamm in St. Paul, Minnesota. At its peak, it was the 5th largest brewery in America, and operated facilities in five cities, including San Francisco, L.A., Baltimore and Houston, in addition to the original brewery in Minnesota. This one shows a wintery scene with the Hamm’s Bear riding a toboggan down a mountain with three glasses on beer in tow, with the tagline “Good Cheer,” and at the bottom of the ad, Hamm’s From the land of sky blue waters!”