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Beer Birthday: Joe Stange

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Today may be the birthday of Joe Stange (May 26, 19??- ). A mutual friend posted this morning a year ago that it was, and in an absence of better — or any — information, I’m going to assume it is. Joe rarely shares much personal information, so you never know. His wife is in the state department so he’s lived abroad in different locations over the years, while writing about beer wherever he is. Joe is originally from Missouri, and studied journalism in college before becoming an AP reporter. He later studied politics in graduate school, where he met his diplomat wife and he began freelance beer writing wherever they were posted. More recently, he’s been the managing editor of Craft Beer & Brewing magazine, one of the few left concentrating on beer. Join me in wishing Joe a very happy birthday.

Joe and me at GABF in 2024.
In Namur for Brussels Beer Challenge judging in 2017.

Historic Beer Birthday: Johann Adam Lemp

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lemp
Today is the birthday of Johann Adam Lemp (May 20, 1798-August 23, 1862). He was born in Germany, but came to the U.S., settling in St.Louis, Missouri, when he was forty, in 1838, and two years later founded what would become known as the Lemp Brewery. After his death, his sons took over management of the family brewery but it was closed by prohibition and never reopened.

johann-adam-lemp-portrait

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

Born in Germany, Lemp settled in St. Louis in 1838. He established a small grocery business, but soon branched out into the manufacture and sale of vinegar and, using his skills, brewed beer as well. The popularity of his beer convinced Lemp to abandon the grocery business and devote his full energies to brewing. He established the Western Brewery in 1840 and by 1860 it was one of the dominant forces in the St. Louis brewing industry. After Johann’s death, his son William assumed leadership of the brewery, which became known as the Lemp Brewery.

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Portrait of Johann Lemp by Carl Wimar, around 1860

In the March-April 1999 edition of the American Breweriana Journal, there’s a lengthy article about the Lemps, entitled “William J. Lemp Brewing Company: A Tale of Triumph and Tragedy in St. Louis, Missouri,” by Donald Roussin and Kevin Kious. While it starts with Adam, and through the then-present, the middle section is about William J. Lemp Sr.:

In his will, Adam bequeathed the Western Brewery in common to both his son William Jacob Lemp and grandson Charles Brauneck, along with “all of the equipment and stock.” There may have been friction between the two inheritors of the brewery, as the will contained the condition that if either contested the will, the other would receive the property. Charles Brauneck and William J. Lemp formed a partnership in October 1862, and agreed to run the business under the banner of the William J. Lemp & Co. This partnership, however, was destined to be short lived, as it was dissolved in February 1864 when William J. bought out Charles’ share for $3,000.

However, unlike many businesses that wilt when a strong leader dies, the Lemp Brewery actually grew and blossomed after William J. Lemp took control. The Western Brewery was then producing 12,000 barrels of beer annually, virtually all of the lager type.

William had been born in Germany in 1836, and spent his childhood there until brought to St. Louis by his father at age 12. William had struck out on his own as a brewer after working with his father, partnering with William Stumpf for a time in a St. Louis brewery established by the latter in 1852. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted into the Union Army, but was mustered out within a year. A short man at not quite five feet, one inch, he and his brewery would nonetheless both become giants in the brewing industry.

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Lemp-tray-1907

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This is a slideshow of Lemp breweriana and photos.

Beer In Ads #5238: The First Of May Is Bock Beer Day

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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 second ad is for Anheuser and Lemp’s Bock Beer, which was published on May 1, 1880. It’s unclear is this one beer, a collaboration between both Lemp and Anhueser-Busch, or two separate bock beers both arrived for May Day 1880. The latter seems the most likely despite the bottom of the ad stating that Chas. Schifferdecker was an [a]gent for the celebrated Anheuser and Lemp Breweries, Joplin, Mo.” So presumably then this ad was for both the Lemp Brewing Co., which was located in St. Louis, Missouri and was originally founded in 1840, and the Anheuser Busch Brewing Association, also of St. Louis, and having been founded in 1852 by George Schneider. This ad ran in The Joplin Herald, of Joplin, Missouri.

Beer In Ads #5237: May Day To-Day And This Is Bock Beer Day!

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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 first ad is for Lemp Bock Beer, which was published on May 1, 1900. This ad was for the Lemp Brewing Co., which was located in St. Louis, Missouri and was originally founded in 1840. This ad ran in The El Paso Morning Times, of El Paso, Texas.

Beer In Ads #5234: Bock Bier 28 April Bis 1 Mai

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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.

Tuesday’s ad is for a number of different Bock Beers, which was published on April 28, 1888. This ad was for multiple breweries on a full page of ad each advertising their own seasonal bock beer. This ad ran in The Abend-Anzeiger, a German Language newspaper published in St. Louis, Missouri.

Beer In Ads #5232: Bock Bier Vom 27 April Bis 1 Mai

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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 first ad is for a number of different Bock Beers, which was published on April 27, 1899. This ad was for multiple breweries on a full page of ad each advertising their own seasonal bock beer. This ad ran in The Abend-Anzeiger, a German Language newspaper published in St. Louis, Missouri.

Historic Beer Birthday: George Muehlebach

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muehlebach

Today is the birthday of George Muehlebach (April 24, 1833-December 22, 1905). He was born in Argau, Switzerland and emigrated to the U.S. when he was 26, in 1859, along with his family, consisting of four brothers and a sister. He first moved to Indiana, but a short time later settled in Kansas City, Missouri. There, in 1868, he and his brother John bought the Main Street Brewery, which had been founded in 1866. (Although at least one account claims John bought it himself, and George just worked there, and didn’t assume full control until much later.) It continued under the original name until 1903, when it became the George Muehlebach Brewing Co. When Muehlebach died, his son George E. took over the company and it remained in business until 1956, when Schlitz bought it, and operated it until 1973, when it closed for good.

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

George Muehlebach immigrated to Kansas City from Switzerland in 1859 by way of Lafayette, Indiana. In Kansas City, he founded The George Muehlebach Brewing Company, which became one of the most prominent businesses in Kansas City by the turn of the 20th century. The Swiss Cross was to be part of the logo for all their beers. In 1869, he bought the Main Street Brewery from George Hierbe at the northwest corner of 18th and Main Streets, which later became the site of the TWA Building. In 1880, he razed the original brewery and replaced it with a “Beer Castle” built in Romanesque style with a mansard-roofed tower.

The Muehlebach Beer Castle.

This more thorough biography of George Muehlebach, is a part of the article “A Beer Baron Is Born,” from KC History, at the Kansas City Public Library.

On April 24, 1833, George Muehlebach was born into a farming family in Argau, Switzerland. He went on to operate the Muehlebach Brewing Company; one of the most successful businesses in Kansas City by the early 20th century. Even after his death, the Muehlebach name lived on in Kansas City at the baseball field that eventually became Municipal Stadium and the luxurious Hotel Muehlebach.

At the age of 21, George Muehlebach, along with his three brothers and his sister, left Switzerland and moved to Lafayette, Indiana. The four brothers moved on to Westport, Missouri, where George started a saddle and harness business. He soon left Westport and delved into the overland freight business near Quindaro, Kansas and later searched for gold in Colorado. George finally found his calling, though, in 1869 when he and his brother, John, purchased the Main Street Brewery from George Hierb at 18th and Main Streets in Kansas City, Missouri.

The brewery was located on a sub-43 degree freshwater well that was a perfect source of water for a brewing operation. The Muehlebach brothers started with an annual production capacity of 3,000 barrels a year, but steadily expanded their operations to 3,932 barrels by 1879. Then John died in 1880, which left complete ownership of the brewery to George. He pressed forward and in the same year constructed a new Romanesque-style brick and stone building on the original site. Kansas Citians referred to the new building as the “Beer Castle” and relished the Pilsener beer for which the Muehlebach Brewing Company was known.

Between 1870 and the beginning of national Prohibition in 1920, the brewery held four different names, but remained in the Muehlebach family. By 1899, capacity had increased to 25,000 barrels annually, and the company deployed seven local delivery wagons. The company soon added a brewhouse, a stockhouse, and an engine house to support its operations. Fueled by local demand, even this capacity skyrocketed further to 50,000 barrels in 1907, 80,000 barrels in 1910, and 100,000 barrels in 1911. The Muehlebach brewery was by then the second largest in Kansas City, behind only the Kansas City Breweries Company.

This is his obituary from the 1906 Brewers Journal:

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Muehlebachs-Special-Beer-Labels-Geo-Muehlebach-Brewing-Co
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MuehlebachBrewery-1940
An aerial photograph of the brewery from 1940. It’s the building located center-left with the three smokestacks.

Vintage Kansas City also has several pages of historical information on George Muehlebach, his family, and the brewery, with some background information excerpted from Kansas City Journal-Post of May 6, 1938.

Muehlebach-Pilsener-Beer-Labels-Geo-Muehlebach-Brewing-Co

Muehlebach-Kroysen-Beer-Labels-Geo-Muehlebach-Brewing-Co

Beer In Ads #5216: The Finest Bock, As Usual

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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.

Saturday’s first ad is for Anheuser-Busch Bock Beer, which was published on April 11, 1891. This one was for the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Co., then of St. Louis, Missouri, which was originally founded in 1852 as the Bavarian Brewery by George Schneider. Eberhard Anheuser and Adolphus Busch, who’s married Anheuser’s daughter Lilly, had acquired it outright by 1869. The ad ran in the Washington Post, of Washington, D.C.

Beer In Ads #5210: Thousands Of Barrels Ready For You!

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I’ve been featuring Bock ads for the last two years, but am taking a break from that today since it’s National Beer Day to instead share this ad announcing “Thousands of Barrels of Fully Aged Goetz Country Club Real Beer Ready For You!”

Tuesday’s ad is for Country Club Beer, which was published on April 7, 1933. This one was for the M.K. Goetz Brewing Co. of Saint Joseph, Missouri (and they also had a brewery in Kansas City), which was originally founded in 1859.  This ad ran in The Sedalia Democrat, of Sedalia, Missouri.

Beer In Ads #5198: Heim’s Bock Beer! Ready To-Day

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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 first ad is for Heim’s Bock Beer, which was published on April 1, 1899. This one was for the Ferdinand Heim Brewing Co., of Kansas City, Missouri, which was originally founded in 1884. This ad ran in The Kansas City Star, of Kansas City, Missouri.