Today is the 54th birthday of Jeff Cioletti, president of Drinkable Media and Editor-at-Large for Beverage World magazine. He’s been covering the business of beer for quite a long while. I run into Jeff at numerous industry events, and we’ve taken a press trip to Belgium. Join me in wishing Jeff a very happy birthday.
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.
This is John Holme’s obituary from the Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey:
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:
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.
Wednesday’s ad is for Valley Forge Bock Beer, which was published on January 14, 1954. This ad was for the Valley Forge Brewing Co., which also the name of a brand sold by the C. Schmidt & Sons Brewing Co. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was originally founded in 1859 by Robert Courtenay. This ad ran in The Courier Post, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Today is the 46th birthday of John Holl, a journalist who spent the early part of his career working the crime and politics beat at various newspapers, including the New York Times. Now, he’s writing almost exclusively about beer from his home in northern New Jersey. He was the editor of All About Beer Magazine and has worked for most of the trade publications in some capacity over the years. He’s also written several books including the American Craft Beer Cookbook and the Craft Brewery Cookbook. In recent years he’s done a number of podcasts including Drink Beer, Think Beer, Steal This Beer, and The BYO Nano Podcast. In 2019 he founded the site Beer Edge with Andy Crouch and more recently they bought All About Beer magazine. He also works as a contributing editor at Wine Enthusiast Magazine. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know John during some travel over the years, from Denver to Boston, Brussels, and even in Chile. He’s been a great addition to the fraternity of beer writers. Join me in wishing John a very happy birthday.
Today is the birthday of Robert Francis Ballantine (January 3, 1836-December 9 or 10, 1905). He was born in New Jersey, and was the son of Peter Ballantine, who founded the Patterson & Ballantine Brewing Company in 1840 in Newark, New Jersey. Peter Ballantine had three sons, and they joined him in the business in 1857, which is when the name was changed to the P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company. In 1883, when his father died, Robert became president of the brewery, outliving both his brothers and continuing to run the family business until his own death in 1905.
And this lengthier obituary is from the Brewers Journal:
Today is the birthday of Peter Hood Ballantine (December 18, 1831-September 16, 1882). He was the son of Peter Ballantine, who founded the Patterson & Ballantine Brewing Company in 1840 in Newark, New Jersey, which is better known by its later name, the P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company. Peter Hood helped run the business with his father and brothers until his death in 1882.
Given that he was the eldest son, there’s surprisingly little information about him, and I couldn’t find an image of him, while there are plenty of his brothers, Robert and John. So I don’t know what his role was within the family brewery, although the fact that he died the year before his father did suggests he had a lesser role and never had the opportunity to do more on his own.
This is from “America’s Successful Men of Affairs: The United States at Large,” published in 1896, and although it’s primarily about Peter Hood’s father, he is mentioned in this account.
Last year 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.
Tuesday’s ad is for Genesee Bock Beer, which was published on December 16, 1977. This ad was for Genesee Brewing Co. of Rochester, New York, which was originally founded in 1878. This ad ran in The Asbury Park Press of Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Today is the birthday of William Peter Jr. (December 11, 1860-January 7, 1937). His father, William Peter Sr., founded the William Peter Brewing Company of Union City, New Jersey. When the brewery was incorporated in 1890, Junior was thirty. He became a shareholder and was also vice-president at that time. Presumably, when his father died in 1918, William Peter Jr. became president and soldiered on until his own death in 1937. After that, the brewery remained in business until 1949, when it was sold to George Ehret and renamed the George Ehret Brewery, but only remained open for one more year, closing for good in 1950. Unfortunately, I can’t find very much information about William Peter Jr. directly, not even a portrait.
The brewery workers with William Peter in the center of the first row, with (I think) his son to the right (his left).
Today is the birthday of Christian William Feigenspan (December 7, 1876-February 7, 1939). His father, Christian Benjamin Feigenspan, was born in Thuringia, Germany but moved his family to New Jersey and founded the C. Feigenspan Brewing Company of Newark in 1875, though at least one source says 1868. When his father died in 1899, Christian William took over management of the brewery, which remained in business through prohibition, but was bought by Ballantine in 1943. He was also “president of Feigenspan Brewing Company, president of Federal Trust Company, and president of the United States Brewers’ Association.”
Here’s a short biography from Find-a-Grave:
Businessman. He took over Newark, New Jersey’s Feigenspan Brewery Company, founded by his father in 1868, when his father died in 1899. He then transformed the company into one of the best known breweries up until and after prohibition. Today it’s labels are the among the most sought after by collectors.
Here’s another biography from “Legendary Locals of Rumson,” written by Roberta H. Van Anda:
Today is the birthday of Peter Ballantine (November 16, 1791–January 23, 1883). He “was the founder of Patterson & Ballantine Brewing Company in 1840 in Newark, New Jersey,” which is better known by its later name, the P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company.
Businessman. He founded the Ballantine Brewing Company in 1840 in Newark, New Jersey. Born in Scotland, he emigrated to the United States in 1820, and learned the beer brewing craft in New York City, New York. He acquired a brewery with a partner and moved its operations to New Jersey. He became the sole proprietor in 1847, and the P. Ballantine and Sons Brewery would produce beer under that name until 1972. At the height of its operations it would be the 3rd largest brewer in the United States. Today the Ballantine Beer brand is owned and produced by the Pabst Brewing Company.
