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Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #4950: What Is Bock Beer, Otto?

April 24, 2025 By Jay Brooks

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.

Thursday’s ad is for Poth’s Bock Beer and was published April 24, 1908. The brewery was the F.A. Poth & Sons Brewery of Philadelphia. This ad ran in The Philadelphia Inquirer, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This bock explainer ad starts with a phrase worthy of “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” with “What is Bock Beer, Otto?”

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, History, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Beer In Ads #4949: Poth’s Bock Ready April 16th

April 23, 2025 By Jay Brooks

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 Poth’s Bock Beer and was published April 23, 1908. The brewery was the F.A. Poth & Sons Brewery of Philadelphia. This ad ran in The Courier Post, which serve South Jersey and the Delaware Valley. The ad announced that “Poth’s Bock [will be] ready April 16th,” which is interesting since it ran a week after its release date.

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, History, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Historic Beer Birthday: William O. Poth

April 17, 2025 By Jay Brooks

poths
Today is the birthday of William O. Poth (April 17, 1876-March 9, 1901). He was the son of Frederick J. Poth and the older brother of Harry A. Poth. In 1870, his grandfather founded the Fred A. Poth Brewery, which by 1875 was the largest brewery in the U.S. His brother Harry was the brewer, but it’s unclear what William’s role at the family brewery was. I could find very little about him, even his Find-a-Grave page doesn’t list the date of his death. But I did find it mentioned in the trade publication The Western Brewer from March 1906:

Poth-western-brewer-1906

f-a-poth-brewery-postcard
The Poth brewery, from an illustration done in the early 1890s.

I couldn’t find any photographs of him, which isn’t too surprising given I couldn’t find any of his father and only one of his brother, Frederick J. Poth. Sadly, I could find almost nothing else about him, either.

poth-brewerytown

pothredbellbrewery1900
The Poth & Sons Brewery around 1900.

Poths-Cream-Ale-Labels-Poth-Brewing-1936
poth-buttons

Filed Under: Birthdays, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: History, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Beer In Ads #4941: Poth Bock Beer

April 15, 2025 By Jay Brooks

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.

Tuesday’s ad is for Poth Bock Beer and was published April 15, 1892. The brewery was the F.A. Poth Brewing Co., of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was originally founded in 1864. This ad ran in the Philadelphia Times, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, History, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Historic Beer Birthday: John F. Betz

April 8, 2025 By Jay Brooks

betz-pa
Today is the birthday of John F. Betz (April 8, 1831-January 16, 1908). He was born in Mohringer, Germany and emigrated with his family when he was an infant. His sister Elizabeth married D.G. Yuengling, and he learned brewing there from an early age. When he was 24, he bought a brewery in New York, but moved to Philadelphia in 1867, and bought what was originally the Robert Hare & J. Warren Porter Brewery when it opened in 1775. It was the William Gaul Brewery, but Betz changed it to the John F. Betz Brewery, though after his son joined the business in 1880, it became known as the John F. Betz & Son Brewery. The brewery survived prohibition, but closed for good in 1939.

betz-photo-2

Here’s one account by Rich Wagner on The Beers and Breweries of Philadelphia in Zymurgy from 1991:

John F. Betz came to Philadelphia in 1867 from New York, where he had been brewing for fourteen years. He took a job at the Gaul Brewery until purchasing it in 1880. Prior to Betz’s ownership, only ale and porter were brewed. Betz commenced brewing lager beer as well. John F. Betz became very active in the real estate market in the city. One of his other concerns was a beer garden at Riverside above the Wissahickon Creek on the Schuylkill River. He put in a line of little steamboats to carry his patrons up the river from Fairmount Dam. Betz produced an IPA of 6.5 % a.b.v. and an East India Pale Ale at 7.5% a.b.v. Betz’s half-and-half was a mixture of two-year old ale and stout, and Betz’s Best was a lager that was said to rival Bavarian imports. The Betz brewery reopened after Prohibition and remained in business until 1939.

John-F-Betz

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

Brewer. He started as an apprentice in a brewery in 1844, and in 1855 he established his own brewery. John F. Betz then came to Philadelphia in 1867, working at the Gaul Brewery. He bought it in 1880. In that same year he built a state of the art brewery. Gaul had only brewed ale and porter; Betz introduced lager beer. He also invested in Philadelphia real estate. His beer garden at Riverside above the Wissahickon Creek on the Schuylkill River was so popular that steamboats brought patrons up the Schuylkill from Fairmount Dam. His contemporaries claimed that Betz’s Best was a lager that rivaled Bavarian imports. His brewery at Fourth and Callowhill Streets was one of the nation’s largest breweries until it closed during Prohibition. The Betz brewery reopened after Prohibition and remained in business until 1939. Though a Lutheran throughout his life, he was made a Chevalier of the Order of St. Gregory by Pope Leo XIII. His first wife was Sybilla Caroline Betz. He was later married to Anna Helene Berroldinger. Before his death he disposed of his property among his wife, two adult sons, and two minor children to avoid the any conflicts over his will.

betz-eagle-brewery-ny

This mention of Betz and his brewery in New York is from “Yuengling: A History of America’s Oldest Brewery,” by Mark A. Noon:

Betz-yuengling-bio
D.G. Yuengling’s son David Jr., who would have been Betz’s nephew, worked at the New York brewery, too. In 1884, the name was changed to the Star Brewery, but it closed for good in 1891.

Betz also started a brewery in Jersey City, New Jersey with Henry Lembeck named The Lembeck and Betz Eagle Brewing Company. “The company was incorporated in May 1890. Since 1869, the brewery grew to become the fourth-largest brewery in New Jersey,” but closed due to prohibition.

John-F.-Betz-Sons-Brewery
The Betz brewery in Philadelphia.

betz-black-tray

This much longer account is from “Philadelphia and Popular Philadelphians,” published in 1891:

John-F-Betz-&-Son-bio-1
John-F-Betz-&-Son-bio-2
Betz-Bock-Beer--Labels-John-F-Betz--Son
John-F-Betz-&-Son-bio-3
John-F-Betz-&-Son-bio-4
Betz-Dark-Lager-Beer-Labels-John-F-Betz
John-F-Betz-&-Son-bio-5
Betz-Porter--Labels-John-F-Betz--Son
John-F-Betz-&-Son-bio-6

Betz-Brewery-pa
The Philadelphia brewery.

I’m not sure if this was a newspaper advertisement or some very favorable coverage, but this was a page from The Times—Philadelphia on May 28, 1893.

Betz-philly-times-28-may-1893

Filed Under: Birthdays, Just For Fun Tagged With: History, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Beer In Ads #4924: Poth’s Bock Beer

March 29, 2025 By Jay Brooks

Last year I decided to concentrate on Bock ads. Bock, of course, 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.

Saturday’s ad is for Poth’s Bock Beer and was published March 29, 1907 in the Philadelphia Inquirer, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The ad was for the F.A. Poth & Sons Brewery, also of Philadelphia, and it’s an interesting advertising approach told in a story involving a waiter and restaurant patron having a conversation about bock beer.

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, Bock, History, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Beer Birthday: Suzanne Woods

April 24, 2019 By Jay Brooks

allagash
Today is Suzanne Woods’ 41st birthday. I first met her during my trip to Philadelphia for Philly Beer Week its inaugural year. She used to write online as the Beer Lass and now is the mid-atlantic territory manager for Allagash, though when I first met her she worked for Sly Fox Brewing outside of Philadelphia. Join me in wishing Suzanne a very happy birthday.

slyfox-12
With Suzanne during a visit to Sly Fox Brewing at the beginning of Philly Beer Week.

An afro'd Suzy Woods and Wendy, from Dogfsh Head, with the Hammer
An afro’d Suzy and Wendy, from Dogfish Head, with the Hammer during Philly Beer Week 2010.

sidecar-4
Outside the Philly Bar, Sidecar, with some colorful local characters at the bar.

suzanne-woods-5
Suzanne posted this photo of herself when she was five when she turned thirty, eleven years ago.

Filed Under: Birthdays Tagged With: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Bergner & Engel Brewing’s Railroad

July 21, 2018 By Jay Brooks

steam-train
The third Saturday in July is “Railroad Day,” which I know not only because I collect holidays, but also because of my son’s obsession with trains. So this is an interesting historical artifact. The Bergner & Engel Brewing Co. of Philadelphia was one of the more prominent breweries in the Philly neighborhood known as Brewerytown, a nine-block area of the city with breweries on virtually every street.

Bergner & Engel was one of the bigger ones in Brewerytown, and in the late 1880s they published a book with chromolithographs of their brewery and their brewing process that are a great timepiece. The 24-page bound publication is really cool. Anyway, because it’s Railroad Day, these two illustrations of the brewery’s boxcar and locomotive are especially awesome.

This is on Page 11, showing B&E’s boxcar:

B&E-Refrigerator-Car

And on Page 12, they show the locomotive, which they claim at the time is “the first and only locomotive owned and operated by any brewing establishment in America:

B&E-Engine-lg

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun, Related Pleasures Tagged With: History, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, technology

Beer In Ads #1867: Facts Versus Fallacies #67

March 31, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Thursday’s ad is another one for the Pennsylvania State Brewers Association, from 1915, No. 67 in series they did from 1915-17 called “Facts Versus Fallacies.” I have no idea how many were done but some of the them are numbered into low triple digits, suggesting there were a lot of them, all in an effort to stop Prohibition from happening and win over support for beer. This ad, marked “67,” and is about how in every state that already had a prohibition in alcohol, it was failing miserably, and was impossible to enforce. In Alabama, in one city alone — Birmingham — it was estimated that 500 packages of alcohol were delivered every single day to residents who’d ordered them from out of state. So yeah, that worked.

Facts-v-Fallacies-67-1915

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, History, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Prohibition

Beer In Ads #1866: Facts Versus Fallacies #61

March 30, 2016 By Jay Brooks


Wednesday’s ad is another one for the Pennsylvania State Brewers Association, from 1915, No. 61 in series they did from 1915-17 called “Facts Versus Fallacies.” I have no idea how many were done but some of the them are numbered into low triple digits, suggesting there were a lot of them, all in an effort to stop Prohibition from happening and win over support for beer. This ad, marked “61,” and is about a canard that’s still used as propaganda by prohibitionists today, which is that people who drink alcohol are criminals and that one leads to the other. But even statistics at that time (as today) did not support that claim, and in fact a majority of incarcerated people were not alcoholics. They go on citing several experts of the day, all with he same opinion, that drinking alcohol does not cause someone to become a criminal, despite the ludicrous cries of the anti-alcohol wingnuts.

Facts-v-Fallacies-61-1915

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers, Just For Fun Tagged With: Advertising, History, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Prohibition

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