Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer Birthday: Will Kemper

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chuckanut
Today is the 76th birthday of Will Kemper, who’s the brewmaster of Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen in Bellingham, Washington. Will was the “Kemper” in the brewery “Thomas Kemper,” which was an early lager brewery first in Poulsbo, and later nearby on Bainbridge Island in Washington. I first visited the brewery on my honeymoon in 1996, after it had been sold to Pyramid (then Hart Brewery) in 1992. After Thomas Kemper, Will became a brewery consultant, helping launch such breweries as Philadelphia’s Dock Street, Seattle’s Aviator Ales, Capital City Brewing in D.C. and Denver’s Mile High Brewing. Later, he and his wife Mari moved to Turkey, building a brewery in Istanbul called Taps. After the Taps project was completed they returned to their home in Bellingham, Washington and opened Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen. Within a year of opening, Chuckanut and Kemper were named small brewery and brewmaster of the year at GABF in 2009. Needless to say, Will’s a terrific brewer. I reconnected with Will when CBC was in Chicago when I ran into Will and Mari, along with Charles and Rose Ann Finkel, and ended up spending the evening bar hopping with them. Join me in wishing Will a very happy birthday.

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Will accepting a medal at the 2011 GABF awards.
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Mari (next to Charlie on the left) and Will (far right) with the Chuckanut crew winning small brewery of the year in 2009.
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Thomas and Sabine from Weyerman’s with Will and Mari during a visit to Chuckanut.
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Matt Brynildson and Will at GABF in 2011.

[Note: last two photos purloined from Facebook.]

Historic Beer Birthday: Julius Zupansky

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salem-brewery
Today is the birthday of Julius Zupansky (September 9, 1850-September 6, 1919). He was born in Bohemia, and came to the U.S. when he was 35, in 1885. He appears to have worked as a brewer throughout Europe before coming to the States, where he secured a job at the Salem Brewery Association. He worked there for a quarter-century, likely retiring when he was sixty. But what position he held there is unclear, which is curious given that he’s referred to as a “pioneer brewer of the Pacific Coast.” Even Gary Flynn’s Brewery Gems doesn’t mention him on his page on the History of the Salem Brewery Association, and his site is easily the most comprehensive on breweries in that part of the U.S.

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The Salem Brewery Association around 1939.

The Salem Brewery Association was originally founded in 1866 as the Pacific Brewery, but three years later, in 1869 the name was changed to the Salem Brewery. Then in 1885, when Zupansky arrived in America, it was called the Capitol Brewery. In 1903, it again changed its name, this time to the Salem Brewery Association. It stayed with that name until 1943, when another local brewery, Sicks’ Brewing, bought it and operated it for another ten years, closing for good in 1953.

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Zupansky’s name is mentioned several times in the American Brewers’ Review, but the most information is contained in his obituary from American Brewers’ Review, Volume 23:

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And this is the brewery from down the street.
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Historic Beer Birthday: Samuel Simon Loeb

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Today is the birthday of Samuel Simon Loeb (September 4, 1862-January 22, 1947). He was born in Indiana, but settled in Tacoma, Washington as a young man, and was involved in several area breweries there, first the Milwaukee Brewery (which merged to form the Pacific Brewing & Malting Company) and then the Independent Brewery, before being bought by the Seattle Brewing & Malting Co. After his brewery was acquired, Loeb remained in charge, and after retiring, he and his wife moved to Los Angeles.

 

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This short description of Loeb is from Brewing in Seattle, by Kurt Stream:

 

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Here’s an account of Loeb from “An Illustrated History of the State of Washington” by H. K. Hines, published in 1893

S. S. Loeb is president of the Milwaukee Brewing Company of Tacoma, incorporated with a capital stock of $35,000, all paid up. The present officers of the company are S. S. Loeb, president, and A. Weinberg, secretary and treasurer. The brewery was formerly called the United States Brewery, and was organized by D. Stegman and M. Karcsecte. The latter sold out to John Frazier, who continued in the business till May, 1891, when the present firm bought out the concern, reincorporated and formed the Milwaukee Brewing Company. The plant was a small one when they first bought it, the output being only forty-two barrels per day. The capacity has been increased until it is now 125 barrels per day. Their trade extends throughout the Sound country.

Mr. Loeb, the president, was born in Ligonier, Indiana, on the 4th of September, 1862. He was the son of Simon Loeb, who was a prominent brewer. The subject of this sketch was reared in Chicago, where he went when a child. He became concerned in the cigar business with Ruhe Bros. (Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Chicago), and later traveled for the same firm, with whom he continued for four years. He then worked four years for Schloss, Ochs & Co., wholesale gentlemen’s furnishers. In 1889 he came to Tacoma and engaged in the wholesale liquor business, which he continued for three years, when he closed out that business, and has since given his attention to the brewing business.

Mr. Loeb was married November 18, 1890, to Miss Blanch Moses, a native of Gallipolis, Ohio. They have one child, Sidney.

 

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Garry Flynn, on his Brewery Gems website, picks up the story of Loeb after the “Illustrated History of the State of Washington:”

In 1897, four years after the foregoing was written, Samuel sold the Milwaukee Brewery and merged it with the Anton Huth’s Puget Sound Brewery, forming a new enterprise – the Pacific Brewing & Malting Company.

In 1899, Pacific purchased the Donau Brewery and closed the Milwaukee plant. Loeb continued with his other business interests in Tacoma, as well as holding a minority interest in Pacific. As late as 1901 he was still secretary of the company. But by 1902 he and his partners from the Milwaukee Brewery decided to actively re-enter the brewing business.

You can pick up the rest of his story at Brewery Gems.

Beer In Ads #5007: Lucky Lager Bock Beer vs. Karate

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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.

Monday’s ad is for Lucky Lager Bock Beer. The ad was published on June 23, 1980. This one was for the Lucky Lager Breweries, which was located in Vancouver, Washington, among other places, and was originally launched in 1934. This ad ran in The Spokane Chronicle, of Spokane, Washington. This ad is isn’t all bock. In fact, bock seems more of an afterthought with the text “Ask for Lucky Lager Bock Beer” on the left edge of the ad. It’s really more of a “Sports Calendar” sponsored by Lucky Lager. But I do love the karate fight going on at the bottom between a bottle of Lucky Lager and a man employing “full contact karate.”

Beer In Ads #3834: Beer And Pretzels

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Tuesday’s ad is for “Rainier Beer,” from 1992. This ad was made for the Seattle Brewing & Malting Co., who made Rainier Beer, and was later known as the Rainier Brewing Company of Seattle, Washington. This one features a female contortionist who’s bent herself into a pretzel-shape while holding a mug of beer and a bottle of Rainier Ice-Lagered Draft Light Beer.

Beer In Ads #3833: Through This Portal …

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Monday’s ad is for “Rainier Beer,” from the 1970s. This ad was made for the Seattle Brewing & Malting Co., who made Rainier Beer, and was later known as the Rainier Brewing Company of Seattle, Washington. This one features another eye-catching image, this one of an overhead close-up of an open can of beer. In the opening it reads: “through this portal…” and continues below with “pours the greatest beer in the west: Rainier.” The ad was created by legendary ad man Len Sirowitz.

Beer In Ads #3832: A Good Pretzel Has A Lot Of Salt. A Good Beer Has Just A Little.

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Sunday’s ad is for “Rainier Beer,” from the 1970s. This ad was made for the Seattle Brewing & Malting Co., who made Rainier Beer, and was later known as the Rainier Brewing Company of Seattle, Washington. This one features an eye-catching giant pretzel that fills the page. Below that is the tagline. “A good pretzel has a lot of salt. A good beer has just a little.” And below that, the text explains that Rainier’s brewers add a pinch of salt to the water.

Beer In Ads #3831: Think Fresh

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Saturday’s ad is for “Rainier Beer,” from 1974. This ad was made for the Seattle Brewing & Malting Co., who made Rainier Beer, and was later known as the Rainier Brewing Company of Seattle, Washington. This one features a man with a mountaintop for a head and the tagline “Think Fresh.” It’s a weird one, to be sure, and it made me think of Frank Zappa’s song “Billy the Mountain.” But no sign of Ethel.

Beer In Ads #3830: My Favorite Beer

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Friday’s ad is for “Rainier Beer,” from 1977. This ad was made for the Seattle Brewing & Malting Co., who made Rainier Beer, and was later known as the Rainier Brewing Company of Seattle, Washington. This is another one featuring actor Mickey Rooney in the foreground. He’s wearing a Royal Canadian Mounted Police uniform and the print ad was also in support of a television commercial, as well.

Below is a better image used in the ad, but is also a bit smaller.

Beer In Ads #3829: Bring ‘Em Back Fresh

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Thursday’s ad is for “Rainier Beer,” from 1975. This ad was made for the Seattle Brewing & Malting Co., who made Rainier Beer, and was later known as the Rainier Brewing Company of Seattle, Washington. This one features a hunting expedition to catch fresh bottles of Rainiers, but things appear to have gone awry. They seem to be having some trouble capturing the bottle, and yes, that is actor Mickey Rooney in the foreground.