First off, if you’ve been enjoying my beer history tidbits, you’ve got to check out what my friend Brian is doing over at BygoneBeer.com. Those old beer labels and drinking postcards are a trip!
Today’s local beer history comes to us from reader Aram Cretan of Oakland brewery-in-planning Federation Brewing. I haven’t run into this guy in a year; I love how beer history brings its relatively few devotees out of the woodwork. I enjoyed his email so much I’m just going to quote it in its entirety as a guest post. Enjoy this page (literally) out of 1890.
“I’m an Oakland history geek myself, and reading Beth Bagwell’s book sent me scrambling not just to the Oakland History Room at the library, but to the fantastic Betty Marvin, whose office in the rear corner of the Planning Department is just overflowing with awesome stuff–books, newspaper archives, plat maps, possibly some bodies. I actually had a permitting question for her, but after quickly dispensing with the boring stuff, we got down to the business of pinning down the exact location of the church my great-grandfather had been the pastor of (demolished, as were so many wonderful things in Oakland, for a freeway.) While I was poring over old phone books, she found the attached newspaper clipping, from the Oakland Daily Evening Tribune, Wednesday January 15, 1890.
(click to zoom in)
“On the bottom right, there’s an ad for Kramm and Dieves Oakland Brewery, corner of Telegraph and Durant, which is now Berkeley. They claim to be the largest brewery in the county, an important distinction when contrasted with the ad further up the page for John Wieland’s Celebrated Lager Beer, which claims to have produced 122k barrels in 1888. (I presume that’s not a 31gal BBL, because that would be crazy.) John Wieland’s Lager was later produced by Pacific Brewing and Malting in San Jose, which was at the time known as San Francisco Breweries or perhaps Fredricksburg Brewing Company. (http://www.taverntrove.com/
“You might also note that the DRUNKENNESS caused by all of this beer can be Positively Cured by administering Dr. Klaines Golden Specific, and that Hood’s Sarsaprilla seems to have pioneered the “Head On! Apply Directly To Forehead!” approach. Love these old newspapers.”
Thanks Aram! Look for Federation Brewing as soon as the Oakland commercial real estate gods smile on ‘em.
Spectacular. Did you notice the “Manhood Restored” ad as well? Who knew they sold Viagra back then?
I, too, geeked out on Bygone Beer when Brian announced it on Twitter. Love, love, love that site. Being a beer and history nerd myself (I belong to, and blog for, the Hercules Historical Society), it’s just the best thing ever.