Puget Sound Brewing - Tacoma
The Puget Sound Brewery began in 1888 and was located on So. 25th between C & Jefferson Sts. The brewing plant was a lager beer brewery, with the plant being designed expressly for this style of beer. The Puget Sound Brewery was incorporated as the Puget Sound Brewing Company on 7 Aug. 1891, with a capital stock of $600,000. John D. Scholl was the firm's president, with Anton Huth, treasurer and Peter A. Kalenborn, secretary. Just three years after the new business was formed, Anton Huth bought out his partner, John Scholl. Huth then assumed the position of pres. & treas., and. Peter Kalenborn became vice-pres. & sec. The company's management remained unchanged for the next six years. Then in 1897, Huth took on a partner and formed a new brewing company through a merger with another Tacoma brewery. Samuel S. Loeb agreed to merge his Milwaukee Brewery in forming a new corporation. They were equitably joined, and Loeb took the position of vice-president and secretary of the new Pacific Brewing & Malting Company (PB&M). By 1909, PB&M was one of the largest brewing companies in the Northwest - second only to Seattle Brewing & Malting, brewers of "Rainier Beer".
History developed in association with Gary Flynn - Website: www.brewerygems.com
American Brewing Co. - Seattle
Job Henry West formed a partnership with two brothers, Edward D. and George H. Spellmire in 1902 as the Spellmire-West Brewing Co. The Spellmire-West partnership struggled along for a number of years and sometime in late 1905, West sold his share in the firm to the Spellmire brothers. In November, 1905, the brothers removed West from the marquee, changing the name of the business to just the Spellmire Brewing Co. On 15 March, 1901, West convinced Joseph May to purchase the brewery from the receiver, Armstrong. Then West and May, along with brewmaster, C. Schmidt, resumed operation as the Seattle Ale & Porter Co. This second attempt proved to be as futile as West's first try. His partner, May, lasted only four months then departed for the East. By November of 1902, West reluctantly sold the company to Theodore Z. Krutzner, who resumed operations as the American Brewing Co. This venture was under capitalized, and it failed as well, with Krutzner filing for bankruptcy on March of '03. The liquidation sale was nine months later on Dec. 17th. In 1913, for reasons yet to be determined, the Spellmire brothers changed the name of the company to the Washington Brewing Company which lasted until Prohibition.
History developed in association with Gary Flynn - Website: www.brewerygems.com
Aberdeen Brewing Co. - Aberdeen
In November of 1901, Alvin Hemrich purchased the Grays Harbor Brewing Co. from receivership for $3000 and went forward with plans for a more modest brewery. By the time production commenced, in May of 1902, Alvin had dropped the name Grays Harbor Brewing Co. in favor of the Aberdeen Brewing Company. The first draught beer was placed on the market on the 21st of May, and was warmly received. The bottling line had a capacity of 10 Barrels, or 1680 quart bottles per day. By 1906 the brewery employed 25 people, and produced $200,000 worth of beer a year. Increased sales and demand required even further expansion. In order to increase capacity an annex to the plant was erected in June 1907. In 1915 Washington voted to go dry, with statewide Prohibition to go into effect on January 1st, 1916. This terminated the production of all alcoholic beverages. Most breweries were forced to close, but the Aberdeen Brewing Co. stayed open by increasing their production of soda waters. This enterprise was named the Prima Bottling Works.
History developed in association with Gary Flynn - Website: www.brewerygems.com
Columbia Brewing Co. - Tacoma
Emil Kliese along with William C. Kiltz, filed for articles of incorporation on February 8, 1900 "to brew and sell wholesale and retail beer and other malt beverages" at a company to be known as the Columbia Brewing Company. The new firm had an initial capitalization of $50,000. William Kiltz was sales manager and Emile Kliese was owner, president and brewmaster. Tacoma's newest brewery was on line by the end of April, 1901, at which time the city boasted of 95 bars. The brewery had a number of brands of beer, "Columbia", "Golden Drops", "Golden Foam" and "Old Pilsner. Then in September of 1912 they added "Alt Heidelberg" (Old Heidelberg) to their line-up. The plant was located at 2120-2132 on South C Street and it was a five story, wooden frame building built over an artesian well with the brewery's output of about 50 barrels per day.
History developed in association with Gary Flynn - Website: www.brewerygems.com
Claussen Brewing Assn. - Seattle
Hans Johanne Claussen came to Seattle in 1888, after working in the Fredericksburg Brewery in San Jose, CA and the National Brewery in San Francisco. Once in Seattle he took the position as brewmaster at E. F. Sweeney's Puget Sound Brewery. The following year Claussen became a principal in the firm which reorganized as the Claussen-Sweeney Brewing Company. The new firm was capitalized at $80,000 with Edward Sweeney as president, and Hans Claussen as secretary-treasurer. In February of 1901, Hans formed a stock company for the purposes of opening a new brewing enterprise - the Claussen Brewing Association. The venture was capitalized at $50,000 - all the stock having been subscribed for by local retailers, i.e. saloons. The Alaska-Yukon Exposition of 1909, gave the company a boost when the prizes were awarded to the many competing Northwest breweries. The Claussen Brewing Assn. was awarded the Grand Prize and a Gold Medal for its flagship, "Tannhaeuser Beer". This seemed to confirm their slogan: "Seattle's Best Beer." Also, their "Mother's Malt" and "Ye Olde English Porter" both received Gold Medals. In November of 1914, Washington voters adopted state-wide prohibition. This was to take effect the beginning of 1916, giving producers of alcoholic beverages all of 1915 to sell their stock and close their plants.
History developed in association with Gary Flynn - Website: www.brewerygems.com
Independent Brewing Co. - Seattle
In 1902, Samuel S. Loeb and other business associates who had been with him in his Tacoma brewery, laid plans to open a brewery in Seattle. Samuel Loeb served as president, and his brother-in-law, Albert Weinberg, was vice-president, with Benjamin Moyses serving as sec./treas. Their millionaire partner, Herman Klaper - "the Hop King" - left the company prematurely when he went down with the Titanic on her ill-fated, maiden voyage. The brewery was located at 4202 8th Ave. So., what is now Airport Way, and south of Seattle Brewing & Malting's Sweeney plant in Georgetown. The brewery flourished in spite of the major competition from Seattle Brewing & Malting's "Rainier Beer". In June of 1910 they introduced "Old German Lager" calling it the "Fatherland Beer," with the slogan: "Prosit! Es Giebt Kein Kopeweh," which means - "Good Health! It won't give you a headache". By 1912, "Old German Lager" was being bottled and distributed by the Chas. F. Wagner Co. in San Francisco, and in Portland by Rose City Importing Company.
History developed in association with Gary Flynn - Website: www.brewerygems.com