Gold Rush Breweries

by Ken Koupal, Historian

The Bay Area has been hit with Gold Fever again. Now on display at the Oakland Museum is the history of the real ‘49ers, the "Argonauts." It must have been difficult, way out West, making a living by being lucky enough to find that glimmering aurium, without getting cheated, murdered, or done in by cholera in the process. They say you could get more gold from a miner than you could from the ground. And after a hard day’s work it would be just as tough if not tougher to find a cold beer.

I thought it would be appropriate to focus on California breweries that started during the period of the ‘49ers, that is, the 1860s and sooner, and trace their period of business. These were the very first breweries in California, and as homebrewers I’m certain we can relate to the makeshift equipment and supplies that these brewers must have endured.

Auburn

After hearing of James Marshall’s gold discovery at Sutter’s Mill, Claude Chana organized a party of a few fellow Frenchmen and about 20+ native Indians to search for his own fortune. In May of 1848 they set out from Sutter’s Fort for Coloma, making their first night’s camp in what is now known as Auburn Ravine. Chana sampled the soil here, found gold, and the party immediately forgot about going on to Coloma. The camps, known as Dry Diggin’s, turned out yields of up to $1500 per miner per day. By 1849 the camp had grown into a town with a population of 1500, and miners from Auburn, New York had renamed after their home town.

Auburn soon became an important trading center and supply depot for the surrounding mines, as well as a stagecoach terminus. In 1852 Auburn won the Sutter County seat, somehow managing to cast a majority vote greater than its entire population. A disastrous fire swept through the town in 1855, but Auburn was quickly rebuilt -- this time with structures of stone and brick instead of log cabins and frame buildings.

The Kaiser Brothers (Samuel & Frank) started Auburn’s first commercial brewery in 1855, rebuilding from the town fire. By 1856 the Central Pacific railroad finally arrived in town on its way to meet the Union Pacific in Utah. This established Auburn as a major point on the first transcontinental railway. In 1862 the brewery changed hands to Frederick Grohs. Kraus & Roll began running the brewery in 1879. Partners were phased in and out (Kraus & Roll, then Roll & Weber, then just Julius Weber). In 1897 the brewery was sold to Ferdinand Rachenmacher who finally stopped producing in 1908.

Boca
Now on Interstate 80, east of Truckee, the Boca Brewing Company boasts the first California Lager beer in 1875. Other than marking this significant milestone, there is not much to report about the brewery, which closed in 1892.

Etna Mills
Charles Peters began a small brewery in 1862, which faded away into history, and nobody knows when it closed its doors. In 1867, Charles Kappler began producing beer in his separate brewery (which may have been part of Peters’ brewery). Amazingly, this one stayed in business as the Etna Brewery until 1920.

Hayward
Meanwhile, closer to home, a brewery was opened in 1862 by Charles Lyons, called Lyon’s Brewery. Sound familiar? I’ll save this story for another article.

Marysville
The first brewery in this town started in 1854, and was called Gottlieb Lieber. Try asking for one of their beers three times fast and see if you can say that straight. Eventually his son Louis came in to help, keeping the brewery under the Lieber name until 1897. The brewery was sold to Michael Reissinger and brewed under the name California Brewery until 1920. In 1934 the Capital Brewing Company tried to restart the brewery after prohibition, but it never got into production.

Oakland
Sea ports along the California coast had access to supplies by ship for decades, but it was the transcontinental railroad which made it economic for perishable goods (grain). Oakland’s first brewery began in 1856, the same year the two coasts were connected by rail. The brewery, originally on the corner of 5^th and Kirkham Streets, changed hands numerous times over its century of production. Welscher, Westermann, Braun, Graber, Henke -- these are the early owners. The brewery went under the name of Washington Brewery in 1891, Golden West Brewing Company in 1911, Goebel Brewing Company in 1950, and finally Pacific Brewing, Inc. in 1958-1959. The brewery itself moved from 5^th Street to 7^th Street (533 Kirkham Street). This was one of the rare breweries that re-started production after prohibition and actually became successful. Malting filled the production gap between 1920 and 1933.

Sacramento
Sacramento, being a trade port and Capital, was the home to numerous breweries. The first was started in 1859 by Hilbert & Borchers. The name City Brewery was coined in 1865, when Mr. Schwartz took over the partnership from Mr. Hilbert. Eventually, W. F. Borchers sold the brewery to Ruhstaller & Schuler. Frank Ruhstaller owned and managed the City Brewery (12^th & H Streets) for many years, then sold the rights to the Sacramento Brewing Company in 1892. The names City Brewery and Ruhstaller Brewery were kept until its closure in 1920.

San Francisco
Naturally, San Francisco has a tremendous brewing history, and I could devote an entire article on its growth. So let me highlight the earliest seeds of growth. San Francisco’s breweries have less to do with gold, and more to do with the people who passed through its gate to find it. San Francisco was a staging area for arrivals, goods, and services. With easy access to supplies (relative to the rest of the West) and with an inexhaustible demand for thirst, it could sustain numerous businesses with far more opportunity and stability than anywhere in the Gold Country.

1868, G. Lurmann began the Bay Brewery at 612-616 7^th Street. This ran under the name Milwaukee Brewery beginning in 1880. The brewery was relocated to 432-436 10^th Street in 1891. In 1935 this became the San Francisco Brewing Corporation. In 1956 this became the Burgermeister Brewing Corporation. Operation was briefly transferred under the Jos. Schlitz division in 1961. The Falstaff Brewing Corporation (affiliates with General Brewing Co.) picked up the brewery in 1971 and ran it until 1978.

Another notable brewery began in 1852 under Philip Frauenholtz & Company. Jacob Gundlach, William Davidson, and Mr. Scherhold helped get this brewery into steady operation for the first thirty years. This soon came to be known as Bavarian Brewery, later changed to the Bavaria Brewery. The brewery moved from Vallejo & Green Streets, to Vallejo Street and Montgomery Avenue, then moved to Greenwich and Scott Streets. In 1898 the brewery became known as Wunder Brewing Company, then closed its doors for good in 1909.

In another part of town, the South San Francisco Brewery began in 1855. Located at Railroad Avenue and 14^th Street, August Hoelscher & Company opened for business. The brewery always kept its name, but financial partners kept changing. Pillig and Waldenmeier helped keep the brewery running until the end in 1899.

Albert Koster started the Union Brewing Company (18^th and Florida Streets) in 1854. The Union Brewing and Malting Company stayed in production until 1916.

The National Brewery (John F. Glueck & Charles E. Hansen) began in 1861. Located a Fulton and Webster Streets the brewery became associated with Cereal Products Refining Corporation during prohibition. It emerged as Acme Breweries doing business as California Brewing Association. This remained in production until 1958.

American Railroad Brewery (423-427 Valencia Street between 15^th and 16^th Streets) went into business in 1858. Thomas F. Pfether, Fred P. Schuster, and Mr. Kroenke grew the business through 1902. In 1902 it joined the Union Brewing and Malting Company and was shut down in 1904.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for, the very first known brewery in California. 1849, before California became a state, A. Schuppert went into business on the corner of Stockton & Jackson Streets, in what is now known as Old Chinatown.

The Albany Brewery (71-75 Evertt Street) was started in 1858 by Claus Spreckles. (Hmmm ... Spreckles, sugar/refining, malting/brewing ... could be a connection.) The Albany Brewery changed hands to F. Hagemann in about 1877, and the Hagemann Brewery / Albany Brewery continued until 1920. The brewery moved several times over its life (271 Natoma Street, 405-415 8^th Street).

John Wieland Brewery, 1856-1920. Now here’s a brewery that never changed names - kind of a rarity. Located at 228-246 2^nd Street, this brewery tried to restart after prohibition, but never got into production.

Over at 324 Green Street, Charles Wilmot started his brewery in 1856. Wilmot had some partners (Elliott and Bugbee) but only stayed in business until about 1879.

The Washington Brewery (723-725 Lombard and Taylor Streets) opened its doors in 1859. Claus Wreden’s name stayed with the brewery until its closure in 1916.

San Jose
Eagle Brewery (Market and San Carlos Streets) was South Bay’s first brewery, opening in 1851. Joseph Hartmann (and family) and George Scherrer (and family) kept the business running until 1920.

Fredericksburg Brewery opened in 1856. Owners through the years include Gottfried Krahenberg, Schramm, Schnabel, and Denicke. The brewery then went "big time" after prohibition, working under Pacific Brewing and Malting Co., Wieland’s Brewery Co. (1025 Cinnabar Street), and eventually Falstaff Brewing Corporation (1025 W. Julian Street). Falstaff closed down the brewery in 1973.

Sonora
John Bauman opened the first brewery in Sonora in 1866, long after the wild racial strife that terrorized and repeatedly burned the gold mining town. Mr. Bauman’s brewery stayed in business far longer than his cross-town competitor, Louis Baccigalapi (1875-1880). Mr. Bauman’s brewery finally closed in 1907.

Stockton
Opening in 1855, Stockton’s first brewery was located at Park and Stanislaus Streets. Bush & Denlacker sold the brewery to Daniel Rothenbusch in 1858. Moving to Park & American Streets, the brewery became known as El Dorado Brewing Co. The brewery moved once again to 617 North Stanislaus Street to restart after prohibition, staying in business until 1955.

Weaverville
Frederick Walter’s brewery opened in 1852. John Meckel and the Meckel Brothers ran it as the Pacific Brewery from 1879 to 1920.

Yreka
The Pacific Brewery on Oregon Street opened in 1858. Gottfried Gambell ran the brewery for 12 years, then Charles Junker for 30 more years. Joseph Steinacher continued the brewery until 1911.

So there you have the germination of brewing in California. I’m still investigating why there is a phenomenal burst of new breweries in California in 1874. Literally scores of breweries began in that year. This was the post-Rush, full-Boom, pre-Bust era, rich with earnings and the means for national or even global import, and still light on laws and taxes. Remarkably though, many of the early breweries were able to continue on for over a century of brewing in California. It would be nice to think that some of the prospectors came for the gold, but stayed for the beer. In reality, the business of beer was just that: business.

Sources:

Bull, Donald, et al, "American Breweries," Bullworks, Trumbull CT, 1984.

Automobile Club of Southern California, "The Mother Lode," AAA Travel Department, Los Angeles CA, 1990