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As was typical of pre-Pro steam beer brewers and advertised as such, North Star would produce draught beer only, but did invest in the then-new steel kegs.
[ABOVE] Feb., 1934
In March of 1936, the State Controller's office would announce the pending sale of the company, for non-payment of $2,400 in taxes.
Much of NORTH STAR's equipment would be used at the Red Bluff Brewing Co. (later- the United States Brewing Co.), in the town of the same name in 1936.
In 1934, Butts, in a complaint to the city of SF over a water bill, would state the brewery had a $4,000 monthly payroll.
Originally Charles Cornell (Cournale) managed the brewery, later replaced by H.F. Butts as the president and manager of the firm. The brewmaster was announced as Gottlieb Woehrle (formerly of the California Brewing Co.), later replaced by R. Behimer. The company was re-organized in the 1935, with new investors.
The former manager of a liquor wholesaler, and bitters manufacturer, E. M. Lind, and Henry Barner* organized the post-Repeal North Star in mid-1933, planning to open a new 150 bbl./day facility by July.
(* A Henry Behlmer was president of PP North Star but his 1944 obit mentions no connection to the post-Repeal company).
THE NORTH STAR BREWERY, INC.
The North Star Brewing Co. of San Francisco (3310 Army St). operated from 1897 - 1920 in the Pre-Pro era and re-opened, as the North Star Brewery, Inc., after Repeal at 188 Filbert St. at Sansome), as noted in the large ad above), closing soon after by 1936.
GRACE BROS. SANTA ROSA, CA
The extended Grace family owned numerous breweries in California, with Grace Bros. of Santa Rosa one of the longest running firms, existing from 1897 - 1920, 1933 - 1952 and, unusually, given a second post-Repeal existance from 1958 - 1969 (it's last two years, owned by L.A.'s Maier Brewing Co. - the original brewery owned by Paul Kalmanovitz).
As noted in the article and ad below, in 1934 they announced a revival of their steam beer, Grace's Steam. In August, 1934, it was reportedly on tap at eight establishment in Santa Rosa, but does not appear to have lasted long.
In an extensive 1950 article on the brewery, president Tom Grace explained that California's post-Repeal laws prohibited draught beer over 3.2 abw even after the higher alcohol content beer became legal on a Federal level in December, 1933 with the passage of the 21st Amendment. Because steam beer was typically available only in kegs and underwent a secondary fermentation in the keg, it was difficult for the brewer to keep the alcohol content under the legal limit "without a lot of trouble and expense", according to Grace:
"So, there isn't much steam left anymore.
We made it for a long time, but it proved too
much trouble in recent years - the alcoholic
content is unstable, and the law now makes it
almost impossible to produce."
Unclear in Grace's comment is whether he is talking only of the post-Repeal era and how long "a long time" meant for Grace's Steam beer.
(During it's start-up period, North Star apparently also had problems with alcohol content).
.
[ABOVE] 1933 ad for a San Pedro distributor of the Garden City beers.
THE GARDEN CITY BREWING CO./
PACIFIC BREWING & MALTING CO.
SAN JOSE, CA
The post-Repeal Garden City company appears to have been a failed start-up that evolved into a sort of contract-brewery, with their Old Joe and Ritz branded beers originally said to be brewed by San Francisco's Milwaukee / San Francisco Brewing Co. (later well-known as Burgermeister) and bottled by August Goeffrey's newly created Garden City Brewing Co. in San Jose, which had formerly been known as the bottling firm, the Goeffroy Company. Unlike other steam beers, these beers were bottled beers. Later the beers would be brewed at the re-opened Fredericksburg brewery also in San Jose, by brewmaster T. F. Baumgartner.
Fredericksburg would be taken over and renamed the Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. by 1937, with Baumgartner remaining the brewer.
Later the two brands, based on numerous joint ads for other brands like Frederickburg and eventually their own ads, appear to have become the outright property of San Jose's Pacific Brewing and Malting Co., best known in the post-Repeal era for the resurrected Wieland's brand beer. PB&MCo. would also use the brands for "non-steam" lager beers. August Geoffroy would be an executive at PBMCo in the 1940s.
Bottled Old Joe's Steam Beer would be rather widely distributed - sold in Nevada, Arizona and Oregon as well as its home market of California. (see bottom of page for a series of Arizona ads).
A lone Oregon ad proclaims it a "6%" beer. If so, the same recipe would not have been sold in California as a draught beer. At 15¢ a bottle, it was more expensive than local and west coast regional brands, which typically sold for 10¢ or 2/25¢.
SONOMA VALLEY BREWING CORP.
SANTA ROSA, CA
The latestad for Old Joe's Steam Beer [RIGHT] in 1937 makes it the second longest-lived "steam beer", existing for at least 4 years after Repeal.
Founded after Repeal in the same city where the Grace Bros. brewery was located, it was organized by Michael Hanahan and a number of other investors, including the first brewmaster and V.P., Dr. Maximillian A. Buchner.
The brewery's initial product, brewed in a temporary home in a former pickle factory, was "Buchner's Albany Steam", which Buchner claimed won a prize in 1900 at the Paris Exposition. (Buchner had been the brewmaster of the Albany brewery in San Francisco before Prohibition and his father had also been a Bay area brewmaster, at one time brewing Wieland's Beer).
The first batch of SV's steam beer was available at the brewery and one local retail establishment on August 17, 1934.
By December of 1934, Buchner would be fired, accused of financial mismanagement (buying lumber for a summer home in the Russian River area) and other brewery officers were sued by investors. A new recipe for steam beer was announced but the brewery apparently stopped operating and the company was tied up in court during the months of January and February. A Trustees Sale at Public Auction would occur in November 1938.
[ABOVE] 1933 ad for a San Pedro distributor of the Garden City beers.
THE GARDEN CITY BREWING CO./
PACIFIC BREWING & MALTING CO.
SAN JOSE, CA
The post-Repeal Garden City company appears to have been a failed start-up that evolved into a sort of contract-brewery, with their Old Joe and Ritz branded beers originally said to be brewed by San Francisco's Milwaukee / San Francisco Brewing Co. (later well-known as Burgermeister) and bottled by August Goeffrey's newly created Garden City Brewing Co. in San Jose, which had formerly been known as the bottling firm, the Goeffroy Company. Unlike other steam beers, these beers were bottled beers. Later the beers would be brewed at the re-opened Fredericksburg brewery also in San Jose, by brewmaster T. F. Baumgartner.
Fredericksburg would be taken over and renamed the Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. by 1937, with Baumgartner remaining the brewer.
Later the two brands, based on numerous joint ads for other brands like Frederickburg and eventually their own ads, appear to have become the outright property of San Jose's Pacific Brewing and Malting Co., best known in the post-Repeal era for the resurrected Wieland's brand beer. PB&MCo. would also use the brands for "non-steam" lager beers. August Geoffroy would be an executive at PBMCo in the 1940s.
Bottled Old Joe's Steam Beer would be rather widely distributed - sold in Nevada, Arizona and Oregon as well as its home market of California. (see bottom of page for a series of Arizona ads).
A lone Oregon ad proclaims it a "6%" beer. If so, the same recipe would not have been sold in California as a draught beer. At 15¢ a bottle, it was more expensive than local and west coast regional brands, which typically sold for 10¢ or 2/25¢.
SONOMA VALLEY BREWING CORP.
SANTA ROSA, CA
The latestad for Old Joe's Steam Beer [RIGHT] in 1937 makes it the second longest-lived "steam beer", existing for at least 4 years after Repeal.
Founded after Repeal in the same city where the Grace Bros. brewery was located, it was organized by Michael Hanahan and a number of other investors, including the first brewmaster and V.P., Dr. Maximillian A. Buchner.
The brewery's initial product, brewed in a temporary home in a former pickle factory, was "Buchner's Albany Steam", which Buchner claimed won a prize in 1900 at the Paris Exposition. (Buchner had been the brewmaster of the Albany brewery in San Francisco before Prohibition and his father had also been a Bay area brewmaster, at one time brewing Wieland's Beer).
The first batch of SV's steam beer was available at the brewery and one local retail establishment on August 17, 1934.
By December of 1934, Buchner would be fired, accused of financial mismanagement (buying lumber for a summer home in the Russian River area) and other brewery officers were sued by investors. A new recipe for steam beer was announced but the brewery apparently stopped operating and the company was tied up in court during the months of January and February. A Trustees Sale at Public Auction would occur in November 1938.
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