America's Original Craft Beer Revolution

The art of brewing beer has long been a staple of American culture thanks in part to our European colonization and immigration. Going back to colonial times, brewing suds was a common practice within any community and the title of "Homebrewer" would be akin to calling someone a "Job Worker" - it's just what you did. The concept of commercial brewing was nonexistent and for good reason. For one, beer was stored in wood casks and did not travel very well at all. If you had a (good) beer in the 18th century you could guarantee it was brewed right around the corner, often coming from your local inn or, in many cases, your own home. 

As the 19th century dawned beer production began to ramp up in the US. Distribution of this liquid gold, however, still remained to be a local endeavor. In 1810, there were 140 commercial breweries in the US; by 1850 that number would just about double. But this growth merely reflected the growing and expanding nation rather than beer consumption per capita as this rate didn't change very much. 

It wasn't until the decades following the Civil War that America would experience its first craft beer boom. Beer was quickly becoming the drink of choice for the blue color working class and there were several contributing factors to its surge in popularity. Foremost among them was the brewing know-how brought over from the Irish, English and German immigrants who'd come across the Atlantic for a fresh start. The practice of 'lagering' in the US was nowhere to be found until German brewers introduced this method in the mid 1800s and lagers began to replace ales as the dominant style at that time (English Pale Ale or Bitters were the styles up till then). Louis Pasteur's new technique of heating liquids to remove pathogens also allowed beer to last longer on the shelves and allowed it to 'keep' during travel. More efficient modes transportation were on the rise which caused the spread of distribution to previously unreachable geographies. The large and growing network of railroads - which arguably won the Civil War for the Union - now connected East and West as the final "golden spike" was hammered down in 1869, connecting the two halves and completing the Transcontinental Railroad. Ice cutting was also becoming a large scale commercial industry which allowed brewers to refrigerate packaged beer in large storerooms and serve it cold. And lastly, the growing labor force which supported all of this industrialization now earned higher wages, allowing them to spend more of it on beer. 

In 1882, the New York publisher Geo. H. Adams & Sons printed a book entitled Illustrated Industries and Geographies of America. It was intended to give the public a detailed look at the inventions and technologies that helped drive American industrialization. Particularly noteworthy was America's growing beer industry and the commercial breweries of the time were highly regarded for their technological application and business savvy. The three breweries below (along with their original prints) are rustic examples of when the brewing industry entered the new era of "modern" technology and set America on a path through prohibition and towards its current (and second) craft beer revolution.


Hell Gate Brewery
Queens, New York

The Hell Gate Brewery was established by George Ehret in 1866 at the age of 31. He immigrated to the New York from Germany in 1854 following the example of his father who'd come before him. He got a job and worked for a time in the Anton Hupfel Brewery but it wasn't long before he became a fully capable brewer and set off on his own.

He decided to start from scratch and build his own brewery. He chose a spot in Queens "on the lower part of the block, between Ninety-second and Ninety-third streets and Second and Third avenues" in a rural area known as "Hell Gate". The name was given to a section of the East River river supposedly because of it's treacherous passage of shallow rocks but the original name came from a Dutch explorer who termed it "Hellegat" which means "clear opening". But due to the many shipwrecks that the passage induced it's Anglicanized version stuck.

Hell Gate Brewery opened up for business just after the Civil War ended during a time when annual consumption had reached 5,115,140 barrels - a pittance when compared to today with just over 203 million barrels in 2011 alone. The brewery did very well for itself in this time of increased consumption and its increased production only proved it's popularity. Production and distribution increased year over year heading into their 4th year but a fire swept through a most of the brewery in 1870 and destroyed much of the facility. Many of the facilities and records were destroyed but over the next decade the brewery updated and expanded, doubling its production by 1880.

George Ehret's Hell Gate Brewery was once the nation's largest brewery and a point of pride for New Yorkers and German immigrants alike.  When Ehret died in 1927 he was worth an astounding $40 million dollars (nearly $550 million in 2017 dollars). But with the onset of Prohibition in 1918 breweries were hit hard. After fighting a losing battle Ehret's sons decided to sell the Queens facility in 1935 which officially ended the storied history of Hell Gate Brewery. His sons started made two other attempts to establish a family brand but sold the facility not long after opening it and in 1951 the Ehret family finally ended it's chapter in America's brewing history. 


Frank Jones' Ale Brewery
Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Frank Jones was born and raised in New Hampshire and over the course of his life would become perhaps one of the most well known businessmen in the state. In 1848 he started his career by working for his brother in his stove store at the age of 16. And by the time he was 19 he became part owner. Then, as would become a common practice in Jones' business career, it wasn't long before he owned it all. 

The Frank Jones' Brewery first took shape when Jones went into business with an Englishman who'd come to Portsmouth, NH with a mind to open up an ale brewery. English Ale was the popular style of the time and also the most efficient style to brew. They began in partnership but, once again, it wasn't long before Jones had bought out his partner, John Swindell, and owned the entire brewery. His brand continued to grow throughout the Civil War and afterwards, competing against local as well as regionally larger breweries in New York and Boston. Jones had many businesses under his control by this time and continued to expand them whenever possible. In 1875, Jones bought another ale brewery in Boston and in 1883 was listed as the largest producer of beer in the country at 150,000 barrels. 

Jones also entered politics early on in his career and was elected as Mayor of Portsmouth and a New Hampshire Congressman. In 1880 Jones ran for Governor of New Hampshire but lost to his competitor who just so happened to be a supporter of prohibition. 

After his political career ended, Jones focused on his brewery exclusively. The 1880s were a time of major growth for the industry but a major economic depression in 1892 caused massive consolidation in the industry and many breweries were forced to sell. British investors were more than happy to buy them and conglomerate them into a single brand. Ironically, Anheuser-Busch was among those breweries who refused to sell out but have come full circle today by utilizing the same strategy. Jones sold the brewery at the start of this consolidation wave but remained on the board and in control of operations. Jones died in 1902 but the brewery kept on going until Prohibition ultimately proved too much of a challenge causing it to close in 1917. 

David Jones Brewery
New Rochelle, New York

The David Jones Brewery of New Rochelle, NY was one of the older commercial establishments in the US with a start date somewhere in the beginning of the 19th century. Jones' brand was widely popular but it is his association with an obscure episode in New York brewing history that stands out in particular. It's a story involving corruption, drug use and slander - all aimed at New York's brewing industry. 

It began in 1835 when the New York State Senate was alerted to an article  published in Albany claiming that certain "noxious drugs" were being used in recipes of many New York breweries. The Senate was mildly alarmed and contacted the publisher of the article for proof of his claims. The publisher, unrecorded and lost to history, refused to offer any such proof and the Senate decided it was not worth opening an investigation into the state of State brewing practices. 

The word was out, however, and the local breweries were not taking kindly to these salacious charges. The Senate received requests from local brewers who wanted their side to be heard so they could exonerate themselves for the record and, more importantly, in the court of public opinion. A questionnaire was sent out to these brewers asking about the use of any harmful chemicals in their brewing - specifically if they had ever used a drug known as "coculus indicus". Twenty eight brewers and several of their "workmen" were obliged to provide testimony, all of which denied the present use of any ingredients that would be considered "noxious or unwholesome". To hammer home their point they gladly listed out the only ingredients they used: malt, hops, water, honey, molasses, sugar and/or fine salt. They of course forgot to mention brewer's yeast but can be forgiven the oversight due to their limited understanding of the organism's responsibilities. 

The Senate determined that this outpouring of innocence from the brewing community must certainly mean they were guiltless of the charges. In their final report they concluded that the original claim must be false and that no brewer in the United States would have the desire to brew with coculus indicus in the first place. The only reason to use such an ingredient, they said, was to enhance the bitterness and richness of the beer over that of that of the malt and hops. They claimed that this situation only existed in Great Britain due to the high import tariff on malt which caused many to look for a supplemental source of the malty richness. However, no such tariff existed in the United States and the Senate concluded there would be no desire to use anything but pure malt for this purpose in the first place. Of course, this unethical ingredient had other effects beyond enhancing taste.  

Cocculus Indicus is a berry that comes from a climbing plant known as Anamirta cocculus which is indigenous to Southeast Asia and parts of India. The berry contains a poison known as picrotoxin which has stimulant properties. In the mid 1800s in England it was commonly known that a concoction containing this berry, known as hard multum, was included in the brewing process. When consumed this picrotoxin-infused beer would cause "giddiness" beyond the effect of just alcohol alone. Charles Dickens once referred to brewers engaging in this practice as being "of low degree,... who do not understand the wholesome policy of selling wholesome beverage." Today, picrotoxin is outlawed by many horse racing associations as a performance enhancing drug. The use of "coculus indicus" for brewing was eventually outlawed in England by mid 19th century and came with a hefty fine if caught putting it into beer. 

The ironic twist is that several of the NY brewer's that gave testimony to the Senate openly admitted to using coculus indicus as part of their beer at some point in the past. However, they said the experiment failed as it gave the beer a bad taste and swore that they had never used it since. Apparently the NY State Senate took them at their word and exonerated the brewing community of any and all charges of using unwholesome drugs in their beer. 

As late as 1876, the suspicion of such unsavory brewing practices still persisted in the US however and it was briefly addressed by the Chicago Tribune newspaper. It gave some reassurance to its readers that this practice no longer existed and that the only uses of this drug still employed were for "poisoning fish, or for destroying vermin on cattle." Whether it was the fact that this drug was in beer or for poisoning fish that would eventually make it to your table, clearly the need was there for a regulatory body to make some rules. The FDA was officially formed in 1906 via the signing of the Food and Drug Act by President Roosevelt making beer, once again, safe to consume in large quantities.

 
Bibliography

Stack, Martin. “A Concise History of America’s Brewing Industry”. EH.Net Encyclopedia, edited by Robert Whaples. July 4, 2003. URL http://eh.net/encyclopedia/a-concise-history-of-americas-brewing-industry/

E. Harris Ruddock (1874). Text Book of Modern Medicine and Surgery on Homœopathic Principles. London: Homœopathic Publishing Company. p. 833. OCLC 14853471.

Henry Morley, LL.D. (1891). "Appendix (1841-1848): Management of the Food". Early Papers and Some Memories. London: Geo. Routledge & Sons, LTD. p. 373. OCL 10078708.

Chicago Tribue, July 15 1876. Chicago Tribue Archives. Cocculus Indicus In Beer URL http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1876/07/15/page/9/article/cocculus-indicus-in-beer

Boston's Forgotten Hotels

Boston is as an old city, at least as far as American standards go. But despite it's brownstone buildings, steepled churches, cobblestone streets and brick sidewalks the city has gone through many distinct periods of rejuvenation and renovation. And in so doing many of the city's historical buildings and establishments now only exist on the pages of history. Often times it is the act of destruction that has been the cause of such revitalization. Such was the case with The Great Fire of 1872 when most all of the downtown area and financial district was burnt to the ground giving it the look of a bombed out city. 

Not all of Boston's historic buildings met such violent ends however and many of them experienced a long and storied tenure before meeting their ultimate end; most notable are Boston's once-famous hotels. These 19th century establishments characterized the height of elegance and accommodation that the city was known for with celebrities, politicians and high ranking businessmen all adding to their prestige. Many of these hotels would live on well into the 20th century but would eventually succumb to the ever changing landscape of a modernizing city. 

Despite obvious differences in accommodation during the 1800s potential lodgers were still in need of much of the same information we still seek today: location, price, comfort, amenities, entertainment and reputation. The one markedly different bit of information that hotels listed was who the proprietor was along with his or her history of hotel management. Although not often done for hotels anymore, the practice is more akin to listing the chef of a restaurant. It let the lodger know the quality of the hotel since the reputation of the proprietor was essential to the reputation of the hotel. It was also standard practice to state whether the hotel was on the European Plan or the American Plan. This indicated whether boarders had their meals included in the rate (American Plan) or excluded (European Plan); a system that originated right in Boston at the Parker House which is the oldest continuously operating hotel in America. 

These bastions of old world hospitality now only exist on paper and in the fleeting memories of a few remaining souls still alive today. Below are several of the more prominent Boston hotels from the 19th century and a glimpse into the world they serviced. 

THE CLARENDON

519-525 Tremont St.

The Clarendon was a hotel highly regarded by Boston travelers and was located in the South End on Tremont St. right next door to the Cyclorama (where the Butcher Shop restaurant now stands). This advert from 1882 states that "It's rooms are large, airy, and handsomely furnished" and even lets interested boarders know that it does indeed have a Passenger Elevator. Despite the invention of the elevator being some 30 years prior its widespread adoption was still ongoing. Before elevators became standard the rooms on the bottom floor were more sought after than those at the top. While not much exists in record keeping for The Clarendon there is a record from the Boston Fire Department of a blaze that went through half the building on Feb 6, 1969. Clearly the hotel adapted with the times and made it well into the 1900s, surviving Boston's never ending renovations during the 20th century. 

 AMERICAN HOUSE

56 Hanover St.

"This well known first-class hotel is the largest in New England and offers to families, tourists, and the traveling public, superior accommodations." The American House was located on a part of Hanover Street that no longer exists, right next to present day City Hall (at the present site of the John F. Kennedy Building). The hotel stood on the edge of Scollay Square which was known for it's party atmosphere and red light district allure. But when the American House was built in 1835 no such atmosphere existed and the area was an upstanding destination of the city. When this advert was published in 1882 the hotel was notable for its "bathing conveniences" and was "particularly desirable for families and summer travelers" due to the growing need to bathe when you traveled. The hotel eventually closed in 1935, making the lifetime of the American House exactly one century.

HAMPTON HOUSE

Haymarket Square

Hampton House stood in Haymarket Square when Haymarket was actually a square - not a public transit stop. But to picture the hotel as it was you'd have to imagine there is no Greenway and no on-ramp to the highway as the hotel stood exactly over the highway entrance in front of Haymarket Station. Rows of buildings spanned the Greenway space is and the skyline view that Bostonians now enjoy from this vantage point was nonexistant. In it's day the Hampton House was a high quality stop for business travelers due to its proximity to the major railroad depots entering the city. These depots collectively were the equivalent of North Station, housing all of the north bound trains from the city. As of 1882, it had been "newly furnished and is supplied with every comfort and keeps an excellent table." And "commercial men ascertain that the Hampton House deserves a large large share of patronage."

NEW ENGLAND HOUSE

Blackstone St. 

The uniqueness of this advertisement for the New England House is it's mention of the current rates being in "keeping with the depression in business" at that time. This description was published in a folio book from 1882 which was a time of prosperity in the United States. However, in the mid to late 1870s the US was experiencing it's largest financial crisis to date and industries across the nation were experiencing a downturn. When comparing this advertisement to the others here it becomes apparent that the information on each hotel was collected over a much longer period of time than would be expected today. 

UNITED STATES HOTEL
Corner of Essex and Beach St.

The United States Hotel was most likely the largest hotel then in existence in Boston. It was located on the edge of where China Town now is, a few blocks away from the southern railroad lines where South Station currently is. The hotel was built in 1824 and developed a sterling reputation. It catered to both transient and permanent guests which was more of a common occurrence to live in a hotel in the 19th century. It's central location to "the Great Mercantile Establishments, Post Office, Custom House, Places of Amusement, etc." made it a heavily traveled establishment. The great politician and orator Daniel Webster stayed here and he was as much a celebrity as anyone in those days. The hotel was eventually torn down by 1938.




QUINCY HOUSE
Brattle Square

Quincy House was one of the more celebrated hotels in Boston during the late 19th century. It was certainly one of the biggest with nearly 500 rooms following renovations in c. 1885. The building was located almost exactly where City Hall Plaza currently is and was built in the early 1800s on the site of the very first Quaker meeting house in Boston. The hotel became known as the "official headquarters of the labor organization" due to a host of labor unions holding their regular meetings there. One of the more infamous groups to meet there was an unofficial board from the state's Democratic Party where they determined electoral appointees and distributed patronage to secure the position. John F. Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy, was one of the members of this self-styled Board of Strategy. The hotel took a downturn as labor patronage in the early 20th century declined and was eventually demolished in 1935 to make room for a parking lot.



ST. JAMES HOTEL
Franklin Square

The St. James Hotel was situated in an idyllic spot of Boston right on the edge of Blacksone Square and Franklin Square in the South End. The hotel was known as a "first class modern" establishment and had reading and smoking rooms, club rooms, ladies' and gentleman's parlors, a telegraph office and an elevator. In 1870 the hotel was taken over by the New England Conservatory of Music and become their main campus before they relocated in the early 20th century. The building fell into disrepair for a time but in 1902 was bought and rejuvenated by Reverend George Perin in order to become a home for young ladies who worked long hours and could not afford proper housing. The building was sold to the city in 1970 and became low income housing to the city's underserved population for which the Franklin Square House Foundation proudly serves.