History of the Acme Brewing Company
(1907-1954)

The Acme Brewery of San Francisco was established in 1907 by Leopold Schmidt, owner of the Olympia Brewing Company of Tumwater, WA. Acme's story actually begins with Schmidt's entry into the San Francisco market.

Olymbia Beer Co. letterhead, c.1906

In Feb. 1903, after a limited introduction of his Olympia Beer, Schmidt shipped 100 casks, each packed with six doz. quarts of bottled beer, to his agents in San Francisco. This was followed by repeat orders and a SF market was assured.

Rather than contracting with agents for the distribution of his bottled beer, Schmidt decided to establish his own agency and bottling works. Schmidt purchased a three lot parcel on Sansome Street (numbered 1401, 1411, & 1423). The site was located at the the foot of Telegraph Hill and near the Embarcadero - convenient to rail and steamship. By November of 1904, construction had begun on the lot at 1423. On December 31, 1904, an article appeared in the trade publication, Pacific Wine and Spirit Review, that described the new agency:

"The Olympia Beer Company have completed their bottling plant at Sansome and Greenwich streets and will be delivering Olympia beer bottled and in bulk by January 10th...."

The article went on to describe the building and equipment, which was state of the art, and that it was under the management of brothers, Gus and Mitchell Harris. The bottling shop foreman was Fritz Reither, a nephew of Leopold Schmidt.

The Harris brothers trans-shipped kegs of beer for markets in California, Nevada, and Arizona, where agents bottled the beer for local distribution, with their own labels. The Olympia Beer Company's bottling works provided for the San Francisco market only, and had a distinctive brown label (below). To promote the brand in SF, the agency issued an "Olympia Beer" stein as a give-away (below).

Olympia Beer ad SF c.1905
Olympia Beer ad Apr. 1905

Olympia Beer stein c.1905
Olympia Beer stein, ca. 1905

Olympia Beer Co. SF label

The aftermath of the April 18, 1906, fire and earthquake left San Francisco with few operating breweries, and a beer shortage soon followed. A $1,000,000 order was then placed with Schmidt's Bellingham Bay Brewery for beer to be shipped to the city. His Olympia Beer Company had been spared from the catastrophe and production had already ramped up at its Tumwater plant in order to meet the higher demand. Schmidt seized this opportunity for capturing market share, and set out to build his own brewery there in the City. He already had the two vacant lots adjacent to the bottling works (1401-1411 Sansome), so it was a logical choice.

Acme Brewery, 1401 Sansome St. To oversee this new construction project Schmidt called upon William Schuldt, who was in management at his Oregon plant, the Salem Brewery Ass'n. In addition to Schuldt, a brewer that had recently joined the Salem organization, J.P. Rettenmayer, also went to SF. There the two men supervised the $100,000 plant project, and became principals in the new company.

The Acme Brewery was incorporated on April 11, 1907, with Leopold F. Schmidt, president; William Schuldt, secretary and manager; and Jacob P. Rettenmayer, treasurer. J.P. also became Acme's first brewmaster.

Schmidt may have intended to remove Olympia Beer from the SF market once the Acme plant's beer was selling well, but in the interim he kept the bottling works separate from Acme. Consequently, Acme contracted with a local agent for bottling and distribution of its output. Schmidt chose this same arrangement for his Bellingham Bay Brewery. Kegs of beer were shipped to the city and bottled by D. Meinke until 1910, when 3-B came under new management.

While the Acme Brewery was technically a branch of the Olympia Brewing Co., it did not produce Olympia Beer. Due to the difference in water quality, the brew masters could never brew a lager that equaled that of the Tumwater Plant. Nor was Olympia Beer ever brewed in the Bellingham, Salem, or Port Townsend plants for the same reason.

Acme Beer stein by Mettlach, c.1907 An early promotional piece is shown her (left). It's Acme's first stein, a Mettlach, ca. 1907, made in Germany by Villory & Bosh. It was presented to stockholders, dignitaries, and major accounts. These were also given out as premiums for larger purchases.

In May of 1911, JP Rettenmayer¹, now company president and manager, convinced Schmidt that it was time to annex the bottling works to the Acme Brewing Co. Sales were up and Olympia Beer's withdrawal would be covered by Acme's increased production.

By this time, Acme's main brands were "Acme Beer" and "Franciscaner". They also had a seasonal, "Acme Bock" and later added a dark, "Old Bohemian".

For the first seven years, the symbol for Acme Beer was the female figure of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture. She can be seen on the 1911 letterhead (top of page), in an early ad on a label, and on an enamel sign (below right).

The sign was originally affixed to Heinhold's First & Last Chance Saloon located across the Bay in Oakland in what is now known as Jack London Square. The ad was published in July of 1911 and announced Acme's new bottling department.

view larger image

The label shown (above-center) is the same as shown in the ad announcing the new bottling dept. As mentioned above, initially Acme contracted the services of outside bottlers, as yet having no bottling capabilities of their own. A SF City guide shows Acme listing its bottling works at 162 Guererro. That was the address for John Fauser's Phoenix Bottling Works. Fauser was Acme's sole agent, and they bottled their line of beers until 15 May 1911, when the Olympia Beer Company's bottling line became part of the Acme brewing Co.

Acme Beer sign, c.1910

Acme issued numerous advertising pieces in the '30s & '40s, however very few items have survived from the 13 year period prior to Prohibition. This beautiful sign, ca.1910 (above) and the curved enamel sign, both depicting the goddess Cereus, are notable exceptions.

The famous "Acme stein-girl" beer label (below) was introduced in 1914. This familiar image was used prior to Prohibition, through Prohibition on Acme's low alcohol Light Beer, and remained as the symbol of Acme upon Repeal in 1933.

The label (above) was unusual in that it had none of the required legalize spelled out. Instead all of that required information was printed on a label affixed to the back of the bottle. I suppose they didn't want to compromise the artistic integrity of their new design. An example of one of theses labeled bottles (below) shows a neck label which had "ACME" with the signature "JP Rettenmayer" and "Brew Master" as well as "net contents 1 pt. 5 fluid oz." plus the rear label with the govt. required notations (below right).

Strangely the bottle has the ceramic swing stopper on a bottle made for the crimp on crown cap. Perhaps the folks in S.F. liked the ability to re-seal the bottle if they didn't finish their beer?

bottle, ca.1914

neck label

rear label

When Washington and Oregon voted for statewide prohibition, brewers were given one year to sell their stocks and shut down operations by the 1 Jan 1916 deadline. National prohibition was to occur four years later, but many didn't think that would happen. Consequently, Olympia's beer production was shifted to the Acme plant in California. Olympia's Bellingham Bay Brewery was closed and its equipment shipped to San Francisco. Its Port Townsend Brewery was also closed, but the Tumwater and Salem plants operated for a short time by manufacturing fruit beverages and near-beer.

California Brewing Association

On January 17, 1917, an association of six breweries was incorporated, but the announcement wasn't made until two months later. On March 12, 1917, the San Francisco Call-Bulletin reported:

"Six San Francisco breweries, facing financial loss, or insolvency, through proposed legislation regulating manufacture of maltuous drinks, have pooled their interests into one association for the manufacture and distribution of beers and malts. The body is to be known as the Acme-National Brewing Company². J.P. Rettenmayer, president of the Acme Brewing Company and head of the State Brewers' Association, is president of the consolidated companies.

This announcement was made today by Charles O. Swanberg, president of the Merchants' Ice & Cold Storage Company, and a heavy stockholder in two of the affected concerns.

The breweries included in the merger are: National Brewing Company, Henry Weinhard Brewery, Claus Wreden Brewing Company, Union Brewing and Malting Company, Acme Brewing Company and Broadway Brewing Company."

This was a co-operative venture to give the participants more power in buying and selling. The Association was to have no paid-in capital stock, and profits were to be distributed on the basis of business prior to the consolidation. The members expectations were that by buying and selling in bulk they could materially reduce expenses.

Only two of the breweries continued as plants of the (renamed) California Brewing Association: the Acme Brewery, and the National Brewery. All of the other breweries ceased production and closed, but their parent companies continued to operate until they were all were forced out of business by national Prohibition on January 16, 1920.

Acme Beer label change c.1917 Also in 1917, the original 1914 stein-girl label (above) was also updated to reflect the new corporate structure, and to address social issues of the time.

With the war in Europe, a strong anti-German sentiment was sweeping America. Consequently, Acme replaced the German, tri-color, shield with an CBA monogram (Calif. Brg. Assn.), and replaced all German text with English (see label left). Above the new monogram was: "A Healthful Beverage for the Home" and the middle banner now proclaimed: "The joyful temperance of Acme is expressed on every occasion" and "Good Old Acme - pleasing to the taste - ideal for digestion - cheering to the spirit." These slogans were designed to appease the prohibitionists and attempt to distance beer from the liquor industry, but it didn't help.

Prior to Prohibition Acme did not appear to produce many promotional advertising pieces. Upon acquiring the National Brewery, Acme adopted that brewery's use of western themes (see tray at right). This is a full size "stock" tray, and I know of no other Acme beer trays. A San Francisco collector has duplicate Vienna Art plates with Acme on the front and advertising on the reverse, with one advertising "John Fauser, Acme agent and bottler, Guerrero St." and the other has "Acme Brewing Co. 1401 Sansome St., San Francisco." There are also identical images on trade cards from both Acme & National which depicts a Pony Express rider appearing to burst through the card's surface. National used this same graphic on an oval beer tray.

Acme Brewing Co. beer stein c.1910 - image

Marketing during this period attempted to distance Acme from prohibition forces, and specifically the Anti-Saloon League, by referring to their beer as a "A Healthful Beverage for the Home" (see mug at left). Another slogan was "Good Old Acme - pleasing to the taste - ideal for indigestion - cheering to the spirit." Other brewers attempted the same marketing strategy but failed in their efforts to characterize beer as a healthful beverage, as opposed to an intoxicating drink. On 16 Jan. 1920, the 18th Amendment became law, and beer was prohibited along with all of the other alcoholic beverages.

The stein at left is for sale on BreweryGems

Footnotes:

¹ On 29 Nov 1917, Leopold Schmidt's only daughter, Philippine, and John Paul Rettenmayer were married.

See biography: J.P. Rettenmayer.

Prohibition

On 8 January, 1920, just eight days prior to Prohibition was to take effect, the California Brewing Association reorganized as the Cereal Products Refining Corporation, with J.P. Rettenmayer, president. Through all of Prohibition the National Plant, at 741-762 Fulton St., was operating under that name. They produced Cereal Malt Syrup, Oro Syrup, Alta Syrup, Cerex Syrup, Peerless Yeast, and Peerless Vinegar. They also made Fairy Ice Cream.

They also came out with a low-alcohol cereal beverage, or near-beer, called "Acme Light". They used the same stein-girl label but had to remove the word "Beer" from the label. The result was the origin of the iconic, red "A" that remains in use today (see label below).

In September of 1921, the Acme plant, on Sansome Street, became the Acme Bottling Co., doing business as the California Bottling Association. This was a division of the Cereal Products Refining Corp., and capitalized at $100,000. It was organized by J.P. Rettenmayer, S.H. Herold, and C.F. Hanson.

On March 25, 1924, the brewery patented their brewing process for "Acme Brew" (the registered name for their near-beer) and the patent date appears, center bottom, on the label.
See "Acme Brew" sign below.

It appears that the Fulton plant wasn't producing near-beer, since no Prohibition labels have appeared under the Cereal Products Refining Corp. banner. The Fulton Street plant was apparently dedicated to malt, syrup, yeast, vinegar and ice cream production.

truck in front of SF City Hall, ca.1922

Ice cream was also being made in the Sansome St. plant. Acme-Maid was a product of the Acme Ice Cream Co., who's office was down the street at 1313 Sansome. In about 1924, the Fairy Ice Cream Co. merged with the Acme.

But the Calif. Bottling Assn. on Sansome St. was producing more than ice cream. They produced "Acme Light" near-beer, as well as "Cascade Brew". They used the eagle label from the Union Brewing & Malting Co. that had been part of the 1917 merger (see similar label below, under Repel). They also came out with an "Old Bohemian Brew" an "Acme Steam" and an "Acme Malt Tonic" (labels shown below). The plant also did contract brewing for at least one other company. As late as Nov. 1928, the Calif. Bottling Assn. brewed & bottled "NC Export Brand Brew" for the N. Cervelli Bottling Co. of SF.

Low alcohol beers were only popular in that they could be spiked with grain alcohol to make them closer to the real thing. But soft drinks were also a money maker. They proved useful as mixers to bootleg liquor - though they weren't advertised as such.

The Sansome St. plant produced a sparkling "Lime Rickey" and a sparkling "Orange" as well as a "Grapefruit" and a "Ginger Ale". For the soft drink labels they chose a different font for "Acme" (see below on Ginger Ale) to differentiate them from the near-beer products.

Tin-over-cardboard sign, ca.1925

In 1929, the Merchants Ice & Cold Storage Co., purchased 20% of the Acme Brewing Co., a.k.a. the Cereal Products Refining Corp., and obtained control of the Sansome Street plant. In May of '33 - a month after Repeal - the Sansome plant was leased to a group who re-opened it as the Globe Brewing Company. Globe only operated it for five years, closing in 1938.

Repeal - 1933

First Acme beer ad for Repeal c.1933 - image
With Repeal eminent, the newly re-organized California Brewing Ass'n. chose to be proactive in promoting beer sales. They were the first brewery to start newspaper advertising of beer, even before Repeal became an actual fact. The ad shown at right is one of the ads that set the whole west coast talking about Acme, weeks before Prohibition was ended, on April 7, 1933.

They ultimately became the most prolific and consistent brewery advertiser in newspapers. They then expanded their media blitz through numerous radio spots and innovative billboard advertising. These aggressive and on-going campaigns made Acme the most famous, and popular brand of beer in the West.

Advertising Campaigns

"Fine Beer Since 1860" - One short-lived campaign in the late '40s boasted, "Fine Beer Since 1860" (see coaster - below). The assumption made by many was that Acme had been around since then, but the ads didn't actually say that, just implied as much. This 1860 reference acknowledges the family tradition of brewing brought to Acme Breweries by its management. This heritage rests primarily on two brewing families: Adams and Schuster.

Acme Beer coaster c.1940 - image
beer coaster, ca.1947

In 1863, Johanas Adami [Adams], helped found the Broadway Brewery which was one of the six breweries that became the California Brewing Association in 1916. Johanas' son, William F. Adams, became one of the directors of the Association when it was formed, and after Prohibition he held the position of secretary for Acme Breweries in both SF and LA. Both he and his brother Edward J. Adams were major Acme shareholders. And their brother George C. Adams established an Oakland agency in 1893 that his two sons later operated as Acme's Oakland distribution depot.

Karl Schuster was elected president and general manager of Acme Breweries in 1934. In 1870, his grandfather, Frederick, purchased the American Railroad Brewery (est. 1858). In 1902 it merged with Union Brewing & Malting.

Acme invested heavily in advertising and used ad agencies to come up with their ever-changing campaigns. The following are a few of the more long-lived campaigns and their approximate years of use. Often there was overlap or concurrent use of promotional material.

After Repeal Acme Breweries built a new bottling plant adjacent to the old National site at Fulton & Webster. The new plant was described by architects and designers as "one of the worlds most beautiful industrial buildings." However, the Schmidt family was no longer involved with brewing in San Francisco. Nor was Leopold Schmidt's son-in-law, JP Rettenmayer. At the time of JP's death (24 Feb. 1937) he was the president & manager of the Salinas Brewing and Ice Company.

embossed tin sign, ca.1936, from the author's collection

Acme Brewery delivery truck, c. 1933 - image

Acme delivery truck after Repeal in 1933

Acme Lager beer label c.1933

National Beer label from Acme

From 1933 to 1936 the Fulton & Webster St. plant continued to operate as the Cereal Products Refining Corporation. They adopted the pre-prohibition label from 1920 for their flagship brand (above).

On April 1, 1936 the company changed its operating name to Acme Breweries to reflect the addition of an additional brewery, and their labels reflected the name change. However, Acme's corporate name was actually the California Brewing Association. Acme Englishtown Ale label from LA, c. 1939 - image

Acme Englishtown Ale label from LA, c. 1939 - image

In partnership with its Southern California agent, Bohemian Distributors, Acme built a plant in Los Angeles (Vernon) at 2080 East 49th St. This plant operated from 1935-1954 as the Acme Brewing Co. (see label right) until its purchase by a NY brewery.

The National label (above- right) is a 1933 version of the pre-Prohibition label from the National Brewing Company, which joined the California Brewing Association in 1916. Upon Repeal the Ass'n. re-introduced this familiar San Francisco brand to help recapture as much of the newly opened market as possible. The beer was selling three for a quarter. However, the Ass'n. soon dropped the National label in order to focus all their marketing efforts in the promotion of a single brand - Acme Beer.

The Cascade label (below) is a 1933 version from Acme's SF plant, which was (dba) the Cereal Products Refining Corporation from the onset of Prohibition in 1920, until 1936.

"Cascade Beer" was a brand of the Union Brewing & Malting Co. which joined the California Brewing Association in 1917. The Union brewery used the graphics for this label on their pre-prohibition beer. Then during Prohibition, as mentioned above, the Calif. Bottling Co. produced a "Cascade Brew" using the same label. Like the National brand (above) Cascade enjoyed limited release to appeal to the pre-Prohibition patrons who may have had some brand loyalty. However, the decision was made to go with the Acme brand exclusively, and Cascade, as well as National, was dropped.

National Beer poster - image

Acme's "Lady in Red" by Petty - image
In the mid '30s Acme came up with a brilliant marketing concept directed at an untapped market - women. It advertised its beer as "Dietetically Non-Fattening" and following the asterisks the fine print says: "Relatively so, compared with other foods."

This caused the Federal Trade Commission, who was devoted to fair practices in advertising, to move against Acme Breweries. However, it took until 1951 for the Commission's decision that the words "Acme beer contains no fattening substances and will not increase consumer's weight" was still considered a "deceptive nutritional claim" so Acme dropped the advertising campaign, but by then they had doubled their capacity and captured nearly 50% of the California beer market.

Acme back-bar chalk by Petty - image
During this period Acme commissioned George Petty (who had just left Esquire magazine) to paint three lithesome gals which were used for the 1940, '41, and '43 campaigns. These images were utilized in a number of different formats. They had a 33" wide, a 26" wide (below), framed image for wall hanging, a 12" wide, framed version on an easel for back-bar display, and a cutout window card that was 42" long and easel mounted for window displays.

The Petty cowgirl (below) was a very popular image - given Acme's fondness for western themes. The cowgirl image was also used on an aluminum serving tray and for this back-bar chalk figurine (right).

Acme also used the artist, Alberto Vargas for some of their promotional material after he left Esquire.

Alberto Vargas ad for Acme beer

The War Years

With the outbreak of WWII citizens and business were called upon to conserve materials needed for the war effort. Consequently there was a shortage of materials required for the brewing and packaging beer, and even caps were hard to come by. Acme aided conservation by promoting its quarter gallon, Victory size bottle which would use one cap instead of three - "Victory Size for the Economy-Wise". The Lever type "Kork-N-Seal" closure (right), was especially handy for resealing the quarter gallon "Victory" or "Ecomomy" size bottles.

Patriotism was also a popular promotion theme. Acme actively encouraged numerous means to aid the war effort. They advocated giving blood; planting Victory gardens; writing to the troops; recycling cooking grease to your butcher; and other economizing activities. At the close of each ad came the caption: "Acme...the beer with the high I.Q. (It Quenches). Buy Another Bond."

Beer coaster from Acme's Hawaiian agent - image
Coaster from Acme's Hawaiian distributor, ca. 1945

Acme Beer ad from WWII - image

POST-WAR

"Quest for Fortune" painting c.1945 - image At the end of the war, Acme resumed its heavy advertising and in 1945 commissioned Claude Buck (1890-1974) to paint an original picture that alluded to Acme's long tradition of brewing, and to its native California origins, attempting to promote allegiance to a local brand over the nationals.

The painting was titled "The Quest for Fortune" and was distributed heavily to taverns and grocers. The painting was printed on cardboard, framed without glass, and had a brass title name plate affixed to the frame. Since this piece appeared to be more a work of art than a beer ad, many survived. However, those that were displayed in taverns tend to be darkened from cigarette smoke since there was no glass to protect the surface.

Acme Beer ft cans - image Sales were slipping in the late '40s and the company updated its packaging, and continued with their heavy advertising, but they were having difficulty living down their reputation for making bad beer during the war. Their brewmaster, Anton Dolenz, tried to compensate for the shortage of rationed brewing ingredients by using Manioca meal (also called Cassava), as a cost saving adjunct. Consumed at the proper temperature the beer must have tasted alright, but the troops in the Pacific often lacked the capability to properly chill the beer. This resulted in what they described as "skunky" brew, and when they returned home they avoided Acme.

In 1950 the company dropped their familiar black beer can (left) in favor of one that looked like a glass of beer. They renamed it "Acme Gold Label".

In 1951, the company introduced a new brand specifically targeting the male consumer - "Bull Dog Beer". The slogan was: "Brewed to a Man's Taste!" The new brand did surprisingly well and gave the company some needed revitalization. To follow up on their success they quickly added to their lien-up, a "Bull Dog Ale" ("A Pip of a Nip in Every Sip"), and "Bull Dog Extra Stout Malt liquor".

The following year they hired a quintessential "alpha male" to promote the brand - previous world heavyweight champion, Jack Dempsey. This was quite a departure for Acme since they had been successfully wooing the female demographic since 1933.

Jack Dempsey and Bull Dog Beer mascot - photo

Bull Dog Lager Beer ad - image

However, the national breweries were on the move, and regional breweries were losing market share. Many struggling breweries couldn't compete during the price wars of the mid-fifties and were bought out by the nationals or closed.

In January of 1954, both the LA & SF plants were sold to the Liebmann Breweries of NY, who was making Acme Gold Label Beet ft can - image an attempt to go national. Liebmann operated the LA plant for three years as the Rheingold Brewing Co. Then in 1957 they then sold it to the Theo. Hamm Brewing Co. who had a 15 year run, closing the plant in 1972.

The SF plant was operated as the California Brewing Co. from '54 to '58, and it continued producing "Acme Gold Label" (at right) and the "Bull Dog" brands. In 1958, Liebmann gave up its national bid and closed the plant for good.

When Liebmann Breweries closed the California Brewing Co., Acme's LA agents and business partners, the Bohemian Distribution Company, purchased the rights to the "Acme" and "Bull Dog" brands, and from 1959 to 1968 Acme & Bull Dog was being produced for Bohemian by the Grace Brewing Company of Santa Rosa, CA.

Then eight years later, in 1975, the Acme brand with its 1933 graphics, was resurrected as a contract beer. It was produced, first by the General Brewing Co. in San Francisco, and then the following year Blitz-Weinhard of Portland took over the contract. By 1979 the brand was gone only to be resurrected again in 1987 with the establishment of the Xcelsior Brewery of Santa Rosa, CA. However, in a matter of only two years Xcelsior's Acme was no more.

Acme Beer & Ale, lighted counter sign - image
Back- bar "Halo light", ca.1940, by Price Brothers

Acme Lager, mini beer bottle - image
Miniature Salt, ca.1936

Acme Gold Label Beer foil sticker - image
Heavy gold foil window display, ca.1953

Other Acme Breweries

While in no way related to the California Acme, the name has been used by three other brewing companies. Prior to prohibition there was an Acme Brewing Company in Macon, GA [1893-1916], and one in Bentleyville, PA [1907-20]. Then after prohibition there was an Acme Brewing Co. in Joliet, IL [1933-39], Bentleyville had a short run from 1933-34 .

Acme Brewery Today

In late 1935, the California Brewing Assn. built a three story, art deco style, building (shown here) to house their general offices and sales department for the San Francisco plant. They also moved their Hospitality/Tasting room to the new building.

Acme's general office, 762 Fulton St., c.1935
Acme's Corporate Office, 762 Fulton St., S.F., ca.1935

Currently the building houses the Center for African and African American Art and Culture, where the murals adorning the (interior) walls of old Tasting room remain to this day. It is a triptych (multi-panel) mural, depicting the cultivation of hops and the production of beer. The mural was painted in 1935 by Jose Moya del Pino, whose work also appears in Coit Tower.

762 Fulton St. today
762 Fulton St., today (mural is not the one by Moya del Pino)

Acme Lives!

The North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, CA now owns the rights to the Acme brand, and has been doing it proud since 1996.

The North Coast brewery is certainly worth a visit; it was recently named "One of the worlds 10 Best Breweries in the World" by the Testing Institutes of Chicago.

Acme Collectibles For Sale

Pre-prohibition stein - go to: STEINS

This display item, a coaster, a can, a cap lifter, and three different miniature beer bottles - go to: MISC.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Carol Donnett-Hertle, a Schuster family member who supplied not only family history, but also great Acme history as well.
To Bob Kay, labelologist, for the Prohibition era labels - as seen in his publication, US Beer Labels, Vol. 1 - The Western States.
For this, or other volumes, go to - BobKayBeerLabels.com
A special thanks to Dr. Thomas Jacobs, noted San Francisco brewery historian and collector, who provided the names and dates of pre-prohibition personnel at Acme, as well as the opportunity to photograph the early label and porcelain sign.
And to Pat Franco for the 1910 Acme Beer sign, and the 1925 Acme Brew sign.

For any comments, additions, or corrections - or if you have any Acme items for sale
(especially pin-up art by Vargas & Petty, or the "halo light" by Price Bros.) - please contact me:

Gary@BreweryGems.com

History of the Acme Brewing Company (1907-1954)