History of the Hemrich Brewing Companies
(1933-1940)

In April of 1933, Alvin Hemrich established the Hemrich & Western Brewing Companies, known as plants No. 1 & No. 2 respectively. The following year he sold the Western plant (No. 2), along with the rights to the Hemrich brand and business, to British Columbia Breweries, Inc. The Western plant became the new Hemrich Brewing Co. and continued in operation until 1940. Following the sale, Alvin established the Apex Brewing Company in the original Hemrich Brewery - plant No.1.

Hemrich Brewing Company, Inc.
(1933-1934)

With Repeal in early 1933, Alvin M. Hemrich resumed his brewing activities. He first established a holding company called the Hemrich Investment Corp. (U-Permit No. 1211) which would underwrite the startup of two breweries. First he modernized the original frame brewhouse, adjacent to the old Bay View plant, at 2918 Airport Way, and resumed operation under the name Hemrich Brewing Company - or plant No. 1.

In April of '34, Alvin appointed William Weiss as Brewmaster, replacing Hugo P. Bode, Jr. Weiss had a long history of brewing with the Hemrich family, including their Georgetown plant, the Rainier plant at San Francisco, and their Rainier plant in Canada at Kamloops, B.C. in the mid-1920s.

Also in early '34, Alvin was also joined by his youngest son, Walter, who was a recent graduate of the Chicago Brewer's Institute.

Hemrich's plant No.1 at 2918 Airport Way, c.1933

Plant No. 2 was doing business as the Western Brewing Company, located at 5225 East Marginal Way, in South Seattle.

On April 7th 1933, the first beer available in Seattle, after Repeal, was "Hemrich's Select." This was a familiar Northwest brand from the Pre-Prohibition era, produced by Alvin's Hemrich Bros. Brewing Co. Even the 1934 label (below) was a near replica of the pre-prohibition version. The 1933 label was identical, except for the overprint stating: "Alcoholic Content More Than 5%." This was not allowed until the Repel Amendment was ratified on 5 December 1933.

Hemrich's Select 1933 beer label - image The only immediate competition from a brewer in Washington State was from Alvin's oldest son, Elmer. Following his father's lead, Elmer had purchased the Columbia Brewery in Tacoma and brought that plant on-line in time for Repeal.

Two other breweries were nearing completion, the Pilsener Brewing Co., and the Germania Brewery of Seattle. The Horluck's plant came on-line as the Geo. F. Horluck Co. instead of the Germania Brewery, but was soon incorporated as Horluck's Brewing Co.

Western Brewing Co. (1933-1934)

Hemrich's plant No. 2 was briefly called the Western Brewing Co., and was located at 5225 E. Marginal Way. The building had previously been a soap factory, but after an expenditure of $300,000 it was transformed into a working brewery - and was in production by mid-summer of '33.

The plant was situated on a leased site affording three direct methods of transportation. A paved highway fronted the plant while the loading platform at the rear of the building gave access to a rail head, as well as the company owned, deepwater wharf.

On 31 May of 1934, Alvin Hemrich reshaped his brewing enterprises by selling his interest in plant No. 2, along with the rights to his existing brands - including the Hemrich name.

Hemrich Brewing Company (1934-1940)

Hemrich Brewing Co. ltrhd. c.1938 - image
letterhead, April 1938

Alvin Hemrich sold his plant No. 2 to notorious bootlegger, Henry Reifel, head of British Columbia Breweries, Ltd., of Vancouver. With the end of Prohibition, Reifel had wanted to enter the U.S. beer market to take advantage of the overwhelming new demand for beer, just as fellow Canadian, Emil Sick had done.

Fortunately, Reifel had in his employ one Rudolph Samet, who had a long history with the Hemrich family. Samet was currently the manager of Reifel's Vancouver Breweries, Ltd. The plant was located at 12th & Yew Sts., and was a unit of his B.C. Breweries group.

Samet had been with the Hemrich family's Seattle Brewing & Malting as early as 1911, when he managed SB&M's Bottling Depot. By 1915 he was their plant manager. When state-wide Prohibition shut them down in 1916, he moved to San Francisco to manage the Hemrich's new Rainier Brewery. Just four years later they were shut down once more, this time by national Prohibition. So, the Hemrich family looked to Canada as home for their brewery, as they still had a large export trade with South America and the Pacific rim countries.

Canada had also experimented with Prohibition, which ended in the western provinces in 1920. So, from 1921 to 1926, Samet managed the Hemrich's Rainier plant in Kamloops, BC. This long term association with the Hemrich family's brewing interests explains how he could broker the deal between Alvin Hemrich and Henry Reifel.

Upon completion of the 31 May '34 sale the plant was organized as the Hemrich Brewing & Investment Corp., operating as the Hemrich Brewing Co., under U-Permit No. 1211. Samet became company president, and plant manager, while retaining his position as manager of Reifel's Vancouver plant. Lester R. McCash became the firms secretary.

In Emil Sick's 1958 memoirs he recalls the circumstances surrounding Alvin Hemrich's sale of his plant No. 2:

"Henry Reifel's project in Seattle started in this manner. The Hemrich Brewery had been located in what is presently our laboratory premises right next door to our brewery, fronting on Airport Way. It was named after Alvin Hemrich, who, during Prohibition, had carried on the little Hemrich Brewing Company next to the Bay View, with near beer. When Mr. Reifel came down and made his deal with Alvin Hemrich, Alvin's financial condition was only very moderate and his plant was small. Therefore, they decided on the new plant on the waterfront, and for the moment there were two Hemrich breweries, which they called No. 1 and No. 2.

the new Hemrich Brg. Co., plant No, 2 - c.1935

In a little while the arrangement between Mr. Reifel and Alvin Hemrich did not work out, and they split up their association.
Alvin took the little No. 1 plant, and changed the name to the Apex Brewing Company; and Mr. Reifel and his sons and associates
continued on with the one on the water-front. I should point out that, at this time, Mr. Samet's associate and assistant in the management of Hemrich Brewing Company was Lester McCash, presently one of our directors in Seattle, and our long time manager of the Sicks' Century Brewery."

On July 26, 1934, the new firm added "Happy Peppy Beer" as an alternative to their flagship label - "Hemrich's Select." Then in June of '35 they introduced "Hemrich Coronet" lager beer.
Hemrich Coronet beer label, c.1933 - image In December of 1935, the president of the Olympia Brewing Co., Peter Schmidt, created a new style of bottle called the "Stubby." It was an immediate success and virtually all of the major brewers adopted the new style container.

The company soon introduced their "Hemrich Coronet 'Stubby' Lager Beer" in a 12 oz. bottle (label at left). Their ads promoted the new 12 bottle case "hardly bigger than a box of candy" and the only 12oz. stubbies.

On 25 March of 1936, the company got a some needed financial help when the capital stock was increased to $250,000. At his time they changed the legal name of the company from Hemrich B & I, to Hemrich Brewing Co. The Canadian firm, British Columbia Breweries, Ltd. remained the majority stockholder. But all was not well with the majority owners. Emil Sick further recalls:

"About 1935 the Revenue Department had been checking up on certain distillers in B. C., and they built up quite a case on evasion of duties and excise taxes on liquor, which those distillers in British Columbia had shipped to the United States, during the Prohibition era. The matter broke like wild fire in Seattle, when Henry Reifel and his son, George, came to town on an inspection trip to the Hemrich Brewery No. 2. They were arrested and charged with tax evasion and put in jail. Mr. Allen then wrote a surety bond for their appearance in Court, bond being set for $100,000. Both Henry Reifel and his son, George, returned to Vancouver immediately and the bond was escheated.

The Hemrich Brewing Company No. 2 then had to carry on without the owners of the controlling stock being able to come to the United States. This, of course, did not help their business."

Hemrich beer truck, c.1936 - image
delivery truck, c.1936

Hemrich brewing Co. 1936 calendar - image
The 1936 calendar (by Bradshaw Crandall), shown at right, displays their two major labels - "Happy Peppy" and "Hemrich Coronet."

Four years earlier Crandall also did the art work for a Hemrich's, Inc. calendar.

By now they were also offering draught lager beer in "Jumbo" versions. Both "Hemrich's Select" and "Coronet" were also available in either quart or half-gallon size bottles. Now with the slogan: "The Light Beer in the Dark Bottle." No Hemrich beers were ever offered in cans, either by Alvin Hemrich, or by Rudy Samet.

By early '37, sales of "Happy Peppy" had declined to the point that Samet knew he had to scrap the brand he had created.

I can't imagine what possessed Samet to market a beer called "Happy Peppy." Perhaps he felt that the housewife would go to the store and decide she would like to make her man Happy & Peppy! But the majority of beer sales were still in the taverns.

I can just see a longshoreman or a steel worker getting off work and stopping off at the local tavern and saying to the barkeep: "Gimme a Happy Peppy."

To replace "Happy Peppy" beer, they announced their new creation - "Jockey Club Lager Beer" (label below). The roll-out was scheduled for the 4th of July, 1937. The new lager would be available on draught, in stubbies, and in 32 & 64 oz. bottles. "Jockey Club" did improve sales, but only marginally.

Jockey Club label, c.1937 - image Emil Sick comments further:

"The business continued to decline, and I think they made certain bad policy decisions, too. The result was that their sales dropped at an alarming rate, and the Vancouver owners were in no position, nor had they any desire, to put up further money. Some of the local Seattle shareholders, one of which at least was very substantial, took a dim view of all these happenings; and Lester McCash was particularly displeased when they put a new manager over him."

In spite of the early restructuring, changes in brand promotion, and gambling games with the labels, nothing did enough to save the company. With sales dwindling and losses mounting, the Canadian backers had finally had enough and decided to sell the company.

Emil Sick recalls:

"By this time Rudi Samet was not so active and a new man was supposed to be managing the concern. The Hemrich Brewery No. 2 got into desperate condition, and I should tell how, one morning, when I had Just returned from a business trip to Calgary, Rudi Samet came into my office and said, "The Vancouver people are sick of their operation here and have instructed me to liquidate the company." I said, "My dear Rudi, I am not buying any more breweries. What good would your set-up be to us? and besides, I have a hundred letters to answer, and I am terribly busy this morning."

Rudi then said, "But you cannot turn me down. I will give you such a good price, for, if I liquidate over a long period, not only do we get nothing, we lose money in doing so. Come on, you must make a deal with me." I said, "Show me your balance sheet," which he did. I said, "Well, I know you have several hundred thousand dollars invested, but it is already lost, and I see you have $ 60,000 on the balance sheet for beer kegs, and we need some. I will, therefore, offer you $20,000 in cash for everything you have, except the lease." Rudi said, "You cannot do this to me." I said, "I do not want to do anything to you, and I do not want to make any deal with you, and I have these letters to answer. However, if you will promise to leave, so that I can answer the letters, I will make you one more offer: If with the kegs we get everything, except the lease, and when I say everything, I mean the office equipment, including the typewriters, because I want a typewriter for my daughter, Dinny, and if you will take no more of my time, I will give you $ 30,000 cash and this includes your trade names as well.

With that, Rudi said, "It's a deal," and we shook hands. Soon after--I think it was 1939--Lester McCash came over to us to save all of the Hemrich business possible, and, in various capacities, he has remained with us over these many years."

McCash did leave the Hemrich Brewing Co. in '39. He was an agent for Emil Sick in the purchase of the Horluck Brewing Co. in April of '39, which he then converted and managed as the new Century Brewery.

In late January, brewing ceased at the Hemrich plant, and remaining stock was bottled and sold by June, 1940. The corporation was totally dissolved by December 31st, 1942. Sick never used any of the Hemrich brands from the purchase.

Hemrich Pop Top ad, c.1939 - image
Perhaps another factor that added to the Brewery's failure was the adoption of a new style bottle sealer. The 1939 ad (below) states: "Innovation! Surprise awaits you at beverage dealers! A beer in a bottle which needs no opener! A beer bottle cap which can be removed by the most delicate fingers..."

This ill fated design must not have held a seal, or removing it proved problematic - even for delicate fingers!

The last beer to be bottled by the failing brewery was the Spring release of their Bock beer. These annual brews were relatively small so they didn't design unique Bock labels, but merely overprinted existing labels.

The very last bottle to come off the line in April of 1940 was saved by the Bottling Shop's supervisor, George Popovich.

That bottle, still with its contents, appears at right.

George went on to become production supervisor for Glaser Beverages.

Coincidently, Paul Glaser had been the manager of Hemrich's Staff Products Co. during Prohibition.

Breweriana from the Hemrich Brewing Co.

"Hemrich's Select Beer" label with poker hand behind tear-off panel

three ball tap knobs from Hemrich Brg. Co. - image
three Hemrich Brewing Co. ball tap knobs w/enamel inserts

Hemrich Beer neon sign - image
"Hemrich's Beer" neon sign

Hemrich Coronet Lager Beer sign - image
"Hemrich Coronet Lager" tin-over-cardboard beer sign

"Hemrich's Beer" 15" dia. reverse-on-glass lens for lighted sign

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks to the estate of Al Gile and facilitator, Amy Hebert, for the beautiful, 1936 Hemrich calendar.
To Jeff Henry for the 1938 Hemrich Brewing Co. letterhead.
And to Mike Magnussen for the "Hemrich" tap knob (far right).

For any comments, additions, or corrections - or if you have brewery items for sale -
please contact me:

Gary@BreweryGems.com

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