Brooklyn Brewery (1870-1922)
For a business that operated for fifty-two years, little has been written about this East Oakland brewery. The definitive research publication on U.S. breweries¹ failed to reveal when and by whom the brewery was founded, but utilizing Okland city directories and period newspapers, a brief history of this brewery has been pieced together.
On 12 Mar. 1870, this small notice appeared in Oakland's The Morning Times
announcing that the new brewery was to
begin operations. This San Antonio Brewery didn't appear to be relevant until it
was understood that the Brooklyn Township was formed in 1856 by
the joining of two earlier settlements, Clinton and San
Antonio. However, it was a 10 Oct. 1895 article in the Oakland Tribune, that
made it clear.
"The Brooklyn Brewery
was started in a little shed on 14th street and 18th avenue, about 25 years ago. A man named Beck (sic)
was the founder and soon erected a brick building in order to carry on his increased business."
It then became apparent that the owner changed the name of his new brewery.
This
January 1871 ad identifies Joseph Becht (pronounced Beck) as the owner of the
Brewery. He also operated a saloon in the San Antonio district of Brooklyn. The ad also
gives a brewery address at Adams and Freedman (sic) streets. The following year,
in October of '72,
Brooklyn voters elected to be annexed to Oakland, and the brewery's address was later changed to
18th ave. and E. 14th street.
In early 1872, Becht sold the brewery to Herman Pfenninger, and Becht built another saloon in Oakland.
Pfenninger hired a brewer from San Francisco named Jacob Betz
who stayed about a year before moving to Washington State where he started his
own brewery. Pfenninger then partnered with John F. Keller which began a series of
entities that were to operate the brewery for the next 50 years.1870-1870 Joseph Becht, San Antonio Brewery (Adams & Friedman Sts, Brooklyn)
The Brooklyn Brewery was a steam beer plant of modest size which served
the local saloons with kegged beer.
1870-1872 Joseph Becht, Brooklyn Brewery
1872-1873 Herman Pfenninger (annexed to East Oakland)
1873-1874 Herman Pfenninger & John F. Keller
1874-1875 John F. Keller & Julius Stephan (changed to E.14th st. & 18th ave)
1875-1876 Julius Stephan & Louis Welscher
1876-1881 Louis Welscher & Adolph Westermann
1881-1884 Louis Welscher & Charles Braun
1884-1885 Charles Braun & Frank Schmidt
1885-1888 Frank Schmidt & John Schoenfelder
1888-1890 John Schoenfelder
1890-1922 San Francisco Breweries, Ltd.
FOOTNOTES:
¹ American Breweries II, by Dale P. Van Wieren, pub. 1995, by E.C.B.A.
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