Salem Brewery Association
(1933-1943)

Salem Brewery, ca.1940 - photo courtesy of Brewmaster, E.R. Kunney After Repeal in April of 1933, the Salem Brewery Association re-incorporated, but no longer as a holding of the Olympia Brewing Company. However, it was purchased by a member of the Schmidt family. Frank T. Schmidt returned, along with Kola Neis and other local investors, to raise the capital for starting up the brewery again. Neis was president, with Schmidt as general manager. He had earned his Master Brewer certification on 31 March, 1905, but chose to hire another brewmaster for the daily operations so that he might devote his time to the business end of the company. They were a bit slow getting into production due to delays with equipment installation. The kettles, vats, and other equipment was of heavy copper and bronze, and had to be imported from Germany. In Oct. '33, it was announced that the first brew was completed, and that after 60 days of ageing, the first batch would be released by Christmas.  Salem label c.1934 The effects of the Depression were still being felt, and this was still a period of economic adversity, but the company managed to hang on as a regional brewer. In addition to his flagship Salem Beer (below), Frank produced a Schmidt's Salem Beer. Three variations of this label are known:  the brown bear (right), a black bear, and a white bear - probably to differentiate three different styles of beer. However, he must not have marketed the Schmidt brand heavily since only a couple of old bottles are known to exist with these labels (one black bear & one white bear), nor are there any promotional items known that show the bear motif. This scarcity may also due to the fact that the brand was not widely distributed, and was no doubt gone by 1936. It was that year that Frank Schmidt lost an arm in an industrial accident which may have been a factor in his leaving the company in a January '37 reorganization. Frank returned to Tumwater where he ran the Bottling Shop of his family's Olympia Brewery until his death in 1948.  Frank's brewmaster also left in '37. By March his position had been filled by Ernest R. Kunney, a German born brewer previously with the Rainier Brewing Co. of San Francisco. He recalled that upon his arrival the brewery was dealing with a "wild beer" problem. As he explained it:  "When you opened a bottle it foamed over the top. The cause was a damaged tank lining, we first patched then replaced it.  Because of that problem, sales had suffered markedly." Even when problems are corrected, bad reputations are difficult to live down, and lost patrons rarely return. After Schmidt's departure the new management attempted to generate additional business with some new products. In 1937 the steinie bottle was introduced and with it this new, more modern style label was adopted.  This half gallon version was introduced in 1942, to promote saving of the metal caps due to war time shortages. In 1938 they introduced both the Polar Brew and Victory Club brands of beer. Six months following the outbreak of WWII they added Victory Beer, but kept the Victory Club brand as well.   They also marketed a Yankee Beer for a short while. Another brand from this period was Balco Beer but rather than a Salem brand it was a contract brew for a market chain. They also made Columbia Club for a Portland beer distributor. Supporting your local businesses apparently wasn't a concept at this time - as 82% of the beer consumed in Oregon was from out-of-state. Consequently, new management and a few new brands was not enough to gain market share on the imports, and the brewery remained in financial difficulties. In August of 1938, San Francisco interests took over the management of the brewery. This was the firm of Bauer & Schweitzer, a major supplier for breweries, who were a majority creditor/investor in the brewery. But their new president, Louis Lachman, was no more successful in getting the business back on firm financial footing. Lachman was a hop broker, and no doubt another creditor. In January of 1940, George Stackman announced the withdrawal of the San Francisco backers and he assumed control of the firm. The 1942 City Directory listed the Salem Brewery Assn. with its officers as George W. Stackman, president; Rene Besse, vice-president and general manager; and Ernest R. Kunney, brewmaster. Ernest was also the secretary-treasurer as well as a director of the brewery, having been elected to these positions in 1939. Salem was also one of the few brewers who contracted to brew Brown Derby for the Safeway market chain in 1940. In June of '40 the Statesman Journal reported the Salem Brewery Assn. had landed the contract. Salem bottled, as well as canned Brown Derby Beer. See example of can in close-up (below) and with other cans further below. When the Rose City Brewing Co. of Portland closed in 1940 the Salem Brewery Assn. acquired the rights to their Gambrinus and Beaver State brands of beer. In a 1942 photo of the firm's office (below) you can make out five of their products on the counter behind E. R. Kunney, brewmaster (left) and G. W. Stackman, pres. (seated). Salem office close-up Brewmaster in brewery lab Another opportunity to increase Salem's production came in '42 from the Silver Springs Brewing Co. of Port Orchard, WA. Since Silver Springs didn't have a canning line they contracted with Salem to produce and can their Oldstyle Pale Export. This product was already in the Portland market, but only in bottles. An example of this rare can can be seen in the close-up (above) and again below. The arrangement was short lived since the Salem Brewery was soon to have new management. The brewery struggled on, with the added burden of increased war time restrictions and rationing. Finally, in October 1943, the brewery was sold.     Salem Breweriana Salem Brewery Ass'n. ball tap knob Back- bar lights by Gillco of Philadelphia, PA - ca.1935. Affectionately referred to as "cab lights" by collectors.   lighted, box sign   Brown Derby & Oldstyle beer cans with opening instructions This cap lifter clearly shows that the Salem Brewery is no longer a branch of the Olympia Brewing Co.   To counter Olympia's famous slogan:  "It's the Water" they used: "It's the Beer" beer coaster   Newspaper ad shows updated Salem Beer label, introduced in Sept. 1939 Salem Beer tin-over-cardboard sign  "Salem on Ice" neon sign c.1935 - Franco collection On 14 February, 2009 The US Postal Service issued a First-Day Cover comemorating the 150th anniversary of Oregon's statehood, and they chose to grace the cover with a label from the venerable Salem Brewery Assn. of the capital city of Salem.   g Company Sicks' Brewing Company (1943-1953)   In October of 1943, Emil Sick bought the Salem Brewery Association, and on 1 January, 1944, the plant was renamed the Sicks' Brewing Company. This coincided with the renaming of Sicks' Seattle Brewing and Malting Company - referred to as SeaBrew by insiders. The new Salem branch was completely renovated, and repainted in silver and blue. Additionally, production improvements, in the form of new storage tanks, doubled its previous capacity, and a new bottling plant enabled filling 2000 cases per day. The modernized brewery then commenced production of the Sicks' Select brand of beer. This brand was also being produced for the Seattle market in the old Horluck Brewery, purchased by Sick in 1939, and renamed the Century Brewery. Emil Sick and his father, managed their brewing empire out of Lethbridge, Alberta, and with the promise of Repeal, moved into the U.S. market. They first bought breweries in Great Falls and Missoula, Montana, then moved on to Washington state with Spokane, and Seattle. Now they had a presence in Oregon. Floyd W. Shepard, of Lethbridge, received an offer from Emil to come to the U.S. and join them, which he did in November 1933. Floyd was then made co-manager of SeaBrew, and with the 1939 acquisition of the Horluck Brewery, manager of that plant as well. With the 1943 purchase of the Oregon plant, Shepard moved his family to Salem and  relieved Rene Besse as manager of the Sicks' Brewing Company. He occupied this position until December of 1951 when the company's board of directors promoted him to executive vice president of the firm. He was placed in charge of sales, with offices to be located in Portland. Brewmaster, John A. Meyers was also involved in the initial phases of the Salem plant. Originally from Minneapolis, he moved to Canada as a boy. He later joined the Edmonton Brewery and worked there until 1942. That year he studied brewing at the Siebel Institute in Chicago, which was followed followed by a six month stint as asst. brewmaster at SeaBrew prior to assuming the duties of brewmaster in Salem. In 1949, Steve A. Tabacchi replaced John A. Meyers as Salem's brewmaster. A native of Lethbridge, Steve had family connections with the Sicks' which enabled him to gain a position at SeaBrew when he emigrated in 1934. After completing the brewmaster course at the Wahl-Henius Institute in Chicago in 1938, Steve returned to Seabrew as an assistant brewmaster, and nine years later was elected president of the Northwestern District of the Master Brewers Association of America. Steve Tabacchi's assistant, William Weiss, also transferred from SeaBrew's Century plant. William was the youngest son of Hans H. Weiss, Seabrew's brewmaster at the main plant. The graphics on the label above had been used since April of 1944, and in 1949 Emil Sick decided to give the label a new look. He hired Walter Landor of San Francisco, who came up with the design shown on the label below. It was introduced in July of '49. This was Landor's first work with a beer label and it earned him a design award in '49. The following year Landor re-designed the famous, red "R" on the Rainier label. Landor went on to work on other brewer's labels and in '57 he he updated Lucky Lager's distinctive red "X" logo with stylized hop leaves. In early 1951, the formulation of a new product was perfected in the Century plant. It was test marketed in the Seattle area from March to June of '51, and touted as the "new taste of Sicks' Select." In July of '51, Brew 66 was launched, and production commenced at both the Century Brewery and the Salem brewery.   A separate sales organization was formed for the new brand and it proved to be a marketing success. Tabacchi's supervision of the plant was cut short when Emil Sick decided to close the brewery on June 1st of '53. At the time of closing, there had been 70 workers on the payroll of the plant, which produced 75,000 barrels - 27 million bottles - yearly. It was said that Salem lost a good industry and a good beer. On 22 July, 1953, the Rainier Brewing Co. of SF was purchased by Emil Sick, who then sold the plant to the Theo. Hamm Brewing Co. of MN, retaining sole rights to the Rainier brand. He had been trying acquire rights to the brand since his 1935 licensing agreement with Rainier CEO, Louis Hemrich. The 1935 agreement gave him the right to market Rainier Beer in Washington and Alaska, but not in Oregon. Sick later admitted that he would not have closed the Salem brewery had he foreseen the subsequent acquisition of the famous Rainier mark, and the ability to grow the brand in Oregon. With the closing of the plant, Steve Tabacchi then established a Sicks' distributorship, marketing Brew 66, Rainier Beer, and the soon to be discontinued, Sicks' Select. He was able to utilize the brewery buildings for his office and warehouse, however, in September 1955, a little more than two years after brewing was terminated, the four story Salem landmark was razed.   Sicks' Select and Brew 66 Breweriana Sicks' Select reverse-on-glass sign Sicks' Select back-bar "chalk" - ca.1949  beer glass, ca.1949; chrome, ball tap knob and beer can - both ca.1951     Article by Gary Flynn You can purchase this article which was featured in the ABA Journal for Sept.-Oct., 2007 - Go to: PERIDOCIALS   SALEM & SICKS' COLLECTIBLES - For Sale  Sick's Select glasses c.1939 & 1949 - Go To: GLASSES Brew 66 Beer glass - Go to: GLASSES     ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks to Schmidt family member Paul Secord for historical data and the Schmidt calling card.   To Bryan Anderson for scans of the 1911 letterhead (that I'm using as the page header), labels and the Gillco "cab light" image.   To Pat Franco for the other "cab light" image, and the "Salem on Ice" neon sign.   To Chuck Smay of the Polk Co. Historical Soc. for the photo of the Salamander label.   To Mike Magnussen for the Salem Beer lighted box sign, and Sicks' Select chalk.   To the late Bill Mugrage for the image of the new Bottling House.   To Worth Mathewson for the billhead from Mrs. Beck's Capital Brewery & Ice Works, the image of the 1907 aluminum sign, and the 150th Anniversary of Oregon statehood - first day cover.   To Steve Tabacchi for his father's story and related Sicks' history.   To Dave Unwin for the image of the brewery, c.1917.   To Jeff Henry for the 1946 Sicks' Brewing Co. letterhead.   And a big thanks to the late Ernest Kunney (brewmaster 1937 to 1943) for providing insights into his pre-war activities with the brewery, and for his photos of the brewery.      For any comments, additions, or corrections - or if you have items for sale - please contact me: All contents including images are copyright by BreweryGems.com  and can not be used without permission from Brewery Gems. 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