If You Have Any Information On The Bottles Marked, No Info, Please Send Me An Email. I Am Looking For The History Of The Companies Specifically. Thank You!
Medium Blob Tops
Manhattan
Beadleston & Woerz Empire BreweryAddress: First: 289 & 297 W. 10th st.
Second: 291 W. 10th st & 158 Charles Place Third: 283 to 303 W. 10th st. Fourth: 150-170 Charles st. & 654 Washington Fifth: 291 W. 10th st. Some of these addresses were used by the company at the same time. The company opened in 1844 under the name (Abraham) Nash, (Ebenezer), Beadleston, & (Alfred) Nash. The name was changed in 1856 to Beadleston & Nash and then changed again in 1862 to Beadleston & Prince and again in 1865 to Prince & Woerz and finally, to Beadleston & Woerz in 1878. The company closed in 1917. Predecessor to John F. Betz Manhattan Brewery. |
Borchert, HenryAddress: 114 Manhattan st.
This is a very interesting bottle based on the address. There are 4 possible locations for it since a Manhattan street doesn't exist in Manhattan. 1) Roosevelt NY (Long Island) 2) Staten Island NY 3) That there used to exist a Manhattan street in Manhattan but has been renamed since then 4) That the bottle has a mistake in embossing as a Manhattan avenue does exist today |
Clausen - Flanagan Brewery / Phoenix Bottling Co.Address: UNKNOWN
This bottle is a strange version of the Phoenix. Ive never seen this version and because of the name (Flanagan is Clausen's Son) its impossible to tell which address this bottle came from. Associated with: Phoenix Bottling Company / H. Clausen & Son Brewing Co. H. Clausen & Son |
Colonial Bottling Co.Address: 267-269 W. 17th st.
This is one of the rarest bottles in my collection. Not only is it extremely scarce, it is also a prototype with multiple mistakes. This will get a little complicated: The Colonial Brewery opened in 1897, successors to the Bavarian Star Brewing Co of 1891-1897, at 240 W. 18th st. It closed in 1899, and the brewery was sold to the Eastern Brewing Co. as the Colonial Branch. The Eastern Brewing Co. was based in Brooklyn and this Manhattan branch was only in operation from 1901-1902. This bottle however, is a prototype, it says Colonial Bottling Co. instead of Colonial Brewery, and the address is incorrect as well, probably because the building for the company wasnt purchased yet. There is no record of the prototype anywhere. The design around the Indian trademark is also incorrect. |
Ehrets, Geo. / Rush, LouisAddress: Geo Ehrets: 92nd-93rd st. and 2nd-3rd ave.
Louis Rush: 221 Ave. B. I figured this would be the best bottle to start off the page. Geo Ehret opened the Hell Gate Brewery in 1866. German in descent, Ehret has developed his own brewing techniques while in Germany in the 1850s. He aimed for a Munich Brew. Five year after opening he sold 33,512 barrels per year, then a few years later 74,497, then in 1874 101,050, an achievement which was reached by very few breweries in the city. The number kept climbing, 220,096, then 412,851, and by 1900, 601,000 barrels of beer were made per year, becoming the largest brewer in America. A large part of the Brewery was destroyed in 1870 due to a fire which cut back on beer production and would open it up to dependency on other companies such as Albert Krumenaker. There is no accurate date on when the company closed but the building was maintained for many years after by other companies for use and eventually destroyed in the 1950s. No info on Louis Rush. By this point you are probably wondering what is up with the blob right? Well this is a rare, limited made Conner's stopper patent owned by John Matthews. Only about 50 companies used this for less than a year in the USA. It is also rare to see Ehrets name on a bottle because 99.9% of his marketing came from labels on the bottles containing his brew. |
Elias, Henry, Brewing Co.Address: 414 E. 57th st.
This is an unusual bottle when it comes to NYC blobs. On the front is has the Henry Elias embossing but on the back it has "Fairbanks & Snyder / Boston Mass." embossed. On December 11th, 1894, Henry Elias tried to commit suicide in his own home using a pocket knife. He was admitted to a hospital but kept under house arrest by his family. He had been drinking at the time, and was also sick from rheumatism. He later stated that the pain had become too much. He was 37 years old at the time. SEE ALTERNATE VARIANT BELOW. |
Koehler, H., & Co.Address: 1st: 53 Lewis ave.
2nd: 6-12 Sherrif st. 3rd: 501 1st ave. 4th: 503 1st ave. 5th: 345 E. 29th st. & 501 1st ave. 6th: 345 E. 29th st. <------ 7th: 30th st. & 1st ave. 8th: 501 1st ave. The company was founded in 1858 by brewers Phillip C. Harmon and Alexander G. Harmon and was the first beer co partnership (officially) in New York City. The company closed in 1940. SEE SECOND AND THIRD VARIANTS BELOW. |
Koehler, H., & Co.Address: 1st: 53 Lewis ave.
2nd: 6-12 Sherrif st. 3rd: 501 1st ave. 4th: 503 1st ave. 5th: 345 E. 29th st. & 501 1st ave. 6th: 345 E. 29th st. <------ 7th: 30th st. & 1st ave. 8th: 501 1st ave. This is a cleaner aqua version of the first variant above, which is light green. SEE FIRST AND THIRD VARIANTS ABOVE AND BELOW. |
Koehler, H., & Co.Address: 1st: 53 Lewis ave.
2nd: 6-12 Sherrif st. 3rd: 501 1st ave. 4th: 503 1st ave. 5th: 345 E. 29th st. & 501 1st ave. 6th: 345 E. 29th st. <------ 7th: 30th st. & 1st ave. 8th: 501 1st ave. This is a clear variant of the bottle, with a lighter style of embossing. SEE FIRST AND SECOND VARIANTS ABOVE. |
Koster & BialAddress: 1st: 23rd st. & 6th ave. (Prostitution Bar)
2nd: 34th st. & Broadway ave. (Opera House) John Koster and Adam Bial opened up their first saloon/performance bar in the 1877. After receiving complaints from the city regarding the excessive prostitution happening in the saloon they were forced to close down. Afterwards, they opened up an opera house and sold this bottle of beer exclusively to its patrons. The company closed in 1901. SEE NEWER VARIANT BELOW. |
Kress, John, Brewing Co., The, Bottling DepartmentAddress: 1st: 207 E. 54th st.
2nd: 158 ave. A & 207 E. 54th st. 3rd: 221 E. 54th st. <------ 4th: 207 E. 54th st. The company opened in 1863 and closed in 1904. The founders applied for bankruptcy after mounting debt, liabilities, and fines due to hazardous working conditions. Many different variants of this bottle exist, although this was the main variant used in production. Related to the Jetter Brewing Co. |
Krumenaker, AlbertAddress: 512 & 514 W. 166th st.
Their first address was on W. 166th st. & Amsterdam ave. This bottle is from the second. This is a company famous for the amounts of crown top variants it made. It was almost as if every week Albert Krumenaker decided to use a different style for his bottles. But the catch is "crown tops". Blob tops are a little harder to get and you can find one for sale somewhere once in a blue moon. Krumenaker opened the company in 1892. His brewery was shared with the George Ehert Co. Krumenaker made the bottles, and Ehert made the beer. The brewery was named the Hell Gate Brewery. There is no accurate information for when the company closed except that it was after 1917. THIS BOTTLE WAS SUMMER ALE. SEE SECOND VARIANT BELOW. |
Krumenaker, AlbertAddress: 512 & 514 W. 166th st.
Their first address was on W. 166th st. & Amsterdam ave. This bottle is from the second. In addition to its normal brews, the company changed up the design on the bottles depending on the season. The summer ale has fully grown flowers, thick vines, and fruit on the embossing surrounding the company logo. The winter ale has few leaves, flower buds, dried wheat, and thin vines. THIS BOTTLE WAS WINTER ALE. SEE FIRST VARIANT ABOVE. |
Metropolis Bottling Co.Address: 119 Chrystie st.
In 1898 the company was sued by the parents of a child who was run over by a horse and wagon and sustained permanent injuries. Because the Metropolis Bottling Co. had one of its wagons in the area, the parents of the child were quick to blame the company. The judge ruled in favor of the bottling company, because it was determined that the wagon that ran over the child belonged to a local furniture store. |
Neumer, FerdinandAddress: 155 W. 20th st.
Ferdinand Neumer opened his bottling factory in 1882 where he made only glass bottles. It was only in 1888 that he began making lager beer. After a while he decided to make bottles for other companies instead of making his own beer. He made bottles for: Geo Ehrets, Schiltz, Bartholomay/Rochester/Anheuser-Busch, Robert Smith, Iroquois Brewing Co. There is no accurate information for when the company closed except that it was past 1917. SEE NEWER VARIANT BELOW. |
Ringler, Geo., & Co.Address: 203 E. 92nd st.
George Ringler came to the U.S. in 1858, opened the brewery in 1872, and was the 7th largest brewer in New York and 19th in the country with a yearly production of 65,658 barrels. George Ringler died in 1889 and was succeeded by his son, William. By 1900, they became the third largest in the U.S. The company closed in the 1920s, being killed off by prohibition. |
Ruppert, JacobAddress: 90th to 94th sts. between 2nd & 3rd ave.
Jacob Ruppert Sr. opened his brewery in 1867 in a small 50 ft. square building. They made 5000 barrels in the first year op production. It would become the first location for his company which slowly began to branch out. It was later taken over by his son Jacob Ruppert Jr. It would eventually become the second largest brewing company in the United States. The company closed in 1965. Jacob Ruppert Jr. was most famous for his involvement with the NY Yankees. |
Schaefer, The F. & M., Brewing Co.Address: 1st brewery: Broadway ave. between 18th & 19th st.
2nd brewery: 7th ave. between 16th & 17th st. <------ 3rd brewery: 4th ave. (or Park ave. as known today) & 51st st. 4th brewery: Kent ave. & South 9th & 10th st. The F & M Schaefer Brewing Co was founded by Frederick and Maximilian Schaefer, immigrants from Prussia. The brothers actually worked at the brewery (1st Brewery) that they bought for four years starting in 1838 but purchased it for a small fee in 1842, thus officially beginning the company that was well known into the 20th century. People quickly warmed up to the new brew and the brothers decided that the brewery they owned was too small to meet the demand of the public. They moved their establishment a few streets over (2nd Brewery) and as soon as they started running, again, they faced the problem of demand and needed to search for a bigger building. There was a problem. Downtown Manhattan was overpopulated in the 1840s because uptown wasn't settled yet making it impossible for the brothers to buy an already standing building. They decided to go uptown and build a brewery of their own in 1849 from scratch (3rd Brewery). There was yet another problem. Other brewing companies decided to do the same as the brothers and move uptown, making it a virtual beer town with a different brewery on every block. The intruding companies came from the 1850s all the way into the 1870s. Sadly the brothers died close to the turn of the century, and the company stalled. It was only when Maximilian's son, Rudolph Schaefer, decided to get the brewery back on track in 1912. He purchased the remaining shares of the company from his cousins and took total control. He wanted to expand so they moved the brewery again to Brooklyn (4th Brewery), it's last resting place. in 1920 the company grinded to a halt again with the nationwide plague of prohibition which the company survived. After a long succession by descendants of the original brothers all of the plants owned by the company were either closed or purchased by other companies in the 1970s. The Brooklyn plant closed in 1976 bidding farewell to New York City. A famous variant of the bottle is a blob top with a large beer barrel in the center. SEE ALTERNATE VARIANT BELOW. |
Schaefer, The F. & M., Brewing Co.Address: 1st brewery: Broadway ave. between 18th & 19th st.
2nd brewery: 7th ave. between 16th & 17th st. <------ 3rd brewery: 4th ave. (or Park ave. as known today) & 51st st. 4th brewery: Kent ave. & South 9th & 10th st. This variant has the word "The" embossed on its own above all of the other embossing as opposed to the above variant which has the word "The" in the same line with "F. & M. Schaefer" SEE ALTERNATE VARIANT ABOVE. |
Stevenson, David, Brewing Co.Address: 40 st. & 10 ave.
David Stevenson was born in 1846 in New York City and went into the brewing business with his father at an early age. After his father's death he became the sole owner and managed it until his death in 1892 at the age of 46 due to diabetes. He was a founder of the Mutual Bank and a trustee of the Excelsior Bank. He was a member of the Manhattan, Phoenix, and Lotus Clubs, as well as the owner of multiple real estate pieces around West 59th st. He had 7 children to succeed him. At the time of his death, he left $3,000,000 and his brewery in his estate. He did not specify who in the family would receive what, and began a massive legal battle between members of his family. This would lead to the illegal sale of the brewery by one of his daughters. |
Other
Schultz, Carl H.Address: 430-444 1st ave.
In 1862, young German Carl Schultz was reselling mineral water in New York City which was being imported from France, more specifically Vichy water from a special area. By 1868 he was sued by the French over copyrights on label titles using the word Vichy in it and for reselling their spring water. He then decided to make his own Vichy water and the company was born the same year. By the late 1890s millions of bottles and siphons were being produced and distributed. By that time he began to lose money as it cost more to make the bottles and siphons then he had earned selling the drink. He died on May 29 1897 from Pneumonia, leaving his family in debt to pay back for the bottles. The company immediately closed that same year. BELOW IS THE SIPHON BOTTLE FROM THE SAME COMPANY. IT IS AN EARLY SIPHON, UNLIKE THE TYPES OF THE 1920s. |
Strohmenger, Jos. / Opperman, Fred, Jr. Turtle Bay BreweryAddress: 322 E. 45th st. & 785 1st ave. E. 44th st.
This bottle is from Oceanic NJ, but was brewed and made in Manhattan. The company started in 1850. Its first official address was at 320 E. 46th st. under the name J.G. Gillig and Fred Oppermann. In 1876 the name changed to Oppermann & Mueller. The address changed as well to 44th & 45th st., Between 1st & 2nd ave. In 1878 the company changed its name again to Frederick Oppermann Jr. Brewing Co. In 1892 the company was bought out by the Conville Brewing Co. until it closed in 1911. It is unclear how or when the company moved to N.J., nor were any dates recorded associated with the move. |
Large Blob Tops
Manhattan
Meyer, Henry W.Address: 115 Christopher st.
Henry Meyer was born in 1971, as the son of Heinrick William Meyer and Elisabeth Schreck. He was one of five children, his brothers were, William 1869, Frederick 1874, Frederick 1879, Hermann 1882. His home address was 16 Sullivan st. Manhattan in 1882. He is listed in the NYC 1890 directory of bottlers. |
Seely, G. B.Address: 1st: 28 1/2 Commerce st.
2nd: 431 W. 28th st. 3rd: 401 W. 26th st. <------ 4th: 57 & 59 Gansevoort st. 5th: 319 W. 15th st. 6th: 319, 321, & 323 W. 15th st. 7th: 315-331 W 15th st. The company opened in 1867 under the name Gilbert Seely and closed sometime in the late 1910s. The company primarily made soda. The company changed its name many times over the years so its hard to keep track of all of them. They made porter ales, and 3 inch sample blobs, besides the quart sized blobs and hutchinson listed on this site. This particular variant is extremely rare because it was made for one year between 1879 and 1880. If you have a porter or sample please let me know! Associated with: G.B. Seely & Son G.B. Seely's Son G.B. Seely's Son Inc. |
Seely, G. B., & SonAddress: 1st: 28 1/2 Commerce st.
2nd: 431 W. 28th st. 3rd: 401 W. 26th st. 4th: 57 & 59 Gansevoort st. 5th: 319 W. 15th st. <------ 6th: 319, 321, & 323 W. 15th st. 7th: 315-331 W 15th st. This variant was made from 1886 to 1895. SEE SMALL VARIANT FURTHER DOWN THE PAGE. Associated with: G.B. Seely G.B. Seely's Son G.B. Seely's Son Inc. |
Seely's, G. B., SonAddress: 1st: 28 1/2 Commerce st.
2nd: 431 W. 28th st. 3rd: 401 W. 26th st. 4th: 57 & 59 Gansevoort st. 5th: 319 W. 15th st. <------ 6th: 319, 321, & 323 W. 15th st. 7th: 315-331 W 15th st. This variant was made from 1895 to 1897. Associated with: G.B. Seely G.B. Seely & Son G.B. Seely's Son Inc. |
Seely's, G. B., Son Inc.Address: 1st: 28 1/2 Commerce st.
2nd: 431 W. 28th st. 3rd: 401 W. 26th st. 4th: 57 & 59 Gansevoort st. 5th: 319 W. 15th st. 6th: 319, 321, & 323 W. 15th st. <------ 7th: 315-331 W 15th st. This variant was made from 1897 to 1898 Associated with: G.B. Seely G.B. Seely & Son G.B. Seely's Son |
Small Blob Tops
Manhattan
Bolen & ByrneAddress: 415-423 E. 54th st.
The company opened in 1866 and was founded by John Bolen and John Byrne. By 1897 the company had a stock of $175,000 which dropped to $50,000 by 1898. The company was sued for cheating creditors and filed for bankruptcy. By that time John Byrne had died. It was the first company to produce ginger ale in the United States. The company closed in 1903. |
Esselborn's, Geo., SonsAddress: 613 & 615 W. 47th st.
The company opened in 1875 under the name Brown & Esselborn. It changes its name to Braun & Esselborn in 1877 and then again to George Esselborn in 1879. In 1884 George brought his sons into the company, renaming it Geo Esselborn's Sons. The company closed in 1907. |
Feyh, AdrianAddress: 266 & 266 1/2 Williams st.
The company opened in 1858, under the name William Feyh. In the year 1863 William changed the company name to William and Adrian Feyh, to include his son. In 1869 Adrian took over the business renaming it to Adrian Feyh. The company had a patent for an automatic bottle filling apparatus which was filed on July 11th 1872. |
Knebel, H.Address: 458 4th st.
A young German boy set fire to the factory on April 8th 1858 who was angered by being fired from the company. Since he was only a young teenager the judge let him go stating that if he ever committed another crime, he would add multiple years to his sentence. The factory wasn't damaged much. |
Morgan, JohnAddress: 343 W. 39th st.
John Morgan came to New York City in the 1850s from Ireland. He started the company under his own name and later changed it to Morgan Brothers Soda Water. The company was successful until it was bought out by the White Rock Soda Co. in 1948. However, in 1952 the Morgan family had gathered the funds to buy it back. It might have been a ploy by the family to get the brewery advertised more within four years under another company to make business good again. |
Ormsby, D. L., & SonAddress: 423 W. 16th st.
Dorman L. Ormsby's first address was in use from 1844 to 1860 at 255 W. 16th st. His second was used from 1860 to 1874 at 423 W. 16th st. The company's third address was used from 1876 to the early 1900s at 168th st east of Amsterdam ave. and succeeded by his son. The company closed down in the early 1900s. SEE NEWER VARIANT BELOW FOR MORE INFO. |
Ormsby, Dormann L., - A.B. Co.Address: 168th st. east of Amsterdam ave.
Dormann L. Ormsby changed his brewery locations every 20 years or so and quit the business in 1876. This bottle variant is made by his son. The older variants would have "& Son" in the name. The company went out of business in the early 1900s. SEE OLDER VARIANT ABOVE FOR MORE INFO. |
Seely, G. B., & SonAddress: 1st: 28 1/2 Commerce st.
2nd: 431 W. 28th st. 3rd: 401 W. 26th st. 4th: 57 & 59 Gansevoort st. 5th: 319 W. 15th st. <------ 6th: 319, 321, & 323 W. 15th st. 7th: 315-331 W 15th st. This variant was made from 1886 to 1895. SEE LARGE VARIANT FURTHER UP THE PAGE. Associated with: G.B. Seely G.B. Seely's Son G.B. Seely's Son Inc. |
Sexton, John B.Address: 418 W. 54th st.
John B. Sexton started in the bottle business but later moved on to be a member of the N.Y.S. Board of Health. He was also an avid public transportation and public parks builder. In 1901 he ordered that the Park ave. tunnel be repaired after not being maintained for years. |
Zubiller, H., & SonAddress: First: 337 8th st.
<------ Second:190 Stanton st. Henry Zubiller Jr. was born in New York City in 1859, a year before his father, Henry Zubiller Sr. started a bottling business on 337 8th st. on March 17th, 1860 (St. Patrick's Day). Henry Jr. and his brother Paul both became partners with their father in the business when they came of age. When Henry entered it was named H. Zubiller and Son, which is the name embossed on this bottle. When Paul entered, it became known as H. Zubiller's Sons. after the name changed, the father, Henry Zubiller Sr. retired. The two sons then moved their business to 190 Stanton st. Henry Zubiller Jr. was the proprietor of the Arbor hotel in Manhattan, where the annual dinner of the Trustees of the Bottlers and Manufacturers Association was held. Henry himself was one of the earliest members. Henry Zulliber Jr. died on November 12th, 1903, after he fell off of a Trolley. He did not feel the effects of the fall until three days later where he died in bed. Nowhere is stated what the exact cause of death was, but I think that it was either internal bleeding, or a head injury. |