FLAVORED BEERS

ANOTHER "GREAT FEATURE ARTICLE" FROM THE PAGES OF

ANTIQUE BOTTLE AND GLASS COLLECTOR MAGAZINE

THE MAGAZINE OF THE ANTIQUE BOTTLE COLLECTING HOBBY

By Ann E. Spear

Our first mystery bottle was found in 1968, and we soon began to classify it as a flavored beer. After seventeen years of research, that name seems to fit the classification of this type of bottle best. It certainly isn't a mineral water, a pop or soda bottle, or a regular hops beer bottle. It seems to be in a class all by itself.

An old store in Youngstown, New York was being emptied for remodeling into apartments. When clearing the basement of colorful advertising posters from the late 1800s (all of which were hauled to the dump), a quantity of old bottles embossed D. Davis were found. The bottles were sapphire blue, emerald green, and one black olive-amber, 10”x 3 1/2”, smooth base, and had twelve panels. As the bottles were brought up, a relative of the D. Davis family saw them and took them home, giving one or two to an antiques dealer who was with her. A few of the bottles were dispersed among relatives, including an entire case of emerald green reportedly taken to the East Coast. The remaining sapphire blue bottles and the one black glass could be seen in many of the windows of her home.

We were just beginning to collect old bottles in the mid 1960's and my husband, who was a Fuller Brush man at the time, saw the blue bottles in the window and was able to purchase one, then two more. Finally, shortly after the lady died, we were able to purchase the black bottle. The remaining bottles were kept in the family. No one knew just what they had contained, but they had probably been returnable, as they showed much wear, especially on the base.

Soon after, a second, similar bottle embossed J.B.G. came into our collection from a bottle collector. The collector's brother-in-law had found the bottle while hunting in the local woods and had given it to her. Again, no clue to the contents, but the bottle had much wear on the base. This bottle was also sapphire blue.

The third bottle we found was originally dug near the Harrison Radiator Div. GMC plant in the Town of Lockport. Again, sapphire blue in color, paneled, same dimensions, but with an iron pontil and embossed Dr. Cronk, obverse R. Mc C. Although much has been written about Dr. Cronk, we have not found reference to the initials R. Mc C. We did find a pottery bottle of the same style embossed sarsaparilla beer.

By 1971 we had added a beautiful, sparkling, sapphire blue flavored beer embossed M. Richardson. This bottle was very similar in style to the others, but did not have the panels. This bottle fell from the ceiling of a home on Chestnut Ridge in Wilson, N.Y., during remodeling. (Soon after, a Lockport Traveler's Companion (circa 1860) came from the cistern of the same house). The bottle was so full of a varnish-like substance we thought it was amber. In fifteen minutes we had cleaned the bottle and were amazed to see it was blue.

Quickly following the purchase of the M. Richardson bottle we were able to buy another flavored beer embossed H.H.P. from a digger in Shelby, New York. We then bought a variant to the H.H.P. embossed H.H.P. & Co. that had been found in some woods. And finally some pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.

In the 1970s we belonged to an antiques club that met at the Niagara County Historical Society building in Lockport. We gave a program about old bottles and at that time met Francis Swanson, a local history buff. Visiting with Fran, we discovered he owned a notebook filled with 68 leaves containing 267 documents from the business of M. Richardson. He loaned us the book and allowed us to photograph several of the receipts. When Fran passed away a few years ago, we purchased the book from his widow.

The most exciting document we found in the notebook was the bill of sale of the H.H. Parker & Co. business to Claussa Richardson, as quoted exactly: “LOCKPORT: August 14, 1860. For and in consideration of the sum of One Hundred and Twenty Dollars to me this day paid I hereby sell, assign and transfer all my rights title and interest in the Beer Shop Company known as H.H. Parker & Co. to Claussa Richardson.” This bill sale was signed H.H. Parker.

A call to the Niagara County Historian verified a listing in the 1859 Lockport City Directory of H.H. Parker, owner of a lemon beer business at 6 Lock Street. The call also confirmed that Claussa Richardson was the wife of Mortimer M. Richardson, who continued to make lemon beer until at least 1866. The record book has numerous tax receipts to confirm this, and one read: “NO. 2270 UNITED STATES INTERNAL REVENUE Collector's Office District of Lockport Sept. 17, 1866 Received of M.M. Richardson Twelve 70/100 Dollars for Excise Tax on August Lemon Beer $12.70. Annual Watch 1 $1 and (unreadable) $1. Total $14.70 being amount assessed on August 1 for 1866. M.L. Burrell, Dr. Collector.”

Richardson purchased his bottles from the Lancaster Glass Works, Lockport Glass Manufacturing Co., Lockport Glass Works (same business location, different proprietors), and the Whitney Glass Works. On 5/14/67 he purchased 3 cask 1 bbl 3 86/144 quart beer bottles for $53.96 from the Lockport Glass Manufacturing Co. Although the color of the bottles is not mentioned, and we do not see tax records after 1866, the bill does say QUART BEER BOTTLES.

Our collection also includes an emerald green M. Richardson, paneled, found on Sand Hill, close to Rapids, N.Y., and an aqua example, no panels, found in the basement of a home in Barker, N.Y. In 1983 we purchased an emerald green J.B.G. from a young man named Jim who was remodeling a house on Harvey Avenue in Lockport built in 1858. While deepening his basement, he unearthed several fragments and one whole bottle. Jim's dad thought the bottle was worthless and tried to throw it out. Jim knew we collected old bottles and sold it to us, going home with enough cash to show his dad old bottles did have worth.

Other examples of flavored beers include a pint Boughton and Chase, iron pontil, ten panels, sapphire blue, dug in a garden on Route 104 between Lockport and Gasport. Burt Spiller from Rochester kindly supplied the following from the Rochester Daily Union, Sept. 23, 1852, page 3 Col. 2: “About 2 o'clock this morning a small wooden building owned and occupied by Boughton and Chase, situated on the Feeder near Mt. Hope Ave., was totally destroyed by fire. The premises were used for the manufacture of Cronk's Beer and Gleason's Mineral Water. The property was insured for $1500, which, the owner says, will not cover the loss. The origin of the fire is unknown. The building was nearly destroyed before a general alarm had been spread.” We once owned a blue E. Tousley Cronk's Beer, twelve sided.

Two Skinner Gallery auctions offered flavored beers for sale. The Gardner collection contained a seven-paneled Boughton and Chase Rochester N.Y. Bottle Registered According To Law, pint, sapphire blue, heavy sloping collared mouth and iron pontil. The description listed the bottle as a soda. It sold for $950. The Pattridge collection (from Rochester, NY) sold a J.B.G. listed as a beer or soda, iron pontiled, sapphire blue, some damage, which sold for $375 plus buyer's fee. Also in the Pattridge collection was an E. Tousley Cronk's Beer in emerald green, twelve panels, sloped collar, which sold for $600 plus buyer's fee.

This receipt from the United States Internal Revenue dated Oct. 29, 1866 shows that M. Richardson paid $10.25 tax on his "Lemmon Beer".

All of the flavored beer bottles in our collection show considerable wear, and were probably returnable. At one time Richardson received credit from the Lockport Glass Works for glass cullet. Although many of our bottles were dug, they are all in very good condition.

Beer made from the blending of various roots and barks was popular in Europe and America since colonial times. Ingredients could be spikenard, ginger, sarsaparilla, wintergreen, or fruits such as lemon. Yeast and sugar were added to the flavorings and water. As the product aged the sugar were converted into alcohol of about 2 to 5%, the same alcohol content as today's hops beer.

In 1970 the Hamm Brewing Co. of England introduced an alcoholic soft drink under the trade name Shandy. The company offered a flavor choice of cola, lemon-lime, or grapefruit. The drink was advertised to have the same alcohol content as beer.

Thus we conclude that the name-flavored beer is appropriate for this class of bottle. This category is uncommon with less than 100 examples known to us. All of the bottles we have seen came from the local area within a hundred-mile radius covering Niagara, Orleans and Monroe counties in New York State. The bottles were probably made locally in Lockport and possibly Lancaster. And finally, we will continue to classify the bottles as flavored beers until someone can convince us that another classification is more appropriate.

Wm. Cook, green, (pint size)	H. Sproatt / Toronto, (cobalt blue)	R. Green / Toronto, (cobalt blue)	H. Sproatt / Toronto, (small letter)
E. Tousley / Cronk's Beer (green)	E. Tousley / Cronks Beer (cobalt)	H.H.P.	J.B.G. (green)
J.B.G. (cobalt)	S. Smith / Auburn, N.Y.	M. Richardson (green)	B. & G.
Dr. Cronk	Dr Cronk - RMcC (on reverse)	R. McGoun	M. Richardson (aqua cylider)
M. Richardson (green cylinder)	M. Richardson (cobalt cylinder)	D. Davis	Boughton & Chase (pint size)
D. Davis (black olive green)	RMC Co.	H.H.P.	H.H.P. & Co.

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