When you think of New York’s beer-brewing past, Bushwick—the once German neighborhood home to a dozen breweries in the 19th century—probably comes to mind.
But Staten Island? Yep, the borough had a beer-making industry of its own, thanks to the fresh springs there.
One was the Rubsam & Horrmann Brewing Company, in the town of Stapleton (photo from the NYPL).
Was R&H beer-ale any good? I haven’t found anyone who recalls trying it.
But I did find some history. Launched in 1870 by two German immigrants, R&H switched to near-beer during prohibition before going back to the good stuff in the 1930s.
By 1953, R&H was bought out by the Piels company, which had its own brewery in East New York. Piels closed the R&H plant and the brand entirely a decade later.
Tags: Beers of the 19th century, Bushwick breweries, defunct beers, Piels beer, Piels East New York, R&H Beer-Ale, Rubsam & Horrmann, Stapleton, Staten Island, Staten Island beer history, Staten Island breweries
March 17, 2010 at 4:56 am |
I remember looking down on the remains of these buildings from the old 103 Hylan Boulevard bus in the early 1960s. About 15 minutes into its 45 minute trek from St. George to Tottenville at the southern tip of Staten Island, the bus would pull up out of Stapleton onto Hylan Boulevard and on to a slightly elevated vantage point that afforded a good view of the old brewery.
March 17, 2010 at 5:12 am |
I wish I had a better photo. I imagine the brewery buildings were bulldozed decades ago.
March 17, 2010 at 5:08 pm |
The buildings were demolished sometime in the early 2000′s to make way for townhouses.
They sat at the intersection of Broad St. and Vanduzer St. For many years, a bar called The Caves operated out of the old brewery. Fun place, crazy times.
March 18, 2010 at 1:44 am |
[...] A long-gone brewery in Staten Island « Ephemeral New York [...]
March 18, 2010 at 8:48 am |
[...] A long-gone brewery in Staten Island « Ephemeral New York [...]
April 5, 2010 at 7:18 pm |
Hi, I appreciate your time for answering my question. I found a bottle on the beach and I was wondering if you could tell me how old it is. It is a 12 1/2 oz green bottle. It has the letters R & H on one side and on the other it has an emblem with a crown. Around the bottom rim it says Rubsam & Horrmann Brewing Co New York.
I tried to research it myself but had no luck. I really appreciate your time.
April 5, 2010 at 7:42 pm |
I really don’t know, especially without looking at it . . . all I can say is it dates between 1870 and 1963.
April 25, 2010 at 6:30 pm |
Hi, I too have a beer bottle. Green, maybe 10/12 oz., wire holding a cermamic top. Bottle and top have Rubsam and Horrmann Brewing Co. Staten Island NY. Top also has RH, one on top of the other, in the middle. Back has This Bottle Not to be Sold. There are no chips or cuts, wire holding top is 100% in tact. I can’t find any infomation about value. If needed, I can sent photos. Thank you.
May 2, 2010 at 10:59 am |
i was digging up a foundation wall at my home dated from 1954 and found a beer can inside the wall, the name was easy to read. Rubsam & Horrmann Brewing co. Internal Revenue Tax Paid. I thought it was funny.
May 28, 2010 at 10:25 pm |
ken, I would be interested in seeing that can, if condition is good. I collect ‘em.
June 9, 2010 at 9:05 pm |
I have a wooden case with bottles. Not R&H but the names spelled out on the case. Rubsam & Horrmann brewing co. with their logo on the side
June 12, 2010 at 11:52 pm |
Can you tell me if Piels Beer was sold in small glass barrel shaped brown bottles? My husband and I remember that but others say no…Piels was only made and sold in cans. I appreciate your help in this.
July 22, 2011 at 2:46 pm |
Yes indeed, I can say that Piels was sold in those brown glass barrel shaped bottles. Being a native of Staten Island, N.Y., I can remember seeing those bottles on a regular basis.
August 12, 2010 at 5:54 pm |
I purchased the house opposite the brewery at the bottom of the hill @ Gordon St. in 2000. The builder/owner of the house made his fortune repairing the brewery trucks and I have a 5-Truck garage on my property!
September 23, 2010 at 8:14 pm |
Hello,
I was digging where they built some new homes. I dug up a few bottles bearing “Rubsam & Horrmann” Brewing Company Stapleton SI…Registered 1889. Actually, I dug up alot of other bottles as well from other Brewerys. All the bottles are intact. I am interested in selling some and donating some to a historical society of some kind. Can you give any suggestions?
Thanks
Dan
December 9, 2010 at 5:37 pm |
I just dug up a beer bottle marked STATEN ISLAND LARGER BIER ADOLPH ANTHES.The bottle has (this bottle not to be sold) and is green cast with a knob top. Any info???
February 15, 2011 at 6:34 am |
I remember the foul smell from the R & H and later Piels brewery from the playground of PS 14 on Tompkins Ave. The brewery closed in the early 1960s. I am now living in Texas used to live on Targee St near Laurel Ave
March 30, 2013 at 3:29 pm |
I lived on Broad Street near the Firehouse and next to P.S. 14..I, too, have a R&H (green) bottle..says “registered” on it..my name is rosalie donnelly bernstein..left there in 1960.
May 24, 2011 at 8:41 pm |
Wow! Dave, I can still smell the foul stench. I lived just around the corner from the brewery. Grove and Hygia. Played in the truck parking lot where the old ice house used to be, next to the old playground. Went to Immaculate Conception, late 50′s early 60′s. Played “hot beans are ready” at the courthouse. Climbed Hormann’s Hill, great view of Piels.
April 18, 2013 at 8:41 pm |
Dominick Presiosa! My mother still talks about you! Magdalen Knauer, she lived at 108 Targee Street, SI. I am her daughter, Barbara. We’d love to hear from you!
Thanks,
Barbara
April 18, 2013 at 8:49 pm |
Nick, I’m just realizing that you may be Dominick’s son if you played in the playground 1950s-1960s. We are about the same age. Wow! I got go excited when I saw your name. A real blast from the past.
April 19, 2013 at 12:35 pm |
Nick, I talked to my Mom last night and she said it was Joey that she dated in the 7th grade! That was in 1944. She was 14. Is Joey your Dad or maybe your uncle?
May 28, 2011 at 12:45 pm |
I just received some things of my grandfather, who used to live on Staten Island, and one of them is a shiny metal beer bottle opener, engraved with “R&H BEER-ALE”. Does someone know when they made these? I know this opener goes back at least to 1940.
September 4, 2011 at 6:39 pm |
I have a metal serviing tray advertising R & H BEER -ALE in superfine condition– any idea of value also have several Rhinegold and schafear trays as well would enjoy hearing from someone
October 3, 2011 at 4:03 am |
My grandfather ran the R and H brewery in the thirties and I am interested in any memorabilia from it. Do you still have the tray?
September 6, 2011 at 1:54 am |
[...] When the company dropped the campaign, the beer’s popularity plunged too. After taking over a few other local breweries, Piel’s sold itself to a Michigan brewer and bid Brooklyn good-bye in 1973. Advertisement [...]
September 26, 2011 at 3:49 pm |
I have three brown bottles with a R & H Bock beer label all of which are sealed and full of beer. From the other comments posted who expressed an interest in the value of such bottles, was anyone able to determine a value?
November 9, 2011 at 6:25 pm |
I live in St. George, S.I. and might be interested in the 3 bottles, especially if they still have beer in them. Wonder if it is any good?
November 9, 2011 at 7:46 pm
Yes, they still have the beer in them with no evaporation which is hard to believe after all this time. Doubt it is good to drink. If you are interested in purchasing make an offer.
March 10, 2012 at 3:55 am |
Hi I was wondering if the R&H bock bottles are still available. My father worked at a firehouse near the brewery (just after Piels bought it out) and I collect items from R&H, Thanks Mike
March 10, 2012 at 2:35 pm
You can try Victorian Brothers Antique Shop on Staten Island on Manor Road and Victory Blvd., they have a lot of R&H material, including bottles. There are always R&H bottles and Piels cans on Ebay.
March 12, 2012 at 12:22 pm
Yes, still available. Would you like to make an offer on them?
November 1, 2011 at 8:21 pm |
There is an interesting story that mixes fact and fiction about the brewers role in the creation of Stapleton if anyone would like to take a look.
http://fhsi.wordpress.com/the-founding-of-stapleton-as-a-religious-community/
November 9, 2011 at 6:26 pm |
There is also a good photo history book of Stapleton, with lots of photos of all the Breweries. It is put out by Arcadia Press last year.
March 19, 2012 at 8:22 am |
Hi Michael. Thanks for the reply. Can you send me a picture of the full r&h bottles? I am curious about the condition of the labels. I believe they date to the late 1940s
March 19, 2012 at 11:42 am |
ok will take a couple of pictures and send them to you
March 23, 2012 at 8:01 am
Thanks that will be great. Mike
March 26, 2012 at 1:41 pm
Hi Mike, I took the photos of the bottles I have. What is your direct e-mail address so I can attach them. Not sure how to do it on this system.
March 26, 2012 at 2:57 pm
Hi Mike – my email is suemikedondi@hotmail.com
Appreciate the follow up on the bottles. Thanks – Mike
April 10, 2012 at 7:16 pm |
Paul Steffen, Plattsburgh, NY
April 10, 2012
R & H really got around. While in Casablanca, Morocco in 1954, I drank a can of R&H beer at the American Bar. I knew that the brewery was closed since I lived on Staten Island until 1952. When underage, I remember drinking R&H several times, thought it tasted pretty good.
Not the end of the story. I got stationed in Plattsburgh in 1975. While fly- fishing in the Saranac River in Morrisonville, I found a green R&H bottle partially buried in the sand. My father had never seen a bottle like this and he lived on the island since 1928.
Does anyone have any more information other that that which I have just read?
teepee@primelink1.net
June 18, 2012 at 11:38 pm |
It was owned by my relatives
August 6, 2012 at 3:21 am |
WOW!! I’m sure you can provide a lot of information that can not be found on the internet.. Are you related to the Rubsam or Horrmann side?
July 12, 2012 at 5:36 pm |
My dad used to tell stories about working at a food store next to the brewery…..maybe an A&P…seems the guys on night shift would bring sandwich makings and the guys from the brewery fresh beer…they’d meet in the ally & eat…
August 21, 2012 at 2:08 pm |
I have some coasters from my Grandmother. In great shape. Never used. my Mom is 77 so you know how old they are.
September 1, 2012 at 1:27 am |
My father in law worked for an advertising agency (commercial artist) and we just came across an advertisement poster he did the art work on for R&H breweries which prompted me into looking up the name. Poster is in great shape.
October 5, 2012 at 9:50 pm |
Hi Frank – that’s really neat that a family member did some artwork for R&H. I would enjoy seeing a picture of the advertisiment poster to see if I have seen it before (I collect R&H beer stuff). I can provide my email address… Thanks Mike
September 28, 2012 at 4:59 pm |
Coming from Bayonne starting in the late ’40s the beer taste was rather musty and strange. We called it Rotten and Horrible. I remember the Log Cabin and Lily Lamont
December 5, 2012 at 7:48 pm |
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bartsol/8248210116/
December 26, 2012 at 3:09 pm |
My grandfather was a supervising brewer at the R&H brewery. I visited the brewery often as a kid. Grandpa would put a pair of giant rubber boots on me and let me tag along as he would check on the fermentation of the brew in huge vats. The employees had a small bar in the heart of the plant and I was seated on the bar and was always given a small glass of beer to drink with the guys. My favorite place of the brewery was the bottling area where empty bottles rattled along a conveyor, were filled, capped and dropped in cases- really noisy. At the rear of the brewery was their electrical generating facility. This building was immaculate; you could eat from the floor! I recall the racket of the shiny red generators producing electricity for the plant. The executives of the brewery had a beautiful private bar painted with typical German hunting murals and there was also lots of hand carved woodwork. I hope the backbar and handcarved swinging door to the men’s room were saved during demolition. My grandfather drank one bottle of R&H weekly at Sunday dinner. I remember that it had a skunky odor and was a strong beer. It was called Rotten and Horrible by lots of people, but was still drunk with gusto.
My folks and grandparents lived on the side of the hill above Stapleton just below August Horrmann’s beautiful castle. I guess I’m one of the few people around who can say that I was actually in the castle for a Christmas open house in the forties.
There’s a bar in Tottenville with loads of R&H memorabalia. I gave them some trays and coasters years ago.
The pungent smell in Stapleton was a normal product of fermentation – I liked it! If you ever brew your own beer, this yeasty smell will fill your basement.
The R&H brewery provided work for many men in Stapleton beacause it was in operation round the clock. Even bigger than R&H was the Bechtel brewery, whose last remainining brick building had an inscription at the top and was on Broad Street at Van Duzer. I now live in S.C. so I’m not sure if it’s still there. I was a class of ’54 graduate of Immaculate and have millions of memories of pre-projects Stapleton.
January 2, 2013 at 6:01 am |
My Grandfather was the Brewmaster at Piels in Stapleton until 1971. I wish I had a good photo of that building. If anyone has one please post a link.
January 9, 2013 at 5:20 am |
I remember going to a park with swings, it might have been a school yard and seeing the old brewery that was abandoned at the time (1967). I lived in the projects at 212 Broad street and often walked past the vacant building while walking with my mother to the stores in Stapleton. My last memory of the building was running past it in 1986 when I was running the Stapleton Steeple chase and came in second place. I was amazed that the building was still standing. I left Staten Island in 1981 when I joined the USMC and live in SD CA. My mother gave me a Coster with the brewery logo a few years ago and it is displayed in my bar inside my home along with other vintage beer signs.
February 3, 2013 at 10:20 pm |
My grandfather was supervisor of the shipping end of the business. I remember my parents saying they had their wedding reception in a hall at the brewery that the owners allowed employees family to utilize for such events. They were married in 1943 just before my dad shipped out with the navy during WWII. My mom lived on Hudson Street, my Dad lived on Hylan when they met. Moved to Levittown on Long Island in 1947. I still have a boatload of relatives living on Staten Island. Sounded like simpler times and workjers that were appreciated, how times have changed.
February 19, 2013 at 3:09 pm |
I found an R & H glass bottle. I was wondering how old it is