Georgetown, Seattle
The Beer-Making Machine
Amber Johnson
12/3/2012
Envir 221
Courtesy of History of Rainier Brewery
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Johnson, 2012
In the heart of the industrial neighborhood of Georgetown, Seattle, sits the dilapidated
brick building that once was the great Rainier Brewery. As a
former resident and self-proclaimed beer connoisseur, I have
frequented the saloons located across the street from the old
Rainier Brewery and would often wonder about the role of
the brewery on this historic neighborhood. Present day
Georgetown is often regarded as containing the artsy,
industrial folk with great restaurants and loud music.
However, one industry stands out among the rest by having
exceptionally great beer, Georgetown Brewery. In the late
Figure 1: Courtesy of Peter
Blecha
nineteenth, early twentieth century it was the main alcoholic
beverage for the incorporated town of Georgetown as well as the nation.1 Rainier Brewery
wasn’t simply created on a whim; it was the combination of factors that led to the company’s
construction and overall success. An influx of a few key German immigrants with capitalist
intentions and the brewing tradition in their blood, along with the fertile soil creating a hop
grower’s paradise, and the easy access to waterways and railroads are what ultimately allowed
for the brewing business in Georgetown to boom during the late 1800’s.
When white European-American settlers moved west of the Mississippi in the 1840’s,
hopes of both the agrarian and capitalist vision were high.2 Ultimately, when John Holgate
arrived in 1850 along the banks of the Duwamish River, tall trees, wet meadows and diverse
1
2
Robinson, June. The Georgetown Story: That Was a Town, 1904-1910. Georgetown Designs. 2000.
Nash, Linda. Industrialization and Westward Expansion. Lecture. 10.11.12.
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plant life stood before him, giving him and future settlers a way to both farm and profit from the
land.3 However, Holgate did not stay long in the Duwamish River Valley and a man by the name
of Luther Collins took over Holgate’s claim while also staking out other claims along the
riverside.4 Joined by other settlers and European immigrants, the valley was renamed
Georgetown and was cleared of timber, and river banks were diked, thus transforming the
estuary into profitable farmlands. Because the valley had periodic flooding, the soil had frequent
inputs of nutrients thus creating fertile soil. This lent to the great success of early farmers who
would regularly sell their crops to urban Seattleites.5 Hops, the main crop used for making beer,
grew particularly well in this area due to the fertile soil and European-like climate, allowing for
the eventual creation and success of the brewing businesses.
While the soil was productive enough for hop farms, the growth of the brewing
companies in Seattle and Georgetown couldn’t have succeeded without the ability to transport
the beer locally and nationally. Farmers had used the Duwamish River, along with many
interconnected waterways, as a way to transport their crops as far as Kent, WA6. However, it was
the introduction of the railroad that jumpstarted the capability of transcontinental exporting.
During the nineteenth century the creation of the transcontinental railroad was a direct product of
the national groupthink.7 Many people had been thinking about settling the west for either
capitalist or agrarian visions; and the development of the railroad provided the ability for
transportation of people as well as products across previously unattainable areas.8 On a sunny
May Day in 1874, cannons fired and bells rang as nearly three hundred men started work on the
3
Robinson, June. The Georgetown Story: That Was a Town, 1904-1910. Georgetown Designs. 2000.
Ibid
5
City of Seattle. Georgetown, Part 1 of 2: Public Art and Culture Walking Map. Undated.
6
Robinson, June. The Georgetown Story: That Was a Town, 1904-1910. Georgetown Designs. 2000.
7
Nash, Linda. Industrialization and Westward Expansion. Lecture. 10.11.12.
8
Ibid
4
2
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Seattle and Walla Walla transcontinental railroad that would provide increased exportation of
goods for the Puget Sound area.9 The men slashed and burned local plants, leveled the ground
and laid the tracks, and in 1879 the project was
finished and renamed the Columbia and Puget Sound
Railroad. By 1900, the lines ran through Georgetown
which provided the opportunity for the support of a
growing community as well as the creation of new
businesses, such as breweries.
Looking at images from 20th century
Figure 2: Courtesy of UW
Special Collections
Georgetown, it’s easy to see how people would
transport goods. Taken in 1908 by an unknown
photographer, figure 2 shows the Columbia and Puget
Sound Railroad passing through what is present day
the South Seattle Industrial District on South Holgate
Street and 4th and 6th avenue, about one mile from
Georgetown. The landscape in the photo shows the
railroad crossing the Duwamish River, highlighting the
multiple ways in which one could transfer and export goods. Figure 3
Figure 3: Courtesy of UW
Special Collections
was also taken in 1908 by photographer, Curtis Asahel, and depicts the railroad line that crossed
directly in front of the Rainier Brewery Factory. This line supported the transfer of beer beyond
regional saloons and allowed for national exportation. Jules Mae Saloon, visible across the street
from the Rainier Brewery in the photograph, was established in 1888 and still remains as a local
9
Robinson, June. The Georgetown Story: That Was a Town, 1904-1910. Georgetown Designs. 2000.
3
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watering hole for Georgetown. The legacy of the local beer industry dominates the buildings,
layout and landscape of the neighborhood to this day.
Ultimately, the Duwamish River Valley was a lush and fertile landscape in which farmers
cleared the land and were able to successfully grow hops along the river. This factor, in
combination with the introduction of the transcontinental Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad in
1879, is what fueled the desire and enabled the creation of three large brewing companies that
would eventually become known as the Rainer Brewing Company. Yet, the landscape is not the
only contributing factor in this story, Georgetown became the beer-making machine it is today
with the help from a few German immigrants who knew how to brew and sell beer.
While they didn’t directly own and operate a brewing company, Julius and Anne Horton
played a pivotal role in the distribution of hops to German settlers in the late 19th century. In
1834, baby Julius was born in Chemung County, New York. However, Julius and his family
didn’t remain their long and soon relocated to Illinois, where he and his brother Dexter would
finish up their educational training.10 Interested in agricultural pursuits, and with his seven years
of experience in the mercantile business, he made the long journey from Illinois to Seattle in
1869 where him and his new wife, Anne would meet up with his brother Dexter Horton11.
Although they were brothers, Julius and Dexter Horton shared capitalist ambitions, but
had different personalities and opposite views on alcohol consumption and distribution. Julius
was interested in the brewing business as well as land development, thus when he and his wife
bought 160 acres of the previous, Luther Collin’s Claim in what is now present day
Georgetown, they decided to clear the land of timber and replace it with a hop growing farm.12 In
10
A Volume of Memoirs of the citizens of Seattle and King County: Biography of Julius Horton. Pp. 725-728. UW
Special Collections. Retrieved 11/16/12
11
Ibid
12
Friends of Georgetown. Georgetown 101. 2012.
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the midst of hop growing, Julius and his wife realized that the recent development of the
transcontinental Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad created an organized system for land
distribution and transfer.13 The movement westward was already underway in the nineteenth
century and with the new railroads in Seattle, settlers would be searching for new land and new
ways to make money.14 Using money and property, Julius platted parcels along the navigable
river and railroads to prepare for the movement; which he consequently named Georgetown after
his son, Dr. George Horton in June, 1890.15 Julius’s speculations of movement to the Pacific
Northwest were correct in that the fertile soil and railroads were two important factors that fueled
the desire and ability for brewers to make the journey and ultimately succeed in creating a
profitable brewing business, which would later become Rainier Brewery.
Among the businessmen who traveled westward in pursuit of profiting from brewing ale
was Edward Sweeney. A native Californian and of German heritage, Sweeny brought his
brewing knowledge to the Seattle area in 1882 where he and his partner William J. Rule began
manufacturing steam beer in the Georgetown neighborhood.16 In 1883, Sweeney and Rule built a
small brewery in the heart of Georgetown, where they along with two other German immigrants
would combine assets and eventually build and operate what is now known as Rainier Brewery.
One of the German Immigrants that partnered with Edward Sweeney and was vital to the
creation of Rainier Brewery was Hans J. Claussen. Born in 1861 and schooled until the age of
ten in Holstein, Germany, Claussen accompanied his parents to the United States where they
made their way to San Francisco on the newly built transcontinental railroad in order to create a
13
Nash, Linda. Industrialization and Westward Expansion. Lecture. 10.11.12.
14
Nash, Linda. Industrialization and Westward Expansion. Lecture. 10.11.12.
A Volume of Memoirs of the citizens of Seattle and King County: Biography of Julius Horton. Pp. 725-728. UW
Special Collections. Retrieved 11/16/12
16
Flynn, Gary. Biography of Edward F. Sweeney (1860-1926). 2004.
15
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new life for themselves.17 18 Interested in the brewing industry Claussen became a bookkeeper
for the “Fredericksburg Brewing Company” in 1884 located in San Jose, California.19 This
company would plant the seed of desire for continuing with the brewing business. Once Claussen
acquired adequate knowledge of the brewing industry’s inner workings, he ventured via rail and
ship to the Seattle area in 1888, where he would join forces with Edward Sweeney. While
Claussen and Sweeney had a profitable brewing business, Claussen would soon tire from being
held down by the partnership with Sweeney and in May of 1901, he sold his stock and moved on
to create his own brewing business in the Interbay neighborhood of Seattle20. Although the
partnership with Sweeney did not survive, he was integral in the continuation of what would
become Rainier Brewery. He brought new steam brewing technology to the brewery which
increased their yield.21 This factor in combination with the ease of access to railroads and
waterways helped provide a strong base for the future success of Rainier Brewery.22 However,
Rainier Brewery wasn’t created by these two men alone, another German powerhouse with
money and political power had been building his own brewing company, and was interested in
expanding.
Enter Andrew Hemrich, a German native with brewing knowledge in his blood as well as
a savvy business man.23 During the nineteenth century, a wave of German brewers immigrated
to the United States; among them was Hemrich, who first settled in Montana, where he used his
17
A Volume of Memoirs of the citizens of Seattle and King County: Biography of Hans J. Claussen. Pp. 359-361. UW
Special Collections. Retrieved 11/16/12.
18
Digital Network Express. Rails West. Burbank California. 2012.
19
A Volume of Memoirs of the citizens of Seattle and King County: Biography of Hans J. Claussen. Pp. 359-361. UW
Special Collections. Retrieved 11/16/12.
20
A Volume of Memoirs of the citizens of Seattle and King County: Biography of Hans J. Claussen. Pp. 359-361. UW
Special Collections. Retrieved 11/16/12.
21
Ibid
22
Ibid
23
A Volume of Memoirs of the citizens of Seattle and King County: Biography of Andrew Hemrich. Pp. 421-423. UW
Special Collections. Retrieved 11/16/12.
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family’s brewing tradition to establish a brewery.24 After selling his business, he accepted a
position as manager superintendent of the Bozeman Brewing Company, in which he would take
his experience and knowledge to the Seattle area in 1883 in hopes of founding and perfecting a
new brewing business with his friend John Kopp.25
Once settled in Seattle, Andrew Hemrich and his friend John Kopp applied their expertise
in the brewing industry to creating the Bay View Brewing Company, under the firm name Kopp
and Hemrich.26 They conducted business for two years in South Seattle until Hemrich’s father,
John Hemrich, and his brother in-law, Frederick Kirschner, joined the company in which they
continued to conduct business as it were before until 1893.27 The company made sure there was
no shortage of choices for Seattleites. They marketed three main beers: the Bayview, the
Bohemian, and their best seller, Rainier lager.28 Eager to accelerate profit growth, the Bay View
Brewing Company expanded their brewery by combining with Edward Sweeney’s
establishment, forming the “Seattle Malting and Brewing Company” in 1893. After naming
Edward Sweeney secretary of the new conglomerate, Hemrich needed more space to meet
demand, thus a new brick building, which would be named the Rainier Brewery, was built in the
heart of Georgetown.29 Andrew Hemrich was the last of the three German immigrants to finally
construct what is known today as the Rainier Brewery. He took advantage of the newly
developed railroad system, interconnected waterways as well as the local hop growing farmers in
order to brew and transport his beer across the nation. The brewery also benefitted from beer
demand from the new arrival of settlers.
24
Ibid
Ibid
26
Ibid
27
Ibid
28
Funding Universe. Rainier Brewery Company History. Website. Retrieved 11/19/12.
29
A Volume of Memoirs of the citizens of Seattle and King County: Biography of Andrew Hemrich. Pp. 421-423. UW
Special Collections. Retrieved 11/16/12.
25
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Georgetown was uniquely situated as an outlying community, well connected to Seattle
but under its own governance until 1910.30 This allowed for many advantages to the brewing
industry unavailable elsewhere in the greater Seattle area. The brewery’s growth was fed by the
emergence of the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad which gave Seattle the title as a major city
during the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s.31 During this time, the population grew from 43,000
to 81,000 in just ten years; among the newcomers were opportunistic businessman, such as
Andrew Hemrich, and their unique skills.32 Georgetown as an independent community was
unrestrained by restrictive Seattle laws regarding alcohol production and consumption.33
Georgetown’s breweries and saloons were popular destinations for both Seattleites and
newcomers looking for adventures not found within city limits. This unique arrangement helped
fuel the growth of Georgetown while also providing expanding markets for distribution of the
all-important Rainier Beer.
The Rainier Brewery building had modern technology, employed three-hundred workers
in Georgetown and had forty- eight hour work weeks as opposed to sixty hours required by most
other industries at the time.34 It also had the capacity to brew three-hundred thousand barrels a
year and was the largest brewery west of the Mississippi.35 With the demand high and happy
employees, the Rainier Brewery was integral to the community. Yet with prohibition enacted in
1916, Hemrich and his family would be run out of business and the once great Rainier Brewery
would become a feed mill until the sales of beer and liquor were legalized.36 Throughout the 20th
century the brewery continued to play a vital role in the region, even giving name to the present
30
Robinson, June. The Georgetown Story: That Was a Town, 1904-1910. Georgetown Designs. 2000.
National Park Service. Gold Fever! Seattle Outfits the Klondike Gold Rush. Retrieved 11/19/12.
32
Boston University. Population History of Seattle 1890-1990. Retrieved 11/18/12.
33
Robinson, June. The Georgetown Story: That Was a Town, 1904-1910. Georgetown Designs. 2000.
34
Robinson, June. The Georgetown Story: That Was a Town, 1904-1910. Georgetown Designs. 2000.
35
Ibid.
36
Funding Universe. Rainier Brewery Company History. Website. Retrieved 11/19/12.
31
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day local minor league baseball team. The brewery was sold to a conglomerate in the mid 1990s
and finally closed its doors. The building itself is presently a combination of office spaces and is
also rented out for parties.37 Despite being sold, the Rainier brand continues to be served today.
The Seattle Malting and Brewing Company and their premier Rainier Beer, owe its
existence to not only the German immigrants who worked hard to build a successful brand in the
nineteenth and twentieth century, but also to the settlers who cleared and farmed the landscape.
With fertile soils capable of growing hops, and the construction of the Columbia and Puget
Sound Railroad, the first settlers in the Georgetown area were able to create a pathway for
experienced brewers to harness the hops and sell it as beer. Today a myriad of popular beer
companies thrive in the immediate vicinity of the Rainier building, including Georgetown
Brewing, Emerald City Brewery, Elysian Brewery. Local residents take great pride in their
traditions of beer making and business success, and in turn these breweries continue to play a
significant role in the community. These companies leverage the same natural advantages that
led to the creation of Rainier and have become suppliers throughout the region and beyond.
Trains continue to run through the neighborhood, making stops at local business and whisking
away exports on the same rail lines used over a century ago. The history of the Rainier Brewery
has had a substantial impact on the neighborhood, the community and its future as a beer-making
machine.
37
Ibid
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Bibliography:
Boston University. Population History of Seattle 1890-1990. Retrieved 11/18/12.
http://physics.bu.edu/~redner/projects/population/cities/seattle.html
City of Seattle. Georgetown, Part 1 of 2: Public Art and Culture Walking Map. Retrieved
11/18/12. http://www.seattle.gov/arts/_downloads/walking_tours/gtownnorth.pdf
Digital Network Express. Rails West. Burbank California. 2012. Retrieved 12/2/12.
http://www.railswest.com/californiabeginnings.html
Flynn, Gary. Biography of Edward F. Sweeney (1860-1926). 2004. Retrieved 11/19/12.
http://www.brewerygems.com/sweeney.htm
Funding Universe. Rainier Brewery Company History. Retrieved 11/19/12.
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/rainier-brewing-company-history/
Nash, Linda. Industrialization and Westward Expansion. Lecture. 10.11.12.
National Park Service. Gold Fever! Seattle Outfits the Klondike Gold Rush. Retrieved 11/19/12.
http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/55klondike/55klondike.htm.
Robinson, June. The Georgetown Story: That Was a Town, 1904-1910. Georgetown Designs.
2000.
A Volume of Memoirs of the citizens of Seattle and King County: Biography of Andrew Hemrich.
Pp. 421-423. UW Special Collections. Retrieved 11/16/12.
A Volume of Memoirs of the citizens of Seattle and King County: Biography of Hans J. Claussen.
Pp. 359-361. UW Special Collections. Retrieved 11/16/12.
A Volume of Memoirs of the citizens of Seattle and King County: Biography of Julius Horton. Pp.
725-728. UW Special Collections. Retrieved 11/16/12
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Figures:
Cover Page: Flynn, Gary. History of Rainier Brewery, Part 2.
http://www.brewerygems.com/rainier-2.htm
Figure 1: Blecha, Peter. Rainier Beer. Seattle’s Iconic Brewery. Essay 9130. August 26th, 2009.
Figure 2: Unknown author. Jackson st renegade between South Holgate Street between 4th and
6th Avenue South. June 10th 1908 . UW Special Collections. Gathered November 2012.
Figure 3: Asahel, Curtis. Seattle Brewing and Malting CO (Rainier Brewery). 1908. UW Special
Collections. Gathered November 2012.
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