By Marjory J. Sente
In 1904 Prescott’s beer lovers got their first taste of the Arizona Brewing Company’s (ABC’s) new brew, and it was free. A notice in the May 4, 1904, Weekly Journal-Miner stated, “During carnival week, the Arizona Brewing Company will be pleased to have everybody call at the brewery and sample their first brew of beer, free of charge, which is now ready for market except the putting into kegs.” May 10, 1904, marked the first day beer was sold.
Prescott businessmen William J. Mulvenon and Henry Brinkmeyer along with Rupert Maxgut, formerly with the Idaho Brewing and Malting Company, signed articles of incorporation for the ABC on October 12, 1903. The following winter, a modern brewery, complete with electricity, was built with a production capacity of fifty barrels per day.
People living in Prescott could get a dozen bottles, as well as a cask or keg, delivered to their home. Sometimes, however, the beer wasn’t delivered quickly enough. Hillside Saloon owner John D. Ranken sent a postal card on Thursday, December 20, 1906, to ABC asking how long he needed to wait for his beer order. “I sent you a letter on Wednesday morning by mail ordering 5 cases of beer [to be sent]by Thursday’s freight and they have not come. Now I think 24 hours ought to be enough to order ahead or not. Let me know and I will order a week or a month ahead.”
The ABC quickly received national attention and praise. The June 1906 United States Health Bulletin, published in New York, noted Arizona Brewing’s product had a high degree of purity, and recommended the beer to its readers.
Malt, a key ingredient in beer, was shipped to Prescott from the Midwest. The ABC filed complaints from 1909 through 1911 with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) against the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway and connecting rail companies for excessive freight charges. The rail companies were charging $1.43 and then $1.00 to move 100 pounds of malt from Chicago or Milwaukee to Prescott, while the cost to breweries in Los Angeles was .65 per 100 pounds. Arizona Brewing felt .55 per 100 pounds would be fair. In 1915 the ICC rendered a decision in favor of the ABC.
However, the ABC was facing a greater issue. Arizona’s temperance movement gained momentum during the years the company flourished. In the November 1914 general election, the state’s electorate voted for prohibition beginning January 1, 1915, making Arizona a dry state. Within weeks of the election, the brewery ceased making beer because it had an adequate supply for the remainder of the year. The December 30, 1914 Weekly Journal Miner reported the company would lose $9000 to $10,000 in beer ready for the market. The physical plant, valued at $100,000, was shuttered, and most ABC employees let go.
The onset of Prohibition cost Yavapai County $4,502.96 (almost $142,000 in today’s dollars) in refunds to 45 businesses for unexpired liquor licenses.
In the interim, ABC’s President Mulvenon, suffering from kidney disease, died on May 22, 1915. Trying to revive the company, Brinkmeyer planned to reopen it in August 1915 to make soft drinks and other light beverages.
The facility reopened in 1918 as an ice making and soft drink establishment. The next year, the Crystal Ice Company bought it. In 1920 Crystal sold the plant to the Arizona Packing Company. Through no fault of its own ABC was killed by prohibition.
Sharlot Hall Museum hosts “Sharlot’s Cellar” May 17 from 4:00-7:00 pm. Try beers, wines and mead with unique food and music. Order tickets at the museum website via the Events Calendar: sharlothallmuseum.org/event/sharlotscellar/
“Days Past” is a collaborative project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Prescott Corral of Westerners International (www.prescottcorral.org). This and other Days Past articles are also available at www.archives.sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles/1. The public is encouraged to submit proposed articles and inquiries to dayspast@sharlothallmuseum.org
Please contact SHM Research Center reference desk at 928-277-2003, or via email at archivesrequest@sharlothallmuseum.org for information or assistance with photo requests.