The John S. Dobler Brewing Company
The John S. Dobler Brewing Company was located in Albany, NY on Myrtle Avenue around the corner from the Park Ave./South Swan St. intersection. It opened in 1865 and was in business until purchased in April 1959 by Hampden-Harvard Breweries of Williamansett, Mass., which then shut down shortly thereafter. At the time of the sale Dobler had 125 employees.The brewery was knocked down in 1960. A building that was once the carriage house for 18 horses the brewery used to deliver their beers still stands. At one point Dobler produced more than 25,000 barrels of lager beer a year. There is plenty of Dobler breweriana available on eBay.
My interest in Dobler beer comes from my family genealogy work. My paternal grandfather worked at the brewery in the early 1900's before he joined the Army to chase Pancho Villa across Mexico. He was seriously injured on the job in Nov. 1905 when he fell down the elevator's well. My father remembers that his father maintained an affinity for Dobler beer long after he worked there, as it was the only beer that he ever drank. Matthias Dreimiller, my grandfather's 2nd cousin, also worked at the brewery.
Here's a photo of some of the workers, taken in August 1908. My grandfather is in the back row, farthest to the right.
