Since this link is the first to come up when you google "120 Year Old Pabst" I thought I would set the record straight and post how I obtained this beer.
Milwaukees Famous Brew In Texas?!!!
How a beer from a transformational time in Milwaukees rich brewing history ended up in 2009 Texas is a good question; one that began for me after removing a newspaper clip from around an old bottle. The clipping, an article written for the Whitewater Register in 1927, Said One man in Whitewater has a bottle of the beer that made Milwaukee famous, and went on to talk about how the bottle was obtained 40 years previous and who presently
had it.
Melvin Melone Webb was a musician during the Civil War era. He was also my great great grandfather. The story
has it that he became obsessed with obtaining and learning a violin as a child, and convinced his father, Whitewater, Wisconsins original blacksmith, to trade a young horse for his first instrument. He became known as having extraordinary musical ability, and came to make his way through life as a musician before, during, and after the
war.
As a Veteran, he was actively involved with the Grand Army of the Republic, and attended an annual encampment outside Milwaukee in 1889 (held in Milwaukee 1886-1890). At the time, the G.A.R. was one of the most influential political organizations in the United States. An 1889 article in the Weekly Wisconsin describes how a joyous crowd (accompanied by the band) in attendance at the annual gathering, found themselves singing
and cheering outside the Milwaukee home of Captain Pabst. Its a good bet that much of the good cheer was due
in part to the bottles of Pabst Bohemian supplied to them by the good Captain. That night, or one like it, must have left quite an impression on Melvin. He would save that souvenir bottle of brew for the rest of his life.
After Melvin died, the beers custodian became his son Thomas Webb, an accomplished musician in his own right, and quite a character. Before forming a band with his brother Archibald (The Beloit Band out of Waterloo, Iowa), Thomas literally ran away with the circus and spent years on the road. After a long musical career he would return home to Whitewater to retire and live out the rest of his life with his brother, in buildings erected by their
grandfather.
These three men, Melvin, Thomas, and Archibald, had a profound influence on my grandmother Marcia, as her
own father was not present for reasons that are still unclear. As a child, she and her mother Mary (Thomass and Archibalds sister) ended up in Whitewater seeking shelter, and found safety with the brothers. Marcias love for these men was enormous.
After Thomass death, Marcia became the third custodian of the bottle. She had become a fashion artist, living in various parts of the country, before following my grandfathers career and moving to Texas. He was a radio station manager and was hired by Lady Bird Johnson to manage a local radio station (KLBJ) in Austin. I remember
spending occasional nights with her, and more often than not, she would bring out the bottle of beer and reminisce.
I wish I had listened to her stories more. As an adult Ive had to piece together a lot of my family history with clues (letters and news-clippings) that she left behind. She died in 1991.
For many years, the bottle was completely forgotten. After my grandmothers death, many of the old family pictures were put into a box (along with the bottle) and put in storage underneath the stairs. It was not until this last
Christmas (2008) when I needed room to hide presents for my own children that I ran across the box, and
started to piece together what a historical find it was: a one of a kind artifact linking the history of brewing in the United States with the Civil War.
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Pics:
Flickr: antiquebeer's Photostream
