Red, black and white text on a blue background, with an end of a barrel and an owl.

In 1821, John Cooper and Thomas Gould established a brewery in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. When William Van Nostrand acquired interest in 1860, he gradually expanded production and distribution.  In the 1890’s, his son, Alonzo G. Van Nostrand Alonzo became the sole proprietor of the brewery which was now known as the Bunker Hill Brewery.  It operated until Prohibition.  The brewery manufactured; Boston Club Lager, Bunker Hill Lager, Old Musty Ale, Owl Musty, Van Nostrand's Porter and P.B. Ale.

See more photos of pre- and post-prohibition beer buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

Black and red text on a brown wood background with a green leaf wreath with a gold and red label in center.

In 1821, John Cooper and Thomas Gould established a brewery in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. When William Van Nostrand acquired interest in 1860, he gradually expanded production and distribution.  His son, Alonzo G. Van Nostrand, originated the “P.B. Ale” (Purest and Best) brand.  In the 1890’s, Alonzo became the sole proprietor of the brewery which was now known as the Bunker Hill Brewery.  It operated until Prohibition.  In addition to P.B. Ale, the brewery also manufactured; Boston Club Lager, Bunker Hill Lager, Old Musty Ale, Owl Musty and Van Nostrand's Porter.

See more photos of pre- and post-prohibition beer buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

Dark blue text on a light blue background with two palm trees and a white moon. Moon's reflection shimmering on the water with a black emblem.

The button was to advertise Lowenbrau beer for spring break in 1982.

The name means "lion's brew." Lowenbrau was founded in Munich, Bavaria and has a long history. First official documents originated in the 1700s and has been in operation since. Lowenbrau has participated in Oktoberfest since 1810 since the festival only allow beers produced in Bavaria to be sold.

Purple text on a yellow background

"I sold My Soul For Rock & Roll" was the Slogan of Rock and Roll beer. The slogan proved to be so controversial that the beer was banned in Texas by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The aforementioned commission said the slogan on the can was quote "false, indecent,and immoral". The beer was launched in 1982 and owned by Joe Edwards.

In the shape of a beer can, with a Schlitz label. White text on a red rectangle and red text on a white background.

Schlitz dates back to 1849, when German immigrant, August Krug, began brewing beer in his Milwaukee restaurant’s basement. In 1850, twenty-year-old Joseph Schlitz immigrated to Milwaukee from Germany and was hired by Krug to handle his restaurant and brewery’s bookkeeping. After Krug passed away in 1856, Joseph Schlitz took over the brewery, renaming it the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. “The Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous” was introduced as an official slogan in 1893 at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Illustration of a Native American wearing a  headdress on a yellow background, with white text on a green inner ring and red text on a yellow outer ring.

Jacob Schmidt started his brewing career in Minnesota as the Brewmaster for the Theodore Hamm's Brewing Co. He left this position to become owner of the North Star Brewing Co. Under Schmidt's new leadership the small brewery would see much success and in 1899 Schimdt transferred partial ownership of his new brewery to a new corporation headed by his son in law Adolph Bremer, and Adolph's brother Otto. This corporation would later become Bremer Bank. With the new partnership the Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company was established. In 1900 the North Star Brewery would suffer a fire that would close it for good. With the new management team in place a new brewery was needed, the new firm purchased the Stahlmann Brewery form the St. Paul Brewing Co. and immediately started construction on a new Romanesque brewery incorporating parts of Stahlmann's original brewery along with it including the further excavation of the lagering cellars used in the fermentation process to create Schmidt's Lager Beer.

Illustration of an angel with a red dress and a cherub, with black text on blue banners, on a beige background.

The F.A. Poth Brewing Company, later renamed F.A. Poth & Sons, was established in 1865 by Frederick August Poth in Philadelphia, PA. The Poth Brewing Company is most well known for the brewery itself, as the building is featured in many architecture reviews. Since the former Poth Brewery's facade has some of the architectural details seen in many earlier U.S. lager breweries, it can still serve as a partial example of such architecture, much of which now only exists in pictures.

See more photos of pre- and post-prohibition beer buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

White text on a red background with two thick black horizontal lines and two thin white vertical lines behind a black circle with a slice missing

Piece Brewery and Pizzeria is a restaurant bar in Chicago, Illinois that open in 2001. The restaurant is also popular for watching sports. They make classic New Haven style pizza and provide award-winning micro brews. Their brewer, Jonathan Cutler, has won twenty-six major awards since 2002. In 2006, Piece and Jonathan won the prestigious World Beer Cup Champion Small Brewpub and Brewmaster Award.

Black text on yellow background, with a black rectangle across the button with white text, and a black arrow with white text pointing to a black and white bullseye.

The Peoples Brewing Company was founded in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1911 when Oshkosh residents, led by Joseph J. Nigl, came together to form a new business to compete with other breweries. The Peoples Brewing Company made history when it became the first brewery in the country to be owned by an African American, an event that ruffled a few feathers in Oshkosh. In 1970, the brewery was bought by Theodore Mack, a Black Milwaukeean who would make history. It had been Mack’s ambition to keep the brewery operating in Oshkosh, but to also tap into the markets in Milwaukee and Gary, Indiana. He had also hoped to score a contract with the U.S. Military to supply beer to bases. Mack received a fair amount of resistance from the residents in the Oshkosh area. The media penned him as the “Milwaukee Negro” who came to fire whites and  hire only black workers. Although Mack faced opposition, there were those who appreciated his efforts to keep the brewery running.

Grey background with yellow text with red outlining with a dog and a red banner

In 1821, John Cooper and Thomas Gould established a brewery in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. When William Van Nostrand acquired interest in 1860, he gradually expanded production and distribution.  His son, Alonzo G. Van Nostrand, originated the “P.B. Ale” (Purest and Best) brand.  In the 1890’s, Alonzo became the sole proprietor of the brewery which was now known as the Bunker Hill Brewery.  It operated until Prohibition.  In addition to P.B. Ale, the brewery also manufactured; Boston Club Lager, Bunker Hill Lager, Old Musty Ale, Owl Musty and Van Nostrand's Porter.

See more photos of pre- and post-prohibition beer buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.