A few days ago I wrote about York County's continuing love affair with the oyster. Many people will tell you that with good oysters you need good beer.
Breweries abounded over the years in York, as evidenced by the following 1857 advertisement from the Gazette. One hundred fifty years ago, brothers D. W. Barnitz and A. M. Barnitz were turning good York County barley and rye into equally good York County beer.
Click here to read more about the Barnitz family of brewers.
The Lewis Miller drawing above shows a previous generation of the Barnitz family at their brew house with a crowd of Yorkers, carrying empty pitchers, advancing on them. Miller captioned it "The Old Brew house in the year 1801. The[y] made Good Beer."
The ad reads:
"BARNITZ & BRO. (SUCCESSORS TO JACOB BARNITZ)
ALE & BEER BREWERS AND MANUFACTURERS OF RYE MALT,
Beg leave to inform the public that they have taken the Brewery and Malting houses on South Beaver street, lately conducted by their father, where they intend carrying on the Brewing and Malting Business in a manner that they hope will prove satisfactory to all who may favor them with their patronage.
Desirous of obtaining a just share of the public patronage, they promise to fill all orders with promptness and satisfaction.
N.B.--The highest price paid for Barley and Rye."
was JC Barnitz the 1843 Harrisburg Brewer related to the York Barnitz family of brewers