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Beer Here: 1937

Sept. 1937. "Barber shop and pool hall. Berwyn, Maryland." Between rounds, you can get a haircut. Medium-format negative by John Vachon. View full size.

Sept. 1937. "Barber shop and pool hall. Berwyn, Maryland." Between rounds, you can get a haircut. Medium-format negative by John Vachon. View full size.

 

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Growing up a Gunther

Growing up in Baltimore with the last name of Gunther could be hazardous. I was always subject to any juvenile humor that would turn around a jingle to my disadvantage.

The ad in the comment below was before my time thankfully but I still remember being playfully taunted by my friends whenever a new campaign would roll out. My bearing the brunt of the jibes was finally paid off when in 1954 the Baltimore Orioles came to the American League and Gunther became their TV sponsors and out in left field was a big scoreboard with my last name along the bottom.

Short walk to trolley

The trolley ran on what is now the College Park Trolley Trail that is approximately 50 yards away. The correct current address is 5002 and 5004. 5000 is corner building not pictured in Vachon image.

The beers may be gone, but

The building lives on at 5000, 5002 and 5004 Berwyn Road, Berwyn Heights. Berwyn Road is of of US Route 1 just north of the University of Maryland.

Old Hopfheiser (Hop-Hi-Zer)

Hopfheiser Beer was contract brewed for a distributor in the Washington, DC area by the Globe Brewing Co.

Trolley Tripper?

With one or two transfers John Vachon could have easily traveled from his Rosslyn, VA photo locations to this one. Most of Berwyn's business district was within a block or so of the trolley line. In fact, I have a dim memory of my dad and I visiting a barber shop there in the 50's that sat right next to the track.

Clever slogan

Free State was located on Baltimore's Hillen Street, I believe; the site is now occupied by a Baltimore fire house. Their slogan was one of the neatest going: "Your Thirst Choice". Unfortunately for them, their beer WASN'T Baltimore's first choice [or second or fourth...].

Shaefer took over Gunther's and dropped the name, dropped the recipe and thought Baltimoreans would flock to Shaefer. It didn't happen.

Globe Brewing had a lineage dating back to the late 18th Century.

Handled Correctly

You could stay there forever. No need to go home.

I only need a shave.

Make mine a shorty and a shot.

I Wondered What The Good Head Was On

Now we know.

All gone today

Arrow Beer was a brand of Baltimore's Globe Brewing and lasted until 1963. Gunther Beer merged with Schaefer around the same time, with the Baltimore facility lasting about another decade. Free State closed in 1952; there is now a popular Kansas microbrewery of the same name but I don't believe they are related.

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