Solano-San Francisco-Los Angeles County CA Archives Biographies.....Dininger, F. 1842 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 31, 2007, 8:25 pm

Author: Lewis Publishing Co. (1891)

F. DININGER, proprietor of the Philadelphia Brewery in South Vallejo, has been a
resident of California for the past thirty-four years, and of Vallejo twenty-one
years. His brewery was established in 1870, and has been conducted by him since
that time. It has a capacity of thirty-six barrels at a brewing, and one, or if
necessary even two brewings, can be made in a day. The building covers a space
of 60 x 80 feet, part of it being of three stories and basement and the
remainder two stories. A malt cellar and kiln are attached to the brewery, in
which the malt is prepared from the barley, so that the operations of brewing
are carried on in this establishment. The beer is manufactured by the steam
process. The cellars are devoted to the storage of beer, the clarifying vats,
fermenting tubs and preparation of malt. On the first floor are the boiler and
engine, the brew kettles, a house for washing barrels, etc. On the second floor
are the malt kiln, the cleaning machine, the malt-grinding machine, and mash
machine and tank, the barley-soaking tank and a space for storing malt; and on
the third floor are the cooling vats and apparatus and condensing tanks. The
market for the product of this brewery is in Vallejo, Solano, Sonoma, Napa and
Contra Costa counties.

  Mr. Dininger was born in the city of Erlangen, Bavaria, where he learned the
art of brewing. It is from that city and the neighboring city of Kulmbach that
the heavy beers known in this country as the Kulmbacher are imported. After the
completion of his school career Mr. Dininger served an apprenticeship as brewer
in Heliger's establishment in Erlangen, and he there learned to make that
celebrated beer. Next he worked a year and a half in Berlin, in the Kunphmeyer
Brewery. He came to California in 1856, direct from Germany, by the Panama
route, and after three months spent in San Francisco breweries he went to Los
Angeles, where he contracted to make beer for Mr. Mason at the Columbus Brewery,
at a certain price per brew, and remained there about a year. Understanding by
this time the ways and opportunities of the country, he decided to start a
brewery for himself, and went to Long's Bar in Yuba County, a large mining camp
at that time started a brewery and conducted it to the year 1864.

  In 1858 he purchased 300 acres of land, which he also managed as a ranch,
raising his own barley, besides some live-stock. The brewery was about five
miles below Smartsville, and the ranch about nine miles below. In 1864 the high
water overflowed his land and covered it with "slickins." He therefore sold out
his ranch, and had to abandon his brewery. He next started a brewing
establishment at Meadow Lake, Nevada County, near the summit of the Sierras, at
that time a lively mining camp, and he continued there until 1869, running at
the same time a hotel, which he purchased at $1,000, its building having cost
over $40,000! On account of a rare peculiarity in the nature of the gold-bearing
quartz, preventing its successful reduction, the mining there was discontinued,
the town went down and Mr. Dininger had to abandon both his brewery and hotel,
as well as a quartz mill in which he was interested.

  He came then to Vallejo, which was on a boom at that time, and established his
present brewery. For the last fifteen years he has had a good trade. He still
has great faith in the future of Vallejo, and believes that all the Southern
Pacific trains crossing the continent will yet pass near his property. He is a
member of the San Pablo Lodge, No. 43, I. O. O. F. of Vallejo; he has been City
Trustee for two terms, and is now a member of the Board of School Trustees.

  He was married in 1858, to Miss Madelina Young, a native of Baden, Germany,
and they have nine children living: the son, Jacob, has now a half interest in
the brewery; the daughters are Josephine, Louisa, Daisy, Mamie, Madelina,
Maggie, Rosie and Emma.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California.

Illustrated, Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast
from the Earliest Period of its Occupancy to the Present Time, together with
Glimpses of its Prospective Future; Full-Page Steel Portraits of its most
Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers and also of
Prominent Citizens of To-day.

"A people that takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
descendents." – Macauley.

CHICAGO
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1891.


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