Dr. Eric W. Gritsch

Zion Church and Baltimore's First Brewer

Zion Church can claim the first brewer of Baltimore Town, Elias Daniel Barnitz, as a founding member our congregation. Along with his father John, they established their brewery in 1748. John was born in Falkenstein in the Palatinate of Germany on November 24, 1677, arriving in America in 1732 at the age of 55. In Germany he had been an apprentice brewer. Elias Daniel was also born in Falkenstein, on October 24, 1715. After residing in York County, Pennsylvania, John arrived in Baltimore Town in 1748 at the age of 71. He and his son found the Baltimore settlement surrounded by a stockade fence, erected in 1746. Lost to history is the purpose of the stockade, but it was said to provide protection from hostile Native Americans west of the town. A more plausible reason for the fence was to keep wandering hogs and other livestock from wandering into the town. The fence was eventually dismantled and used for kindling after several cold winters.

The Barnitz brewery was gratefully welcomed by Baltimore's early inhabitants, about 30 families in all. The brewery was viewed as both a source of liquid refreshment and impetus to attract other businesses to the nascent settlement, then just 22 years old. The original brewery was located at the southwest corner of Baltimore and Hanover Streets, today the entrance to Hopkins Plaza and cater-corner to the Lord Baltimore Hotel. This was one of the original lots of Baltimore Town, purchased from Charles Carroll, Sr. He was father of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

To place this brewery in historical context, George II was King of England and Sovereign Lord of the Province of Maryland. Samuel Ogle was Governor of Maryland, and George Washington was just a lad of sixteen. Tobacco was used as currency.

Unfortunately, the elder Barnitz died on November 19, 1749, surviving his brewery but for one year. The brewery was then passed on to Elias Daniel. Although no description of Baltimore Town's first brewery exists, it was assumed to be diminutive in size and small in output, one or two stories in construction and employing no more than three workers. Equipment was likely crude, consisting of copper cookers, fermenting tubs and racking for casks and kegs. The entire brewing process was done by manual labor. The water supply was drawn from a well.  The "ageing" period was likely a short one as there was no cooling cellar to lager the beer. Records indicate beer was produced at this location until about 1815, with the building itself lasting over 100 years, until 1853.

 And so brings us to Elias Daniel’s role in the establishment of the Zion Lutheran Church.  The first church in Baltimore Town was St. Paul's at Charles and Saratoga Streets. In 1750, the few German settlers organized the First German Reformed Congregation across the street, of which Barnitz was an early member. According to Scharf's "Chronicles of Baltimore", records indicate both Lutherans and German Reformed congregations worshipped together up to 1758, where "great friendship and harmony prevailed." According to Pastor Julius Hofmann's 1905 history of Zion Church, "A few years after the city of Baltimore was laid out, several German families betook themselves thither to live, of which Mr. Vitus Hartweg, harness-maker, was the very first." Further, pastor wrote: "With this scheme (for the establishment) of Zion Lutheran Church the aforesaid gentlemen went to Herr Lawson (Alexander Lawson, owner of the property on Saratoga Street, then called Fish Street, where the church was desired to be established), taking with them Mr. Michael Tieffenback, as elder of the church, and Mr. Hartweg, and Mr. Daniel Barnets (sic) (brewer) as representatives of the church. The contract was then made." This was in 1755, and the Fish Street Church was constructed in 1758 through the proceeds from a lottery. The Second Constitution of the church, adopted August 5, 1773, contains the signatures of Messrs. Hartweg and Barnitz along with 147 others. In 1808, the Fish Street church was abandoned for the current building on Gay Street due to the constant flooding of a nearby Jones Falls tributary

Elias Daniel Barnitz died in Baltimore on February 6, 1780, having conducted his brewery for 31 years. He was but the first of over two dozen Baltimore brewers who were Zion members, firmly establishing us as the “Brewers’ Church.”

 Selected excerpts from William J. Kelley's (out of Print) Brewing in Maryland 
(Shared by Zion's Beer Historian Mark Duerr)

   A brief Vimeo video with Ron Kasper and Mark Duerr was presented  

(About John Leonard Barnitz and Elias Daniel Barnitz and their Baltimore Brewing.) 

BEER RELATED DOCUMENTS FROM THE ARCHIVES:

The Brewers of Zion Church 1748-1920 
William J. Kelly

BEER, BREWING, and ECONOMIC HEALTH with KATHARINA VON BORA in the LUTHER HOUSEHOLD 
RICHARD T. EGTVEDT

HONORING LUTHOR -

(By creating a beer) 
RICHARD T. EGTVEDT

Maureen O'Prey Presented a Brewers Talk on Saturday September 15th, 2018 at Zion Church hosted by the Eric W. Gritsch Memorial Fund.

2018  Brewers Talk  Photos & Presentations

1.    

 Mark Duerr  is a member of Zion Church and the Church’s “unofficial” brewers historian. He has a deep interest in Baltimore brewing as a collector of local brewery memorabilia, and the history of those many past breweries located throughout the City.  

Beer in Maryland:

A History of Breweries
Since Colonial Times

This history begins with the earliest brewers in the colony—women—revealing details of the Old Line State’s brewing families and their methods. Stories never before told trace the effects of war, competition, the Industrial Revolution, Prohibition and changing political philosophies on the brewing industry. Some brewers persevered through crime, scandal and intrigue to play key roles in building their communities. Today’s craft brewers face a number of very different challenges, from monopolistic macro breweries and trademark quandaries to hop shortages, while attempting to establish their own legacies.