John H. Grieme, according to 1880 U. S. census records, was born in 1846 in Hanover, Germany. He apparently arrived in the United States sometime in the early 1870’s, where he spent much, if not all of that decade in Chicago, Illinois working in the saloon business.
As early as 1873 he was listed with the Chicago address of 585 State Street and the occupation “bartender.” The following year he apparently partnered with Adolph Kahl and acquired an ownership stake in the saloon at that address. That year, the firm of “Grieme & Kahl” was listed there with the occupation “saloon.” The partnership was apparently short-lived and between 1875 and 1878 Grieme was listed individually as the saloon owner there.
What became of the State Street saloon is unclear but by 1880 Grieme had moved to New York City where census records indicated he was a “saloon keeper,” living on Manhattan’s lower east side. In 1885-1886, the NYC directory located what was likely his saloon at 522 East 5th Street. Later, in the late 1880’s, still working in Manhattan he moved further north to 184 East 109th Street.
At some point, likely sometime around 1890, he relocated to Stapleton, Staten Island where the October 15, 1893 edition of a monthly publication called the “American Elevator and Grain Trade”announced that he had just erected a new brewery.
That year, the 1893-1894 Richmond County (Staten Island) directory listed Grieme as a “beer bottler,” with an address of 11 Targee Street in Stapleton.
Active throughout the rest of the 1890’s, Richmond County’s 1899 Trow Business Directory included him as the only brewer of Weiss Beer in Staten Island.
At the same time, the general directory listed his occupation as mineral “waters.”
Based on this and other sporadic directory listings it appears that Grieme’s residence, brewery and beer/mineral water bottling operations were all located between 7 and 11 Targee Street, near its “T” intersection with Van Duzer Street in Stapleton.
Right around 1900 John Grieme passed away and the business passed into the hands of his wife, Rebecca. The ownership transfer was documented on a list under the heading “Brewing Firm Changes,” published in the August 20, 1900 edition of the “American Brewers Review.”
That year, census records listed Rebecca’s three sons, Fred, William and John, all with the occupation of “bottlers,” and over the next three years both the weiss beer and mineral water business continued to be listed in Richmond County’s Trow Business Directory under the John H. Grieme name.
Then sometime n 1903 Rebecca sold the brewery to the partnership of Bahr & Krassman. who were included in a listing of “New Breweries” in the August 20, 1903 edition of the “American Brewers Review.”
Bahr & Krasman continued both the weiss beer and mineral water arms of the business as evidenced by a story that appeared in the “Richmond County Advance” on February 11, 1905.
On Monday morning last the wagon and business of Bahr and Krasman, dealers in Weiss Beer and Mineral Waters, were brought to a standstill by the slipping and falling of the horses on the ice opposite Van Clief’s planing mill, West Brighton. The horses were both lamed. They were with much difficulty gotten upon their feet and they hobbled away under the care of the driver. Other horses took their place about two hours later, and the liquids were delivered to the thirsty customers awaiting them.
Short-lived, Bahr & Krasman was only in business until 1908 when the October edition of the “Western Brewer,” included their brewery on a list under the heading “Breweries Closed.”.
Subsequently I can’t find any mention of their mineral water business either.
The bottle I found was blown in a mold with a blob finish. It’s embossed: “J.H. Grieme, Stapleton, S. I.” on one side and “Weiss Beer” on the other side. It certainly dates to the period between 1893 and 1902 when the brewery bottled weiss beer under the Grieme name.
Bottles embossed with the “Bahr & Krasman” name also occasionally appear for sale on the internet.
