Jacob C Gimlich Jr. was born in Bavaria, Germany. His father was a prosperous fruit farmer in Weisenheim and was very active in political resistance to Prussian King Frederick William IV. In 1848.  When it became clear the monarchy would retain its hold on power the elder Gimlich took his family and fled Germany to find new lives in America. They settled first in Albany, New York, which at the time had a reputation as the premier brewing town in America.  It was likely here he learned the art of the brewer.

At the outbreak of the Civil War his father answered the call for volunteers.  He enlisted in the 5th Regiment of the New Jersey Volunteer Infantry in early 1861, and died in service of his adopted country in January the following year.  Jacob Junior, now aged 17, was left to his own wiles.

At around the end of the Civil War Gimlich moved to Berkshire County, Massachusetts, where on the 16th of February, 1868, at age 23, he married fellow German emigre Louisa Ellen Feige.  Later that year he partnered with John W. White to purchase Michael Benson's small brewery in Pittsfield.  Over the next two decades Gimlich & White expanded their brewery rapidly.  In 1868 their brewery had a capacity of about 6 barrels per day.  By 1891 they were producing nearly 120,000 barrels a year, employed 100 people and owned 35 horses.  They were one of the largest such firms in New England.

By 1890 Gimlich, now approaching 50, began receding from day to day brewery operations in favor of other business and political interests.  In 1891 the firm's name was changed to the Berkshire Brewing Association, and the Gimlich name, still prominent in Massachusetts, began to be associated with other things.

When Jacob C. Gimlich died on January 20, 1912, his obituary scarcely mentioned his critical role in New England's brewery industry.  The brewery Gimlich and John W. White founded was closed down by Massachusetts state prohibition laws in 1918.  The vats and equipment were sold to a South American brewery and the buildings were razed.  

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