Beer Label St. Pauli Girl
Since the mid-18th century, the world-famous Beck’s beer has been brewed in Bremen. The close connection between the Hanseatic city of Bremen and the USA is evident both in the past and in the present of the brewery. When the Bremen builder Lüder Rutenberg decided in 1853 to convert the former St. Pauli Monastery into a brewery, he received support from brewer Helmut Beck. He had just returned from the USA after his emigration overseas did not bring the hoped-for success. Along with him were plenty of new experiences gathered from a brewery in Chicago. His brewing method invigorated the newly founded St. Pauli Brewery – now Beck&Co – and helped it gain an excellent reputation beyond the borders of Bremen. Soon, Rutenberg and Beck decided to expand their business across the Pacific Ocean. As a Hanseatic city, Bremen offers a particularly favorable location for exporting the beer of the St. Pauli Brewery to the USA. Starting in 1886, beer was regularly exported overseas by the imperial post steamers of Norddeutscher Lloyd from Bremerhaven – the Bremen brewery exclusively supplied what was then the largest shipping company in the world. Among these exported beers is the St. Pauli Girl. Largely unknown in Germany, it remains one of the most popular German import beers in the USA to this day. The beer is still produced and bottled at the former St. Pauli Monastery – contrary to popular belief, the name has nothing to do with the well-known district of Hamburg. The image that adorns the beer label is based on an encounter between the then graphic designer and a Northern German waitress. The sight inspired him to create a detailed sketch of the young woman, depicted with beer mugs and the fluttering apron.
