Dear Colleagues -
    Susan Appel shared some information with me off-list regarding the
mysterious label from "Imperial Beer" brewed in Cincinnati.  I just wanted to
pass it along to any interested parties.  My thanks to Pat Martin for putting
me in touch with her.
Cheers,
Debbie Rotman

"Imperial" was a brand of the John Hauck Brewing Co., Cincinnati.  According
to Robert Wimberg's _Cincinnati Breweries_ (Cincinnati:  Ohio Book Store,
1989), 53, Louis Hauck (son of John) succeeded his father on John's
retirement in 1893; John died in 1896.  While there had been other brands
marketed by this firm earlier, "Louis Hauck reduced the kinds of beer
produced to 'Imperial,' 'Golden Eagle lager' and 'Special Dark.'"  With the
onset of national Prohibition in 1920, the Hauck plant, like many others,
turned to producing near-beer and soda pop, but returns were unsatisfactory.
Little by little, the plant was leased out to the Red Top Brewing Co.  After
Repeal in 1933, Red Top actually became a brewing firm, maintaining their
lease of the Hauck plant.

What Wimburg doesn't say, is whether Red Top continued the Hauck brands after
Repeal.  To check on that I tried -- successfully, I'm glad to say --
contacting Tim
Holian, who recently published _Over the Barrel:  The Brewing History and
Beer Culture of Cincinnati, Vol. I, 1800-Prohibition_ (St. Joseph, MO:
Sudhaus Press, 2000). He notes a couple of ads reproduced in the book for the
Hauck brewery that feature mention of the "Imperial" brand.  He also said, in
his e-mail:

     "Hauck finally closed down the brewery in 1927; after Red Top took over
the plant in 1934, the lease appears to have become a purchase arrangement at
some point that, save for early mention on bottle labels that Red Top was
'made in the former Hauck Brewery,' effectively removed the last traces of
Hauck from the brewing field."  Later on, he notes, "None of the Hauck brands
survived Prohibition; sadly, this was the case pretty much universally in
Cincinnati brewing."

Sooooo, I think it's safe to say that your label is, in fact from the John
Hauck Brewing Co., Cincinnati, and most probably dates somewhere between
about 1893 and 1920.  It's old, in other words, rather than a recent addition
to your label-covered wall.