Best Of The West Live Auction (November 13, 2026 5:30 PM PT)

Circa 1882–1885, applied top, quart. William Goeppert & Son was operated by William Goeppert and his son George during the early to mid–1880s. At the 1883 Mechanics' Institute Fair, Goeppert & Son received an award for the best California–made beer for their Bavaria and Felsen Beer products. By March of 1885, the firm was no longer listed, and George partnered with Fred Haussler to form the Bavaria & Felsen Beer Steam Bottling Company. As is the case with most applied top Western quart beers of the 1880s, examples are scarce today, with only about 20 or fewer known. These bottles are found with either a banded champagne top or the more widely encountered tapered top, as seen on this example. There is also an extremely rare aqua variant known, produced with the champagne top and a slightly different embossing pattern.

Description & Condition: Amber color with essentially no wear. 1/4" and 1/16" checks in the body, a 1/2" check in the neck, and a couple of bruises in the neck below the top. Despite these issues, it remains in better condition than most early beer examples.

Min. Bid $1,000 - Est. $2,000–$4,000