OBITUARY- William M. “BILL” MOELLER
William Moeller age 95 a resident of Shannondell at Valley Forge for 12 years passed away peacefully Wednesday, January 26th, 2022. Mr. Moeller was born at home, in Easton PA on April 2nd, 1926 and was one of the last of the WW II brew masters.
By virtue of his antecedents, he pursued one of the oldest and noblest professions-Brewing. He was a 4th generation brewmaster whose paternal great grandfather, grandfather, father and two uncles were all brewmasters. His grandfather started the Moeller tradition of brewing in America after migrating from Germany in 1887 to the New York area where he brewed for various breweries there, and later in Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. Along the way he collected various patents, including one in 1910 on beer processing during fermentation and cellaring operations. He was also one of Max Hassel’s (Reading’s notorious bootlegger during Prohibition) lead brewmasters.
Mr. William M. Moeller served in the U.S. Merchant Marine during and after WWII, sailing in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and south Pacific war zones. After attending the University of Cincinnati and in keeping with German tradition, he apprenticed for three years in 1950 under his brewmaster uncle, and subsequently attended the U.S Brewer’s Academy in New York state. Thus began a brewing career which spanned almost 7 decades. In 1953 with a freshly minted brewing school-diploma he was hired by the Reading Brewery as a foreman/supervisor in the brewing department, eventually assuming the duties of quality control manager. After which he took a position as Assistant Brewmaster and Director of Quality Control at the Horlacher Brewing Company in Allentown, gradually assuming more management responsibilities. Eventually he was hired as Brewmaster by the Ortlieb Brewing Company in Philadelphia. While at Ortlieb’s he brewed interesting and imaginative beers like Neuweilers, McSorley’s (for the famous ale house in lower Manhattan) and Old English 800, the high-powered malt liquor. As his career moved forward so did his management responsibilities, joining Schmidt’s of Philadelphia as Brewmaster of special products. In this role, he applied his artisan brewing skills to special beers like Prior Double Dark, Tiger Ale and Birell (a non-alcoholic beer) brewed under license for the Hurlimann Brewery of Switzerland. After leaving Schmidt’s he became Consulting Brewmaster for Brooklyn and Dock Street Breweries and many other craft breweries. Mr. Moeller played an important role in the early development of the craft brewing industry in New York, Philadelphia and south eastern Pennsylvania from the mid-1980s until the late 2010s.
He quickly realized that craft brewers took their beer seriously, and their goals were to make world class beers. By leading with his experience and knowledge he helped them formulate and develop the beer styles they so passionately desired – mentoring them along the way. Aside from Brooklyn and Dock Street, Mr. Moeller was Consulting Brewmaster for: Tun Tavern, Hoboken, Poor Henry’s, Sunnybrook Brewery and other familiar brand names. His beers medaled nationally and internationally, and his Brooklyn Lager has been a consistent favorite of “Consumer Reports” over the years. Mr. Moeller also wrote and lectured on scientific requirements and a diverse array of disciplines required in brewing.
Mr. Moeller was well known for his “formal 6 course sit-down beer dinners,” staged at various area restaurants in which he matched appropriate real beer styles with each course while doing a running commentary on the marriage of real beer and food and the sensual pleasures derived from cooking with beer; emphasizing the right kind of beer to compliment or replace water, stock or milk. He also enjoyed roaming about the German and Austrian countryside with colleagues, talking to and engaging German brewers on the subject of beer, brewing, cooking with beer and German history. He was an avid collector of German Mettlach Steins and late 18th and early 19th century American antique furniture and ceramics.
Bill was very active in civic affairs and had board associations with the Berks County Community Foundation, Reading Symphony, Reading Museum, Boyertown Museum of Historical Vehicles (charter member), Boyertown Historical Society (charter member), Boyertown Library, Boyertown Municipal Employees Pension Fund, Boyertown Rotary and was a Mason and member of Lodge #741 Boyertown for over 65 years. Finally, along with his four stepsons, he started the Margaret B. Moeller Memorial Fund for Alzheimer’s Home Care Companions.
He is survived by a daughter Mary Ann Avery (Plymouth, IN) and her husband Stephen Avery (Michigantown) who reside in Indianapolis and a son Michael and his wife Kimberly who live in Gilbertsville, PA. His late wife of 33 years, Margaret B. Moeller predeceased him in 2004. He leaves 4 grandsons, Stephen Andrew “Drew” Avery and William Skyler Avery both from Indianapolis, along with Peter and Alexander Moeller, 1 stepdaughter: Beth A. Webb and 4 stepsons: Daniel B. Boyer III, Geoffrey F. Boyer, Randolph W. Boyer and Henry K. Boyer and 12 step grandchildren. Contributions may be made to the “Margaret B. Moeller Fund for Alzheimer’s Home Care Companions”, c/o Berks County Community Foundation, 23 S. Reading Avenue, Boyertown, PA 19512. In addition, contributions can be made to Alzheimer’s Association National Capital Area Chapter, 8180 Greensboro Drive, Suite 400, McLean, VA 22102.