Moser & Graf Brewery & Joel Ball's Saloon
1874-1878+, in 'Canada' at Fayette, Westfield.Twp, Fayette County, Iowa
Martin Moser was likely the primary force in starting a brewery at Fayette.IA,
Moser would have been the brewer. He had been working at the large Cascade brewery in Dubuque.Co.IA.
Mathew Graf, a carpenter, (living with his brother, Peter Sr. Graf, farming on SE side of Albany.IA; Peter g/father of Zinita Graf),
was also involved with the brewery ownership and operation before moving to Calmar.IA after the brewery closed.
Joel Ball who had been the constable of Fayette for six years, operated a saloon in the brewery area from about 1876>1880+.
For some of the time, depending on local licensing, the brewery/saloon would be called the 'cracker brewery/saloon,'
where a cracker could be purchased and the beer was free (probably not well advertised).

...Location...5/8mi NW of the Fayette bridge (north of the bridge was referred to as 'Canada' by locals), just outside the village plat on the road to West Union, standing over a big spring coming out of the hillside.
...Years operated...1874-1878+, a best guess. No brewery pics or descriptions have been found.
...Set-up... Martin Moser was likely the driving force as he had worked in a Dubuque brewery.
...Partner...Mathew Graf, carpenter by trade, living on brother Peter's, Albany farm, partnered with Moser in the brewery operation.
...Nickname...Sometimes referred too as the 'Cracker Brewery' by locals, where one could buy a cracker at the saloon and get served 'free' beer, depending on the yearly local ordinance passed on licensing sales and saloons.
...Saloon...Joel Ball operated a saloon nearby, one of the first or maybe the first in the village area.
...Creamery...David Ellis and Son's from Boston began setting up creameries in Fayette.Co.IA, after the rails came in the mid-1870's. By 1880 the Ellis Co. began utilizing the brewery building and spring, operating the Crown Creamery from 1880-1888, the first of three Fayette creameries. http://www.iowaz.info/fayette/fayettecreamery.htm

Drop down menu:
...Early Iowa & alcohol, a brief overview.
...The Creamery description hints of the brewery building size.
...Spring property ownership from the original abstract.
...Martin Moser, Fayette brewer, overview & descendent tree.
...Mathew Graf, involved in Fayette brewery, overview & descendent tree.
...Joel Ball, saloon keeper at the brewery area, overview & descendent tree.
...Iowa prohibition movements in the 1800's.
...Hops growing in early Fayette.Co.IA.

...Beer...The oldest most consumed alcoholic drink, 3rd post popular after water & tea.
.....Brewed from cereal grains...usually from malted (sprouted) barley, but also wheat, corn, rice,
.....Primary ingredients are grain, hops, yeast, water.
...Early brewers provided a valuable market for local grain and hops.
.....Temperance movements and local/state prohibition laws by the early 1880's put Iowa brewers and distillers out of business.

Beer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer
Brewing beer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewing
Lager beer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lager
Bilger Brewery at Auburn, Fayette.Co.IA http://www.iowaz.info/surname/bilger.htm
Nefzger Distillary at Albany, Fayette.Co.IA http://www.iowaz.info/surname/nefzger.htm
The three creameries of Fayette.IA. http://www.iowaz.info/fayette/fayettecreamery.htm

Contains webpage links to various Fayette Co. surnames and history projects.
Iowaz Index Page
The photo hosting site contains material regarding history, maps, genealogy of Fayette, Co, Iowa
Iowaz Photo Hosting Site
Use Google Earth/Maps for aerial views of current landscapes.

Page Chronology:
...2018-A number of years ago while working on the Bilger Brewery of Auburn village, a search for information on the 1870's brewery at Fayette was started. The Fayette brewery project was restarted in 2018, but then it was discovered that the first creamery to operate in Fayette took over the brewery spring and building by1880, so work on the creameries of Fayette restarted in 2019.
...2020Mar/Apr-The Fayette creamery project finally was brought to conclusion and the limited notes of regarding the brewery were also uploaded. Little to nothing has been recorded regarding a Fayette brewery other than it existed, thus this page of notes contained numerous best guesses trying to piece together people/places.

...1838, Iowa became a territory.
......From the beginning Iowa legislator worked to ban alcohol on the bases of crimes and immoral behavior.
......Prohibition laws would create frustration and conflict, as beer, wine, whiskey had been a regular part of early American life.
......Restricting production/sales would be for many a violation of personal freedom and destroy a local market for product and grains.
...1854, Iowa passed a prohibition law which was generally ignored, proving hard to enforce.
...1858, the law was amended to allow the sale of beer and wine made from fruits and grains, mainly to appease the increasing German & other European numbers.
......Beer was a normal/important part of the lives of the German and Czech area immigrants.
...1870s, during most of the decade beer/liquor production/sales was fairly common without enforcement.
.....1874+, Moser & Graf set up the Fayette brewery north of town.
...1880 & 1882, the Iowa legislators passed a constitutional amendment banning all alcohol.
.....1882, the Iowa voters passed the amendment (by 55%), however 23 counties voted against the amendment; followed by it being declared unconstitutional due to wording.
...1883, legislators again passed an amendment banning alcohol, except by pharmacists.
...The effect of the laws and enforcement of the early 1880's drove nearly all Iowa brewers and distillers out of business.
.....Coming laws however would allow local governments to charge a tax to sell alcohol, thus allowing the state law to be broken.

From 1910, History of Fayette.Co.IA:
...Fayette has had its saloons and questionable resorts; but the tendency of public sentiment, even in early days, was toward morality and sobriety, and there was constant warfare between the two elements in the make-up of the town. Since the adoption of the (State) constitutional amendment in the early 1880's, there has not been an open saloon in the town.
...The first meeting of Fayette City Council was 1874Apr21. City officers: mayor Charles Hoyt, recorder C.W. Sperry. Trustees: Robert Gaynor. E.R. Edmonds, Adam Fussell, E. Gregory & G.F. Lyman. Many of the prominent ladies of the town presented a petition to the council, accompanied by an oral address by Ms. Mills, asking that the council does not license any saloon. This had the effect of delaying consideration of the question until the next meeting on June 2nd, when an ordinance licensing the sale of ale, wine and beer was passed. Four council members voting for the measure and three against.
...The sentiments of the people generally were expressed on this subject as closely as indicated above, one party winning one year, and the other the next, during the years in which it was considered legal to license the liquor traffic.
...There was a temperance organization effected in 1878, called the "Rechabite Band," which enlisted the membership and co-operation of over 800 persons, this representing a general temperance wave throughout Iowa, and doubtless had much to do with the adoption of the State prohibitory amendment a few yeas later (1882).

.....Note: It was the 1878+ time frame that the Fayette brewery ceased operation. By 1880, the building/spring was taken over by the Ellis & Son's Crown Creamery operation.