The Bixel Brewery was constructed in 1852 at Spring Gulch, about 1 1/2 miles out on the Yankee Hill road This spring has long since dried out, but at the time it was considered to be the finest for the brewing of beer.
Proctor Rocher then opened a store on Broadway St in Columbia which became the outlet for his delicious beer. A disastrous fire of July 10, 1854, leveled most of the buildings in Columbia including Rocher’s Columbia Brewery and Syrup Works. The fire hit Rocher pretty hard financially, for in this same year, 1854, he sold his brewery equipment at Spring Gulch to a man named Antone Bixel, who owned a piece of
property at the head of Matelot Gulch on the Italian Bar road.
Bixel completed building his brewery at Matelot Gulch in 1854, and soon was delivering the delicious beverage for miners of the Southern Mines. The brewery was destroyed in a fire in 1880, but Bixel was beginning to rebuild before the ruins were cooled. he gathered a group of workmen and began the task of rebuilding. One of his strictest rules was that when it was time for lunch, his workmen should stop what they were doing and go to the lunch table. One day a workman asked him: “Mr. Bixel, if I am swinging a pick and it is up in the air, what do I do?” Bixel replied: “Leave it up in the air and come and eat.”
The specialty of the brewery was steam beer. All of the barley that was used in brewing was raised in Tuolumne County, and the hops were shipped in from San Francisco.
Bixel put many picnic tables and benches in the garden area placed under the shady trees. In addition, a band stand was centrally located so that all could enioy the music. Fourth of July was a great day in Columbia featuring a big parade and plenty of fireworks. The garden at the brewery was the most popular spot in Columbia following the big celebration. Many family picnics were held in the garden, and for many who stayed at home, the beer would have been delivered to their houses the day before the fourth. It was kept well soaked with wet bags and then relished the day of the Fourth.
The brewery operated until some time between 1908 and 1915. During World War II the Bixel’s great grandaughter donated all of the pieces of metal that were left in the old brewery buildings to the war effort, and contributing to the disappearance of the actual buildings of the Columbia Brewery. Today the only recognizable relics left are the mash grinding room, the furnace, and a small adobe shed. While on the hill above, resting in eternity, sleep the Bixels. This cache is placed across Italian Bar road from where the brewery used to stand.
