Heritage

1891

Boylan Bottling’s story starts in 1891, when a pharmacist named William Boylan created an elixir in his Paterson, New Jersey, apothecary. He named that serum, a derivative of birch trees, Boylan’s Birch, and began selling individual cups from a barrel in the back of a wagon.

1900 – 1970s

William Boylan began bottling his birch beer after partnering with John W. Sturr, a local politician, in 1900. The partnership soon fizzled, but Boylan continued bottling his product until Prohibition in the 1920s, when Boylan was primarily sold in unused beer barrels.

LATE 1900s

In the latter part of the 20th century, Boylan found its greatest success in the distinctive long-neck embossed glass bottles for which the brand has become so well known. The general shape of the bottle and its embossed patterns have remained relatively unchanged from early iterations.

TODAY

Although Birch Beer will always be a big part of the brand’s heritage, Boylan today is best known for its full line of hand-crafted sodas, ranging from our core four Ginger Ale, Root Beer, Black Cherry and Creme sodas, to other popular flavors, including Cane Cola, Orange and Grape.