In the late 1800s young Albert Jacoby came from his native Luxemburg and settled in Detroit. He became a bartender at the fashionable old Pontchatrain Hotel on Woodward Avenue, where NBD (now, Bank One) built its headquarters.

Meanwhile over on 624 Brush Street was an establishment called Jake’s Tavern. It was owned and operated by the Voight Brewing Company.

As the story goes, the brewery wasn’t happy with Jake, and coincidently, the brewery representative had come to know and respect the charismatic young bartender at the Hotel. At some point the brewery came to Jacoby and asked if he would be interested in taking over the bar on Brush. He was interested all right; in fact he hatched a plan.

There was an attractive German woman who cooked for the hotel. Her name was Mina. Jacoby goes to her and tells her about the opportunity that has been presented to him. He makes it simple…I like you… you like me…I can tend bar…you can cook…let’s get married and do this deal!!!

So it was done, Al & Mina were IN and Jake was OUT.
It didn’t take Jacoby long to get his confidence. In fact, three months after taking over, the Voight Brewing was also OUT, and the two of them hung out their own shingle.

That was October 1904. The neighborhood was predominately German and Mina’s old world cooking was an immediate success. Beer, Jacoby believed, was the working mans drink and he priced it low. The business prospered and a downtown tradition was born.

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