Call Box: Did Jax Beer invent the six-pack?

[thelakelander]

Dear Call Box: I read somewhere that Jacksonville may have given birth to the six-pack. Is this true?

C.Z., Riverside

Dear C.Z.: You may not find it in the history books, if history books list those things, but by several accounts Jacksonville was home of the six-pack. Or if you prefer the six-sack or the six-pack in a sack.

No matter what you call it, Jax Brewing Co. may have come up with the idea of selling more than one beer at a time and packaging it in standard sizes, albeit plastic rings had yet to be invented.

During the 1940s the company went to Towers Hardware, bought 100,000 durable burlap bags, emblazoned Jax Beer on them and sold beer six to a sack for $1.29, Florida Times-Union columnist Bill Foley reported in 1996.

But wait, there's the question of who did it first. Several breweries lay claim to coming up with the six-pack carrier that now dominates the retail beer market. Pabst is largely credited as the first brewer to package beer in six-packs, according to some online sources, while Ballantine says it did so in 1938. And then there's Coca-Cola, which claims ownership dating back to 1923. So take your pick as to bragging rights.

During its heyday, however, Jax Beer is indisputably credited as being one of the most popular drinks in the Southeast, said Ennis Davis, an urban planner who has extensively researched and written about the company for the Metro Jacksonville and Modern Cities websites.

It started in 1913 when German immigrant William Ostner came from St. Louis to start Jax Brewing with backing from his father-in-law, the patriarch of a beer brewing family. He teamed with Jacob Bongner, and they built a large plant on West 16th Street in Durkeeville. Jax Beer came on the market in 1914, selling at $7 per 10 dozen bottles, said Wayne Wood, Jacksonville historian and author.

Full article: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/call-box/2017-06-30/call-box-did-jax-beer-invent-six-pack