H and H Coffee

Dedicated to the history of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co. founded 1899 in San Antonio, Texas.

William Achatius Menger (March 15, 1827, Windecken, Electorate of Hesse, Germany — March 18, 1871, San Antonio, Texas). San Antonio brewer and hotelier. Founder of the first commercial brewery in Texas (~1855). Co-founder of the Menger Hotel on Alamo Plaza, with his wife Mary Menger. Died suddenly at the hotel on March 18, 1871, age 45. Grandfather of the H&H Menger generation (Gus P., Minnie, R. W., T. J., L. B., A. G.).

Traveled to San Antonio via Baltimore ~1850; worked first as a cooper and learned brewing; naturalized US citizen 1852. Lutheran.

Family

Married Mary Menger (Maria Clara Baumschlüeter, widow of Guenther) in July 1851. Mary was Catholic, eleven years his senior, and already operating a boardinghouse.

Child Born Died Notes
Louis William Menger 1852 1919 Published (did not found) the Catholic newspaper Southern Messenger; inherited Mary’s house 1887; lived there until death
Mary Menger 1854 1856 Died in infancy
Peter Gustav Menger 1857 1914 Further details unknown
Catherine Barbara Menger 1860 1947 = Katarina Babette; married Dr. Rudolph Menger; mother of Minnie, Gus P., R. W., T. J., L. B., A. G.

Estate (1887)

On Mary Menger’s death in 1887, Louis William, Peter Gustav, and Catherine Barbara each received approximately 20 pieces of real estate (split three ways) plus $6,000 cash. Tim Draves notes “modest lifestyles” and no King William district homes — no evidence of social-elite status among William and Mary’s children.

Business

Brewery

~1855: built Menger’s Western Brewery on the east side of Alamo Plaza; hired German master brewer Carl Degen. Three-foot-thick walls for year-round lager production. By the 1870s: ~1,666 barrels annually; shipped as far as Fort Concho (200+ miles). 1868: bought the competing Naylor Brewery. After William’s death, Mary closed the Western Brewery in 1878 and converted the space to hotel additions.

Menger Hotel

1858: contracted J. H. Kampmann (who held a mortgage) to build a two-story stone hotel on Alamo Plaza; architect John M. Fries (Bavarian-born). Construction began June 1858; grand opening February 1, 1859; cost ~$15,000. Tunnel connected hotel to brewery for guest tours. By 1860 the hotel employed two bookkeepers, two barkeepers, steward, cook, watchman, four servants, baker, laborer, six waiters, and over two dozen guests.

Civic contributions

  • San Antonio alderman, 1857
  • Founded and led Alamo Fire Association No. 2 (1859)
  • 1868: brought San Antonio its first steam fire engine (purchased in New York for $4,000; funded overland transport himself) — making SA the first city in Texas with modern firefighting equipment

Death

Died March 18, 1871, suddenly at the Menger Hotel, age 45. Funeral conducted by fellow Odd Fellows members and Lutheran clergy. Mourned as a “universal favorite with all classes” for his “character, public spiritedness, and charity.”

The Immigrant Entrepreneurship entry (Julia Brookins, AHA) records cause as “natural causes (sudden)” with no further specificity. The “stomach issues” detail discussed by Brett and Tim Draves at the May 28, 2026 listening session is not sourced in any KB record — Tim subsequently said he could not locate the page where he’d read it. Finding that source is an open task.

Hotel ownership chain

Period Owner
1859–1881 Menger family (William and Mary)
1881–1943 Kampmann family (2–3 generations; sold 1881 for $118,500)
1943–2025 Moody family
2025–present State of Texas

Per Tim Draves: “the fact that it wasn’t changed to the ‘Kampmann Hotel’ or ‘Moody Hotel’ demonstrates the good will and market strength established before 1881.”

Archive leads

  • Menger Family Papers, University of the Incarnate Word Library — cited by Immigrant Entrepreneurship entry; may be same as or separate from the “Menger Family Collection at the Archives of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word” tracked elsewhere in the KB. Clarify with Tim Draves.
  • UIW Archives — Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word — Tim Draves has worked on campus since 2008 and has direct working access

Open questions

  • “Stomach issues” — confirmed as William R. Hoffmann, not William A. Menger. Brett had confused the two Williams during the May 28 listening session. The burial permit for William R. Hoffmann (Jan 13, 1912 Express-News, HH-CLIP-1912-0010) gives cause of death as “stomach trouble.” No stomach-related cause is documented for William A. Menger. Tim Draves should be updated accordingly.
  • UIW Library vs. UIW Archives — whether the Menger Family Papers and the Menger Family Collection are the same holding or two separate ones
  • Peter Gustav Menger — died 1914; no further details documented

See Also