Charles Joseph Koch Jr., the father of Boston Beer Co. founder Jim Koch and a former brewer at several Ohio breweries, has died. He was 88. Mr. Koch, who served on the board of directors for the Boston Beer Co., died June 13 at the family farm in Georgetown, Ohio. "He contributed his immense knowledge of brewing, as well as his sound business advice," according to a news release issued by the company. "But his greatest gift lay in an old trunk stored in his attic. That trunk contained family brewing memorabilia and beer recipes dating back to the 1800s. Indeed, he handed over to his son what he considered the best of the family beer recipes. That beer was first brewed in 1984 and soon appeared in taverns and restaurants in Boston under the name Samuel Adams Boston Lager. The success of Samuel Adams Boston Lager is widely credited as a catalyst for the American craft beer revolution." A Cincinnati native, Mr. Koch graduated from Withrow High School and the University of Cincinnati. He became the fifth generation of eldest Koch sons to become a brewer.  He apprenticed at many Cincinnati breweries, including Wiedemann, Hudepohl, Burger, Bavarian and Schoenling. He also was the brewmaster at the Wooden Shoe Brewing Co. in Minster when it closed in 1953. To read the entire company statement, click here.