Jim Koch founded the Boston Beer Company in 1984 in Boston, Massachusetts. The beers were originally contract brewed by the Pittsburgh Brewing Company, though today, approximately 35% of its beer is produced at the company's Cincinnati brewery. The brand name for the beers is Samuel Adams , after Samuel Adams, reputedly a brewer and an American patriot famous for his role in the American Revolution. Sam Adam's portrait generally appears on the front of each bottle. It is the largest American owned brewery.