Peacock Brewery
A historic former brewery complex on the east side of the Rock River in Rockford, Illinois, which operated under several names and was once the city’s largest brewery.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Peacock Brewery was a historic brewery complex in Rockford, Illinois, rather than a currently operating consumer brand. The brewery was established by Jonathan Peacock, a British immigrant who arrived in Rockford in 1849 after learning the brewing trade in England and working at Chicago’s Lill & Diversey brewery. He began on a very small scale, brewing beer behind a house on Madison Street. Malt was ground with a coffee mill, the beer was brewed in wash boilers, and deliveries were reportedly made by wheelbarrow. The arrival of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad in Rockford in 1852 helped connect the community to growing immigrant markets and supported the expansion of Peacock’s business. By 1857, demand had outgrown the original home-based operation, and Peacock constructed a dedicated brewhouse next door. The enterprise became one of the most important breweries in the city. A major fire destroyed the brewhouse in 1894, but Peacock rebuilt it promptly. He died in 1896, leaving the business to his sons Frank and Edward. During their ownership, annual production exceeded 20,000 barrels. Nikolob was identified as the brewery’s best-known beer during this period. Both sons died of tuberculosis in 1899, after which the brewery was sold to John V. Petritz, a Croatian immigrant with prior experience and wealth in liquor production and distribution. Petritz modernized the site substantially. He commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm Widmann, Walsh & Boisscher to design a new brewhouse, replacing the earlier structure with a large facility that incorporated contemporary brewing technology. The project reportedly cost $100,000 and increased potential production to approximately 75,000 barrels per year. Petritz also acquired a bottling company in 1900 and replaced its facilities with a new building in 1902. Under his ownership, the company operated as the Rockford Brewing Company, one of the brewery’s principal alternative names. The brewery’s expansion was undermined by increasingly strict liquor licensing and tax enforcement. By 1916, Petritz had accumulated hundreds of alleged violations and faced substantial fines. When Winnebago County enacted prohibition in 1917, Petritz continued producing beer. He, his son Frank, and brewery manager Earl Blewfeld were arrested, and the resulting case attracted considerable local attention. Petritz ultimately agreed to a settlement involving $15,000 in payments to the city and county for 1,250 liquor-law violations. The Rockford Brewing Company’s license expired in 1918 and was not renewed, effectively ending its conventional brewing operation. The buildings were subsequently used for warehousing. After national Prohibition ended, Petritz’s son John G. attempted to revive the business. Beer sold under the Petritz name was produced in Chicago and bottled at the Rockford property. In 1937, partner Samuel Hirsch acquired the interests of the other partners and renamed the enterprise the Rock River Brewing Company. The operation produced Coronet Old Vat and Grand Prize beers, but brewing at the site ended in 1945. In the twenty-first century, the former brewery buildings became recognized as historic resources. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 22, 2011. Later plans called for renovation and conversion of parts of the property into an event and hospitality venue using the name Rockford Brewery. Proposed features included the Ice Cellar Bar, with a ten-line draft system, copper-lined bar elements, industrial steel supports, and lighting incorporating historic bottles and references to the building’s former cold-storage and brewing functions. These redevelopment plans represent adaptive reuse of the historic property rather than a confirmed continuation of Peacock Brewery as an active brewing company.
History
Jonathan Peacock established the brewery in Rockford in 1849. A British immigrant trained in brewing in England, Peacock had also worked at Chicago’s Lill & Diversey brewery before moving to Rockford. His first operation was a small household-scale business on Madison Street. He ground malt with a coffee mill, brewed in wash boilers, and delivered beer locally by wheelbarrow. Railroad access beginning in 1852 expanded Rockford’s connections with surrounding markets and helped the brewery serve the city’s growing immigrant population. The business outgrew its original premises, leading Peacock to build a dedicated brewhouse in 1857. A fire destroyed the brewhouse in 1894, but it was rebuilt immediately. Peacock died in 1896, and his sons Frank and Edward inherited the enterprise. Under their management, production rose above 20,000 barrels annually, with Nikolob described as the most popular beer. The brothers both died of tuberculosis in 1899, and ownership passed to John V. Petritz. Petritz brought capital and an ambition to create a modern industrial brewery. He engaged the St. Louis architects Widmann, Walsh & Boisscher to design a replacement brewhouse. The new building reportedly cost $100,000 and used advanced equipment that raised production capacity to about 75,000 barrels per year. Petritz also bought a bottling company in 1900 and replaced its facilities in 1902. During this period the business was known as the Rockford Brewing Company. The brewery later became entangled in increasingly restrictive liquor regulation. By 1916, Petritz had accumulated 270 alleged violations and faced fines of more than $2,000. In 1917, Winnebago County adopted prohibition. Petritz continued brewing despite the local law, resulting in the arrests of Petritz, his son Frank, and manager Earl Blewfeld. The case was heard under federal judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis and generated substantial local publicity. Petritz settled 1,250 liquor-law violations by paying a combined $15,000 to the city and county. The company’s license expired in 1918 and was not renewed. After conventional brewing ended, Petritz used the buildings for warehousing. Following the repeal of national Prohibition, John G. Petritz attempted to restart the brand. The beer was made in Chicago and bottled in Rockford under the Petritz name, meaning the historic premises no longer operated as a fully integrated brewery. In 1937, Samuel Hirsch bought out the other partners and adopted the name Rock River Brewing Company. The company marketed Coronet Old Vat and Grand Prize beers, but the operation closed in 1945. The surviving buildings later became important examples of Rockford’s brewing and industrial history. On November 22, 2011, they were placed on the National Register of Historic Places and were featured by the National Park Service as a property of the week. Subsequent renovation concepts proposed adaptive reuse under the name Rockford Brewery. Plans for the Ice Cellar Bar incorporated a ten-line draft system, copper surfaces recalling brewing vessels, exposed industrial steel, and lighting made with historic beer and liquor bottles. These proposals treated the site as a historic venue and redevelopment project, not as a documented revival of Peacock Brewery’s original manufacturing business.
- 2011
Historic designation
[1]The brewery buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1945
Brewing operation closes
[1]The Rock River Brewing Company ceases operations at the historic property.
- 1937
Business renamed Rock River Brewing Company
[1]Samuel Hirsch buys out the other partners and changes the company’s name.
- 1918
Rockford Brewing Company license expires
[1]The brewery’s liquor license is not renewed, ending its regular brewing operation under the Rockford Brewing Company name.
- 1917
Prohibition enforcement closes in
[1]Petritz, his son Frank, and manager Earl Blewfeld are arrested after the brewery continues operating despite Winnebago County prohibition.
- 1902
New bottling building completed
[1]The older bottling facilities are replaced with a new building.
- 1900
Bottling business acquired
[1]Petritz purchases a bottling company as part of an expansion of the brewery’s production and distribution infrastructure.
- 1899
Petritz acquires the brewery
[1]After the deaths of Frank and Edward Peacock, John V. Petritz purchases the brewery.
- 1894
Brewhouse fire and reconstruction
[1]A fire severely damages the brewhouse, which Peacock promptly rebuilds.
- 1857
Dedicated brewhouse constructed
[1]Peacock builds a separate brewhouse as demand outgrows the original household-scale operation.
Products and positioning
A historic regional brewery associated with Rockford’s nineteenth- and early twentieth-century brewing industry. Its significance today is primarily architectural, industrial, and historical rather than commercial, as the brewery ceased production in 1945.
Beer
Nikolob
Nikolob was identified as the most popular beer produced during the Peacock family’s ownership. It represents the brewery’s principal documented product during the late nineteenth century, when annual output exceeded 20,000 barrels.
Beer · 1937
Coronet Old Vat
Coronet Old Vat was one of the beers associated with the later Rock River Brewing Company period. It was produced after the business changed names in 1937 and before the brewery closed in 1945.
Beer · 1937
Grand Prize
Grand Prize was another documented beer of the Rock River Brewing Company era. Its production belongs to the final phase of the brewery’s commercial history, which ended in 1945.
Beer
Petritz beer
After Prohibition, beer was sold under the Petritz name. The beer was produced in Chicago and bottled in the Rockford buildings, reflecting a partial restart of the brand rather than a return to full on-site brewing.
Brand decisions
2011
Pursue historic preservation and adaptive reuseOtherBackground
The former brewery buildings remained significant remnants of Rockford’s industrial and brewing history.
Action taken
The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, followed by plans to renovate portions of the site as Rockford Brewery.
Aftermath
The property’s later identity centered on preservation, events, and hospitality rather than documented commercial beer production.
1937
Rename the business as Rock River Brewing CompanyStrategyBackground
After a post-Prohibition attempt to sell Petritz beer, Samuel Hirsch acquired the interests of the other partners.
Action taken
Hirsch changed the company’s name to Rock River Brewing Company and marketed Coronet Old Vat and Grand Prize beers.
Aftermath
The renamed operation continued until its final closure in 1945.
1918
Shift from brewing to warehousingStrategyBackground
The company lost its operating license after repeated liquor-law violations and prohibition enforcement.
Action taken
John V. Petritz repurposed the former brewing buildings for warehousing.
Aftermath
The site stopped functioning as a conventional brewery until a later, limited post-Prohibition bottling effort.
1899
Modernize and expand the breweryStrategyBackground
After acquiring the brewery, John V. Petritz sought to turn it into a large, modern industrial operation.
Action taken
He commissioned a new brewhouse, introduced updated production technology, and expanded bottling facilities.
Aftermath
The modernization raised stated production capacity to approximately 75,000 barrels per year and established the Rockford Brewing Company as a major regional producer.
Reported brewhouse construction cost. $100,000 (Around the turn of the twentieth century)
Recent events
- 2014
Historic brewery complex planned for adaptive reuse[1]
Other
Renovation plans described a reopening of the property as Rockford Brewery, including an event space and the Ice Cellar Bar with a ten-line draft system.
- 2011
Peacock Brewery buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places[1]
Other
The former brewery buildings in Rockford received federal historic recognition on November 22, 2011.
Sources1 sources
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