Thieme and Wagner Brewing Company

Thieme and Wagner Brewing Company is a historic American brewery associated with Lafayette, Indiana. Founded in 1863 by German immigrants Frederick August Thieme and John Wagner, the company became one of the important brewing businesses in the state during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its original brewery stood at the corner of Fourth and Union Streets in Lafayette and was known for German-American beer production, including Ye Tavern Brew and bock beer. At its peak, the brewery reportedly produced approximately 100,000 barrels of beer per year and ranked as the sixth-largest brewery in Indiana. Its scale reflected the growth of regional brewing in the United States before national consolidation and Prohibition. The business remained connected to the Thieme family while operating as a substantial local manufacturer and employer. In 1918, Prohibition forced the brewery to change its business model. It became the National Fruit Juice Company, producing near beer as well as an apple beverage called Apella. According to the company’s historical account, the family chose not to dismiss any employees after Prohibition began. Maintaining the full payroll, combined with rising ingredient costs, placed pressure on the business. The company eventually sold out to Valentine Blatz Brewing Company and used nearly all of the proceeds to repay business debt. After Prohibition was repealed, Lafayette Brewing Inc. occupied the former Thieme and Wagner brewery and produced its own version of the earlier Ye Tavern Brew. Lafayette Brewing Inc. ceased operations around 1940. Brewing at the site ultimately ended in 1960, amid the broader consolidation that reduced the number of independent and regional breweries in the American market. In 1963, the City of Lafayette demolished the remaining Thieme and Wagner brewery complex to make way for the Harrison Bridge. The Thieme and Wagner name was subsequently revived by Brian Thieme and his son David Thieme, described as members of the family’s fifth and sixth generations. The revived operation is based at 652 Main Street in Lafayette. David Thieme brews traditional German-American lagers on a one-barrel system located in the building’s basement. The associated taproom offers the brewery’s beers, a full bar, and light pub food, making the modern business both a small production brewery and a local hospitality venue. A significant revival milestone occurred in 2017, when David Thieme located a brewing journal belonging to William Haas, a Thieme and Wagner brewmaster from the early 1900s. Through Ancestry, he connected with Boonie Ramsey Haas, Haas’s great-granddaughter, who shared the journal’s contents. The material included recipes for Ye Tavern Brew and the brewery’s bock beer. David subsequently brewed and sold the bock recipe at the taproom, linking the present operation to the historical brewery’s documented brewing tradition. The modern Thieme and Wagner brand therefore combines family heritage, Lafayette history, small-batch German-American lager production, and preservation of historic recipes.

Thieme and Wagner Brewing Company was established in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1863 by Frederick August Thieme and John Wagner, both German immigrants. The original brewery occupied the intersection of Fourth and Union Streets. Its founding placed it within the nineteenth-century expansion of German-influenced brewing in the United States, when lager production and regional breweries became increasingly important to local communities. The company grew into a large regional producer. At its height, it made about 100,000 barrels of beer annually and was identified as Indiana’s sixth-largest brewery. Its historical product identity included Ye Tavern Brew and bock beer, styles associated with the German-American brewing tradition. The brewery also functioned as a substantial local employer and remained linked to the Thieme family. Prohibition brought a major change in 1918. Rather than continue as a conventional beer producer, the company became the National Fruit Juice Company. It made near beer and an apple beverage called Apella. The family reportedly retained its entire workforce instead of laying off employees after the change in law. That policy, together with increasing ingredient prices, created financial pressure. The business was sold to Valentine Blatz Brewing Company, and most of the sale proceeds were used to repay company debt. Following the repeal of Prohibition, Lafayette Brewing Inc. moved into the former Thieme and Wagner brewery and made a new version of Ye Tavern Brew. Lafayette Brewing Inc. closed around 1940. The brewing operation associated with the site continued until 1960, when it became another casualty of industry consolidation. In 1963, Lafayette demolished the Thieme and Wagner brewery complex to permit construction of the Harrison Bridge. The brand later returned through Brian Thieme and his son David Thieme, representing the fifth and sixth generations of the family. The revived brewery operates at 652 Main Street in Lafayette, where David produces traditional German-American lagers on a one-barrel brewing system in the basement. The premises also include a taproom with the brewery’s beers, a full bar, and light pub food. In 2017, David recovered an important part of the brewery’s brewing heritage. Through Ancestry, he found Boonie Ramsey Haas, the great-granddaughter of William Haas, who had served as the original brewery’s brewmaster during the early 1900s. She provided the contents of Haas’s brewing journal, including recipes for Ye Tavern Brew and bock beer. The revived brewery began brewing and selling the bock recipe in its taproom. This episode gave the modern operation a documented connection to the original brewery’s products and reinforced its positioning as a family-led heritage brewery.

• 2017

  Historical brewing journal recovered

  [1]Thieme and Wagner Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  David Thieme obtained William Haas’s brewing journal, recovering recipes for Ye Tavern Brew and bock beer.

• 1963

  Original brewery complex demolished

  [1]Thieme and Wagner Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The City of Lafayette demolished the brewery complex to make way for the Harrison Bridge.

• 1960

  Brewing operation ends

  [1]Thieme and Wagner Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The operation at the historic site closed amid consolidation across the brewing industry.

• 1918

  Conversion during Prohibition

  [1]Thieme and Wagner Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The brewery became the National Fruit Juice Company and produced near beer and the apple drink Apella.

• 1863

  Brewery founded in Lafayette

  [1]Thieme and Wagner Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Frederick August Thieme and John Wagner founded the brewery at the corner of Fourth and Union Streets in Lafayette, Indiana.

A heritage brewery centered on Lafayette history, family continuity, traditional German-American lagers, and revival of documented recipes from the original brewery.

• Beer

  Ye Tavern Brew

  Ye Tavern Brew was one of the historic beers associated with Thieme and Wagner. After Prohibition, Lafayette Brewing Inc. produced its own interpretation of the beer in the former Thieme and Wagner brewery. A recipe for the original beer was later found in William Haas’s brewing journal, connecting the name to the revived family operation.

• Beer

  Bock beer

  Bock beer was a historic Thieme and Wagner offering documented in the brewing journal of early twentieth-century brewmaster William Haas. After the journal was recovered in 2017, David Thieme brewed and sold the recipe at the modern taproom as a heritage product.

• Beer

  Traditional German-American lagers

  The revived brewery focuses on traditional German-American lager brewing. These beers are produced in small batches on a one-barrel system at the Lafayette location and are served through the associated taproom.

• Apple beverage · 1918

  Apella

  Apella was an apple drink made by the National Fruit Juice Company after the original brewery was converted during Prohibition. It was a non-beer product associated with the company’s effort to continue operating under Prohibition-era conditions.

• 2017

  Revive the historic bock recipeProduct launch

  Background

  A brewing journal belonging to former Thieme and Wagner brewmaster William Haas was recovered through a family-history connection.

  Action taken

  David Thieme used the documented recipe to brew and sell the historical bock beer at the revived brewery’s taproom.

  Aftermath

  The product provided the modern operation with a direct, documented link to the original brewery’s product heritage.

  Source

• 1918

  Convert the brewery to fruit juice and near-beer productionStrategy

  Background

  The beginning of Prohibition prevented the company from continuing its normal alcoholic-beer business.

  Action taken

  The brewery was reorganized as the National Fruit Juice Company, producing near beer and the apple drink Apella.

  Aftermath

  The company maintained its workforce but faced high payroll and ingredient costs and was later sold to Valentine Blatz Brewing Company.

  Source

1. 1Thieme and Wagner Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org