LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Hoosier company that shut down nearly 100 years ago due to the prohibition is back up and brewing.
Thieme and Wagner Brewery was started in 1863 by Fredrick Theime and John Wagner in Lafayette. During the late 1800’s, the duo was brewing nearly 40,000 barrels of beer a year.
But, before the 18th Amendment prohibiting the production and sale of alcohol was ratified, the company decided to stop selling beer in 1918. The company decided to shut down a short time later.
Brian Thieme and his son David Thieme, both relatives of Fredrick Thieme, reopened Thieme and Wagner Brewery in Lafayette earlier this month with the original recipe. They tell WISH-TV they found the recipe in an old handbook that belongs to the family.
“It’s surreal. I’m fulfilling my ancestor’s legacy that was really cut short due to all the animosity around prohibition. It’s quite an honor to have found and be brewing the recipe my ancestors sustained their life on and built their brewing empire on,” says David Thieme.
The brewery is at 652 Main Street in Lafayette.
Photo: Getty Images / Fairfax Media
