Brauerei Rhenania

Hermann Josef Wirichs bought the Et Bröckske brewery in Krefeld in 1838 and ran it as the Rhenania brewery. Robert Wirichs, the founder's son, took over the brewery in 1876. In 1888, it moved to Krefeld-Königshof as the previous brewery had become too small. The Et Bröckske pub, a traditional Krefeld beer pub, remained in family ownership. In the following years, the brewery continued to expand, acquiring the Union brewery in Krefeld in 1916, the Thomas brewery Peter Schmitz in Kempen in 1919 and the brewery Gebr. Bacher in Meerbusch-Osterath in 1932. Until 1980, other varieties were produced alongside Altbier, such as Pils and Hell-Export. In the 1990s, the Wirichs Light (reduced-alcohol) and Krefelder (mixed beer drink with cola) varieties were added to Rhenania Alt. Following the general trend, the demand for Altbier continued to decline. Production of Rhenania Alt in Krefeld ended on 28 February 2002. The Rhenania Robert Wirichs brewery sold the brand, brewing and supply rights to the Krombacher brewery, with which it had already had a distribution alliance for some time. The Krefeld brewery site, which was originally due to be closed, has been run as the Königshof brewery since 2003.