To spot the Thieme and Wagner Brewing Company, just look for its classic round logo-dark blue with a big white star in the center and bold white letters circling the edge that shout THIEME & WAGNER BEER, right here in Lafayette.
Now, imagine standing here in Lafayette back in 1863, when the air was thick with the scent of fresh hops and barley, and the clatter of horses’ hooves echoed down dirt streets. This is where two German immigrants, Frederick Thieme and John Wagner, set out to chase the American dream-by brewing a whole lot of beer. Their little brewery at the corner of 4th and Union Streets eventually bubbled up into the sixth largest in Indiana, pouring out a whopping 100,000 barrels a year. You could say Lafayette was one of the most “spirited” towns around, and not just because of the beer!
But then, Prohibition crashed the party like a stern parent-no one could brew real beer anymore. Turning lemons into, well, apples, the Thieme and Wagner team transformed themselves into the National Fruit Juice Company. They started pumping out “near beer” and invented an apple drink called Apella. And here’s a twist for you: instead of firing anyone, they kept every single worker on the payroll. Heartwarming? Absolutely. Profitable? Sadly, no. The high costs and lean sales forced them to sell to a bigger brewing company, and almost every penny from that sale was used just to pay off debts.
Just when you think the story ends, there’s a new chapter. Decades after the original brewery was demolished for the Harrison Bridge, the Thieme family’s spirit bubbled to the surface again. Today, Brian and David Thieme-fifth and sixth-generation brewers-serve up traditional German-American lagers in a cozy spot at 652 Main Street, right from the basement, just like their ancestors did. And, thanks to a dusty old brewing journal discovered in 2017 through a chance connection on Ancestry, David even revived their famous Bock Beer recipe. So as you stand here, imagine the clinking glasses, echoing laughter, and the return of a family’s proud legacy-one pint at a time. Cheers, history lovers!
