Beck's Brewery
Beck's logo derives from the coat of arms of Bremen.
Beck's Brewery, officially called Brauerei Beck & Co., operates in Bremen, a city in northern Germany. The business began on 27 June 1873, when Heinrich Beck, Lüder Rutenberg, and Thomas May jointly founded the Kaiser-Brauerei Beck & May o.H.G. in Bremen's Neustadt district. The company's logo comes from Bremen's coat of arms, which shows a silver key on a red shield—the key represents Saint Peter, the patron of Bremen Cathedral. Beck's used the city's actual coat of arms as its logo from 1877 until 1884, when it switched to a modified version with the key slanted the opposite way, because the city objected to the unmodified use of its arms, no longer wanting to be linked to alcohol production. In 2001, Interbrew bought the brewery for 1.8 billion euros; at the time, Beck's was Germany's fourth-largest brewer. Since early 2012, Beck's has been manufactured in the United States in St. Louis, Missouri. The brewery has been owned since 2008 by Interbrew, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV. Beck's also sponsors the Bundesliga club Werder Bremen through its beer brand Haake-Beck, and it sponsored the Jaguar Formula 1 team until 2004.
Quick Facts
- Location City
- Bremen
- Location Country
- Germany
- Key People
- Lüder Rutenberg
- Production
- 2.56 e6hl in 2015
- Owner
- AB InBev
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The brewery's origins trace to 27 June 1873, when Heinrich Beck co-founded the Kaiser-Brauerei Beck & May o.H.G. in Bremen's Neustadt district with Lüder Rutenberg and Thomas May. In 2001, Interbrew bought Brauerei Beck for 1.8 billion euros; at that time it was the fourth-largest brewer in Germany. Since 2008, it has been owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV subsidiary Interbrew. US manufacture of Beck's has been based in St. Louis, Missouri, since early 2012.
The Beck's logo is derived from the coat of arms of Bremen, which contains a silver key on a red shield. The key is the attribute of Saint Peter, patron saint of the Bremen Cathedral. Beck's used Bremen's coat of arms as its logo from 1877 until 1884, when it adopted its own version using a modified key slanted in the opposite direction. The city had objected to the unmodified use of its coat of arms, as it no longer wanted to be connected with the production of alcohol.
The brewery sponsored Jaguar in Formula 1 until 2004. The Beck's Brewery beer Haake-Beck sponsors Bundesliga club Werder Bremen.
Reader's Guide
Beck's Brewery represents a significant chapter in German brewing history, having been founded in Bremen in 1873 and growing to become the fourth-largest brewer in Germany by the time of its acquisition in 2001. Its logo, adapted from the city's coat of arms after the city objected to the unmodified use of its heraldic symbol, reflects a long-standing relationship with Bremen that was complicated by the city's desire to distance itself from alcohol production. The brewery's international reach expanded through ownership by Interbrew and later Anheuser-Busch InBev, and its US production shifted to St. Louis in 2012. Beck's sponsorship of Jaguar in Formula 1 until 2004 and the continued sponsorship of Werder Bremen by its Haake-Beck brand illustrate its involvement in sports marketing. The brewery's historical recognition includes a top prize won at Heinrich Brugsch's 1876 trip to the city of Philadelphia, and a vintage advertisement from 1921 attests to its long-standing commercial presence.
Did You Know?
- Beck's was founded on 27 June 1873 as Kaiser-Brauerei Beck & May o.H.G.
- The brewery's logo is a modified version of Bremen's coat of arms, adopted after the city objected to the unmodified use.
More in Beer Brands, Part 6 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced