The "brasserie du Romain - J. Moritz" brewery

The development at Pfaffenhoffen of the restaurant-brewery "Le Romain" (The Roman), created around 1555, is at the origin of the Moritz brewery. But it was in 1824 that the brewery was founded by a certain Jacques Helmstetter and his wife, Elisabeth Strohl. The brewery was enlarged by the acquisition of other breweries among the 12 existing in Pfaffenhoffen (Aigle, Rose, Tilleul, etc ...).

Their daughter, Caroline Helmstetter, married Daniel Greiner, who learned the trade of brewer. They gave a daughter, Caroline Greiner who married Jacques Moritz who became a brewer at his turn. The latter took over the brewery which became the name "Brasserie MORITZ". In 1865, the brewery produced 1,500 hectoliters of beer and major works were undertaken at the beginning of the 20th century.

A descendant of Jacques Moritz and Caroline Greiner, also named Jacques, became the manager of the brewery from 1919 to his death in 1958. In 1922-1923, the brewery Moritz resumed, with the brewery "La Couronne" (the Crown) of Schweighouse, the clientele of the only German brewery in Alsace after 1870, the "Aktien-Brauerei Reichshoffen".

With his wife Marie Dietsch, the manager of the brewery had two sons, Charles and Pierre Moritz, who naturally became both brewers. They have formed the technical directory team of the brewery.T

In 1946, the production reached 80000 hectoliters and in 1951 the brewery became a limited company with limited liability with the trade mark "Roemer".

In 1962, the management was contacted by the "Comète-Slavia" brewery from Châlons-sur-Marne. This brewery tried to join to a brewery of Alsace, to feed its own sales network with beer in this region. The Moritz brewery was transformed into a limited company, the "Brasserie Alsacienne de Pfaffenhoffen", and its production was increased to 150000 hl.

"Comet-Slavia" was absorbed in 1970 by the "Union of Brasseries Parisiennes", which format so the "Union de Brasseries". The latter closed the "brasserie du Romain" brewery in Pfaffenhoffen in 1975, in the name of profitability.

Finally, the "Union de Brasseries" was in turn absorbed by the Dutch giant Heineken, who hade even already acquired the breweries of Colmar, La Perle, Ingwiller ...

 

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