Apex Brewing Company, Inc.
(1934-1938)
and
Rheinlander
Brewery, Inc.
(1938-1939)
In April of 1933, Alvin Hemrich
established the Hemrich & Western Brewing Companies - referred to as
plants No. 1 & 2. Then on 14 March of 1934, Alvin established a new corporation
with $40,000 in capital stock. Two months later, he completed the sale of the
Western Brewing Co. (plant No. 2) to Rudolph Samet, along with the rights to the
Hemrich brand. The Western plant, at 5225 E. Marginal Way, became the new
Hemrich Brewing Co. and continued in operation until 1940.
North end of Apex Brewery,
ca.1934 (Sick's Century Brewery can be seen at upper-right)
He then made capital improvements to plant No. 1, and in May of '34, resumed
business as the Apex Brewing Company, Inc. Apex was the last Washington brewery
to be issued a U-Permit number, WASH-U-1218. Plant No. 1 was just north of, and
adjacent to, Sick's
Century Brewery (previously the Bay View Brewery)
and can be partially seen at the right in the Apex Brewery photo.
Alvin was president, and his father-in-law's brother, William Rutschow, was vice
president, and Edgar Maclay Steel acted as secretery-treasurer. By this time his youngest son, Walter, had earned the position of
superintendent. Unfortunately, this arrangement was about to change. Suffering a
fall on icy pavement, Alvin Hemrich died from a blood clot on the 25th of
February, 1935, and the following August, the brewery's vice-president, Wm. Rutschow,
aged 56, died after a
short illness.
After a company restructioning, E. M. Steel became the new president, with Walter Hemrich
assuming the position of vice president. Alvin's old partner in
Hemrichs, Inc.,
Isadore Luxenburg, took over as secretary, with Ray Johnson as treasurer, and
William Weiss continuing as brewmaster.
Corporate records, dated December 24, 1935, show an increase in capital to
$186,380 -
yet the business continued to struggled. At some point the National Grocery Co.
of Seattle became an investor, as a 1937 credit report showed them to own one-third
of the brewery.
After a fatal heart attack took Walter's brother, Elmer E.
Hemrich, in early '37, Walter left Apex to assist his widowed
sister-in-law in the running of
Gold Seal Breweries, Inc. and Hemrich Wineries
Corp. of Tacoma.
With the Hemrichs now completely
out of the picture, the Sick organization chose to acquire the business, plant,
and fixed assets of the brewery. On January 30, 1938, it was announced the company
was sold, and in the following month the brewery ceased operation. On the 4th of June,
1938, the board of directors
filed to dissolve the Apex Brewing Company.
Apex Breweriana
convex glass lens.....author's
collection
Apex Beer
label ca.1934 |
Apex Ale
label ca.1934 |
|
|
Apex Draft Beer label, ca.1935 22 oz.
pre-prohibition size |
cone-top can & bottle cap |
Apex half-gallon
Draught Beer label ca.1934
|
Apex Ale Label ca.1936
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