Rainier Brewing Company

Rainier Brewing Company

Industry	Brewing
Founded	1878 in Seattle, WA
Founder	Andrew Hemrich
Defunct	1999
Headquarters	Seattle, Washington
Key people	Andrew Hemrich Emil Sick
Products	Beer
Owner	Pabst Brewing Company
Website	www.rainierbeer.com

The Rainier Brewing Company is an American owned beer brand, originally established in Seattle, Washington. Rainier Beer remains a popular brand in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Although Rainier was founded in 1884, the Seattle site had been brewing beer since 1878. The beer is not currently brewed in Seattle, nor is the company owned locally, but remains American owned with a Seattle-based sales and marketing team. After a series of ownership transfers starting in the 1970s, the company was sold to Stroh's and then to Pabst Brewing Company by the late 1990s. The brewery was closed by Pabst in 1999 and sold, while Rainier beer continues to be sold by Pabst.

The brewery itself is a well-known fixture in the south end of town, adjacent to I-5 just north of the Spokane Street Viaduct. The plant was home to the Tully's Coffee headquarters, Bartholomew Winery, Red Soul Motorcycle Fabrications, as well as artist lofts, band practice spaces, and a recording studio. The trademark red neon "R" that sat atop the building was replaced with a green "T" built by local Seattle sign company Western Neon, when Tully's was using the plant to roast coffee. The neon "R" is now on display at Seattle's Museum of History and Industry which was also refurbished by Western Neon. The green "T" was removed on September 30, 2013 by Tully's, and a red neon replica "R", built by Western Neon, returned to the top of the brewery on October 24, 2013.^[1] The Rainier brand is currently owned and operated by Pabst Brewing Company. In Canada, it is owned, brewed, and distributed by Sleeman Breweries as Rainier Lager.