Archive record · Brewery
Namibia Breweries
Windhoek, Namibia
- Founded
- 1920
- Archive ID
- TB-8WEB50H9
- Last checked
- 2026-08-05
Who owns this brewery?
The direct owner is recorded. No company is held above it.
- Namibia BreweriesThis brewery
- Heineken N.V.Conglomerate
From the record
Summary
Founded during German colonial rule and still brewing strictly to the Reinheitsgebot — malt, hops, water and yeast only — which is unusual outside Germany.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
A German colonial legacy that stuck: Windhoek is still brewed to the Reinheitsgebot, which almost nobody outside Germany bothers with.
The Museum
Timeline
- 2023Acquired via Distell
Comes to Heineken in 2023 on completion of the Distell transaction, which reorganised much of southern African drinks under Heineken Beverages.
The Beer Library
Beers
Windhoek Lager
Year-RoundPale Lager
A leftover of German colonial Southwest Africa: still brewed to the 1516 Reinheitsgebot purity law, a century after the Germans left.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1920Founded
- 2023Acquired via Distell
Comes to Heineken in 2023 on completion of the Distell transaction, which reorganised much of southern African drinks under Heineken Beverages.
Today the chain tops out at Heineken N.V..
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Namibia Breweries is controlled by Founder / family.
Heineken Holding N.V. Annual Report 2025 · Heineken Holding N.V. · 2026-04
PrimaryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-05Claim last checked 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Namibia Breweries
- Who owns Namibia Breweries?
- Namibia Breweries is owned by Heineken N.V.. Namibia Breweries is based in Windhoek, Namibia.
- Is Namibia Breweries still independent?
- No. Namibia Breweries is owned by Heineken N.V. and is no longer independent.
- When was Namibia Breweries acquired?
- 2023. Comes to Heineken in 2023 on completion of the Distell transaction, which reorganised much of southern African drinks under Heineken Beverages.
- When was Namibia Breweries founded?
- Namibia Breweries was founded in 1920 in Windhoek, Namibia.
Drinking Namibia Breweries? Stamp it in your passport.
Discover it here — collect it in the Passport. Track every beer, earn stamps, and build your own beer passport.
Every brewery deserves its full story told.
If you're the owner or team behind Namibia Breweries, we'll build out your complete profile — history, the people, every beer — and feature you in a Tally's documentary. No cost, just your story.
No payment affects this record — editorial policy