The Dortmunder Union Brewery (DUB) was established in 1873, the first brewmaster was Fritz Brinkhoff (1848-1927), who worked 50 years for the brewery. In 1887, a failed brew was delivered to a customer in Aachen which was a huge success. The Dortmunder Export was born.
In 1994, the Union Brewery took over the Dortmund Ritter Brewery, established in 1889, and renamed itself the Dortmund Union Ritter Brewery. Production was relocated from the city center to the previous production facility of the Ritter brewery on the outskirts in Lütgendortmund. In 2002 the Union-Ritter-Brauerei was renamed the Brinkhoff Brewery, and in 2006 production was relocated to the Dortmunder Actien-Brauerei.
