Saku Brewery is an Estonian brewery and soft drinks company based in Saku. It was founded in 1820 by the local Baltic German landlord Graf Karl Friedrich von Rehbinder.
Beer was already known in present-day Estonia between 500–1000 CE, when it was mostly used as a sacrificial drink. By the middle of the 13th century the first breweries were established in the more populous villages. Beer was brewed at home, in abbeys and castles — it was the main drink together with small beer and milk. Soon beer became so frequently consumed that fees and penalties were added to its cost.
Beer has become the main drink for Estonian farmers since the beginning of the 16th century. Beer was always brewed for bigger holidays and family events like wedding, baptisms and funerals. All kinds of beer songs and jokes relating to it were very popular among the common people.
The history of Saku Brewery begins in early 19th century, when the owner of Saku estate at that time, Karl Friedrich von Rehbinder [et] — a nobleman of Baltic German descent — decided to build a distillery and a brewery on his land. The brewery was first documented in October 1820. It is believed that the production of beer, for the purpose of sale to pubs and taverns, began in the autumn of that year. From the end of 19th century onward, Saku has remained among the leading breweries in Estonia.