Bitburger brewery

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Bitburger logo with advertising slogan "Please a bit".

The Bitburger brewery (formerly Simonbräu ) is an in Bitburg ( Südeifel resident) brewery , which for Bitburger belongs. The company was founded in 1817 by Johann Peter Wallenborn and is a family-run private company. Bitburger is one of the most famous breweries and beer brands in Germany.

history

The early days of the brewery (1817–1883)

In 1817, the trained master brewer Johann Peter Wallenborn built a brewery. After his death in 1839, his widow Anna Katharina took over the brewery. When her daughter Elisabeth married Ludwig Bertrand Simon in 1842 , he took over the management of the brewery and founded the brewery bar "Zum Simonbräu" in the parent company.

Theobald Simon , son of Ludwig Bertrand Simon, started his mail order business for the first time in 1876 , so customers no longer had to pick up their beer. From then on, the draft beer was delivered to the inns in the area by horse and cart. In 1877, the brewery's annual output was more than 1,000 hectoliters for the first time. In 1879 the "Kunstkellerei" was completed, in which the beer could be cooled with natural ice all year round. The sales area expanded with the first railway line in the region, which was opened between Trier and Cologne. Since it was possible to brew bottom-fermented beer at that time, the production of top-fermented beer was discontinued because it had a poor transport shelf life. In 1880 Bitburger beer was also bottled for the first time and sealed with corks. These smaller bottles opened up new sales channels for the company. Distribution was handed over to numerous independent agents - today's beverage wholesalers. In 1893 the world exhibition took place in Chicago , at which Bitburger was also represented. The brewery first produced a beer based on the Pilsen brewing style in 1883 .

Development in pre- and post-war periods (1884–1949)

A Bitburger beer warehouse near the train station (Cologne 1938).

In 1907 Theobald Simon's sons Josef and Bertrand became partners in the brewery. Two years later, the first deep well on the site of the Bitburger brewery was put into operation - since then, the water required for brewing has been obtained from the "Triassic Basin" below the city. When the railway line between Erdorf and Bitburg opened in 1910, the brewery was able to expand its sales. The first truck was purchased in 1914.

A ruling by the Imperial Court of Justice in 1913 allowed the brewery to offer the Pils under the name "Original-Simonbräu-Deutsch-Pilsener". Pilsen breweries had sued because they saw the name Pils as a designation of origin. Due to the judgment of the Reichsgericht at the time, the term Pils was permitted as a variety denomination in Germany. It was not until 1919, after the outbreak of World War I , that the brewery was able to brew a full-fledged Pilsener according to a well-known recipe and start production again. In 1921 a brewery laboratory was set up to test the beer for quality and shelf life. Theobald Simon was granted honorary citizenship of the city of Bitburg on May 11, 1922. In order to further improve the clarification of the beer, Bertrand Simon developed the so-called "Simon-Späner" in 1928, with which the maturing beer was clarified with the help of metal shavings.

With Theobald Simon, Hanns Simon and Bert Simon, the three sons of Bertrand Simon, the fifth generation finally took over the family business in 1935. In 1938 the sales mark of 100,000 hectoliters was reached. During the Second World War , large parts of Bitburg and the brewery were destroyed, especially in 1944. In 1945, after the cooling system was repaired, the first brew of thin beer was made. Four years later, the bottles were closed with a crown cap for the first time.

The growth phase (1950–1999)

Bottling of the Bitburger brewery

At the beginning of the 1950s, the well-known 0.33 liter Steinie returnable bottle was introduced . In 2002 the Bitburger brewery group registered the term STUBBI for the bottle shape designation as a word mark. In 1951, Bitburger presented the advertising slogan “Please a bit” for the first time. In 1958 a new brewhouse was built - on the same place where Johann Peter Wallenborn founded his brewery in 1817. In the anniversary year of 1967, the annual production was over 400,000 hectoliters, in 1973 it was over a million, in 2008 a total of 3.9 million hectoliters.

In 1975 management passed to the sixth generation of the family. At the end of the 1980s, the Schultheis brewery in Weißenthurm and the associated Coblenzer Closter brewery in Koblenz-Metternich were taken over . Both operations continued for some time and then gave up. Only the Kandi-Malz brand from the Schultheiss brewery has survived to this day. In 1990 our own test brewery was founded, which is still testing new systems and processes, examining raw materials and developing and testing products to this day. This experimental brewery is now known as Craftwerk Brewing. With the introduction of new varieties such as "Drive" (renamed Bitburger non-alcoholic in 2004) and "Light" in 1992, Bitburger rose to become an umbrella brand. From then on, the Bitburger brewery was Germany's most popular draft beer brand.

Restructuring and anniversary (2000-present)

In May 2005, with the introduction of the “Bit Sun” product, the “Bit” umbrella brand was added to the brand portfolio and a cyclist was also introduced. In 2006 the range was expanded again with “Bit Passion”, followed in 2007 by “Bit Copa”, a mixed beer drink with the taste of lime and cachaça . The malt soft drink "Kandi Malz" is also produced. In 2010, other mixed beer beverages followed with “Bitburger Cola” and “Bitburger Radler”. Both are the only (as of 2017) mixed drinks that remained in the range. Three years later there was the second new edition of the alcohol-free line as well as two other alcohol-free products. The alcohol-free product range was further expanded with the introduction of “Bitburger Fassbrause ”.

2017 was the company's 200th anniversary. The limited anniversary beer "Bitburger 1817" was sold on this occasion.

The brewery is in Bitburg at the locations Bitburg-Nord (former brewery, today administration) and Bitburg-Süd (brewery) with a total of around 232,000 m², as well as five own wells with a depth of up to 300 meters and a total capacity of up to 800 m³ active per hour. Overall, the brewery has a total output of around four million hectoliters of beer. There are around 900 agencies in Germany and abroad. Bitburger is now distributed in 60 countries and sold in around 50,000 restaurants. The main export regions are Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada and the USA.

Products

Current brewery products

  • Bitburger Premium Pils
  • Bitburger Pils gluten-free
  • Bitburger Premium Cellar Beer
  • Bitburger Light
  • Bitburger Radler naturally cloudy
  • Bitburger cyclists
  • Bitburger Cola
  • Bitburger 0.0% alcohol-free pils
  • Bitburger 0.0% grapefruit alcohol-free
  • Bitburger 0.0% shandy alcohol-free
  • Bitburger Fassbrause rhubarb
  • Bitburger Fassbrause Waldmeister
Beer output from the Bitburger brewery in St.
1998
  
 3,950,000
2006
  
 4,160,000
2009
  
 3,850,000
2011
  
 4,030,000
2013
  
 3,680,000
2015
  
 3,840,000
2016
  
 3,810,000
2017
  
 3,700,000

Previous products

  • Munich goat
  • Light and dark Simonbräu
  • Original Simonbräu German Pilsener
  • Fizzy lemonade
  • Strong beer "Schwarzer Hahn"
  • "Special export"
  • Alcohol-free malt beer "Bio-Bit"
  • Light strong beer "Beda-Bock"
  • Bitburger Fassbrause lemon

Marketing and sponsorship

The Bitburger brewery (or the brewery group ) actively invests in advertising. In 2017, according to Statista, 89 percent of a randomly selected group of respondents knew the Bitburger beer brand.

In 1927 the Bitburger brewery was an advertising partner for the opening of the Nürburgring . The modernized Grand Prix course was opened in 1984 - one section of the track was named "Bit Curve".

From 1991 Bitburger became a series sponsor of the German Tour Car Championship and supported Formula 3 . In 1994 Bitburger became an advertising partner of the Formula 1 team Benetton-Renault .

The brewery is still present in motorsport and has been an official partner of the Nürburgring since 2014 and partner of the Hockenheimring , the German Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit, since 2015. The Bitburger brewery is also anchored in regional sports and supports several local clubs and sporting events .

The brewery is currently a sponsor of football clubs such as Bayer 04 Leverkusen , 1. FC Cologne , 1. FSV Mainz 05 and TSG Hoffenheim . From 1992 to 2018 the brewery was also the official partner of the German national soccer team .

Social Commitment

Dr. Hanns Simon Foundation

A foundation was established in 1968 on the occasion of Hanns Simon's birthday . This opened the Beda house in Bitburg in 1976. The in-house museum houses the largest existing collection by the Eifel painter Fritz von Wille , which is also supplemented by other temporary exhibitions and concerts. The House of Beda also maintains an archive, a music hall and a ballroom. In addition, the Dr. Hanns Simon Foundation is a sponsor of the Bitburg City Library.

Cultural promotion

In addition to the Trier Theater, Bitburger also supports the Moselle Music Festival , at which musicians have been performing in front of an audience on around 150 kilometers of the Moselle since 1985. The Bitburger brewery is also a partner of different bands: Sun supports Bitburger alongside German rock band Emil Bulls also annisokay , Grizzly and surfactants .

Bitburger was also a sponsoring partner for the remake of Das Boot (film) - a film project that was implemented together with Sky Deutschland .

Awards (excerpt)

  • 2015: Focus Employer Award
  • 2014: Top Brand 2014 (awarded by the Lebensmittel Zeitung )
  • 2009: Corporate Citizenship Prize (awarded by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate )
  • 1997: Award as "Environmentally Friendly Company" (awarded by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate)
  • 1987: Gold Effie in the "Food" category (awarded by the General Association of Advertising Agencies)
  • 1937: Gold Medal (as part of the World Exhibition in Paris )

literature

See also

Web links

Commons : Bitburger Brewery  - Collection of images

Bitburger website - 200 years (history of Bitburger from 1817–2017)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Uwe Hentschel: 200 years of Bitburger: From a small brewery to a world-famous brand . In: Rheinische Post (People's Friend). Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  2. ↑ Which German brewery belongs away . Wirtschaftswoche , January 25, 2012, accessed on February 11, 2019.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g Simon family In: Portal Rheinische Geschichte. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  4. ↑ Westerwälder Zeitung (ed.): The "Pils" is there thanks to Bitburger history Eifelans prevailed in the name dispute in 1913 - A look at the beginnings of the company . September 17, 2017, p. 7.
  5. ↑ Ulrike Löhnertz: Bitburger beer history: City guide Mätti embodies journeyman brewers . In: Rheinische Post (People's Friend). Retrieved February 11, 2019
  6. ^ A b Rhein-Zeitung (ed.): Castles and beer . December 21, 2018.
  7. ^ Ralf Kremer: Rail transport for Bitburger , Arbeitsgemeinschaft Eisenbahngeschichte , accessed on February 13, 2019.
  8. ↑ Getting the barrel rolling , Rheinische Post (Volksfreund) , accessed on February 12, 2019.
  9. ↑ a b 200 years of the finest brewing art from the Eifel . In: drinks exact. December 2017, pp. 20-23, accessed on February 11, 2019.
  10. ↑ a b Bitburger Brewery - Successful by tradition | City of Bitburg. Retrieved February 11
  11. ↑ Katharina; Tappe Dehnke: New German Biography, Volume 24 . 2010 (deutsche-biographie.de [accessed on February 11, 2019])
  12. ↑ Florian Kolf: Battle for the digital beverage trade , Handelsblatt , September 5, 2018, accessed on February 12, 2019.
  13. ^ Bitburger Brewery Group . In: Nightwire Magazine. January 1, 2014, accessed February 11, 2019 (American English).
  14. ↑ a b c Rob Kieffer: Beer gurgles under the asphalt . In: The time . October 22, 1998, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed February 13, 2019]).
  15. ↑ Alessandra Barabaschi, Axel Schwalm: Eifel . Gmeiner-Verlag, 2017, ISBN 978-3-8392-5242-0 ( google.de [accessed February 13, 2019]).
  16. ^ History - AG Railway History - The Nims-Sauertal Railway. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  17. ↑ HISTORY: Eifel in the First World War: flags against the revolution . In: Rheinische Post (People's Friend). Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  18. ↑ Bitburger Brewery Th. Simon | Object view. In: Culture. Landscape. Digital. Retrieved February 11, 2019
  19. ^ Theobald Simon (1847-1924) | City of Bitburg . In: City of Bitburg . Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  20. ^ From the correspondence of the brewery director R. Horch with Prof. Dr. W. Windisch (VLB) . In: Quality Content of Saxony. July 2013, accessed February 11, 2019.
  21. ↑ Simon, Bertrand / 1882–1958  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Toter Link / rpb.lbz-rlp.de  In: Rhineland-Palatinate personal database. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  22. ^ Carsten Dirx: Rhineland-Palatinate Bibliography . Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  23. ↑ Until the bitter end. The Second World War in the Bitburg-Prüm district . Ed .: District administration Bitburg-Prüm. 1978.
  24. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung : An overview of the various beer bottles . Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  25. ↑ Register number: 30172411 . Register of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA), August 21, 2013, accessed on February 11, 2019.
  26. ↑ a b "Please a bit!" - The history of the Bitburger brewery . In: Rhein-Westerwald news. July 25, 2013, accessed on February 11, 2019 (German).
  27. ↑ MARKTCHECK checks Bitburger: One bit, please? | Home | MARKET CHECK . In: Südwestrundfunk . August 9, 2012, accessed February 12, 2019.
  28. ↑ From brewing buildings to the adventure world . In: Rheinische Post (People's Friend). July 21, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  29. ↑ On the desk: Craftwerk - Craft Beer from Bitburger | fizzz . Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  30. ↑ Beer deluxe: Craftwerk . Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  31. ↑ Bitburger renames Drive alcohol-free . In: horizon . March 25, 2004, accessed February 12, 2019
  32. ↑ Bitburger Premium Pils . In: Beer spot. April 14, 2015, accessed on February 12, 2019 (German).
  33. ↑ Despite the decline in sales, Bitburger remains the number one draft beer brand . In: General hotel and gastronomy newspaper . Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  34. ↑ Uncompromising demand for the highest quality , guest landscapes, accessed on February 13, 2019.
  35. ↑ Bitburger 1817 | fizzz . Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  36. ↑ a b c d e f g h Beer output of the Bitburger brewery aktiongutesbier.de, accessed on February 11, 2019.
  37. ↑ MICHAEL MACHATSCHKE: Beer brewers are pushing advertising budgets . July 24, 1996 ( welt.de [accessed February 13, 2019]).
  38. ↑ Development of the media split in beer advertising in Germany from 2006 to 2017 , Statista , accessed on February 12, 2019.
  39. ↑ Which of the following beer brands do you know? , Statista , accessed February 12, 2019.
  40. ↑ Peter Eichhorn: From Ale to Zwickel: the ABC of beer . Explorise Grebennikov, 2012, ISBN 978-3-941784-13-0 , pp. 49 - 53 ( google.de [accessed on February 13, 2019]).
  41. ↑ The German Formula 3 celebrates its birthday , (see photo), Hi-Tv.eu, March 19, 2016, accessed on February 12, 2019.
  42. ↑ The man who formed the brand , Rheinische Post (Volksfreund), May 17, 2015, accessed on February 12, 2019.
  43. ↑ Bitburger replaces Warsteiner at the Nürburgring , Sponsors.de, April 29, 2014, accessed on February 13, 2019.
  44. ↑ New partnership ensures enjoyable moments on the racetrack , Automobilsport.com, January 29, 2015, accessed on February 13, 2019.
  45. ↑ Harald Pechlaner: Strategic product development in location management: competitive advantages for tourism . Erich Schmidt Verlag GmbH & Co KG, 2009, ISBN 978-3-503-11256-2 ( google.de [accessed on February 13, 2019]).
  46. ↑ Marco Saal: Bitburger is leaving as DFB sponsor , Horizont , January 20, 2017, accessed on February 12, 2019.
  47. ^ Verlag Das Wunderhorn: Dr.-Hanns-Simon-Stiftung Bitburg · Verlag Das Wunderhorn . Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  48. ↑ Peter Kremer ; Fritz von Wille: Contemplation to Joy - A series of images. Introduced by a story by Peter Kremer, Wittlich 1935.
  49. ^ The municipal library of the Dr. Hanns Simon Foundation , accessed on February 11, 2019.
  50. ↑ Kulturzentrum Haus Beda , Eifel.info, accessed on February 11, 2019.
  51. ↑ Partners and Sponsors , Theater Trier , accessed on February 13, 2019.
  52. ↑ Inspired appearance, happy audience , Rheinische Post (Volksfreund), accessed on February 11, 2019.
  53. ↑ Concerts , Mosel Music Festival , accessed on February 13, 2019.
  54. ↑ Music experiences , Bitburger.de, accessed on February 11, 2019.
  55. ↑ Petra Schwegler: Sponsor for “Das Boot”: Bitburger goes to sea with Sky , Werben & Sell , October 18, 2018, accessed on February 12, 2019.
  56. ↑ Bitburger Brewery Group - Among the best three at Focus Employer Award - Brewery | about-drinks.com. In: about-drinks - Beverages - Drinks - News - Jobs . January 29, 2015, accessed on February 11, 2019 (German).
  57. ↑ Bitburger (Newsroom) . Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  58. ↑ Bitburger Brewery Group receives the Corporate Citizenship Prize of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate (with photo) / Award recognizes the company's sustainable social commitment . Retrieved February 11, 2019
  59. ^ Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate: Prize Winners . Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  60. ↑ Holger Jung, Henning von Vieregge: GWA Effie yearbook 2004: 49 most efficient campaigns of the year, awarded in the 23rd GWA Effie competition . GWA, 2004, ISBN 978-3-87150-885-1 ( google.de [accessed February 13, 2019]).

Coordinates: 49 ° 58 ′ 28.4 "  N , 6 ° 31 ′ 17.9"  E