The free brewers

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The Freie Brauer GmbH & Co. KG is an amalgamation of 39 medium-sized private breweries in Germany , Austria and Luxembourg based in Dortmund , which have set themselves the goal of preserving beer diversity and beer culture.

aims

The company sees the diversity of breweries in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands as being seriously endangered by major changes in the brewing industry. National and international brewing groups now brew two thirds of the total beer production in Germany. The Austrian beer market with 8.9 million hectoliters in 2009 is dominated by an international group with a market share of around 48 percent. The breweries involved in the cooperation offer over 350 different beers. It is one of the most important goals of the Freie Brauer that consumers know this diversity, use it and learn to enjoy the beer specialties again.

The members have been working together since 1969 in the German Brewing Cooperation , an association of self-employed and independent private breweries. Although some of the individual breweries appear as direct competitors on the beer market, they jointly pursue the preservation of the German, Austrian and Dutch beer culture. With the founding of the initiative Die Freie Brauer, the German Brewing Cooperation first appeared in public with its goals and values ​​in September 2005. All members of the association stand up for the seven values: great freedom, personal responsibility, unique diversity, highest quality, clean environment, real tradition and a true sense of home.

The company does not see itself as a competitor to already existing brewery associations in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands such as the German Brewers' Association , the Federal Association of medium-sized private breweries , the Association of Austrian Breweries or the Dutch brewery association Centraal Brouwerij Kantoor . Most of the members of the initiative are also members of the existing brewery associations. The initiative does not see its task in representing political interests. However, you want to strengthen the position of medium-sized companies. The most important target groups for the initiative are retailers and consumers .

The members fear strong competition on the German, Austrian and Dutch beer markets, where price alone is decisive. They do not see the sales volume alone in the foreground, but demand that quality and profit be paid attention to.

The aim is to strengthen the image of beer and the knowledge about beer among retailers and consumers.

Member breweries

The following breweries are members (as of July 2019) :

Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu Arcobräu Count's Brewery Ernst Barre private brewery Brasserie Bofferding Baden Brewery Darmstadt private brewery Distelhäuser Brewery Dithmarscher private brewery Eder & Heyland s brewery Erzquell Brewery

Moritz Fiege private brewery Ganter private brewery Glaabsbräu Hirt brewery Hütt brewery Carmelite Brewery Straubing Kauzen-Bräu Kirner private brewery Max Leibinger Brewery Lion Brewery Hall

Brewery Gebr. Maisel Meckatzer Löwenbräu Neumarkter Lammsbräu Pyras country brewery Brewery S. Riegele Pößneck rose brewery Weisses Bräuhaus G. Schneider & Son Schussenrieder Brewery Schwarzbräu Schweiger private brewery

Jacob Stauder private brewery Stiegl brewery in Salzburg Störtebeker brewery Weldebrew Westheim Brewery Wieninger Brewery Zillertal beer Zötler private brewery Zwettl private brewery

former members

• Flensburg Brewery (until 2017)
• Fohrenburg Brewery (until 2015)
• Private brewery Gaffel (until 2014)
• Gulpener Bierbrouwerij (until 2017)
• Herford Brewery (until 2007)
• Kitzmann-Bräu (until 2018)
• Rolinck private brewery (until 2007)

Web links

• Official website