Licher private brewery

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Licher private brewery Jhring-Melchior GmbH

logo
legal form GmbH
founding 1854
Seat Lich
management Ulrich Peters, Holger Pfeiffer
Number of employees 186
Website www.licher.de

Licher private brewery
Original brewery at night

The Licher Privatbrauerei Jhring-Melchior GmbH is a brewery in Lich , Central Hesse . Licher beer is one of the most popular Hessian beers. The company is part of the Bitburger brewing group .

Foundation and company history

JH Jhring brewery

In 1854, after four years of wandering , the brewer Johann Heinrich Ihring founded the JH Jhring brewery in Lich am Hardtberg, where a well and a rock cellar were available for cooling. His father first poured the beer as the host in his “Zum golden Löwen” inn. In 1873 a steam engine with an output of six horsepower was used in the brewery instead of horses to drive the machines, which led to the name “steam beer brewery”. At the turn of the century 1899/1900, an annual output of 22,000 hectoliters was achieved. The buildings and facilities were always kept up to date with the latest technology, and the Lich-based brewery was already delivering its beer by truck for the first time in 1911.

Gambrinus Brewery

In the nearby Butzbach , Christoph Jakob Melchior supplied his "Zum golden Stern" inn with home-brewed beer for the first time in 1858. Three years later, the foundation stone for the establishment of the Gambrinus brewery was laid, which was followed a little later by the establishment of the restaurant "Zum Gambrinus" with an outdoor restaurant. In 1895, a refrigeration machine was purchased that simplified the production of bottom-fermented beer. With the modernization of the systems, the brewery's output grew to 27,000 hectoliters at the turn of the century. When the company's founder died in 1896, the Gambrinus brewery CJ Melchior was taken over by his sons Hermann Melchior and the trained brewer Christoph Melchior. The Gambrinus brewery also followed technical progress: Since 1890 the operators have been able to speak to their customers using the first telephone line; Electric light was installed throughout the house three years later.

Merger to form the Jhring-Melchior KG brewery

The breweries, which are almost 18 km apart, were among the most popular breweries in the vicinity at the turn of the century. In the years that followed, both of them systematically expanded their sales areas and took over operations such as the GiessenerUnion brewery. When the First World War broke out in 1914, this represented a turning point for both companies: a lack of raw materials and employees limited development, even into the post-war period. From 1922 onwards, Christoph Melchior and Heinrich Ihring held initial discussions about the collaboration between the family businesses that had been linked by marriage since 1919, until the Jhring-Melchior KG brewery based in Lich was founded on February 17, 1923 (retroactive to October 1, 1922) .

The brewery's production - a total of around 60,000 hectoliters annually - was relocated to Lich, while the malthouse and a beer warehouse remained at the Butzbach location. The production grew continuously; Due to the inflation, the company was able to report the largest net profit in the company's history to date with 1,626,239,640,632.00 (1.6 trillion) marks. In the same year, Heinrich Ihring's son Hans Ihring became a managing partner. The inauguration of a second ice generator in 1925/26 increased production capacity to 25 tons of artificial ice per day and made the brewery independent of natural ice. In 1929 it employed 100 people and maintained 15 beer defeats within a 60 km radius of Lich.

World economic crisis, post-war period, development from 1945

The Great Depression of the 1930s slowed growth considerably, after which sales fell to 44,000 hectoliters in 1931. Nevertheless, in 1938 the hourly output of the 150-employee company was increased to 1200 bottles thanks to a new bottle washing and filling system. The beer output increased in the same year to 80,000 hectoliters, in 1940/41 already to 101,000 hectoliters.

During the Second World War, the brewery facilities remained undamaged, but the private brewery in Lich also suffered from the shortage caused by the war. After the end of the war, the company was confiscated and, as one of twelve "Army Breweries" in the US zone, was commissioned to supply the American occupation troops stationed in Hesse with beer. From 1948 the brewery was allowed to supply its previous customers again and in 1950 brought the double export with 14 percent original wort onto the market for the first time.

Hans Ihring and the lawyer and businessman Otto-Karl de Groote, who was married to his cousin Gertrud Melchior , fundamentally renewed the equipment of the brewery in the 1950s. For the 100th anniversary in 1954, the brewery took over market leadership in the state of Hesse for the first time with an output of 127,140 hectoliters, which the brewery now supplied nationwide. Since then, the facility, which is still located on Licher Hardtberg, has been expanded step by step and beer output has increased continuously.

Company today

Plant part with beer crates

In 1999 the Holsten Brewery initially took over some shares and later the majority in the brewery. In 2004 the Licher private brewery celebrated its 150th anniversary. In the same year it was sold to the Bitburger brewery group together with the König brewery in Duisburg. The Licher private brewery looks after more than 5,500 licensed restaurants in Hesse and around 6,780 throughout Germany. The systems work according to the principle of circular economy and were awarded the honorary plaque of the Hessian Ministry of the Environment in 1982. The company is certified according to FSSC 22000 (food safety standard) and ISO 50001 (energy management). It also meets the ZNUFood sustainability standard.

Licher has its own, fully biological sewage treatment plant. The malt is obtained from several contract malting houses, the beer matures in 37 fermentation tanks that can be seen from afar, electronically controlled. Two filling lines have been running at the same time since September 2006, and the filling line that went into operation in September 2006 can fill 55,000 bottles per hour. In January 2010 the new bottle washing machine was officially put into operation. With 186 employees (including 10 trainees; as of February 2018), the brewery in Lich is one of the largest employers in the region.

Brand history

The slogan "From the heart of Hesse", used since the 1960s, became "Licher beer" in 1970. Transformed from the heart of nature ”. Today the claim is only “From the heart of nature”, which is intended to underline the brand's relationship to nature. In addition to the Licher green, the kingfisher has been used in brand communication since the 1990s. It symbolizes the brand values ​​of purity, freshness and naturalness and was used for the first TV appearance in 1995. In 1993, Licher received the bronze Effie from the General Association of Communication Agencies (GWA), one of the most important prizes in the industry for its advertising campaigns. The "Hessen girl", originally a graphic combination of the founder's initials J and M , has been depicted on the label of every Pils beer bottle since the 1920s together with the Lich Castle until the end of 2012. On November 1, 2012, the word and figurative mark was redesigned and the kingfisher used as a “brand ambassador”.

Licher is committed to the preservation and reconstruction of the local flora and fauna and is a partner of the Hessian Nature Conservation Center (NZH) and the Hessian Society for Ornithology and Nature Conservation (HGON). Licher is also involved in various leisure and national parks, such as the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park. Licher also sponsors various cultural events and festivals in the region, such as B. Licher Wiesnfeste, the "Cultural Summer Gießen" and many other Hessian events.

Products

Magirus truck, built in 1927, as a historic advertising vehicle

The brewery has not published any absolute figures on beverage output since 2007; percentage figures are cited for Hesse for 2011: according to Nielsen's "Beer Market in Hesse", the market leadership in sales of beer and mixed beer beverages has been expanded: the market share is 10.4 (2009) has grown over 11.4 (2010) to 11.6 percent, and the market share for pure Pilsner beer is 11.8 percent. In 2006 Licher produced 780,000 hectoliters of beer (2005: 775,000). It uses brewing water from its own deep wells and yeast from its own pure breeding.

The following products are currently sold by Licher (as of April 2019):

  • Licher Pilsner: Beer according to the Pilsner brewing style with 4.9% alcohol content and 11.5% original wort.
  • Licher export: Alcohol content: 5.4%; Original gravity: 12.4%.
  • Licher 1854 cellar beer: Naturally cloudy cellar beer, brewed according to the recipe from 1854. Alcohol content: 5.0%, original wort: 11.8%.
  • Licher Isotonic Alcohol-free Pilsner: Alcohol content: <0.5%, original wort: 11.5%.
  • Licher isotonic alcohol-free grapefruit: mixed beer drink; Alcohol content: <0.1%, original wort: 6.7%.
  • Licher wheat: alcohol content: 5.4%, original wort: 12.3%.
  • Licher wheat alcohol-free: alcohol content: 0.4%, original wort: 7.2%.
  • Licher Leicht: a low-alcohol and calorie-reduced version of Pils. Alcohol content: 2.8%, original wort: 7.1%.
  • Licher Radler: Mixed beer drink made from 50% lemonade and 50% Licher Pilsner. Alcohol content: 2.5%; Original gravity: 9.7%.
  • Licher x2: mixed beer drink made from 60% caffeinated lemonade with a cola flavor and 40% Licher Pilsner. Alcohol content: 2.2%, original wort: 10.7%.
  • Licher Natur Radler: The lemonade is made from natural lemon juice. Alcohol content: 2.5%; Original gravity: 10.8%.
  • Licher Natur Radler alcohol-free: The lemonade is made from natural lemon juice. Alcohol content: <0.5%; Original gravity: 9.4%.
  • Hessenquell Landbier: traditional brand. Alcohol content: 5%.

particularities

Until the end of 2016, Licher had its own horse stable on its premises. The brewery horses were u. a. used as a six-person train for removals in Hessen and at the Hessentag . Due to the decline in pageants, the brewery decided to close the stable and give its eight Rhenish-German cold-blooded horses to horse owners in Central Hesse.

Every year since 1995, Licher has advertised the “Man and Nature” photo competition for professional and amateur photographers. It is supposed to visualize the current relationship between humans and nature. Four winning pictures, one audience favorite and 45 other motifs will be awarded. The traveling exhibition for the Licher Photo Prize goes on the "Hessen Tour" every year and a. shown in Hessenpark, in Gießen and on the Hoherodskopf.

The Licher private brewery is also a partner of two balloon teams in Pohlheim and Wetzlar.

In a cooking tournament with regional menu ingredients, Hessian professional chefs fought every year until 2010 for the “Eisvogel-Pokal” donated by Licher from the Hessen à la carte catering cooperation .

A parody of the Licher commercial with the fictitious product name “Dicht” was created for the Sat.1 weekly show.

Sports sponsorship

The brewery is a sponsor of the following teams in Hesse's top sport:

literature

Web links

Commons : Licher Privatbrauerei  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Official website
  • Yvonne Menne: Made in Hessen: Die Licher Geschichte - Bier aus der Wetterau , 2011, In: hr fernsehen , broadcast on February 7, 2012, 9:00 p.m. (with video), accessed on February 14, 2012 ( depublished )

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ »Licher« will develop in 2008 »with the market« . In: Gießener Allgemeine Zeitung . October 17, 2008, p. 37 .
  2. ↑ a b Licher brewery expands market leadership in Hessen . In: Gießener Allgemeine Zeitung . March 3, 2012 ( online ).
  3. ↑ Sustainability with letter and seal. Retrieved March 2, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Licher Chronicles .
  5. ↑ Licher beer brand in a new design. In: Design Diary. February 20, 2013, accessed December 4, 2014 .
  6. ↑ Licher: Article on the subject of the "Human and Nature" photo prize in the newsroom
  7. ^ Cooking competition "Hessian regional cuisine": Eisvogelpokal 2010. (No longer available online.) DEHOGA Hessen eV, archived from the original on December 7, 2015 ; Retrieved March 13, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / dehoga-hessen.de
  8. ^ Licher private brewery Jhring-Melchior: From the region, for the region: Licher Sport . In: licher.de, accessed on April 5, 2018


Coordinates: 50 ° 30 '53.93 "  N , 8 ° 49' 4.91"  O