Zwettl private brewery
| Zwettl Karl Schwarz GmbH private brewery
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| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 1708 |
| Seat | Zwettl , Austria |
| management | Karl Schwarz |
| Number of employees | 123 |
| Branch | brewery |
| Website | www.zwettler.at |
Founded in 1708, the Zwettl private brewery has been run by the Karl Schwarz family for five generations. The company in Zwettl in the Lower Austrian Waldviertel is one of the leading companies in the region and one of the most successful private breweries in Austria. In 2000, the municipality gave the Kuenringerstadt the title of Braustadt .
history
The brewery in Zwettl builds on the brewing tradition of the Cistercian monastery Zwettl , which dates back to the beginning of the 16th century. Around 1600 you can already find a few house and cooperative breweries in the region. The brewery was first mentioned in documents under "Preuer auf der Stiegen" zu Siernau in 1708.
In 1890, the Schwarz family acquired the brewery, which they now run in the fifth generation. As early as 1897, the company was one of the first in the region to be electrified and equipped with cooling machines in 1918. The recultivation of hops in the Waldviertel, which no longer existed there at that time, also goes back to the existence of the brewery.
The company ran into great difficulties in the 1930s when beer output fell below 3,000 hectoliters due to the economic situation. Survival in the structurally weak region was only possible thanks to the high technological standard. After the Second World War , production was mainly characterized by the lack of raw materials such as hops or malt . Production only increased steadily after the occupation . Karl Schwarz took over the company in the fourth generation. The bottling plant, which went into operation in 1960, had an output of 500 bottles per hour.
The Zwickl has been brewed since 1984 and the Zwettler Original since 1989 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary . This type of beer is made exclusively from raw materials from the Waldviertel. In 1990 the brewery opened the Hotel Restaurant Schwarz Alm. In 2003, the Zwettl brewery took over the Weitra beer workshop from the Pöpperl brewery family, which was also steeped in tradition and had been cooperating with them since 1999.
The private brewery Zwettl is a member of the interest groups “Die Freie Brauer” as well as the local culture brewers .
Companies
The Zwettl private brewery and the Weitra beer workshop, which is part of the group of companies, were able to build on the successes of previous years in 2019: a total of 25.8 million euros were converted, the total output was 211,800 hectoliters, of which 194,400 hectoliters were beer.
The market share for the whole of Austria is 2.2%, in Lower Austria, however, Zwettler beer is among the three and in Vienna among the five best-selling beers. Sustainable action is the focus of the brewery: the raw materials brewing water, hops and brewing barley come mainly from the region - hop growing in the Waldviertel was revived on the initiative of the brewery.
Products
The product range includes twelve types:
| Beer type | Alcohol content | Original wort |
|---|---|---|
| Zwettler original | 5.1 | 11.9 |
| Zwettler export warehouse | 5.0 | 11.8 |
| Zwettler dark | 3.4 | 11.5 |
| Zwettler Kuenringer Festbock | 6.8 | 16.2 |
| Zwettler Zwickl | 5.5 | 12.5 |
| Zwettler Radler Citrus naturally cloudy | 2.0 | 4.7 |
| Zwettler Saphir Premium Pils | 5.3 | 12.3 |
| Zwettler Pils Classic | 4.9 | 11.5 |
| Zwettler Luftikus alcohol-free | ||
| from the Weitra beer workshop: | ||
| Hadmar, organic beer * | 5.2 | 12.5 |
| Weitra- Helles * | 5.0 | 11.8 |
- * These two types of beer are brewed in the Weitra beer workshop in Weitra, also in the Waldviertel, which is part of the company.
The beer types are available in non-returnable and returnable bottles as well as in 20, 30 and 50 liter barrels. Only about one percent is filled in aluminum cans.
further activities
Guided tours lasting several hours are held under the motto The Zwettler Brewing Experience . But also twilight pints with film screenings and explanations about brewing are attended in large numbers.
Awards
- 2008 - Lower Austria's family business of the year
- 2007 - 1st and 2nd place “Best Beers in Austria” in the NEWS test 2007
- 2011 - Tourism Prize of the Province of Lower Austria
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Braustadt Zwettl on the official website of the city of Zwettl from 10/2003, accessed on January 25, 2010
- ↑ Zwettler Bier invests in expansion on ORF Lower Austria from January 20, 2010, accessed on January 25, 2010.
- ↑ Lower Austrian Tourism Prize 2011 from November 9, 2011, accessed on January 19, 2016.
Coordinates: 48 ° 36 ′ 1.1 ″ N , 15 ° 10 ′ 12.7 ″ E