Kulmbacher Brewery

The Kulmbach Brewery Corporation (German: Kulmbacher Brauerei AG) was founded in 1895 under the name Reichelbräu in Kulmbach, a city in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany.

History
The success of the brewery started with the export of Kulmbach beer to Central, East and North Germany.

Since 1980 the Kulmbach Brewery Corporation has been noticed for its steady expansions. In 1980 and 1984 the company merged with the companies Sandlerbräu and Mönchshof-Bräu GmbH and two more brands of beer was added to the product line.



In 1986, the Schörghuber Unternehmungsgruppe took over 49,9% of the share capital. The expansions continued in the 1990s with the take-overs of the companies Sternquell Brauerei, Plauen, the Braustolz Brauerei in Chemnitz, Eku as well as a majority of the stock in the Bad Brambacher mineral spring. Since 1996 the brands EKU, Reichel, Sandler and Mönchshof are under the roof of the Kulmbach Brewery Corporation. In 2002, the beverage production exceeded three million hektolitres.

Statistics
(As of 30 June 2005)


 * Employees: 1074
 * Production: 1.730.000 hl
 * Revenue:   114.600.000 €


 * Exchange:        Munich, Frankfurt
 * Number of shares: 3.360.000


 * Share owners
 * Brau Holding International GmbH + Co. KGaA (Munich): 62,66%
 * Ireks GmbH (Kulmbach):                  26%
 * Other shareholders:                                11,4%

Beers



 * Kulmbacher Edelherb
 * Kulmbacher Gold
 * Kulmbacher Eisbock
 * Kulmbacher Lager
 * Kulmbacher Festbier
 * Kulmbacher Feinmild
 * Mönchshof Kellerbier
 * Mönchshof Lager
 * Mönchshof Landbier
 * Mönchshof Original
 * Mönchshof Schwarzbier
 * Mönchshof Bockbier
 * Mönchshof Weihnachtsbier
 * Mönchshof Museumsbier
 * Mönchshof Festbier
 * EKU Pils
 * EKU Hell
 * EKU Export
 * EKU Festbier
 * EKU 28 (Starkbier)
 * Kapuziner Weißbier
 * Kapuziner Winterweizen

Trivia

 * The Kulmbach Brewery Corporation is the only German brewery that displays a coat of arms of a city in its trademarks. This was approved by the Kulmbach city council in 1926. Six years later the first Kulmbacher Edelherb was introduced to the German market, where it has been ever since.
 * Since the 2006–07 season, Kulmbacher is the official beer of 1. FC Nürnberg.
 * The company arranges a Kulmbach Beer Week (Kulmbacher Bierwoche) in collaboration with the city of Kulmbach that has more than 100.000 visitors every year. The first beer week was in 1939, arranged not by the brewery but by the Kulmbach chamber of commerce.