Köpenicker Bürgerbräu

“A single Euro?” you might ask. Yes, according to rumors, a single Euro was the selling price of the K\u00f6penicker B\u00fcrgerbr\u00e4u in 1992. This brewery, formerly the Berliner B\u00fcrgerbr\u00e4u, has a rich history that stretches back to 1753. K\u00f6penicker B\u00fcrgerbr\u00e4u wasn’t always known by this name. It began with the granting of “Krugrechte” by King Friedrich II. In 1869, Hermann Schaefer acquired the land and brewing rights, marking the official birth of the brewery. It quickly grew, producing 10,000 hectoliters of beer by 1888, then known as Brauerei M\u00fcggelschl\u00f6\u00dfchen. Transporting this quantity of beer posed a challenge. Horse-drawn carriages were insufficient, so steamships on the Spree became the preferred method. By 1910, production reached 100,000 hectoliters. After a devastating fire in 1926, the K\u00f6penicker B\u00fcrgerbr\u00e4u was rebuilt. Production soared to 300,000 hectoliters by 1929. Unfortunately, a dark chapter followed. During the Nazi regime, the brewery, like many others, used forced labor. After the war, it became the VEB Berliner B\u00fcrgerbr\u00e4u, a major supplier of beer in East Germany. Following reunification, K\u00f6penicker B\u00fcrgerbr\u00e4u was privatized in 1990, becoming the Berliner B\u00fcrgerbr\u00e4u GmbH. It was then that the H\u00e4ring family, owners of the Hofmark brewery, acquired it for the rumored price of a single Euro. Despite exporting beer as far as Japan and brewing the KaDeWe Premium Pilsner, the K\u00f6penicker B\u00fcrgerbr\u00e4u closed its doors in 2010. The trademark was sold to the Radeberger Group. Today, the K\u00f6penicker B\u00fcrgerbr\u00e4u stands silent, a monument to Berlin’s brewing history, awaiting its next chapter.