Dortmunder Actien Brauerei
Encyclopedia
Dortmunder Actien Brauerei is a German
brewery
in the city of Dortmund
, founded in 1868 by the businessmen Laurenz Fischer and Heinrich and Friedrich Mauritz together with master brewer Heinrich Herberz. Originally, it was called Herberz & Co Brewery (Bierbrauerei Herberz & Co.).
Brewery). In 1879, the company started to export its beer internationally. In 1881, Carl von Linde
himself equipped the brewery with one of his refrigeration machines, allowing for a boom of bottom-fermented beer. In 1893, the brewery established a chemical and bacteriological laboratory. Although World War I
led to a crash in beer production, the brewery was equipped with its own railway connection in 1917. After the near-total destruction of Dortmund in World War II
, the brewery was rebuilt by 1949.
From 1959 to 1963, DAB switched from the old wooden to new aluminium barrels. The Hansa Brewery, a local competitor, was acquired in 1971. On its soil, DAB erected a new modern brewery, finished in 1983, at the time the largest of the Ruhr area
. However, the cost of the acquisition of Hansa was substantial, and burdened DAB for years to come. Questionable decisions by the company management in the 1990s exacerbated the situation, leading to a collapse of the company brands and the increasing production of generic brands to make use of the capacities. Even the acquisition of the brand names of another local competitor in economic difficulties, the Kronen brewery, could not save the downward trend which to this day, even though the company is the last brewery in Dortmund, has not been fully stopped.
Most prominent stock holder today is the Radeberger group of breweries, which in turn belongs to the company founded by August Oetker
, today one of the most prominent players in the German food and drink industry.
DAB produces a lager
called DAB after their initials.
Dortmunder Hansa refers to a number of beer
s from Dortmund
, Germany
, brewed by Dortmunder Hansa Brewery, a division of Dortmunder Actien Brauerei. Its popularity is due in some part to its low price. Hansa brews a variety of beers, including Pilsener
, Altbier
, Malzbier
, Kölsch
and wheat beer
. Because of its low price, Hansa Pils is often used in Radler
. The low price also led to its popularity in the punk subculture
in Germany
.
The former Hansa Brewery is in the North-Central section of Dortmund
, and today serves as the Dortmunder Actien Brauerei, which took over Dortmunder Hansa in 1971. The facility also houses the Dortmunder Brewery Museum. Before changing its name to Dortmunder Hansa, the beer was brewed in the same location, then called the Borussia Brewery.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
in the city of Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, founded in 1868 by the businessmen Laurenz Fischer and Heinrich and Friedrich Mauritz together with master brewer Heinrich Herberz. Originally, it was called Herberz & Co Brewery (Bierbrauerei Herberz & Co.).
History
Due to business steadily improving, the company expanded and went public in 1872, changing its name to "Dortmunder Actien Brauerei" (Dortmund Joint StockJoint stock company
A joint-stock company is a type of corporation or partnership involving two or more individuals that own shares of stock in the company...
Brewery). In 1879, the company started to export its beer internationally. In 1881, Carl von Linde
Carl von Linde
Professor Doctor Carl Paul Gottfried von Linde was a German engineer who developed refrigeration and gas separation technologies...
himself equipped the brewery with one of his refrigeration machines, allowing for a boom of bottom-fermented beer. In 1893, the brewery established a chemical and bacteriological laboratory. Although World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
led to a crash in beer production, the brewery was equipped with its own railway connection in 1917. After the near-total destruction of Dortmund in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the brewery was rebuilt by 1949.
From 1959 to 1963, DAB switched from the old wooden to new aluminium barrels. The Hansa Brewery, a local competitor, was acquired in 1971. On its soil, DAB erected a new modern brewery, finished in 1983, at the time the largest of the Ruhr area
Ruhr Area
The Ruhr, by German-speaking geographers and historians more accurately called Ruhr district or Ruhr region , is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million , it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany...
. However, the cost of the acquisition of Hansa was substantial, and burdened DAB for years to come. Questionable decisions by the company management in the 1990s exacerbated the situation, leading to a collapse of the company brands and the increasing production of generic brands to make use of the capacities. Even the acquisition of the brand names of another local competitor in economic difficulties, the Kronen brewery, could not save the downward trend which to this day, even though the company is the last brewery in Dortmund, has not been fully stopped.
Most prominent stock holder today is the Radeberger group of breweries, which in turn belongs to the company founded by August Oetker
August Oetker
Dr. August Oetker was born in Obernkirchen, Germany and died in Bielefeld, Germany. He invented baking powder, although Alfred Bird of England is also credited with inventing baking powder in 1843...
, today one of the most prominent players in the German food and drink industry.
DAB produces a lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
called DAB after their initials.
Dortmunder Hansa
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
s from Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, brewed by Dortmunder Hansa Brewery, a division of Dortmunder Actien Brauerei. Its popularity is due in some part to its low price. Hansa brews a variety of beers, including Pilsener
Pilsener
Pilsner is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the city of Pilsen , Bohemia, in today's Czech Republic, where it has been developed since 1842, when a bottom-fermented beer was first produced. The original Pilsner Urquell beer is produced there today.-Origin:Until the mid-1840s, most ...
, Altbier
Altbier
Altbier is a German top-fermenting beer brewed in Düsseldorf and other parts of North Rhine-Westphalia.The name Altbier, which means old beer, refers to the pre-lager brewing method of using a warm top-fermenting yeast...
, Malzbier
Malzbier
Malzbier is a form of sweet, low-alcohol beer that is brewed like normal beer but without fermentation by adding the yeast at or about 0 °C. CO2 and sugar is added later. It's a common beverage in Germany, Austria and Switzerland...
, Kölsch
Kölsch (beer)
Kölsch, also written Koelsch, is a local beer specialty brewed in Cologne, Germany. It is a clear beer with a bright straw-yellow hue, and it has a prominent, but not extreme, hoppiness. It is less bitter than the standard German pale lager. Furthermore, Kölsch is warm fermented at a temperature...
and wheat beer
Wheat beer
Wheat beer is a beer that is brewed with a large proportion of wheat. Wheat beers often also contain a significant proportion of malted barley. Wheat beers are usually top-fermented...
. Because of its low price, Hansa Pils is often used in Radler
Radler
The Radler is a Biermischgetränk with a long history in German-speaking regions. Consisting of a 50%/50% or 60%/40% mixture of various types of beer and German-style soda pop or lemonade, the invention of the Radler has been widely attributed to the Munich gastronomer Franz Xaver Kugler in 1922...
. The low price also led to its popularity in the punk subculture
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The former Hansa Brewery is in the North-Central section of Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, and today serves as the Dortmunder Actien Brauerei, which took over Dortmunder Hansa in 1971. The facility also houses the Dortmunder Brewery Museum. Before changing its name to Dortmunder Hansa, the beer was brewed in the same location, then called the Borussia Brewery.