Sternburg is a brand of German beer, brewed and bottled by Radeberger. It has 9.5% of the market share.

History

The history of Sternburg goes back to 1278 in the brewery of Rittergut, which lies between Elster and Mühlteich. Rittergut was purchased by Wilhelm von Mechfritz in 1405, and then in 1822 it fell under the ownership of Maximillian Speck, who bought the property as grazing grounds for his sheep. When Speck entered the gentry he asked to add the name of "Sternburg" to his title. However, he was not allowed to sell the beer at its current location in Leipzig and so he moved production to the cellar of a castle in Leipzig, and in April 1823 he received a permit from the Leipzig city council. From that point onward he sold an average of 300,000 liters of beer per year.

In 1948 the ownership of the brewery was made public as was common under the government of the newly formed state of East Germany (GDR), and in 1968 it was absorbed into the state-run VEB drink management organization in Leipzig. After re-unification in 1990, it once again became an independent venture, "Sternburg Brauerei GmbH," in cooperation with the "Stuttgarter Hofbräu." Demand for exportation fell to 600,000 liters per year, and so Sachsenbräu AG bought the business and closed the brewery at Lützschena, continuing production instead at the Reudnitzer Brewery.

In 1992 the brands "Sternburg Export" and "Sternburg Pilsner" became discount brands. In 1997 "Sternburg Schwarzbier" and "Sternburg Export" received the seal of approval from the quality-management bureau "CMA-Gütesiegel," and one year later "Sternburg Pilsner" also received this designation, followed by "Sternburg Schwarzbier" in 1999. In 2002 Sternburg Export was 48% of Germany's beer exports and the variety "Sternburg Radler" was introduced. "Sternburg Diesel" followed in 2003 and "Sternburg Doppelkaramel" in 2004. The last addition was in 2005 with the introduction of "Sternburg Hefeweizen."

Magazine

The brand Sternburg has its own fan magazine. "Sterni" is published as a PDF-document regularly online at the homepage of the brewery. Inside are stories from fans from the brand, and bands that have written songs about the beer. Interactive features play a large role; readers can express opinions about music or their favorite types of beer.

Products

Introduced	Name	Type
1992	Sternburg Export	Pilsner
1997	Sternburg Schwarzbier	Schwarzbier Schwarzbier , or "black beer", is a German dark lager beer. It has an opaque, black colour and a full, chocolatey or coffee flavour. Although they share some similar flavours they are milder tasting and less bitter than British stouts or porters, owing to the use of lager rather than ale yeast and no roasted...
2002	Sternburg Radler	Shandy Shandy Shandy, or shandygaff, is normally a beer mixed with citrus-flavored soda, carbonated lemonade, ginger beer, ginger ale, or cider. The proportions of the two ingredients are adjusted to taste, normally half-and-half. There are also non-alcoholic shandy mixes known as “rock shandies”...
2004	Sternburg Doppelkaramel	Shandy
2005	Sternburg Hefeweizen	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...
2008	Sternburg Urtyp	Bock Bock Bock is a strong lager of German origin. Several substyles exist, including maibock or helles bock, a paler, more hopped version generally made for consumption at spring festivals; doppelbock, a stronger and maltier version; and eisbock, a much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer...

Various Names of Brand in Chronological Order

• 1883: Alexander Freiherr Speck von Sternburg'sche Dampfbrauerei
• 1912: Freiherrlich von Sternburg'sche Brauerei
• 1948: Brauerei Sternburg GmbH
• 1949: VVB Venag, VEB Brauerei Sternburg
• 1952: VVB d. Brau- und Malzindustrie, VEB Brauerei Sternburg
• 1958: VEB Brauerei Sternburg Lützschena
• 1964: VEB (K) Brau- und Malzkombinat Sternburg Lützschena, Werk I
• 1969: VEB Brau- und Malzkombinat Sternburg Lützschena, Werk I
• 1990: VEB Exportbierbrauerei Sternburg im VEB Getränkekombinat Leipzig
• 1991: Sternburg Brauerei Lützschena GmbH