Description

Aum a name in Oberschwaben is as closely associated with beer brewing as the name "Härle". Why is that? Let us briefly tell the story: there was once a farm in Kirchdorf an der Iller. Thirteen children were born and raised there in the mid-nineteenth century. Not uncommon for this time. It was very unusual, however, that four brothers from this Kirchdorf peasant family learned the trade of brewer and maltster - in a small brewery in Oberdischingen near Ulm. Heinrich, the oldest of the fours, took over the Gräflich-Königsegg'sche brewery in Aulendorf shortly after his training. With great entrepreneurial skill, he brought this brewery to bloom around the turn of the century and, among other things, created the "Teutsch Pilsener" brand, which was then sold by Count Königsegg to the Allgäu brewhouse in the 1930s. His younger brother Fridolin bought a small brewery in Königseggwald near Ostrach. Excellent beers are still brewed there today - but no longer under the direction of the Härle family, as the brewery was converted into a stock corporation 15 years ago. The third in the group - Reinhart Härle - was drawn to the Rhine in Waldshut. He ran the renowned Waldschloß brewery there until the mid-1920s. An old picture from these days - it hangs in our brewery inn zum Mohren in Leutkirch - shows the wonderful property of this brewery high above the banks of the Rhine. Finally, Clemens Härle, the fourth of the Kirchdorfer Brauer brothers, laid the foundation stone for the Härle brewing tradition in Leutkirch. First he had leased the small castle brewery in Bad Wurzach. When it burned down in 1895, he bought the property of the Mohren brewery in Leutkirch. In addition to the brewery - where our office is located today - an agricultural area, several properties and the brewery inn belonged to the entire property. Immediately after the purchase, Clemens Härle made a far-sighted decision: since the old brewery was too small and technically outdated, he built a completely new brewery on the green meadow. In a record time of just eight months, he erected the stately, three-story brick building in which we still brew our beers today. The first brew was cooked on February 16, 1897. And two days and one night was celebrated in the "Mohren" when the first Leutkircher Härle beer was served. Nothing expresses our beliefs and our core values better than this magnificent building: Living in tradition and carefully cultivating the tried and tested. Plan with foresight and do new things with enthusiasm. We have been guided by these convictions for generations: the brothers Carl, Otto and Hugo Härle, who followed in the 1920s in the footsteps of the brewery founder and successfully continued the business. The brothers Karl-Clemens and Hermann Härle, who headed the brewery for almost forty years. And now - in the fourth generation - the great-grandson of the founder, Gottfried Härle, who has been running the company with great joy and enthusiasm since the end of the eighties and leading into the future together with Esther Straub. All four generations have played their part in the successful development of our brewery. Through their courage, their energy, their personal - and last but not least, their financial commitment, all four generations have contributed to making our family business one of the most successful breweries in Upper Swabia and the Allgäu. Today, around 42,000 hectoliters of beer and organic soft drinks are brewed in our brewery. There are a total of 15 different types of beer, two mixed beer beverages and four types of "SeeZüngle". The beer output of the Clemens Härle brewery has increased by around 20% since 2000. For comparison: In the same period, the sales of all breweries in Germany decreased by approx. 10%, in Baden-Württemberg by more than 15%. Today, 35 employees work in the Clemens Härle brewery. These include two trainees in the brewer and malt profession and one trainee as an office clerk.