Description
Family-owned for four generations, the brewery was founded in 1900 as "Adler Brauerei GmbH" and on September 5th, 1900, the first beer produced in Bielstein left the brewery. "Born out of necessity" - this phrase applies in the truest sense of the word to the founding of the Erzquell brewery over 100 years ago. The spinning and tearing mill of Ernst Kind and his brother-in-law Karl Kattwinkel got into economic difficulties at the end of the 19th century. Despite his 50 years of age, Ernst Kind dared to start over again. With the available reserves, he converted the factory into a brewery. Kind learned the art of brewing beer at the Bavarian brewery school in Weihenstephan. He hired his future nephew Fritz Ehrlicher as master brewer. In order to conduct spring water into the brewery, a water pipe several kilometers long had to be built first. The Wiehltalbahn, founded in 1897, was ideal for getting the necessary raw materials delivered, while the beer could be transported away at the same time. On September 5, 1900, the first beer from Adler-Brauerei GmbH left the brewery in Bielstein - as it was then called. 15,000 hectoliters of beer were brewed in the founding year, twice as much barley juice was there as early as 1913. There was a drop in sales during World War I, and Ernst Kind promptly adapted to the new situation: aluminum cutlery for the soldiers and leaf flour for the army horses were produced instead of beer. At the age of 70, Kind resigned from the company's management in 1920. Son-in-law Carl Haas, grandfather of the current company boss Axel Haas, took over the management. In 1936, the Adler brewery was converted into a limited liability company, after having taken a majority stake in the Siegtal brewery Burgmann & Wildenberg a few years earlier. But not only the corporate form, the name also changed: Because another company in Cologne operated under the name "Adler", the brewery from Oberberg was now called "Bielsteiner Brewery". After the Second World War, production started again in 1948. Werner Haas took over the management. Extensive modernization measures were undertaken under his leadership and a new brand was established with "Zunft Kölsch". The cooperation with the sister brewery in Siegtal led to the name Erzquell Brewery, which has been retained since 1979. After Dr. Axel Haas took over the management of the Siegener brewery that year, in 1983, after the death of his father, he also became a managing partner for the Erzquell Brewery Bielstein. There was a large volume of investment in the period that followed. The highlight was the new copper brewhouse, which was put into operation in 1987 with a large open house. At the beginning of the 90s, barrel and bottle filling and the logistics area were completely redesigned. The range has also been expanded. Thus, with Black, the first mixed beer drink made from Kölsch and Cola was created. This was followed by the Radler Guild and the Fassbrause Guild. For some years now, the Bergisches Landbier line has been set up in parallel. The heart of the brewery has always been the brewhouse with the copper kettles. Here, the raw materials water, barley malt and hops are brewed from Zunft Kölsch and Erzquell Pils. In huge fermentation tanks the beer develops its perfect and typical taste with the addition of yeast. At low temperatures it matures slowly in the storage cellar and clears up to perfectly round off the taste. In the filtration, the beer is gently filtered crystal clear. The choice of water also plays an important role in the popularity of the brewery, here you can use your own spring near the brewery: fresh, soft and clear water.
