Jever (beer)
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Jever is a German beer brand, named after the town of Jever where it is brewed. It has been brewed by the "Friesischen Brauhaus zu Jever" (the Jever Frisian Brewery) since 1848.
[edit] History
When the "Friesische Brauhaus zu Jever" was founded by Diedrich König in 1848, it was only one of several breweries in the region. König, however, was convinced from the beginning that his beer was something special. After his death in 1867 his son sold the brewery. After this Theodor Fetköter took over the brewery. He began by developing the small family business into a large brewery operation, began advertising and developed special bottles. In 1848 he played an important part in installing the first water supply system in Jever.
The First World War was a difficult time for the brewery, as Theodor Fetköter's son, who had taken over the business, was killed at the front. Eventually the brewery was sold once again, in 1922, to the Bavaria-St. Paul brewery, based in Hamburg. Today the Bavaria-St. Paul Brewery is owned by the Danish Carlsberg Group. By this time beer from Jever was known outside the region where it was produced and from 1934 was sold under the name "Jever Pilsener", which is the name by which it is known today.
After the World War II the brewery once again found itself experiencing difficult times — because of a shortage of fuel after the war beer could only be sold from the brewery gates direct to customers. It was also necessary to scour the region's farms for malt.
After the post-war period the situation in Jever improved once again. The lead-selling beer was "Jever Export", which was brewed until 1990. During the 1960s Pilsener beer became more and more popular and sales figures for Jever Pilsener increased. During this period the brewery was extended.
Since 1994 the brewery has belonged to the Dortmunder Brau & Brunnen Group, which itself has been part of the Oetker Group since the beginning of 2005.
[edit] Products
The brewery produces the folloing beers:
- Jever Pilsener - Pilsener beer with an alcohol content of 4.9% ABV. Has a notably more "hoppy" taste than other comparable Pilseners
- Jever Fun - alcohol-free Pilsner
- Jever Light - Light beer with reduced alcohol content and thus a lower Calorie count
- Jever Dark - Dark variant of Jever
- Jever Lime - Mixed beer drink with lime
- Jever Maibock - Bock beer with an alcohol content of 7.4% ABV
The brewery also distills a sprit known as (Jever Digestif) with an alcohol content of 40% ABV from its own beer.
