Beck's Brewery
 | |
| Type | Brewery |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1873 |
| Founder(s) | Lüder Rutenberg |
| Headquarters | Bremen, Germany |
| Number of locations | Bremen, Putian |
| Products | Beer |
| Owner(s) | Anheuser-Busch InBev |
| Website | http://becks.com |
Beck's Brewery, also known as Brauerei Beck & Co., is a German brewery in the northern German city of Bremen. Beck's is the world's best selling German beer, sold in nearly 90 countries. Owned by local families until February 2002, the Beck's brewery was then sold to Interbrew for 1.8 billion euros. The brewery was formed under the name Kaiserbrauerei Beck & May o.H.G. in 1873 by Lüder Rutenberg, Heinrich Beck and Thomas May. In 1875, Thomas May left the brewery which then became known as Kaiserbrauerei Beck & Co.
The largest markets for Beck's outside Germany are the United Kingdom, the USA, Italy, Australia, Ukraine, Romania and Russia. Beck's ranks fifth among Germany's best selling breweries. Beck's in Bremen is the logistic German Headquarters of InBev. All advertising and logistics for the companies owned by InBev Germany is steered from there for this market.
History
Beck's logo, a key, is the mirror image of the coat of arms of Bremen. Since Beck's is located on the river of a port city, it was easy to ship out its beer to the world at large and become an international beer powerhouse. Beck's is known for its pilsner consisting of two row spring barley from the south of England, yeast, crystal water from the "Rotenburger Rinne" and Hallertau hops from southern Germany.
Although Beck's marketing material claims that it follows the strict Reinheitsgebot, the German Purity Law of 1516 by the Duke Albrecht the Fifth of Bavaria, as with virtually all modern beers, cultured yeast is an ingredient, which was later approved in an amendment to the original purity law. Beck's was the first German beer company to use green bottles. Beck's was the first beer in the United States to be served in 24oz bottles, sometimes known as bombers.
The St. Pauli Girl Brewery is housed within the Brewery in Bremen. Although Beck's and St. Pauli Girl beers are very similar in nature, the latter only recently has been sold in Germany.
The main brand is Beck's which has for many years also been brewed under license in Namibia, which prior to World War I was a German colony. It is also today brewed in Bulgaria, Australia, Ukraine, Serbia, Montenegro, China, Nigeria, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Turkey, Slovenia, Bosnia .Herzegovina and New Zealand.
In Germany the Spatenbräu-Löwenbräu Group in Munich is producing Beck's Beer for the Market in southern Germany and southern Europe.
US manufacture of Beck's Brew has been based in St. Louis, Missouri since early 2012. However, some customers have rebelled against the US market version by AB InBev.[1]
Products
- Beck's - the main brand, a pale lager
- Haake Beck - a beer produced for the Bremen region
- Haake Beck Kräusen - very select product with extra yeast added after fermentation (only sold on tap within the city of Bremen)
- Beck's Blue (Alcohol Free)
- Beck's Premier Light
- Beck's Gold
- Beck's Green Lemon
- Beck's Green Lemon Alcohol Free
- Beck's Chilled Orange
- Beck's Twisted Orange
- Beck's Level 7
- Beck's Lime
- Beck's Ice
- Beck's Asia
- Beck's NEXT
- Beck's Dark
- Beck's Oktoberfest (only U.S. Market -forbidden in Germany because it is not brewed by a Munich Brewery)
- Beck's VIER
- Beck's Sapphire
- St. Pauli Girl (rarely sold in Germany)
World Beer Cup Awards
The following awards have been given to Beck's Brewery from the World Beer Cup.
| Award | Beer Name | Brewery | Category | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Beck's | Beck & Co. | German-Style Pilsener | 1998 |
| Bronze | Beck's Light | Brauerei Beck & Co. | European-Style Low-Alcohol Lager/German-Style Leicht | 2000 |
| Silver | Beck's Light | Brauerei Beck & Co. | European-Style Low-Alcohol | 2002 |
| Gold | Beck's Oktoberfest | Brauerei Beck & Co. | German-Style Märzen/Oktoberfest | 2002 |
| Silver | Beck's Light | Beck & Co. | European-Style Low-Alcohol Lager/German-Style Leicht | 2004 |
| Silver | Beck's Premier Light | Brauerei Beck & Co. | European-Style Low-Alcohol Lager/German-Style Leicht (bier) | 2012 |
Art Labels
In 1987 Beck's started offering artists the opportunity to provide designs to replace the brand's label. Gilbert and George created the first art label. Other artists who have been featured on the label have been: M.I.A.,[2] Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol,[3] Geoff McFetridge,[4] Willy Chyr,[5] Freegums,[6][7] Aerosyn-Lex[8] and dozens of others.
The program originated in the United Kingdom, but has recently spread to over ten countries including for the first time in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Germany and others.
Sponsorship
The Beck's Brewery beer Haake-Beck sponsors Bundesliga club Werder Bremen.
Beck's beer has previously sponsored the Beck's Futures British art prize given to contemporary artists.
Beck's summer 2009 limited-edition labels were designed by the musical groups Hard-Fi and Ladyhawke (musician).[9] Beck's 2010 limited-edition art labels were designed by the musical group Phoenix and other emerging artists. With each art label, consumers could download a free track from play.com.
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-10-25/the-plot-to-destroy-americas-beer
- ↑ M.I.A. Designs Bottles for Beck's Beer
- ↑ Beck's Warhol 100 Auction Courts Klout Influencers
- ↑ Geoff McFetridge & Beck’s Mollusk Party
- ↑ Chicago artwork on Beck's beer label
- ↑ Miami artist Freegums designs Beck's beer label
- ↑ Miami Artist Freegums Lends His Work to Beck's Beer
- ↑ Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic for Beck’s beer bottle label
- ↑ Beck's turns to the music industry to design beer labels
External links
- Official international site
- Official German site
- Official US site
- Official UK site
- Official Beck's Live Studio site
- YCN's Beck's Live Studio blog
- Official Italian site
- Official Australian site
- Heinrich Brugsch 1876 trip to the city of Philadelphia: Beck's Bier wins top prize
- Vintage Beck's Beer Advertisement from 1921
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