Welcome to the beer makers of Pfungstadt.

As the largest private brewery in Hesse, we assume responsibility for and endorse the responsible consumption of alcohol in accordance with legal regulations. We must therefore ask you the following question:

ARE YOU AT LEAST 16 YEARS OLD?

Our history

BEER MAKERS SINCE 1831.

Special moments and powerful images – the history of our private brewery.

The story of our brewery starts with an inn: In 1831 in Hahn, Justus Hildebrand opened “Zum Hirsch”, with its own brewery. Word soon spread that one could get an exquisite beer at the “Hirschen”. However, Justus Hildebrand quickly realised that he needed deep, cool cellars to produce the bottom-fermented beer he preferred, and that he could not build these in Hahn due to the high ground water level. As a result, he and his brewery moved to Pfungstadt in 1846, and production was increased to around 200 hectolitres.

The growth of the brewery made further investment and expansion necessary: Due to the high demand for malt, in 1868 Justus Hildebrand constructed his own malt house on the premises, and a few years later purchased one of the first ice makers available in Germany. It was run using a powerful steam engine, which can still be seen today in the brewery’s historic machine house. Its beer quickly made the brewery nationally famous – there were sales outlets all over Germany, and even branches in Berlin, Hannover and Kassel. Internationally, the “Pfungstädter pilsner-style beer” won numerous awards and was exported to many countries.

In the following years, the brewery’s beer output increased and the company continued to grow. By then, there were 99 employees, for whom the company founded its own company health insurance scheme in 1884. Soon after, the company had its own rail connection, in order to dispatch the beer for export more quickly. Regionally, the beer was delivered by horse and cart – and sometimes there were up to 50 cart horses being kept in the brewery.

Over the course of the Pfungstädter brewery’s 180-year history, many things have been newly developed – numerous delicious beer specialties and beer mixes, which amaze the taste buds of many a beer connoisseur. However, one thing has remained the same: the old-fashioned recipe for the crisp, fresh Pfungstädter beer, passed on down the generations from master brewer to master brewer. Following the tradition of Justus Hildebrand to a tee.