Regional German brewer Koblenzer Brauerei has filed for insolvency, according to multiple reports in Germany.
The brewer, with origins dating back to the 1680s, has suffered amid rising energy, packaging and grain costs, according to local news outlet SWR.
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“Against the background of the war in Ukraine, deteriorating market conditions and dramatic rises in costs, it is unfortunately no longer possible for Koblenzer Brauerei GmbH to maintain its operations while covering its costs,” the brewer reportedly said in a statement.
Koblenzer Brauerei’s origins date back to 1689 with locals brewing beer in the city of Koblenz. In 1885, the company was relocated 5km south to Königsbach, where a brewery was set up.
Fast-forward to 1992 and German brewing group Karlsberg acquired what had become Königsbacher Brauerei.
In 2010, the Königsbacher trademark was sold to Bitburger. Two years later, the Königsbacher Brewery itself was sold by Karlsberg Holding to private individuals.
According to federal government data, the volume of beer sold in Germany fell 2.9% in the first half of 2023 year on year to 4.2bn litres.
More than four-fifths of the beer produced was for domestic consumption but sales in Germany slid 3.5% to 3.4bn litres.
In a report announcing the figures in August, trade body Deutscher Brauer Bund said: “After the beer market in Germany collapsed massively in 2020 and 2021 due to the corona pandemic, domestic beer sales in 2022 were still well below the pre-crisis level at minus 5%. This development initially continued in 2023.”
At the time, Deutscher Brauer Bund managing director Holger Eichele warned of “an extremely challenging year” for Germany’s brewers.
“The exploding costs since the beginning of the pandemic are putting a massive strain on companies, especially since they can only pass on a small portion of the cost increases to the food retail and catering trade through price increases,” Eichele said.
