Beer history comes to an end: Scherdel brewery in Hof closes after 200 years!

Beer history comes to an end: Scherdel brewery in Hof closes after 200 years!

The Scherdel brewery in Hof, one of the most traditional breweries in Bavaria, will close its doors at the end of 2025. Kulmbacher Brewery AG announced this on October 17, 2025. The decision did not come as a surprise, as the economic situation at the location had become increasingly difficult in recent years. With almost 200 years of brewing tradition, the closure will be a bitter pill for many, as at least 35 employees are directly affected by this step.

But what led to this unfortunate end of a Bavarian institution? Sales of Scherdel beers have fallen by a whopping 50 percent in the last 20 years. This is part of a larger trend, as beer consumption in Germany is generally declining. In 2024, the average beer consumption per person was 88 liters, while in 2017 it was almost 100 liters. Holger Eichele, General Manager of the German Brewers Association, cites demographic change and increasing health awareness as the main reasons for this decline reported the Tagesschau.

The challenges of the industry

Despite considerable investments and efforts, the Kulmbacher Group, which took over the brewery after bankruptcy in 2003, was unable to prevent the Scherdel brewery from entering economically uneconomical waters. In addition to falling sales figures, rising costs for raw materials, energy and personnel are also putting a strain on the balance sheet. Operations can no longer be maintained under the current conditions writes infranken.de.

Although the Scherdel brewery will soon be history, the popular Scherdel beers will continue to be brewed at the Neuensalz location in Kulmbach. In order to keep the tradition alive, the traditional Schlaufenbier, known for its availability around the Hofer Schlappentag, will also be continued according to the original recipe. The 35 employees also have the opportunity to find new jobs at other Kulmbacher Brewery locations. Your training as aspiring brewers and maltsters can also continue reports fr.de.

A look into the future

The closure of the Scherdel brewery is another example of the challenges that many traditional breweries in Germany face. While many large breweries are struggling with falling beer consumption, international corporations such as Anheuser-Busch InBev and Heineken are also dominant in the market, which makes competition on the German beer market even more difficult. The market is highly fragmented, and many smaller breweries are having to reinvent themselves to make ends meet, while beer prices in Germany are among the lowest in Europe states the Tagesschau.

The city of Hof reacted to the announcement with regret and surprise, because the Scherdel brewery was not only an employer, but also a part of the regional identity. It remains to be seen how the local brewing culture will develop after such a traditional company closes and how the employees and the region will cope with these changes.