Rothaus
Encyclopedia
The Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus (Rothaus, State Brewery of Baden
) is a brewery located 1000m (3300 ft.) above sea level in the town of Grafenhausen
in Germany
's Black Forest
. It is one of Germany's most successful and profitable regional breweries, and in the past decade has become well-known outside of Baden as well. The brewery remains 100% owned by the state of Baden-Württemberg
.
and as a "cult beer" throughought Germany in various clubs, bars, and Discothèques. Tannenzäpfle literally means "little fir cones
" and is a reference to the location of the brewery in the Black Forest
. Despite Rothaus refraining from any intensive advertising campaigns, the demand for the once-local beer is spreading further throughout Germany. Not to be overlooked are bars in university dormitories that account for a significant portion of the sales.
The labels of the bottles are printed with a likeness of "Birgit Kraft," a blonde girl in traditional dress for the region, bearing two glasses of beer. Birgit's name is something of a pun; in the local dialect of Alemannic German
, "Bier git Kraft", ("Bier gibt Kraft") means "beer gives strength". The specific variety of pine cones named as Tannenzäpfle grow upwards from the branches instead of hanging from them in spite of their depiction on the bottle; this is commonly explained as a reference to the position of the bottle while it is being consumed.
The Hefeweizen version of this beer is available on draught
in All Bar One
bars in the UK
The brewery was founded in 1791 by the Abbot of St. Blasien
as a measure to encourage economic growth in the Black Forest. Through secularization, the cloister eventually changed ownership in 1806 to the Grand Duchy
of Baden
. The name "Rothaus, State Brewery of Baden" has been in use since the abolition of the monarchy in 1918, and its name still remains to this day although the brewery is now in the full ownership of the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg
.
The brand "Tannenzäpfle" is, celebrating its 50th year of existence with a fiftieth anniversary edition of the original 1956 label design.
The brewery experienced a doubling of its output in the 1990's under the direction of the new chairman of the board, Norbert Nothelfer, who had previously been employed in a position comparable to governor of a sub-division of a state. This, while noteworthy in itself, is more remarkable in light of the shrinking beer consumption by Germans. The capacity was increased to one million hectoliters of beer. In the business year 2008, the brewery put out 941 000 hectoliters of beer, grossing roughly €89.2 million.
The company is an important employer in the otherwise economically weak area of Hochschwarzwald. 230 people were employed by Rothaus in 2008, and the company paid €17 million as dividends to it owner, the state of Baden-Württemberg
. It also paid €16.7 million's worth of taxes.
Since the first of October, 2004, the former Minister of the Interior of Baden-Württemberg
Thomas Schäuble has been directing chairman.
.
Word of Mouth Fills German Brewer’s Steins , an article about Rothaus from The New York Times
.
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
) is a brewery located 1000m (3300 ft.) above sea level in the town of Grafenhausen
Grafenhausen
Grafenhausen is a town in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
. It is one of Germany's most successful and profitable regional breweries, and in the past decade has become well-known outside of Baden as well. The brewery remains 100% owned by the state of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
.
Products
The most successful product, a Pilsner-style beer, "Rothaus Tannenzäpfle" or simply "Zäpfle", comes filled in 33cl bottles and is available in stores in Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
and as a "cult beer" throughought Germany in various clubs, bars, and Discothèques. Tannenzäpfle literally means "little fir cones
Conifer cone
A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity...
" and is a reference to the location of the brewery in the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
. Despite Rothaus refraining from any intensive advertising campaigns, the demand for the once-local beer is spreading further throughout Germany. Not to be overlooked are bars in university dormitories that account for a significant portion of the sales.
The labels of the bottles are printed with a likeness of "Birgit Kraft," a blonde girl in traditional dress for the region, bearing two glasses of beer. Birgit's name is something of a pun; in the local dialect of Alemannic German
Alemannic German
Alemannic is a group of dialects of the Upper German branch of the Germanic language family. It is spoken by approximately ten million people in six countries: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France and Italy...
, "Bier git Kraft", ("Bier gibt Kraft") means "beer gives strength". The specific variety of pine cones named as Tannenzäpfle grow upwards from the branches instead of hanging from them in spite of their depiction on the bottle; this is commonly explained as a reference to the position of the bottle while it is being consumed.
The Hefeweizen version of this beer is available on draught
Draught beer
Draught beer is beer served from a cask or a pressurised keg.-History of draught:Until Joseph Bramah patented the beer engine in 1785, beer was served directly from the barrel and carried to the customer. The Old English word for carry was dragen which developed into a series of related words,...
in All Bar One
All Bar One
All Bar One is a chain of bars in the UK, owned and operated by Mitchells and Butlers plc which was part of the Six Continents group until 2003....
bars in the UK
History
St. Blasien
St. Blasien is a town in the Waldshut district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the southern Black Forest, 17 km northeast of Waldshut-Tiengen. St. Blaise's Abbey in the Black Forest is located in St. Blasien. The town is twinned with Saint-Blaise in Switzerland. There is also...
as a measure to encourage economic growth in the Black Forest. Through secularization, the cloister eventually changed ownership in 1806 to the Grand Duchy
Grand duchy
A grand duchy, sometimes referred to as a grand dukedom, is a territory whose head of state is a monarch, either a grand duke or grand duchess.Today Luxembourg is the only remaining grand duchy...
of Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
. The name "Rothaus, State Brewery of Baden" has been in use since the abolition of the monarchy in 1918, and its name still remains to this day although the brewery is now in the full ownership of the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
.
The brand "Tannenzäpfle" is, celebrating its 50th year of existence with a fiftieth anniversary edition of the original 1956 label design.
Economic significance
The company is an important employer in the otherwise economically weak area of Hochschwarzwald. 230 people were employed by Rothaus in 2008, and the company paid €17 million as dividends to it owner, the state of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. It also paid €16.7 million's worth of taxes.
Since the first of October, 2004, the former Minister of the Interior of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
Thomas Schäuble has been directing chairman.
External links
http://www.rothaus.de/ http://www.zum.de/Faecher/G/BW/Landeskunde/rhein/wirtschaft/brau/rothaus/index.htm Man trinkt wieder Heimat, an article on the growing success of Rothaus. Growing Taste for Black Forest Beer: The Reluctant Cult Brand , an article about Rothaus from Spiegel InternationalDer Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
.
Word of Mouth Fills German Brewer’s Steins , an article about Rothaus from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.