a brewery located in Bad Köstritz, Thuringia, in central Germany. The brewery is best known for its schwarzbier, a dark lager that made the small town famous. See schwarzbier. They also brew a pilsner for the regional market. The brewery has been producing schwarzbier for centuries, probably from its start in 1543 when it was founded as “Erbschenke” (Hereditary Inn), a tavern with brewing rights that could be passed on within the family of the tenant. This tavern was taken over in 1696 by the counts of the house of Reuss as “Ritterschaftliche Gutbrauerei” (“The Knight’s Manor Brewery”). The famous 18th-century geographer Anton Friedrich Büsching (1724–1793) noted that the beer was indeed reddish to black in his day. When he first saw the beer at the duke’s table he wondered why such “a dark red wine” would be served in beer glasses. He later learned that the beer was typically brewed in fall and stored in rock cellars below the church to be tapped the next summer. One of the most famous drinkers of Köstritzer Schwarzbier was the poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who sustained himself on beer from Köstritz when he was unable to eat during a period of illness. Early 20th-century print advertisements for Köstritzer show a doctor recommending Köstritzer Schwarzbier as beneficial for health, much like the famous ”Guinness is good for you” claim. The professional marketing approach of Köstritzer in the 1920s attracted the attention of the Simon family, owners of the well-known Pils brewery in Bitburg at the time. But Köstritzer remained independent, surviving World War II and 40 years under communist East German rule before Privatbrauerei Theobald Simon, better known as “Bitburger,” finally acquired the brewery in 1991. By that time only 7% of the Köstritzer’s output was schwarzbier, but Bitburger decided to distribute the beer nationally and it has grown since. At 4.8% ABV, the beer’s dark brown color belies an easygoing character showcasing caramel flavors and a hint of smoky, coffee-like roast with very little bite.
