Reissdorf

Kölsch and Cologne, that means white beer and white sausage. The top-fermented Cologne beer speciality is closely interwoven with the city's history and is now not only an attraction for countless tourists but also a piece of German cultural heritage that we would not want to miss.

Crisis-proof

In 1894, Heinrich Reissdorf founded his brewery in Cologne's Severinsviertel. He came from a respected Cologne farming family who earned their living by blacksmithing and building wagons. After his death, his widow Gertrud Reissdorf took over the management of the brewery until she passed it on to her sons. As in many places, women had to work here too during the First World War. After Gertrud Reissdorf, Katharina Reissdorf, one of her daughters-in-law, was the second woman to head the private Heinrich Reissdorf brewery. The Second World War hit the brewery hard and destroyed large parts of the facilities. With a lot of courage and passion for good craftsmanship, the Reissdorfs overcame this difficult crisis. They resumed production in mid-1948 and have been brewing their excellent Kölsch ever since. Today, the fourth generation of the Reissdorf family owns the brewery and continues the rich tradition with pride and skill.

Cologne beer is not the same as Kölsch

In order to stay up to date and meet the growing demand, the brewery expanded its production facilities in 1996 and moved to a suburb of Cologne. This was taken as an opportunity to bring the brewing plant up to the latest state of the art so that it could now be brewed using the most modern brewery technology. With tireless ambition and modesty, the Reissdorf family made it to the top of Cologne's Kölsch producers. Their own Kölsch is produced with the finest raw materials in a brewing process that is based on well-known principles and traditions, but is nevertheless constantly being developed and refined. For the Reissdorf family, having a rich brewing tradition does not mean resting on the laurels of days gone by. In order to create an excellent product that meets the ever-growing demands of modern beer lovers, they are open to new things and have a positive attitude towards progress. Kölsch is the only beer that not only has a centuries-old tradition, but also a convention. The Kölsch Convention of 1986 protected the original Cologne Kölsch. 24 breweries are officially allowed to brew Kölsch and the private brewery Heinrich Reissdorf is rightly one of them.