Brewery - Brewing History
Since 1608, superb beers have been brewed on the site of the Anker Brewery. The selection ranges from naturally cloudy Kirchweihbier, special festival beers, through Pils, light and dark lager beers, to four outstanding Hefeweizen varieties.
By the way the brewery symbol, the golden anchor, does not stem from immigrants from the coast, but was originally a guesthouse symbol, directing travellers to a safe harbour and accommodation for the night.
The Anker Brewery is a modern, innovative small brewery with an annual beer production of 20,000 hl of beer and 10,000 hl of Libella Lemonade. The business employs 20 full-time and a number of part-time workers. At the moment 6 young people are being trained in various aspects of the business.
Since 1990 the Anker Brewery has been the last remaining brewery in Nördlingen.
This is one of the facts about the Nördlinger Anker Brewery that has gone down in a chronicle about beer brewing in Nördlingen written by Herr Goschenhofer:
According to this, the Ankerbrauerei is not mentioned until 1608. In 1401 the widow Anna Tötter left her house B237 to the monastery in Kirchheim. In 1803 it passed from here to the baronial house of Wallerstein.
Writing about the "Golden Anchor" sign in the Rieser Heimatbote on 14.11.1936, Gustav Wulz says: "The Golden Anchor guesthouse is one of the newer inns in Nördlingen. The sign appears for the first time in 1783, when the heirs of Georg Kaspar Rehlen, brewer and innkeeper of the Silver Bottle, sold, for 2000 florins to Alexander Rehlen, brewer and innkeeper of the Golden Anchor, the former Bühler dwelling, now the Golden Anchor guesthouse, including brewery, stables, well and barn, situated not far from the stone bridge near Thomas Bachmann#s, resident#s, dwelling. The Anchor brewery and inn have survived to the present day."
The anchor was a frequently used sign, as it symbolises rest and security. In early Christian art it is also a symbol of hope, often in connection with the cross (dtv-Lexikon, Band 1).
On 12 July 1897 and 17 December 1897 the Anker Brewery estate, at Ankergasse 4, and the attached farm were sold to married couple Jakob und Marie Grandel (local court land registry no. 4077). Today's main brewery building, including the Ankerbräustüble (snug), brewhouse, stable and barn belonged to the estate. The farm, with around 60 days work of arable farmland and meadow, made up the largest share. The price of 80,000 Goldmark included a cow, a horse and delivery rights to one customer (Jaumann Munzingen).
Jakob Grandel was born on 27.2.1870 and came from Bächingen near Gundelfingen. He was a master brewer by trade and on 21.8.1897 he married Marie Wetzstein (born 30.6.1876 in Möttingen), the innkeeper's daughter from Appetshofen.
The marriage of Marie and Jakob Grandel produced three children. On 5.8.1898 their daughter Marie, later Frau Wörlen, was born.
Marie Grandel junior was not allowed to marry the "man of her dreams". She had to tie the knot in keeping with status, beliefs and, if possible, business. So she chose for herself Georg Wörlen, the son of the Lamm Brewery. Georg was a master brewer and brought 40,000 Goldmark to the marriage.
In 1921 their daughter Waltraud was born. She grew up with her parents in Lower Bavaria, where she married war returnee and former officer Oskar Schneider on 2 December 1945. Four children were born from this marriage of hearts. The youngest daughter, Christi, died when still young. From 1951 Oskar Schneider ran the Anker Brewery with his mother-in-law.
After the death of Marie Wörlen, Oskar Schneider passed the management of the business on to his daughter Marles husband, his son-in-law Wolfgang Koch. Wolfgang Koch was seen as a newcomer, on top of which he came from Berlin (a Prussian). Nevertheless, as a chartered engineer in electrical engineering with many years of experience abroad, he brought new impetus to the brewery. Within a short time he had founded a booming chain of pizzerias along the romantische Straße (Romantic Road). Through constant modernisation of the brewery, the foundations were laid for lasting business success. He initiated many of the activities that developed into todays success story and are of great significance throughout the region. These include the Maibaum (maypole) competition and the Rieser Verbraucher-Ausstellung (user exhibition) during the Nördlingen Mess (fair). He was particularly interested in the promotion of voluntary activities. His support for the fire services in the Donau-Ries district was a shining example for the whole of Bavaria.
In the summer of 2004, Wolfgang Koch transferred the leadership of the business to his son Florian Koch. He himself passed away suddenly and much too soon on 30.9.2005
Historic painting of the brewery
In the heart of Nördlingen, for over 400 Years