The traditional brewery “Karmeliter Bräu” from Salz in Lower Franconia has to close after more than 670 years. The beer shouldn't disappear completely.
Bad Neustadt an der Saale – It is a shock for many people in the region: The “Karmeliter Bräu” brewery in Salz near Bad Neustadt an der Saale has to close – in just a few weeks. The brewery site must be completely cleared by June 30, 2024, managing director Herbert Brust told
inFranken.de.
This means that one of the oldest breweries in Bavaria is disappearing - and there is a sad reason for it.
The Karmeliter Bräu brewery near Schweinfurt has not found a successor – despite years of searching
The “Karmeliter Bräu” brewery has been owned by his family for almost exactly 100 years, Brust explained to
inFranken.de
. He has been running the brewery as sole managing director for 20 years. Brust had been looking for a successor for five years because his sons did not want to take over the business. But without success. “In principle, we have to close because there are simply no interested parties,” Brust explained in an interview with
inFranken.de
.
Corona and the energy crisis in particular had a negative effect. According to Brust, most interested parties dropped out during the pandemic. The last two interested parties did not receive any financing from the bank. According to Brust, a massive problem is the poor economic situation that the entire industry is struggling with.
Brewery closure causes great sympathy - Karmeliter Bräu should not disappear completely
The news of the closure of the Karmeliter brewery caused great sympathy among the local people. However,
Brust told
inFranken.de
about the consistently positive conversations he had had since then. Many were sad about the closure, but at the same time showed great understanding for the situation, said the managing director.
Despite the closure, the Karmeliter Bräu will not disappear from Bavaria completely. “There is already a preliminary contract with an interested party for the continuation of the brand, but details still need to be negotiated,” Brust told
inFranken.de
. In all likelihood, the “Karmeliter Bräu” brand will continue to exist in the future. However, it is still unclear when exactly there will be clarity. Multiple attempted inquiries from the editorial team remained unanswered. The owner did not comment at the time of publication.
Karmeliter Bräu in Salz has to close – like other breweries
The Karmeliter Bräu in Bavaria is not alone with his fate. Other breweries are also struggling with difficult situations. For example, the traditional country brewery Krieger Bräu from Landau an der Isar, which also has to close. And beer brewers in other federal states also suffer a similar fate. The Cologne brewery Hellers in North Rhine-Westphalia also had to close in the middle of the year due to a lack of economic prospects. Kölsch, Wiess, Pils, Weizen and other types of beer are currently brewed there.