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1873
FOUNDATION OF KAISER-BRAUEREI BECK & MAY O.H.G
Kaiser-Brauerei Beck & May o.H.G. was founded by master brewer
Lüder Rutenberg from Bremen, master brewer Heinrich Beck and
merchant F. G. Thomas May on 27 June.
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1874
IMPERIAL HONOURS
From the very beginning, the Kaiserbrauerei, or “Imperial
Brewery”, bottled its beer in green long-neck bottles. This set
the Kaiserbier apart from other beers, which were only sold in
brown bottles. At the international agricultural fair in Bremen,
the company was awarded a gold medal by the later Emperor
Friedrich III. This still adorns the label today.
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1875
FRESH COMBINATION
The master brewer and partner of the Bremen-based Kaiserbrauerei
founded in 1873, Heinrich Beck, created a smooth pilsner beer
that retained its fresh taste even when transported over long
distances. The beer was already shipped to the Dutch East
Indies, now Indonesia, in its first year.
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1876
AND THE WINNER IS...
At the World’s Fair in Philadelphia, Kaiserbier beat competitors
from Holland, Denmark and Ireland to the title of best European
beer. The BECK’S label still features a reminder of this today.
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1886
NO PASSAGE WITHOUT KAISERBIER
The Kaiserbrauerei exclusively supplied all the ships of
Norddeutscher Lloyd. These carried the name of the beer all
around the world. It was soon in demand in port cities across
the globe.
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1888
ALWAYS ICE COLD, ALWAYS FRESH
A Linde ice machine meant that the brewery was no longer
dependent on natural ice supplies. Brewing could now continue
even in particularly hot summers.
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1921
REVOLUTION ON THE LABEL
The company signed a contract with C. H. Haake AG. At the same
time, Kaiserbrauerei renamed itself Exportbrauerei Beck & Co.
From now on, they only produced beer for export. The Beck & Co.
lettering took centre stage on the label.
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1928
BARREL-FRESH INNOVATION
Beck & Co. developed steel barrels to replace the pitch-lined
wooden barrels. This meant that owners of beverage
establishments received draught beer of the freshest quality and
pure pilsner taste.
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1931
THE STEP TO BECOMING AN INTERNATIONAL BREWER
Breweries in Batavia and Singapore started production under
licence: Beck & Co. moved even closer to the traditionally
important markets in the Far East. Corporate investments – for
example in Colombia – also contributed to international growth.
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1948
NEW BEGINNING
Having come to a complete standstill during the Second World War,
production restarted hesitantly when the war was over. In
Bremen, the first boxes were delivered to Thailand as early as
1948. In 1949, BECK’S was sold in its home market for the first
time to reduce exposure to the uncertainties of international
markets.
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1953
DELICIOUS BEERS FOR ON THE GO
Following the trend from the USA, BECK’S offered its pilsner in
cans for the first time.
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1955
BECK’S BEER QUENCHES MEN’S THIRST
The first nationwide advertisements were placed in the news
magazine “Der Spiegel”. The new slogan was: “BECK’S Bier löscht
Männerdurst” (BECK’S Beer Quenches Men’s Thirst).
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1968
BECK’S SIX-PACK
The six-pack with 0.33 l bottles was launched as a compact
alternative to the large crate.
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1984
SETTING SAIL
One of the most successful advertising campaigns was launched. To
this day, the sailing boat “Alexander von Humboldt” and the song
“Sail Away” are part of the BECK’S identity.
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1993
FRESH, FREE AND POPULAR
Thanks to the innovative combination of a special mixing process
and gentle vacuum distillation, the fresh pilsner taste also
came through without alcohol. German retailers rated BECK’S
Alkoholfrei the most successful new launch of the year.
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2002
MILD GOLD
The new BECK’S Gold quickly gained popularity with its mild
taste. BECK’S Gold was the most successful new product launch in
the history of the German beer market and established the first
clear glass bottle for beer with UV protection.
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2005
BECK'S GREEN LEMON
A new market was discovered for beer mixed drinks, which are
loved by consumers. BECK’S Green Lemon offered a deliciously
crisp, refreshing, limey taste with just 2.5% alcohol.
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2008
BECK'S ICE
BECK’S Ice created a completely new taste experience and an
extraordinary transparent look. The new beer mixed drink with
the fruity, refreshing taste of lime and mint was produced using
an innovative filtration technique. This process filters out the
beer colouring while retaining the typical BECK’S taste.
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2012
FOLLOW YOUR INNER COMPASS
The new campaign “Folge Deinem Inneren Kompass” (Follow Your
Inner Compass) encouraged independent thinking. Highlights
include the unique BECK’S Art Labels 2012: five musicians let
their creativity run wild and designed their own labels.
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2017
LEGENDARY
BECK’S kicked off a legendary summer in 2017 with the new
“Legendary” campaign: lead the way, take life in your hands and
show the world what you’re made of. You are what make it
legendary.
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2018
GREEN LABELS
In 2018, BECK’S dispensed with its best-known brand feature: the
bottle label. Under the motto “Mach’s zu deinem BECK’S” (Make it
Your BECK’S), the whole of Germany was called upon to get
creative and create new, individual labels with their own
designs, texts and pictures. The result was more than 27,000
creative ideas from which 40 winners were chosen.
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2019
BECK’S LEMON BREW
The first “Naturradler” (natural shandy) with naturally brewed
lemonade. 50% BECK’S with 50% brewed lemonade and 100% natural
taste: less sweet with fermented notes. With BECK’S Lemon Brew,
BECK’S fundamentally redefined the natural shandy segment!
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2021
BECK’S UNFILTERED
Another new launch followed in February 2021: BECK’S Unfiltered.
Inspired by the original brewing process dating back to 1873,
BECK’S Unfiltered is a BECK’S in its most original and natural
form. The result is a naturally cloudy pilsner with a smooth,
refreshing taste.