Founding years
In 1791, the Rothaus brewery was founded by the Benedictine monastery of St. Blasien at the "Zum Rothen Haus" inn, which has been on record since 1681. The location was favourably chosen as it offered sufficient water resources and, due to its location in the middle of large forests, enough wood for heating in the immediate vicinity. The important trade route from Freiburg via Grafenhausen to Waldshut made this secluded corner a busy stopover. As the highest point on the route, Rothaus was the perfect place to take a breather. It was also halfway between the mighty St. Blasien monastery and its newly acquired dominion of Bonndorf.
In the course of secularisation in 1806, the Rothaus brewery fell to the Grand Duchy of Baden and from then on was called the "Grand Ducal Baden State Brewery Rothaus". Just 20 years after its foundation, the first expansion of the production facilities was decided due to growing demand. In 1830, the territorial protection for the Rothaus brewery in the county of Bonndorf, which had existed until that year, was cancelled.
19th century
In order to satisfy the still growing demand for Rothaus beer, extensive renovation and modernisation work was carried out at the Rothaus brewery between 1842 and 1846. In 1847, a fire destroyed parts of the brewery, the roof structure and some of the stocks. Thanks to the valiant efforts of the employees, the fire was prevented from spreading, the newly constructed buildings were largely preserved and production was resumed very quickly.
1875
In 1875, the Rothaus brewery invested in new technology: a special railway wagon for transporting beer, a new, more powerful steam engine, a new kiln for malt production, a new ice cellar, a new yeast cleaning and sorting machine and other technical equipment. Just a few years later, the Rothaus brewery introduced the first Rothaus bottled beer to the market. The first Rothaus bottled beer was sold in St. Blasien at Christmas 1892. Five years later, Rothaus bought a "motorised transport vehicle", the first Rothaus lorry.
1904
The 20th century began with a heavy blow for the Rothaus brewery. In 1904, a major fire destroyed large parts of the brewery, and reconstruction was to take until 1905.
1956 - The Tannenzäpfle
In 1956, Edwin Nägele, then brewery director, introduced the Tannenzäpfle in a 0.33 litre bottle. This was quite an ambitious endeavour at the time. In the 1950s, it was customary to offer the beer in 0.7 litre bottles. Despite or perhaps because of its unusual size, Tannenzäpfle quickly found more and more fans.
1996 - Weizenzäpfle
On 9 March 1995, Rothaus' first Hefeweizen was bottled and a year later, of course, it also appeared in the typical 0.33 litre bottle as Weizenzäpfle. Since then, it has become an integral part of the product range and the Zäpfle family would be unthinkable without it. Like all Zäpfle beers, it can be drunk from the bottle.
We now also offer the non-alcoholic Weizenzäpfle. Both varieties are also available in 0.5 litre bottles.
2006 - New brewhouse
The new brewhouse is inaugurated in 2006. The brewing vessels, fermentation and storage tanks and pipework, all made of stainless steel, enable the production of speciality beers using conventional methods (cold fermentation, long cold storage) under the best possible hygienic conditions. This year, the Tannenzäpfle is also celebrating its 50th birthday. To commemorate this, the Zäpfle fountain is inaugurated along with the brewhouse.
2009 - Rothaus non-alcoholic
In 2009, the Rothaus brewery launched its first two alcohol-free beers on the market: Tannenzäpfle Alkoholfrei and Weizenzäpfle Alkoholfrei. It was a long journey for the master brewers until they found a process that met Rothaus' quality standards. In the end, a method was found with which the alcohol (but not the flavours) could be removed using a system that is still unique in Germany today.
The effort was truly worth it - "Because it tastes good".
2016 - The anniversary year
A double anniversary in Rothaus - 225 years of the brewery and 60 years of Tannenzäpfle were the occasion for many events. The highlight was the concert by the band PUR on the brewery grounds. Over 10,000 visitors celebrated together with the brewery's employees, admission was of course free and tickets sold out in minutes.