Traditional beer brands Schneider Weisse, Bischofshof, and Weltenburger to be united under one roof starting in 2027

Against the backdrop of the German beer market’s continued weakness, the traditional Bavarian brewery G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH (“Schneider Weisse”) from Kelheim and Brauerei Bischofshof GmbH & Co. KG, which is supported by a foundation of the Diocese of Regensburg, plan to reorganize their business activities effective January 1, 2027. Both breweries have been cooperating for a long time under a contract brewing agreement. The reorganization of their activities aims to achieve three main objectives: 1. Leveraging synergies and significantly increasing efficiency in production, sales, and organization will ensure that the well-known beer brands maintain a strong long-term position in their markets. 2. Despite the ongoing decline of breweries in Germany, a complete loss of jobs will be prevented. 3. The production of the well-known beer brands is based on centuries of brewing experience and regional traditions. They are to remain entirely in Bavarian hands and under Bavarian management in the future as well.

To achieve these goals, the following agreement has been reached: Effective January 1, 2027, Schneider Weisse will acquire the rights to the “Bischofshof” and “Weltenburger” brands from the Bischofshof Brewery. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. With the planned acquisition of the two beer brands, Schneider Weisse will, as things stand, also continue to operate the world’s oldest monastery brewery—the Weltenburg Monastery Brewery, founded in 1050 and owned by Bischofshof since 1973—as well as Bischofshof’s logistics company, which employs a total of 21 people. In the medium term, production of all brands is to take place entirely at Schneider Weisse’s headquarters in Kelheim and at the Weltenburg Monastery Brewery, for which the necessary conditions will be established in Kelheim over the next few years. According to current plans, the Bischofshof brewery, located in Regensburg and currently employing 56 people, is scheduled to close on December 31, 2026. Discussions with the works council will begin immediately to jointly find socially responsible solutions for the employees there.

Georg VII. Schneider, Managing Director of Schneider Weisse: “With Schneider Weisse, Bischofshof, and Weltenburger, we aim to create a portfolio of truly traditional brands. In doing so, we are combining our more than 150-year tradition of wheat beer with the nearly 380-year history of the Bischofshof brand and the brewing tradition of the world’s oldest monastery brewery, which dates back to 1050. This allows us to create a perfectly complementary range of beers rich in history and tradition—one that is unique in the world and offered by a single source. This is a true unique selling point in the market, and with the resulting synergies spanning everything from procurement to production and distribution, we are ideally positioned to meet today’s challenges.

Till Hedrich, Managing Director of Bischofshof and Weltenburger: “We have had close ties with Schneider Weisse for many years through various collaborations and also via the Freie Brauer association. We know and value each other as well as the unique characteristics of our respective brands, and we are also based in the same region. That’s why it quickly became clear to us that Schneider Weisse was our preferred partner when it came to steering our brands successfully into the future despite the challenging situation in the German beer market.”

This trend stems from the drastic decline in sales by German breweries both domestically and abroad over the past several years. In the last ten years alone, the industry has lost nearly 14 million hectoliters—representing just under 14 percent of its sales (2015: 95.6 million hectoliters; 2025: 82.6 million hectoliters). And the trend continues unabated: According to the Federal Statistical Office, sales over the past 15 months have consistently fallen short of the previous year’s figures.[i] “The fact is: Left to our own devices, it was no longer possible to continue operating the brands economically, despite all our efforts and the positive steps taken in recent months. Market developments have left too deep a mark on us as well. However, through the ‘Bavarian solution’ we are now implementing together with Schneider Weisse, we can avert the threat of complete business closure or being broken up by an investor with no connection to the region and its history, thereby permanently preserving an important part of Bavarian brewing tradition. “Where possible, we will place employees at the Regensburg location with suitable companies from our network in the beverage industry and the broader brewing sector. We want to support all our employees as best we can,” Hedrich continued.

Dr. Rudolf Voderholzer, Bishop of the Diocese of Regensburg and Chairman of the Bischofshof Brewery’s sponsoring foundation: “In addition to the aspect of tradition, it is absolutely essential for us that, by preserving the brewery at Weltenburg Abbey and the Bischofshof logistics department, we can at least retain some of the jobs directly in the region. Unfortunately, this is by no means a given at the moment, given the news reports of recent weeks and months. Of course, we would all prefer it if we could continue operating the Regensburg location as well. However, there is simply no economic basis for that. Nevertheless, we are confident that, together with the works council, we will still be able to find good, socially responsible solutions for the employees there. It is also clear that, thanks to the ‘Bavarian solution,’ the Bischofshof brand will continue to play a defining role in Regensburg. For Schneider Weisse, as the new brand owner, local engagement throughout the city remains a top priority. In this respect, too, the solution we have now found comes closest to our ideal.”

Thomas Maria Freihart, Abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of Weltenburg: “We are very pleased that the ‘Bavarian solution’ we have now found ensures the continued operation of the world’s oldest abbey brewery well into the future. This has allowed us to avert the imminent and irreparable loss of a very important part of Bavarian and monastic brewing tradition. At Weltenburg Abbey, we look back on nearly 1,000 years of brewing history. You won’t find that anywhere else. And we will now continue to write this history together with our immediate neighbors from Kelheim.”