The earliest mention of the brewing company is a tax record from 1753, when Antonius Cramer paid 1 thaler, 19 guilders on beer he brewed and sold himself. His son Johannes Vitus followed in his footsteps and brought the selling of home-brewed beer into his house, in the heart of Warstein. His company benefited from its central location. However, in 1802 a devastating fire left Warstein in ruins and ashes - the business of the Cramers fell victim to the flames. At the same time, they rebuilt their house as a guest accommodation and became through the establishment of the St. Pancras Church the centre of the town. The headquarters of the Warsteiner Brewery, the Domschänke, still stands today in the historic core of Warstein. Breweries in the Rhine valley were bombed during World War II, and the Warstein brewery sustained some damage.
Today
The newly remodelled brewery can fill and package 5,000 bottles per hour. To appeal to German young adults, Warsteiner began a beer-mix drink campaign that includes a Premium Cola, which contains caffeine, as well as Premium Lemon and Premium Orange drinks. Furthermore, Warsteiner has created a long-neck beer bottle and a "limited club edition" clear-glass bottle to target club-goers.
Premium Dunkel is Warsteiner's second most popular beer. Dunkel is a traditional style, dark beer with an alcohol content of 4.8%.
Warsteiner Premium Fresh
Warsteiner's only non-alcoholic beer, brewed exactly like the Premium Verum and then having the alcohol extracted. The beer contains 80 calories per 12 oz. bottle.
König Ludwig Weissbier - Royal Bavarian Hefeweizen
Royal Bavarian is a golden hefeweizen style beer. It is brewed with natural yeast and Bavarian ingredients, and has an alcohol content of 5.5%.
International activities
Warsteiner has been exporting its beers internationally since the 1980s. Furthermore, Warsteiner founded and acquired shares in other international breweries like Isenbeck brewery in Argentina and breweries in Africa. Warsteiner in the United States is also friendly to homebrewers in that its bottles are pry-offs, and the labels come off with ease after a short soak, rendering the bottles re-usable. All North American Warsteiner products are brewed, bottled, kegged and canned at the brewery in Warstein, Germany. In some international markets, Warsteiner and Koenig Ludwig beers are license brewed by Mahou-San Miguel Group.
Warsteiner and German culture
Warsteiner makes a seasonal beer entitled "Oktoberfest" for the Bavarian celebrations each year. Warsteiner Owner Albert Cramer has been a staunch advocate of competitive ballooning and Warsteiner is the sponsor of the German Hot Air BalloonNational Team. Cramer and Warsteiner received the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Air Sports Federation Award in 2001 and continue to be involved in Air Sports sponsorships and activities. Warsteiner participated in the popular Newton Beerfest in October 2006, in which the company showcased its lemon-flavored Hefeweizen beer, as well as other popular beers. In the past, the company has sponsored Austrian racing driverHarald Ertl. Warsteiner is the official beer of Lufthansa and served on all flights. The Warsteiner slogan, found on each bottle reads, "Eine Königin unter den Bieren" which literally translates into English as A Queen amongst Beers, referring to the queen's crown on each beer bottle. As of 2019, the current slogan found on the bottle is "Das einzig Wahre" which translates as The real deal or The genuine thing.
