Bayreuther Hell beer will soon be brewed here: A look inside the new brewery
Bayreuther Hell beer will soon be brewed here: A look inside the new brewery
A major investment for Bayreuth: The Bayreuth brewery is expanding. We were given a sneak peek behind the scenes of the new Bayreuth brewery while work and testing were still underway on the site. Also present were Jeff Maisel and Marc Göbel, managing director of the brewery, who gave us a tour of "his new baby," as he called it during the welcome.
A rooftop meadow, huge windows, state-of-the-art technology, and hundreds of thousands of liters of beer flowing freely: Bayreuther Hell will be pouring here from the beginning of November. The Bayreuther Bierbrauerei AG, part of the Gebr. Maisel brewery group, has invested around 90 million euros to build a brewery on the city's outskirts, where only Bayreuther Hell will be produced. CEO Jeff Maisel is particularly pleased that the project stayed both on schedule and within budget.
500,000 hectoliters of Bayreuther Hell per year
The centerpiece of the new building is the brewhouse with its characteristic copper vessels: lauter tun, mash tun, wort kettle, and brew kettle. "We're now essentially at the heart of a brewery, in the brewhouse with its brewing vessels," explains Göbel during the tour along the visitor walkway, which will later be open to tour groups. There won't be a restaurant at this location, but employees and visitors can refresh themselves at a long bar in the entrance area.
The new plant is designed for an annual capacity of 500,000 hectoliters. It was planned and built by the plant engineering company Krones from Neutraubling; the general contractor is the Bayreuth-based firm W. Markgraf; and the architect is Phase 5 from Berlin. The beer is stored in huge tanks, each with a capacity of 2,300 hectoliters – but due to the formation of fermentation foam, they are never filled to the brim, explains Marc Goebel.
Two-stage energy concept using wood chips
Even from the outside, it's striking: a wood chip heating system for high-temperature processes, combined with heat pumps for the rest of the operation. Energy is recovered multiple times between production steps – Göbel calls it an "energy cycle": return heat from one process is used to preheat the next. Waste heat from the refrigeration system also flows back into the heat pump. The concept is complemented by solar panels on the roof and a rainwater retention basin that collects water from the green roof. "Efficiency and sustainability are high priorities for us – if we can eventually install two wind turbines nearby, we'll be energy neutral," emphasizes Jeff Maisel.
Reflective facade, hilly green roof
From the outside, the silvery-green facade is particularly striking: aluminum mirror panels at a precisely calculated angle so that the sky and landscape are reflected in them – while still allowing birds to clearly see the surface. The roof is not a flat green roof, but deliberately designed with undulating terrain, including paths, bushes, and trees. Beehives are planned for the roof, and possibly sheep will be used to maintain the area. The aim is for the roofscape to blend seamlessly with the surrounding orchards.
40,000 bottles per hour and arena setup
In the future bottling plant, bottles will be washed, inspected for cleanliness and damage by an inspection machine, filled, sealed with swing-top closures, and labeled. At full capacity, up to 40,000 bottles per hour will pass through the plant. This is in addition to the existing capacity. 35 new employees will be hired at the site, and all employees will be able to be deployed across different locations in the future.
The long road to opening
The planning process wasn't entirely smooth. Local residents' initiatives attempted to legally halt the construction of the Oberobsang industrial park, arguing that an industrial brewery was inappropriate for residential areas. However, the Bayreuth Administrative Court dismissed the lawsuit. As our editorial team reported at the time, the Bayreuth city council had already been debating the development plan back in 2024.
During the tour, Maisel appeared relaxed regarding the critics: They had ultimately used the longer planning time effectively and would soon like to personally welcome local residents to the new brewery.
What visitors can expect
The new brewery will not have its own restaurant – instead, it will feature a visitor area with a merchandise shop and a walkway from which groups can view the brewhouse and, later, the bottling plant from above. The operators expect guests from all over Germany and abroad who want to witness the production of Bayreuther Hell beer – similar to brewery tours in other countries.
The new brewery will be officially opened on October 9th with a ceremony for invited guests; the autumn fair for all Bayreuth residents will begin that same evening. However, the first brew won't be available there until the beginning of November – until then, the final tests of the equipment will be carried out.
When will the new Bayreuth brewery open?
The official opening ceremony is planned for October 9, 2026, followed by the Bayreuth Brewery Autumn Festival in the Rotmainhalle. Brewing at the new location will not begin until the beginning of November.
What will be brewed at the new Bayreuth brewery?
From the beginning of November, only Bayreuther Hell will be brewed and bottled in Oberobsang, with an annual capacity of around 500,000 hectoliters.
Who is behind the project?
The client is Bayreuther Bierbrauerei AG, which has been majority-owned by the Gebr. Maisel brewery since 1965. Approximately 90 million euros were invested in the new building.
Can visitors tour the new brewery?
A dedicated visitor area with a walkway over the brewhouse and a merchandise shop is definitely planned. However, there will be no restaurant there.
Why was there a dispute about the construction?
Residents' groups filed a lawsuit against the Oberobsang industrial park, arguing that an industrial brewery was inappropriate. The Bayreuth Administrative Court dismissed the lawsuit.