Brewing in Höchstadt (around 1608)

The information comes from a building authority invoice compiled by town clerk Leonhard Sendner in the 19th century from old archive documents.

Brewery and beer production

In 1608, there were 19 brewers in Höchstadt, who together produced 86 brews.

Each brew corresponded to about 30 buckets (1 bucket ≈ 70 litres), for a total of about 2,580 buckets of beer (≈ 180,000 litres).

Of this, approximately 1,800 buckets (≈ 126,000 litres) were served in Höchstadt and 780 buckets (≈ 54,000 litres) were exported.

The exported beer was tax-free; only the beer served locally was subject to the so-called ‘Ungeld’ tax.

The communal brewing kettle (communal brewery) held 32 buckets.

Consumption and population

With a population of around 1,000–1,100, annual consumption amounted to around 2 buckets (≈ 140 litres) per capita of beer and wine combined.

Consumption breakdown:

Beer: approx. 1,800 buckets

Wine: approx. 295 ½ buckets, of which

245 ½ buckets were Franconian wine

50 buckets of Höchstadt wine from local winegrowers (reference to winegrowing in the town – street names such as Häckersteig and Weingartsgraben are reminders of this).

Taverns and hospitality industry

Around 1608, there were only three innkeepers:

Konrad Unger, innkeeper in the inner city (probably in what later became the ‘Fuchsenwirtshaus’, now the post office building).

Hanns Dresel, innkeeper in the suburbs, presumably in the ‘Schwane’ tavern (without its own brewery).

Christoph Hagen, tavern in the suburbs, probably in the ‘Blauer Löwe’.

Significance

The report provides a vivid picture of urban brewing and alcohol consumption in the early 17th century:

Beer was the most important everyday drink, regulated by tax and economically significant.

The citizen brewers produced beer collectively in the communal brewery.

Winegrowing also had a certain local significance in Höchstadt at that time.