History

1600 – 1900

The house on Berger Strasse is extremely traditional, and documentation shows that between 1658 and 1783 it was owned by the Pfeilstricker family. In the mid-1700s, Heinrich Lichtschlag ran an imperial wagon station here, and the name 'Zum Heydelberger Fass' (Heidelberg keg) first appears. Owners and tenants changed over the centuries; among others a couple named Juppen lived here with their son, Leonhard, who also sold wine here. After Leonhard's death, Johann Lambert Gruben bought the place in 1790, and during the occupation by French Revolutionary troops in 1795 the property was sold on to Bertram Mertens, who again sold to grain merchant Johann Anton Joseph Bender in 1802. Bender lived and worked here until 1826; after his death his widow rented the house out to various tenants and later the place became known as the 'Berliner Hof'.

1800 – 1900

The house was renovated in 1837/38. Bender's widow's business thereafter ran as a wine tavern, with guest rooms, food and in-house entertainment. In 1862 the building was finally converted into a brewery: on January 4, Bender's widow bought 'Bergische Hof' from master brewer Wilhelm Cürten, who became Uerige himself. The gray-white, attractive building structure soon became the home of a brewery in the cellar and outbuildings, where the popular brewer Willem Cürten (also known as the 'grumpy William') opened a brewery and served excellent top-fermented beer in the house's ground floor.

1900 – 1945

After Wilhelm's death his son Max took over, and around the turn of the century he modernized with a noisy ice machine and a preheater in the brewery. Max died in 1902, and his widow leased to master brewer Jean Keller in 1907 and sold the house, the brewery and the pub to Keller in 1912. Keller and his wife ran Uerige until 1934, after which master brewer Jakob Lotz leased the place for three years. The next owner was Rudolf Arnold from Saxony, who led the place from 1937 for about forty years. During World War II Uerige suffered the 1943 bombardment and the 1944 fire, which destroyed the brewery completely.

1945 – today

In 1945, Rudi Arnold began rebuilding Uerige together with his Köbesse and staff, and they created a new, more modest brewery and public space. The reconstruction was completed in 1949, and in 1951 the Annekset Neweaan opened, followed by the impressive 'Brauhaus' in 1974 for Rudolf Arnhold's 85th birthday. Arnold was known as a strong character, and there are tales of tax evasion involving high-percentage liqueur; he put up signs that still hang on the wall. On 1 January 1976 Christa and Josef Schnitzler took over Uerige, added not much to the plans but carried out significant renovations in the brewery and climate control and equipment in general. Since 1999 their son Michael, an engineer, has run the business and in 2008 the STICKUM annex was inaugurated. STICKUM and STICKUM PLUS, two distillates produced by UERIGE Sticke, won gold and bronze at their first presentation in Destillata Salzburg in 2008. The distillery and Stickum were integrated into the facility; the STICKUM and STICKUM PLUS areas allow guests to enjoy and observe the spirits. The annex covers about 1,300 extra square meters for the brewery and guests. The aim is to create a 'crystal brewery' that allows guests to observe the important stages in the brewing process. STICKUM and STICKUM PLUS can also be seen as evidence of Uerige's combination of tradition and innovation and their ability to expand with new formats of spirits. Today the company remains active and has expanded its offerings with on-site distillery and various specialty products.