Who owns König Pilsener?
König Pilsener is owned by Bitburger Braugruppe (Germany), which has owned the brand since 2004.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Bitburger Braugruppe - Die Marken der Bitburger Braugruppe, Bitburger Braugruppe GmbH. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Bitburger Braugruppe GmbH reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇩🇪 Germany, Bitburg
- Origin
- 🇩🇪 Germany, Duisburg
- Founded
- 1858 by Theodor König
- Category
- Beverages › Beer › Lager
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About König Pilsener
König Pilsener is the beer of the König brewery in Duisburg, which Theodor König founded in 1858 as the "Bayrische Bierbrauerei Theodor König" in Beeck, near Duisburg. He chose the then-unfamiliar bottom-fermented method over the top-fermented beers of the region, brewing for the workers of the nearby mines. The company says that annual output reached 50,000 hectolitres by 1900. König joined the Bitburger Braugruppe in 2004.
Ownership timeline of König Pilsener
- 2004 – present Bitburger Braugruppe [1] reported
Where König Pilsener sits in Bitburger Braugruppe
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Bitburger Braugruppe ownership tree →
See the full Bitburger Braugruppe brand portfolio (4) →
Other brands owned by Bitburger Braugruppe
Bitburger Braugruppe controls 4 brands on Brandtree, 4 of them in beverages.
Also in beverages
- Bitburger (1817)
- Köstritzer
- Licher (1854)
Other brands in lager, and who owns them
The 199 brands in lager on Brandtree belong to 54 owners. The largest is AB InBev, with 17; Bitburger Braugruppe has 4.
About the owner: Bitburger Braugruppe
Bitburger Braugruppe is a privately held company headquartered in Bitburg, Germany. Brandtree records 4 brands under its control.
The Bitburger Braugruppe is a German family-owned brewing group with more than 1,400 employees, registered at Römermauer 3 in Bitburg in the southern Eifel. It runs the Bitburger brewery in Bitburg, the König brewery in Duisburg, the Köstritzer black beer brewery in Bad Köstritz and the Licher private brewery in Lich. Its own brand page also lists Crew Republic, Kandi Malz, Königsbacher Pilsener and Nette Edel Pils, which are not recorded here because no document opened gave their origins or ownership dates. It distributes Benediktiner Weissbräu and the Munich craft brewers Crew Republic under distribution partnerships, which are not ownership.
Bitburger Braugruppe: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇩🇪 König Pilsener and other German brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 243 brands that began in Germany. 90 of them (37%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; König Pilsener is not one of them.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of König Pilsener?
The parent company of König Pilsener is Bitburger Braugruppe, a privately held company headquartered in Germany.
Is König Pilsener German?
Yes. König Pilsener originated in Germany in 1858 and its owner, Bitburger Braugruppe, is also headquartered in Germany.
Since when has Bitburger Braugruppe owned König Pilsener?
Bitburger Braugruppe has owned König Pilsener since 2004.
Is König Pilsener still owned by Bitburger Braugruppe?
Yes. As of 4 October 2026, König Pilsener is still owned by Bitburger Braugruppe. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Bitburger Braugruppe - Die Marken der Bitburger Braugruppe — Bitburger Braugruppe GmbH, Official document; retrieved 4 October 2026.
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