Who owns Köstritzer?
Köstritzer is owned by Bitburger Braugruppe (Germany), which has owned the brand since 1991.[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, Bad Köstritz
- Category
- Beverages › Beer › Lager
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Köstritzer
Köstritzer is the black beer (Schwarzbier) brewery at Bad Köstritz in Thuringia, first mentioned as the "Köstritzer Erbschenke" in 1543 and counted by the brewery among Germany's oldest. Bitburger took it over in 1991, after it had gone into public ownership in 1948, and built it up into one of the largest breweries in Thuringia. The brewery says its black beer became the national market leader among dark bottom-fermented beers within two years of its 1993 national launch, and that it is exported to over 50 countries.
Ownership timeline of Köstritzer
- 1991 – present Bitburger Braugruppe [1] reported
Where Köstritzer 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)
- König Pilsener (1858)
- 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 →
🇩🇪 Köstritzer 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; Köstritzer is not one of them.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Köstritzer?
The parent company of Köstritzer is Bitburger Braugruppe, a privately held company headquartered in Germany.
Is Köstritzer German?
Yes. Köstritzer originated in Germany and its owner, Bitburger Braugruppe, is also headquartered in Germany.
Since when has Bitburger Braugruppe owned Köstritzer?
Bitburger Braugruppe has owned Köstritzer since 1991.
Is Köstritzer still owned by Bitburger Braugruppe?
Yes. As of 4 October 2026, Köstritzer 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.
Report a correction Opens a pre-filled GitHub issue. See our corrections policy.