Werner Brombach, Erdinger beer pioneer, dies at 86

Werner Brombach, the longtime owner and managing director of Erdinger Weißbräu, has died at the age of 86 after a short, serious illness, the brewery in Erding said, according to BR. He was regarded as one of Germany’s most successful brewers.

Brombach joined the traditional brewery, which was run by his father, in 1965. At the time, it produced 40,000 hectolitres of beer a year. Brombach helped make wheat beer, which had previously been known mainly in Bavaria, popular beyond the region and increased annual production step by step to around 1.5 million hectolitres.

Under the Erdinger Weißbräu brand, he built a wheat-beer culture known far beyond Germany. In recent years, alcohol-free varieties played an increasingly important role. Erdinger advertising campaigns featured prominent figures including footballers Franz Beckenbauer and Thomas Müller, as well as former biathlete Magdalena Neuner.

Walter Berizzi, deputy chairman of the Werner Brombach Family Foundation’s board, praised Brombach as a businessman defined by his ties to his home region, modesty, pioneering spirit and business foresight. Brombach transferred ownership of his company to a family foundation last year.

Erdinger Weißbräu is still brewed exclusively at its location in Erding and is now exported to more than 100 countries worldwide.