The first beers were produced in Hamburg over 1000 years ago. Women brewed them in the home, though that was only for their own use. As for how they tasted…they would hardly shine compared to today's beers.

The first real breweries (“Braxatores”) began to operate in the middle of the 13^th century. The brewing industry developed into an important industry in Hamburg. In 1276, as many as 457 brewers were officially registered.

In the heyday of the Hanseatic League, Hamburg beer was a sought-after export item. This delicious and coveted drink was brewed in 527 private breweries (“Brauerben”). Fat-bellied sailing ships (Koggen) transported the beer barrels to Flanders, Holland and Zeeland, as well as to Scandinavia or the Baltic. In the 14^th century, more than 100,000 hectolitres of beer were permitted to leave the city. No wonder that Hamburg immodestly referred to itself as “The brewery of the Hanseatic League”.

The decline of the Hanseatic League from the 15^th century onwards was accompanied by a slackening of the Hamburg beer economy; former markets were lost. In addition, by the late 17^th century, competing beverages like coffee and tea, but also quickly intoxicating schnapps gained favor. When Napoleon rudely pounded at Hamburg's gates in 1806, the glory of Hamburg's beer almost became something only of the past.

Hamburg brewing took decades to recover. One bright spot: In the mid-1830s, bottom-fermented beer arrived in the city from Bavaria. A handful of Hamburg brewers adopted this new style of brewing.

The introduction of free trade in 1865 didn't quite provide an immediate surge. But from the end of the 1870s, new large breweries sprang from the ground like mushrooms. Hamburg experienced a beer renaissance—also in export.