Bavaria Beer: Where To Buy And Store Options

Bavaria beer is produced by Swinkels Family Brewers and is available for purchase on the official website. There are also several Bavaria breweries around the world, including in Colombia, the Netherlands, and Kentucky, USA. Reviews suggest that Bavaria beer is available to buy in Canada, the UK, the US, Australia, and Europe.

Bavaria beer in Colombia

Bavaria Brewery, formally known as Bavaria S.A., is a Colombian brewery company founded on April 4, 1889, by Leo S. Kopp, a German immigrant. It is the largest beverage company in Colombia and is based in the country's capital city of Bogotá. The company is owned by London-based SABMiller plc, the world's second-largest producer of beer.

In 2023, Bavaria announced a $413 million investment in a new brewery in Palmar de Varela, located about an hour from the Atlántico capital city of Barranquilla. The new brewery is expected to begin operations in mid-2024 and will produce national beer brands, including Águila, Poker, and Club Colombia. The investment is expected to create over 350 direct jobs and 7,000 indirect jobs.

Bavaria has a strong presence in the Colombian beer market, with 97% of all beer sold in the country bearing the Bavaria label. The company's beers are produced in six breweries located across Colombia, including in Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Tibasosa, Medellín, Tocancipá, and Yumbo.

The national beers produced by Bavaria include a wide range of options catering to different regions and tastes. Águila, for example, is a light and refreshing lager that is particularly popular on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, while Póker is the preferred brand in Bogotá and the West Andes. Águila Light, Pilsen, Costeña, and Club Colombia are also among the top-selling beers in the country, each with its own unique positioning and target audience.

In addition to its beer offerings, Bavaria also produces non-alcoholic drinks such as Zalva Water, Pony Malta, and Cola & Pola, solidifying its position as a leading beverage company in Colombia.

Bavaria beer in the Netherlands

Bavaria Beer is produced by Royal Swinkels, a family business from North Brabant in the Netherlands. The company is fully owned by the Swinkels family, which is now in its seventh generation. Royal Swinkels is the second-largest brewery company in the Netherlands, after Heineken, and is one of the largest producers of malt in Europe. The company operates eight brewery locations: three in the Netherlands, three in Belgium, one in Ethiopia, and one in Cuba. These breweries produced nearly 7 million hectolitres of beer in 2023.

Bavaria Beer is a popular choice in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It can likely be found in many stores throughout the Netherlands, as Royal Swinkels has a large presence in the country and distributes its beer nationwide. Additionally, Royal Swinkels exports its beer to many countries worldwide, so it may be available in specialty stores outside of the Netherlands as well.

The history of Royal Swinkels dates back to 1680 when Dirk Vereijken owned a brewery at the Kerkdijk (Church Dike Road) in Lieshout. The brewery changed hands within families for several generations until 1764, when Brigitta Moorrees, who owned the brewery with her mother, married Ambrosius Swinkels. After Brigitta's mother died in 1773, she and her husband became the full owners of the brewery, and it has been owned by the Swinkels family ever since.

For centuries, the brewery only produced beer for the local market. It wasn't until the fourth generation of Swinkels, with Jan Swinkels, that distribution expanded beyond Lieshout. By the early 1900s, sales had increased significantly, and by the 1920s, the original brewery buildings had become too small. A new, larger brewery was built in Lieshout, and three brothers of the fifth generation of Swinkels took over leadership. It was at this time that they adopted the brand name "Bavaria" to indicate that the new plant was a bottom-fermentation brewery, producing pale lager beer.

Today, Royal Swinkels produces and markets a variety of beverages, including beer, malt, and soft drinks, under several brand names, including Bavaria, Swinckels', La Trappe, and Rodenbach. The company has a turnover of more than 1128 million euros per year and is commercially active in more than 150 countries.

Bavarian Brewing Company in Kentucky, USA

The Bavarian Brewing Company was established in Covington, Kentucky, in 1866 by Julius Deglow. However, it became known as the Bavarian Brewery around 1870. The brewery was originally located on Pike Street but expanded to 12th Street within a decade.

After John Meyer acquired the brewery in 1881, he sold an interest to German immigrant William Riedlin in 1882. The company operated under the proprietorship of Meyer & Riedlin starting in 1884, before becoming incorporated as the Bavarian Brewing Co. in 1889 by William Riedlin. Besides Bavarian Beer, the company also offered Riedlin Select Beer and Riedlin Blue Ribbon Beer.

The brewery began in a building on Pike Street, and its site also included two ice ponds, ice houses, lager cellars, and various sheds. After the brewery incorporated, new construction included a new bottling plant in 1892, which took advantage of important bottling innovations, including the crown bottle cap and pasteurization, which increased the shelf life of beer. This enabled beer to be distributed to a much wider area. A new Ice Plant was also built, producing 100,000 pounds of ice daily.

The Bavarian Brewing Co. became the largest brewery in Kentucky by 1913, with an annual beer production of 215,000 barrels, increasing from only 7,341 barrels in 1870. However, beer production in Kentucky was abruptly halted at the end of November 1918 due to Prohibition. The brewery continued to produce its flagship beer, Bavarian's, until the facility closed in 1966.

The former structure containing the Brew and Mill Houses, built in 1911, was repurposed into office space and became part of the Kenton County Government Center, opening in 2019. This office complex has a Bavarian Brewery Exhibit that explores the history of the brewery and its buildings, accompanied by artifacts and Breweriana items on display. A Riedlin-Schott Room, named after the families who owned and operated the brewery, is available for community activities, meetings, and events.

Bavaria – St. Pauli Brewery in Germany

The Bavaria – St. Pauli Brewery (Bavaria - St. Pauli - Brauerei AG) was a German brewery founded in 1922 from the merger of the Bavaria Brauerei AG (founded in 1897) and the St. Pauli Actien-Brauerei (founded in 1862) in Hamburg. The brewery created a variety of pale lagers under the brand name Astra, including the Astra Urtyp, Astra Exclusiv, Astra Pilsener, and Astra Rotlicht, with alcohol volumes ranging from 2.5% to 6.0%.

In addition to its core brand, the Bavaria – St. Pauli Brewery also owned a dozen North German breweries until it was bought by Brau und Brunnen in 1994 and merged with Elbschloss-Brauerei GmbH. Unfortunately, the original brewery building has since been demolished after it was closed in 2003 by Holsten, the new owner.

Despite its closure, the legacy of the Bavaria – St. Pauli Brewery lives on through its beers, which continue to be brewed by Holsten today. The Holsten-brewed beers include a range of pale lagers and speciality beers such as the Astra Granate Energy Low/No Alcohol Beer, Astra Kleine Freiheit Helles, and Admiral Pils. These beers vary in alcohol content, with some being non-alcoholic and others reaching up to 5.1%.

The Swinkels Family Brewers are also associated with the Bavaria brand, with their Bavaria Premium Beer being reviewed on BeerAdvocate. This beer, served in a 500ml can, is described as having a light gold colour and a crisp, clean taste with bready malt flavours.

Swinkels Family Brewers

The brewery initially produced beer for the local market, but over time, it expanded its distribution network across the Netherlands and later to other countries. Today, Swinkels Family Brewers is the second-largest brewery in the Netherlands, after Heineken, and its beers are sold in more than 150 countries worldwide. The company has a diverse portfolio of beer brands, including its flagship brand, Bavaria, as well as Swinckels', La Trappe, and Rodenbach.

In addition to its beer business, Swinkels Family Brewers is also a significant producer of malt and soft drinks. The company owns two malt houses, with an annual capacity of 400,000 tons, and it produces a range of soft drinks, including private-label products. The group has a strong focus on quality and craftsmanship, and its success is driven by a combination of brewing tradition and an entrepreneurial spirit.

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