Ratsherrn Brauerei

What Ratsherrn Brauerei does

Ratsherrn Brauerei is a family-owned, independent craft brewery headquartered in Hamburg's Schanzenviertel, with origins tracing to 1951 at the Elbschloss-Brauerei. The company produces a portfolio of approximately 15 beer SKUs across Pilsener, Hoppy Pilsener, Helles, Zwickel, Pale Ale, IPA, Oat White IPA, Alster (radler), Moby Wit (Belgian-style witbier), and Mildes, including non-alcoholic variants Helles Alkoholfrei and Pilsener 0,0%. Production is differentiated by the Slow Brewing certification, a process standard emphasizing slow fermentation and gentle aging, of which Ratsherrn is the only certified holder in Northern Germany. The company is led by Managing Directors Niklas Nordmann and Oliver Nordmann, employs 11-50 staff, and operates as a privately held German GmbH with no parent company, external investors, or public listing.

The business runs a vertically integrated go-to-market combining wholesale distribution through German food retail (Lebensmitteleinzelhandel) and beverage trade (Getränkehandel) with direct-to-consumer channels: a specialty retail store (Ratsherrn Store Schanze carrying 300+ beer SKUs), an e-commerce onlineshop, a mobile loyalty app, and a network of 8+ company-owned hospitality venues under sub-brands including Altes Mädchen Braugasthaus (brewpub, 60+ beers), Ratsherrn Bar Mühlenkamp and Schanze, Das Lokal Eimsbüttel, and the Dolden Mädel brewpub chain spanning Berlin, Binz, Stralsund, and Zingst. Brand experience is monetized through paid brewery tours in multiple formats (65-minute, 105-minute, Bingo, exclusive private) and the annual Hoffestival. The customer base is horizontal across individual craft beer consumers, gastronomy/HoReCa accounts, and food/beverage retail, with distribution confined to Germany.

Recent strategic activity centers on product line extension into the non-alcoholic segment (Helles Alkoholfrei, launched 2025), format innovation (Pilsener Dose 0.33L can), a 2026 Moby Wit draft comeback, and a 75th-anniversary limited edition Pilsener, alongside sub-brand geographic expansion via Dolden Mädel to Berlin and the Baltic coast. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Ratsherrn Brauerei

Legal name

Ratsherrn Brauerei GmbH

Website

https://ratsherrn.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ratsherrn Brauerei is a family-owned, independent craft brewery in Hamburg producing Pilsener, Helles, IPAs, and non-alcoholic beers under the only Slow Brewing certification in Northern Germany, distributed through German retail, e-commerce, and 8+ company-owned gastro locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewing

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (4453), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alcoholic Beverage Mixers & Cocktail Ingredients Brands (Non-alcoholic) (CRADAIAH), Alcohol-Free & Low-Alcohol Beer/Wine/Spirits Production (AFAFAAAJ), Spirits/Cocktail Bars Operated by Producers (THAFALAJ), Beer Retail (Bottle Shops & Beer Merchants) (CRANABAC)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Brewery tours
• Brewpub operations
• Non-alcoholic beer
• Beer retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Beer Product Sales: Sale of brewed beer products including Pilsener, Helles, Pale Ale, IPA, Zwickel, Alster, Oat White IPA, alcohol-free variants, and seasonal offerings. Sold through retail, onlineshop, and gastro locations.
2. Gastronomy Operations: Revenue from company-owned restaurant and bar locations including Altes Mädchen Braugasthaus, Ratsherrn Bar Schanze, Ratsherrn Bar Mühlenkamp, Das Lokal Eimsbüttel, and Dolden Mädel locations in Berlin, Binz, Stralsund, and Zingst.
3. Brewery Tours: Revenue from guided brewery tours offering 65-minute, 105-minute, and Bingo tour formats, plus exclusive and English-language tours.
4. Merchandise and Accessories: Sale of branded merchandise including clothing (shirts, hoodies, pajamas), accessories, and gift sets through retail store and onlineshop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ratsherrn Brauerei is a family-owned Hamburg craft brewery that brews and sells a portfolio of more than a dozen beer styles including Pilsener, Helles, IPA, Pale Ale, Zwickel, Alster, Oat White IPA, Moby Wit and non-alcoholic variants under Slow Brewing certification. The company distributes beer through its own specialty retail store, onlineshop, food retail and beverage wholesale channels, and complements production with company-owned gastro locations (brewpubs and bars), branded brewery tours, and merchandise. The portfolio targets both individual consumers (direct retail, onlineshop, gastro visits, tours) and gastronomy/retail buyers (wholesale accounts).

Product overview

Ratsherrn Brauerei is a family-owned, independent city brewery based in Hamburg's Schanzenviertel. The product portfolio centers on craft beers including Pilsener, Helles, Zwickel, Pale Ale, IPA, Oat White IPA, Alster, and Moby Wit, with non-alcoholic variants (Helles Alkoholfrei, Pilsener 0,0%). The offering extends beyond beer to include brewery tour experiences (65-Führung, 105-Führung, Bingo-Tour), a network of gastro locations (Altes Mädchen, Ratsherrn Bar Mühlenkamp, Ratsherrn Bar Schanze, Das Lokal, Dolden Mädel), retail stores, and an online shop. The company holds the Slow Brewing certification as the only brewery in northern Germany with this distinction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Altes Mädchen: Brewpub and restaurant brand operated by Ratsherrn Brauerei in Hamburg's Schanzenhöfe.
• Ratsherrn Bar
• Das Lokal
• Dolden Mädel

Products and services

• Pilsener Traditional German-style pale lager with a crisp, clean taste and golden color, sold in bottles, cans and on draft through retail, onlineshop and gastro accounts.
• Hoppy Pilsener Classic German pale lager with an enhanced hoppy character, bright golden color and pronounced hop aroma.
• Helles Traditional German pale lager with a malty character, light color and balanced hop bitterness.
• Helles Alkoholfrei Non-alcoholic version of the classic Helles lager with less than 0.5% ABV, golden color and 2.5/5 hoppiness, brewed with water, barley malt, sugar, hops and hop extract.
• Pilsener 0,0% Alcohol-free version of the classic Ratsherrn Pilsener with less than 0.5% ABV.
• Zwickel Classic unfiltered German beer with a cloudy appearance, light orange color and balanced flavor profile.
• Oat White IPA Refreshing wheat ale brewed with oat malt, white-gold color, 6.5% ABV and 4/5 hoppiness.
• IPA German-style India Pale Ale with prominent hoppy character and a balanced malt backbone.
• Pale Ale American-style pale ale with fruity and hoppy characteristics.
• Alster Traditional Hamburg-style radler mixing 58% beer with 42% lemon soda, light and refreshing.
• Moby Wit Belgian-style Witbier with a light, refreshing and soft character finished with orange peel and coriander notes.
• Mildes Mild, easy-drinking Ratsherrn beer with a gentle flavor profile, packaged in green glass bottles.
• 65-Führung (65-minute Brewery Tour) 65-minute guided brewery tour covering an introduction to beer, sensory experience with hops/malt/yeast, brewery walk-through and tasting of three Ratsherrn beers. Pay-as-you-go.
• 105-Führung (105-minute Brewery Tour) 105-minute intensive brewery tour including tasting of five Ratsherrn beers, bread tasting and the Ratsherrn beer guide booklet. Pay-as-you-go.
• Bingo-Brauerei-Führung (Bingo Brewery Tour) 90-minute Friday brewery tour combining the standard tour with an integrated bingo game; prizes include one extra beer and one shot. Pay-as-you-go.
• Exklusivtouren (Exclusive Tours) Customized private brewery tours for groups of 10–20 people in German or English, with a 7 EUR per-person surcharge on top of regular tour pricing.
• Altes Mädchen Braugasthaus Company-owned brewpub and restaurant in Hamburg's Schanzenhöfe with beer garden, fireplace room, 60 different beer varieties, regional cuisine and Bioland-quality ingredients.
• Ratsherrn Bar Mühlenkamp Company-owned Ratsherrn bar in Hamburg-Winterhude with 130 seats, 24 taps serving 40+ beer varieties, maritime atmosphere overlooking Osterbekkanal.
• Ratsherrn Bar Schanze Company-owned Ratsherrn bar at the brewery in Schanzenhöfe, Hamburg, serving rotating specialties from the in-house microbrewery and limited-edition beers.
• Das Lokal Eimsbüttel Company-owned neighborhood pub in Hamburg-Eimsbüttel serving Ratsherrn beers and traditional German cuisine in a welcoming atmosphere.
• Dolden Mädel brewpubs Company-owned "traditional yet modern" brewpub chain with locations in Berlin (Mehringdamm 80), Binz (Rügen), Stralsund and Zingst, offering Ratsherrn craft beer and regional cuisine.
• Ratsherrn Store Schanze Company-operated specialty beer store at Lagerstraße 30a, Hamburg, stocking over 300 beer specialties including Ratsherrn products and international exclusives, plus Ratsherrn merchandise; also serves as the meeting point for brewery tours (Tue–Sat 12:00–20:00).
• Ratsherrn Onlineshop Direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop at ratsherrn.shop offering Ratsherrn beers, gift sets and exclusive merchandise for delivery to customers.
• Ratsherrn App Company loyalty mobile app for iOS and Android where users enter five-digit codes from bottles to collect points redeemable for rewards such as free beer and discounts, with an integrated beer compass for locating products.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei: Hamburg craft brewery operating its own taproom in the Schanzenviertel; direct geographic and product overlap with Ratsherrn in both on-premise craft and city-brand positioning.
• Hofbräu München: Munich-based brewery with iconic taproom operations and regional heritage branding; directly comparable as a German city brewery combining heritage brand with on-premise gastro model.
• St. Pauli Brauerei: Hamburg neighborhood brewery with brand-driven positioning and own gastro footprint; highly comparable in geography, scale, and integrated brewpub model.
• Flensburger Brauerei: Northern German regional brewery with national food-retail distribution and strong brand identity; comparable as a regional craft-rooted competitor distributed through LEH and Getränkehandel.
• Astra Brauerei: Hamburg-based brewery with strong regional identity and own taproom culture; directly comparable as a Northern German city brewery competing in on-premise and food retail against Ratsherrn.

Broad incumbents

• Radeberger Gruppe: Germany's largest private brewery group (Dr. Oetker) operating multiple regional craft brands; comparable as a multi-brand consolidator with overlapping craft positioning and broad LEH distribution.
• Beck's (Anheuser-Busch InBev): National premium lager brand distributed across German food retail and gastronomy; competes with Ratsherrn's core Pilsener on the same shelves and bar taps.
• Paulaner: Major Munich-based brewery group with broad national and international portfolio; comparable as a larger competitor occupying similar retail and on-premise channels with overlapping product styles.
• Warsteiner: Large German family-owned brewery with national food-retail and on-premise distribution; comparable as a similarly family-controlled German brewer competing on the same trade channels.

Emerging players

• BRLO: Berlin-based craft brewer with own brewpub and restaurant; comparable as a younger German craft competitor expanding beyond its home city and into the gastro/retail integration model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ratsherrn_brauerei
• Xx.com/ratsherrn

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ratsherrn Brauerei