What Flensburger Brauerei does

Flensburger Brauerei Emil Petersen GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German family brewery founded on 6 September 1888 and headquartered at Munketoft 12 in Flensburg — the northernmost large brewery in Germany. The company operates under a German Kommanditgesellschaft structure with the Dethleffsen-Petersen family retaining majority on the advisory board and professional managers (Jörn Schumann and Michael Seip) running operations since 2010. Flensburger brews and sells a full portfolio of beers under the FLENS brand following the Reinheitsgebot (German Beer Purity Law), using proprietary technologies including the Merlin wort cooking system, in-house cultivated pure-culture yeast, the Flensburger Gletscherquelle glacier spring water source, and a proprietary coastal barley variety called Küstengerste. The brewery operates the world's largest swing-top (Bügelverschluss) bottling facility, with the iconic 'plop' opening sound functioning as a registered brand symbol since 1888.

The product portfolio spans classic beers (Flensburger Pilsener, Edles Helles, Gold, Dunkel, Strand-Lager, Radler, Kellerbier, seasonal Bock variants), a non-alcoholic line (Flensburger Frei produced via vacuum rectification, Strand-Lager 0.0%, Radler Frei, Malz, Wasser), specialty products including the cult Bölkstoff beer and 2-liter Mega-Plop bottles, spirits (FLENS Bierbrand and FLENS Whisky), and the newly launched Flensburger Küstenlimos soft drinks (2025). Flensburger generates revenue through retail distribution across German supermarkets and convenience stores, on-trade/hospitality via 20L/30L/50L kegs, an international export sales team, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce via the Plop-Shop (shop.flens.de) and bierselect.de. The company also operates brewery tours, the FLENS Festival, the FLENS CUP sporting event, the FLENS StrandGut coastal-cleanup initiative (now in its 10th edition), the 'FLENS verstehen' content hub, and the FLENS Miniserie video series to drive brand engagement. Cumulative investment over the past decade exceeds €50 million, and the brewery surpassed 600,000 hectoliters of domestic production in 2018 — its highest output since the early 1990s.

Name

Flensburger Brauerei

Legal name

Flensburger Brauerei Emil Petersen GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://flens.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1888

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Flensburger Brauerei is a privately held, family-owned German brewery founded in 1888 in Flensburg, producing Reinheitsgebot-compliant beers and beverages under the FLENS brand — including the iconic swing-top bottle line, non-alcoholic beers, spirits, and soft drinks — distributed across German retail, hospitality, export markets, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Flensburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Beer and Beverage Product Sales: Flensburger Brauerei generates revenue primarily through the sale of its own branded beer and non-alcoholic beverage products through retail (supermarkets, convenience stores), hospitality (restaurants, bars, festivals), and direct e-commerce channels (Plop-Shop and bierselect.de). Products span classic beers, non-alcoholic beers, and specialty beverages including spirits (beer brandy, whisky) and non-alcoholic lemonades (Küstenlimos).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Flensburger Brauerei is a traditional German family-owned brewery founded in 1888 that manufactures and sells a full range of beers (Pilsener, Helles, Dunkel, Gold, Strand-Lager, Radler, Kellerbier, Bock variants, Weizen), non-alcoholic beverages (Frei 0.0%, Malz, Wasser, Küstenlimos), specialty products (Bölkstoff, Mega-Plop 2L bottles), and spirits (Bierbrand, Whisky). All products are brewed under the German Reinheitsgebot with proprietary swing-top (Bügelverschluss) bottle packaging and distributed through German retail, hospitality/on-trade, direct-to-consumer e-commerce, and an international export sales team.

Product overview

Flensburger Brauerei is a traditional German family brewery founded in 1888, producing a diverse portfolio of beers centered around its signature swing-top bottle (Bügelverschluss) closure system. The product range includes core beer products such as the flagship Flensburger Pilsener, Flensburger Edles Helles, Flensburger Gold, Flensburger Dunkel, Flensburger Strand-Lager, Flensburger Radler, Flensburger Kellerbier, and seasonal bock beers (Frühlingsbock, Winterbock). The non-alcoholic line features Flensburger Frei, Flensburger Strand-Lager 0,0%, Flensburger Radler Frei, Flensburger Malz, and Flensburger Wasser. Specialty products include the cult Bölkstoff beer and Mega-Plop 2-liter bottles. The brewery also produces spirits (FLENS Bierbrand and FLENS Whisky) and launched Flensburger Küstenlimos soft drinks in 2025. All beers are brewed according to the German Reinheitsgebot (Beer Purity Law) using water from the Flensburger Gletscherquelle (glacier spring), coastal barley (Küstengerste), hops, and house-cultivated yeast.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bölkstoff: A beer brand featured in the Werner comic series, distributed by Flensburger Brauerei since 2002. Offered in a green 0.33-liter swing-top bottle.
• Flensburger Küstenlimos
• FLENS Bierbrand Küstengerste
• FLENS Whisky
• plop'-Shop

Products and services

• Flensburger Pilsener The flagship beer of Flensburger Brauerei, a classic Pilsener brewed since 1922, known for its bitter character with 38 bitter units and full-bodied, herb-würzig taste profile. Packaged in the iconic swing-top (Bügelverschluss) bottle.
• Flensburger Edles Helles A traditional Bavarian-style Helles lager brewed according to the original 1955 recipe, characterized by a long maturation process, full-bodied, smooth taste with a light caramel note.
• Flensburger Gold A mild lager beer, particularly suited for Mediterranean dishes, fish variations, and light salads, with a refreshing taste for spring and summer days.
• Flensburger Dunkel A dark lager with dark amber color, featuring distinctive roasted malt notes reminiscent of light toffee to mild roasted coffee nuances.
• Flensburger Strand-Lager A refreshing lager inspired by the coastal lifestyle, featuring smooth and crisp character suitable for fish dishes and maritime cuisine.
• Flensburger Strand-Lager 0,0% Non-alcoholic version of the Strand-Lager produced through dealcoholization, unfiltered, original, and flavorful with 0.0% alcohol.
• Flensburger Radler A beer mix beverage combining beer with lemon-lime soda, refreshing and suitable as a thirst quencher.
• Flensburger Radler Frei Non-alcoholic version of the Radler beer mix, alcohol-free refreshing drink.
• Flensburger Kellerbier An unfiltered lager with copper color, mild malt taste, fine hop note, and typical Kellerbier character with reduced carbonation.
• Flensburger Frühlingsbock A seasonal spring Bock beer, full-bodied, golden yellow, and lively with exclusively aroma hops providing a pleasant hop note.
• Flensburger Winterbock A winter seasonal Bock beer, spicy, orange-golden strong beer, weakly hopped making it leaner than other Bock beers.
• Flensburger Frei A genuine Flensburger Pilsener but without alcohol, produced using vacuum rectification dealcoholization since end of 2023.
• Flensburger Malz A malt drink (not technically beer), caramel-brown with sweetish, malt-predominant taste, 0% vol alcohol, very low sugar and calories.
• Flensburger Wasser Bottled water product from the brewery.
• Bölkstoff A cult beer associated with the Werner comic series, green 0.33L bottle with swing-top closure, marketed since 2002 through Flensburger Brauerei.
• Mega-Plop Pilsener 2-liter mega bottle variant of Flensburger Pilsener with special swing-top closure.
• Mega-Plop Frühlingsbock 2-liter mega bottle variant of Flensburger Frühlingsbock.
• Mega-Plop Winterbock 2-liter mega bottle variant of Flensburger Winterbock.
• Mega-Plop Strand-Lager 2-liter mega bottle variant of Flensburger Strand-Lager.
• FLENS Bierbrand Küstengerste A high-proof spirit distilled from beer made with coastal barley, featuring slightly nutty aroma and fine vanilla accent.
• FLENS Whisky Whisky product from Flensburger Brauerei, produced using coastal barley.
• Flensburger Küstenlimos A line of coastal-themed non-alcoholic soft drinks (lime, cola, orange varieties) launched March 2025, featuring swing-top bottles with zero alcohol.
• Flensburger Weizen A wheat beer available domestically only as draft beer, described as sweetish-fruity with high carbonation content.
• Plop-Shop Brand Merchandise E-commerce merchandise store (shop.flens.de) selling FLENS apparel, glassware, accessories, Mega-Plop bottles, beer advent calendars, and experience vouchers for brewery tours.
• Brewery Tours (Brauereibesichtigung) Guided tours of the brewery's production facilities including the copper brewing kettles, bottling lines, and the new brew house, including product tastings. Bookable via the website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 600,000 HL domestic production milestone reached in 2018 (first time since early 1990s)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/flens
• Xx.com/flens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Flensburger Brauerei