Germany: Privatbrauerei Gaffel to take over M�hlen K�lsch beer brand

Germany�s Privatbrauerei Gaffel will officially take over the M�hlen K�lsch brand from Brauerei zur Malzm�hle on September 1, 2025, marking a pivotal step in the ongoing consolidation of the K�lsch beer market, Inside.Beer reported on June 3.

The brand, with an annual output of around 50,000 hectoliters, will soon be brewed at Gaffel�s state-of-the-art facility in Cologne-Porz. Gaffel will also assume responsibility for distribution, aligning its total proprietary beer volume with that of market peer C�lner Hofbr�u Fr�h, each now reaching roughly 320,000 hectoliters.

According to Heinrich Philipp Becker, managing partner of Gaffel, the acquisition is about more than volume: �M�hlen is a jewel in the K�lsch segment with high potential, especially in formats like the 0.33-liter ale bottle and the 0.5-liter Euro bottle.�

The shift also marks the end of in-house brewing of the brand at Malzm�hle, a move that affects about 20 jobs out of the brewery�s 250 positions. Malzm�hle had moved M�hlen K�lsch production in 2022 to the facilities of S�nner located in Cologne-Kalk. Malzm�hle had acquired S�nner in 2021 and renamed the brewery to Brauwelt K�ln, to make it the home of both beer brands. Bottling had already been outsourced to contract producers such as K�nigshof in Krefeld. The future of Malzm�hle now lies in gastronomy.

Melanie Schwartz, managing director and 80% shareholder of Malzm�hle, emphasized the strategic decision to withdraw from brewing M�hlen K�lsch:together with business partner Dr. Michael Rosenbaum, the company will focus on its hospitality portfolio, including six Cologne-based venues such as the historic brewpub on Heumarkt, Anno 1858, and Brauwelt K�ln. Gaffel will remain a long-term contract partner for M�hlen K�lsch distribution. Meanwhile, the former S�nner brewery will continue producing its own beer and spirits, including the K�lsches Wasser soft drink range.

The K�lsch market has been under pressure, with total sales falling by 2.5% in 2024 to 1.42 million hectolitres�down from 1.785 million in 2019. Rising energy and raw material costs have further strained small breweries, pushing many toward partnerships or market exits.