End of in-house beer production under the Mühlen Kölsch label at Malzmühle
The Cologne-based Privatbrauerei Gaffel will take over the Mühlen Kölsch brand starting September 1, 2025. According to consistent media reports, the traditional Brauerei zur Malzmühle has decided to focus exclusively on its gastronomy business in the future. As part of a strategic partnership, Gaffel will assume the brand rights as well as the production and distribution of Mühlen Kölsch.
This decision marks the end of in-house production of this Kölsch brand at Malzmühle—and it will not remain without consequences: around 20 of the company’s 250 jobs are expected to be cut. While Malzmühle employees were informed on June 2, Gaffel will inform its staff on June 3.
Two family breweries join forces
"Mühlen is one of the most popular brands in the Kölsch market," said Heinrich Philipp Becker, managing partner of Gaffel. He expressed his delight in guiding this strong brand into the future. Melanie Schwartz, managing director of Brauerei zur Malzmühle, also emphasized the advantages of working with a strong partner that has both reach and experience in the market.
Founded in 1858, Brauerei zur Malzmühle has deep roots in Cologne and is now managed by the Schwartz family in its fifth generation. In January 2022, the brewery took over Sünner, Cologne’s oldest brewery, founded in 1830. Since then, the two oldest breweries in the city have been united under one roof at BRAUWELT Köln in Cologne-Kalk.
Originally, Mühlen Kölsch was brewed at Malzmühle’s historic headquarters on Heumarkt in Cologne’s old town. Only after the acquisition of the Sünner brewery was the production of Mühlen Kölsch relocated—starting in mid-2022—to the brewery site in Cologne-Kalk, which had previously been home exclusively to Sünner. With the transfer to Gaffel, the production of Mühlen Kölsch at BRAUWELT Köln will now come to an end. Bottling, however, has already been carried out for some time by an external contract brewery.
The production of the Sünner brand and Kölsches Wasser (lemonades), however, will continue to take place in Cologne-Kalk. The Sünner distillery is also the oldest registered grain distillery in Cologne and independently handles the entire production process—from mashing to bottling.
Malzmühle focuses on gastronomy
Going forward, Malzmühle will focus on its six gastronomy venues in Cologne—including the well-known brewpub on Heumarkt, which gained international fame following a visit from then-U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1999. Other venues include Anno 1858, the Mühlenbar, Kölsche Boor, Brauhaus Pütz, and BRAUWELT Köln.
Kölsch market continues to evolve
The takeover represents another step in the ongoing consolidation of the regional beer market. Smaller breweries have been struggling for years with rising energy and raw material costs. Kölsch sales fell by 2.5% in 2024 to 1.42 million hectoliters—a significant decline compared to 1.785 million hectoliters in 2019.
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