Holsten Brewery (Holsten-Brauerei AG) is a brewing company founded in 1518 in what is now Hamburg's Altona-Nord quarter. The group now has seven breweries in Germany. Its nationally distributed premium brand is the pale lager Holsten Pilsener. The company was acquired by the Carlsberg Group in 2004.

History

In the late 19th Century Holsten Brauerei first began trading in the UK when they purchased a brewery in Wandsworth, London. Holsten Pils was first imported into the UK in 1952 thus creating the premium packaged lager market. In 1979 the first of many award winning TV ad campaigns was launched starring Donald Pleasence. In the mid-1980s Holsten became the UK's number one selling premium packaged lager. Up until 1999, Holsten UK had been operated as a joint venture between Holsten Brauerei and S & N. In 1999 the joint venture was dissolved and Holsten UK took over responsibility for the on trade, followed in 2000 by the off trade.

In 2003 Holsten Brewery absorbed the Bavaria-St.Pauli brewery with their main brand Astra.

The Holsten group subsidiary Hansa-Brunnen AG has two plants producing mineral water and carbonated soft drinks, mainly for distribution in northern Germany.

The present-day Holsten brewery in Altona has a production capacity of 3.2 million hectolitres. Its biggest-selling product is the premium brand Holsten Pilsener sold on the German market. The beers exported by the Holsten group are also brewed in Altona.

In 2004 Holsten-Brauerei was acquired by Carlsberg. Holsten produces both Tuborg and Carlsberg for the German market.

Holsten is specially produced in Germany (since 1879) and in Iran (since 2008 by BehnoushIran), but it may be produced by other Carlsberg companies around the world.

Brands

The Holsten Brewery main brand is the 4.8% abv pale lager Holsten Pilsener. The brand was first produced in 1953. Other products include regional brands like Licher Pilsner and Lübzer Pils. The Hamburg brewery exports beer to the whole world. Holsten Premium is sold in five continents and Holsten Pils goes to the United Kingdom where it is sold through the group's own subsidiary.

Advertising

Holsten sponsored Tottenham Hotspur football team from 1986 to 1995, and again from 1999 until 2002. They were sponsors of Tottenham at the time of their last FA Cup win in 1991.