29 Kronenbourg

Introduction:

Kronenbourg is a golden pale lager beer that was created in France during the year 1664 by Jerome Hatt. After brewing the first beer it was named after the date it was created. Kronenbourg Brewery was established in 1952 and has become Frances #1 premium lager. The company’s beer is now enjoyed all around the world in 70 countries. Over the years the brewery has branched and created 4 brews consisting of 1664 Lager, 1664 Blanc, 1664 Blanc Alcohol Free, and 1664 Blanc Fruit Rouges.

Photos Source: https://www.1664blanc.com/en-ca/1664-heritage/

 

Here is a quick video to talk about some of the history and creation of Kronenbourg

Lets test your memory quick!

Origin:  

In 1664 a man named Jerome Hatt earned his Master Brew certificate. Place du Corbeau in Strasbourg where he first founded the Canon Brewery. But not for long when in 1850 the brewery was moved to the district of Cronenbourg, because of the frequent flooding in the low terrain area where the brewery originally settled.  Eventually overtime the brewery changed its company name to ‘Kronenbourg’ which kicked off the company’s worldwide expansion.

Kronenbourg, known for itsbrewed ale and golden lagers became the leading brand of beer in France. The beer company went on to win at the International Brewing Awards in 2004-2005. The Company now has mass breweries in locations consisting of France, Australia, and the UK.

Lets take a look at a Kronenbourg 1664 commercial

 

Key Milestones:

Below Is some of KronenBourg’s most important milestones throughout its history.

  • Shortly after WW2 their company’s name changed to Kronenbourg
  • Kronenbourg had 40% of France market shares in 2004
  • Founder Jerome Hatt obtained his master Brewers certificate in 1664
  • Canon Brewery opened in the lower area of Strasbourg

Impact after WWI:  

World War I effected multiple industries in the worldwide economy. Today we are going to touch on how the first World War affected beer. Firstly, the bar hours changed because the government feared that the workers who were supplying and manufacturing the ammunition for the War, would spend more time getting drunk at the bars instead of working. The government-imposed restrictions on how much beer they could produce yearly due to their concerns and were drastically reduced to less than a third compared to what it used to be. Due to the restrictions made for breweries in European countries, specifically the founding country for our beer France, the first World War significantly hurt the French economy. This was because the war caused major wreckage across the agricultural land in France which resulted in the need for imports to skyrocket. This affected the brewing industry because, with Kronenbourg for example, hops are a main ingredient and with so much agricultural land destroyed the brewing process took a big hit.

Brewing Science and Industrialization:  

In the late 1800’s industrialization started to increase within factories and all types of manufacturing, the production of beer forever changed. Our founder Jerome Hatt made the very first batch of Kronenbourg in a single barrel and now all these years later, he has large breweries in major cities and countries and the drink is now distributed all over the world. This industrialization of the brewing world had forever changed the brewing game. The machines that were made to help perfect and speed up the brewing process was able to grow many other beer companies like Kronenbourg, in scale, quality and distribution to whole new levels. 

Here’s a quick video to show case how beer is manufactured

Marketing and Branding:  

The marketing and branding of kronenbourg like most brews has drastically changed since the founding date, from starting in a small single barrel in 1664 to being one of the biggest and oldest brewing companies in the world. Technology has forever changed the world and how news or information is spread, with a mix of the industrial revaluation and all the new technology invented over the years like social media and news outlets a small brewery in France exploded. Kronenbourg was able to reach whole new cities and countries with branding and marketing. The biggest marketing competitors for Kronebourg were Stella Artois and Heineken, Kronenbourg knew that to takeover the marketing/branding scene once again they needed to take a stand and make the brand mean something again. They focused heavily and quality and achieving a perfection brew to prove their excellence and show that other companies can spend thousands on a fancy ad’s but our quality of brew speaks for itself.

 

Branding timeline change example

Modern Era:  

Kronenbourg 1664 for is the oldest beer in the world, but where are they now? throughout many tough times in the world like the World Wars and changes in the economy like the great depression and industrial revaluation Kronenbourg survived it all. The Brewing company has large  brewers in major parts of the world like Europe and Australia as well as bottle in thousands of liquor and beer stores all around the globe. Going from a pale golden lager to having many different flavors and products, Kronenbourg really evolved with the times and stuck with the promise of a quality brew. Being able to really research and get my feet wet into the history of this company was very impactfully and educational. In todays modern day in age we see huge billboards and trucks with all these big name brands whether its a beer or clothing but you never get to see where they started. Kronenbourg was a beer I enjoy and selected to learn more about and it was crazy to think of the history it went through to get here.

Lets Test!

 

 

 

 

 

References:

Kronenbourg Corporation. 2022. 1664 Blanc. 02 06, 2022,

 

Academic Diaries and Encyclopedias. 2010. Kronenbourg. 2 06, 2022,

https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/723380

 

Effects of World War I on France. 2020. William Anderson.

Effects of World War I on France

Kronenbourg Marketing Society. Kronenbourg Marketing Team. 2016

https://www.marketingsociety.com/sites/default/files/thelibrary/KRONENBOURG%201664%20LONG%20TERM%20MARKETING%20SUPREME%20FINAL.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

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Beer Through the Ages Copyright © by Jordanne Christie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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