Region & History

What does "Frisian crisp" mean for Jever Pilsener? The slogan has graced the label for decades, describing a Pils that tastes drier and more bitter than many others. The Friesisches Brauhaus zu Jever is located in the Jeverland, at the northern edge of Lower Saxony, just a few kilometers from the Wadden Sea.

The brewery was founded in 1848 by innkeeper Diedrich König. After his death, Theodor Fetköter took over the business in 1867 and expanded it. Fetköter also helped establish the town's first water pipeline. The name Jever Pilsener for the flagship beer has been in use since 1934, and according to the brewery, the green bottle has been part of the house identity from the very beginning.

Since 2004, the brand has belonged to the Radeberger Gruppe, part of the Oetker conglomerate. It is therefore no longer an independent family brewery, but brewing continues at the original site in Jever. Visitors to the town find the brewery right in the center, not tucked away in an industrial park, and can walk past it on the way to the castle.

Alongside the big house, there are smaller ones. The Altstadtbrauerei Marienbräu in Jever serves its beer straight from the tap on site, while Ostfriesen Bräu in Bagband near Großefehn has been brewing a dark lager and a bock for nearly twenty years. In April 2023, Wilhelmshaven got its own brewing setup, born from an idea at Jade University of Applied Sciences.

Aurich shows that the region once had more breweries. There, the Ulferts Brauerei brewed from 1908 to 1965, after which Dortmunder Union ran a brewing site there until 1977. Both are now history. There is no EU-protected designation of origin for a Frisian-style beer.