Water & Soil

Where does the brewing water for Warsteiner, Veltins, and Krombacher come from? The mountains. Sauerland and Siegerland are rain-rich low mountain ranges, and springs along with the breweries' own wells deliver water right to their doorsteps.

In Grevenstein, according to Veltins, the water originates in the mountains surrounding the town. The brewery describes it as low in lime and noticeably softer than ordinary drinking water.

This matters for Pilsner. Since the days of Pilsen, very soft, low-mineral water has been considered essential for a pale, hop-forward beer, because fewer dissolved salts keep the bitterness clean and crisp.

Krombacher has advertised its Felsquellwasser since the 1960s. According to the brewery, it comes from the Felsenquelle spring in the Siegerland's Rothaar Mountains, supplemented by its own wells. The spring was reportedly discovered as early as 1722.

The term Felsquellwasser was once the subject of a legal dispute. Krombacher had trademarked it in 2010, and a hobby brewer from Neuss sought to have the trademark cancelled, arguing the brewery used the term merely as an advertising claim about the water. The Bochum Regional Court initially sided with him in November 2017, but the Hamm Higher Regional Court dismissed the cancellation suit in early 2019, ruling that Krombacher had used the term in its advertising slogan since the 1960s.

Warsteiner, too, names its wells and springs individually, such as Kaiserquelle, Hubertusquelle, and Paradies. Whether the water still defines the style, though, is questionable: nowadays almost every brewery treats its water, whether through softening or adding salts.