OeTTINGER Brewery history – how the Höhenbergers became the Kollmars

In 1935, Hedwig Höhenberger married elementary school teacher Otto Kollmar amidst an abundance of both beer and wine in Forstquell Brewery in Fürnheim, southern Franconia. The brewery had been run by the family for centuries. Her brother Friedrich, the heir to the brewery, was killed toward the end of the Second World War. Hedwig and Otto decided to together take on responsibility for the brewery, which also included a restaurant on site – and later, to purchase the “Genossenschaftsbrauerei” in nearby Oettingen – our OeTTINGER Brewery of today.

Hearty celebrations such as the full moon brewing festival and annual bock beer tapping continue to take place at Forstquell Brewery today (when there’s no coronavirus anyway!) Pia Kollmar, granddaughter of Hedwig and Otto, is always at the heart of things during every event at the OeTTINGER Brewery headquarters.