Astra (Marke der Holsten-Brauerei GmbH)

About the Astra Brewery

Astra is a Hamburg beer brand steeped in tradition, today belonging to Holsten-Brauerei GmbH, a subsidiary of the Danish Carlsberg Group. Its roots go back to 1897, when the Bavaria brewery was founded in Altona; since 1909 the beer has carried the name Astra. Large-scale production has taken place in Hamburg-Hausbruch since November 2019. In addition, Astra has operated the Astra St. Pauli brewery at the Nobistor since 2018: a microbrewery with an attached brewpub and gastronomy, where hand-brewed Astra is brewed fresh on site. Alongside its own brewing activities, the location offers brewery tours, events and online ordering. Astra is also a long-standing sponsor of FC St. Pauli and, with varieties such as Urtyp, Exclusiv, Pilsener, Rotlicht and Alsterwasser, shapes the beer offering in northern Germany.

Site

Hamburg

Processes

Brewery tours, Hand-brewed beer from the microbrewery, Online ordering, Gastronomy/Events

Founded

1897 (Bava

Industries

Brewing / Beverage industry

1. 01

   Brewing of the beer brands in Hamburg-Hausbruch

2. 02

   Hand-brewed at the St. Pauli microbrewery

3. 03

   Bottling and distribution

4. 04

   Gastronomy and brewery tours at the Nobistor

5. 05

   Online ordering

Locations

Hamburg

DE

Production site (since 2019)

Astra St. Pauli Brauerei, Nobistor

DE

Microbrewery, brewpub and gastronomy

Materials

Hand-brewed Astra

• Microbrewery

Products

Inside the production

History

1. 1647

   Peter I. de Voss brews beer in Altona (considered the ancestor)

2. 1862/1863

   Founding of the St. Pauli Actien-Brauerei in Hamburg-St. Pauli

3. 1897

   Founding of the Bavaria-Brauerei in Altona

4. 1909

   The beer is renamed from Bavaria to Astra

5. 1920

   Acquisition of the Harburger Aktienbrauerei

6. 1922

   Merger to form Bavaria-St. Pauli-Brauerei

7. 1932

   Closure of the Altona brewing site, headquarters relocated to Hamburg

8. 1971

   Acquired by Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken

9. 1973

   End of beer production in Harburg

10. 1990

    Acquisition by Gebrüder März KG

11. 1994

    Acquisition by Brau und Brunnen, merger with Elbschloss-Brauerei

12. 1998

    Acquisition by the City of Hamburg (January), sale to Holsten-Brauerei (December); start of the “Was-dagegen?” campaign

13. 2000

    New logo with heart and anchor

14. 2003

    Closure of the St. Pauli brewing site, production by Holsten-Brauerei in Altona-Nord

15. 2004

    Carlsberg takes over the Holsten-Brauerei

16. 2017

    Renaming of Alsterwasser to Kiezmische (later withdrawn); sleeve sponsor of FC St. Pauli

17. 2018

    Opening of the Astra brewpub at the Nobistor

18. 2019

    Relocation of production from Altona-Nord to Hamburg-Hausbruch