Beer History

With the boom of the summer residence in the 18th century under Carl-Theodor, the number of inns with their home breweries also rose to over forty. 

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The innkeepers were able to make a very good living from the farm, especially in the summer months. However, there were also complaints from time to time from the citizens of Schwetzingen that the beer was too expensive, but the quality was always very good. 

Most of the inns were located on the east-west axis of Schwetzingen, today's Zeyherstrasse and Dreikönigstrasse, the connecting road between Heidelberg and Speyer at the time, and the town centre around the town hall and St. Pancras Church. Later, Carl-Theodor- and Mannheimer Strasse were added.The oldest known sign inn in Schwetzingen was the "Römischer Kaiser" in Dreikönigstrasse. It bore the sign "Zum Kayser" as early as 1700, and there were nine Kranzwirtschaften next to it. 

When the court moved away in 1778, things quietened down in the small market town of Schwetzingen. More beer was still drunk than wine, but the many guests in summer were missing, times became more unsettled and so the number of breweries declined sharply.

... the town has declined from its former prosperous state ... there are 3 privileged beer and brandy distilleries, 12 shield and 6 wreath innkeepers, besides concession ...
Heinrich Ludwig Hofmann, Weiße-Schwanen-Wirt

The remaining smaller and larger breweries found everything they needed for brewing in and around Schwetzingen. There were plenty of hops, barley and even good water in those days.

Schwetzingen became the centre of the North Baden hop-growing region. To ensure the quality standard of the genuine and unadulterated Schwetzingen hops, the town introduced its own scale and hop seal in 1886. Only hops produced in the Schwetzingen, Oftersheim, Plankstadt, Ketsch and Brühl districts were admitted to the Schwetzingen seal district. 

The price of hops skyrocketed and a veritable hop frenzy began in Schwetzingen. Every person in Schwetzingen, rich or poor, strove to grow as many hops as possible on their fields. Whole districts such as the Neurott were one hop forest. In September it was called "Hoppe-zoppe" in Schwetzingen. 

At the beginning of the 20th century, hop cultivation declined steadily. Other special crops became more important in Schwetzingen: asparagus and tobacco. The breweries also merged, were sold or closed down completely. Around 1900 there were still three large breweries: the Welde brewery, the Schwanen-Brauerei Kleinschmitt AG, which even delivered its beer as far as Stuttgart, and the Zähringer brewery.