Copyright 2006: B. United International Inc., All rights reserved.
Usually when talking about the past one speaks of the good times. But in reality those times are filled with just as much hard work and small nuisances as today. So what did the brewery run like at the turn of the century:
Picture: Reissdorf Brauerei in 1902. Prinzipalin Getrud Reissdorf is in the center before the barrels, along with her sons (except Carl), the attorney, and the approx. twenty coworkers.
The brewery technical hierachy (pictured above) was as follows: The brewmaster stood at the top, followed by the Oberbursch and thirdly Biersieder - Seoo Neumaier (in the picture) worked until the World War II in the house.
Behind him is the multi-story brewery building with three smoke stacks and on the left is the impressive front of the Reissdorf Brewing House. The driving personnel for the three Bierwagon and the ice delivery wagons wait at the lower edges of the picture.
Following the Sudhaus, to which the brewery connects to, there is a little allew way which used to be a small beer garden. Originally there was a separate Kölsch Schänke for the common folk. It was located on the entrance to the brewery and guests had to lift their chairs in order to let vehicles in the rear of the brewery.
In the brauhaus next door was were the middle class sat. In the center of the brauhaus was a large iron furnace which warmed a waterbath in which guests with a sensitive stomach could keep their beer at a moderate temperature. Normally the genuine Kölschtrinker blew the then roughporous foam, the “Feldwebel”, from the beer and then enjoyed the drink.
The brauhaus was supervised from the "Thekenshaaf", which was the owners alternated in managing. After World War I the brauhaus leased to different tenants. The first tenant was Fritz Webe, then Carl Neufeind, Heinrich Keunecke and the gentlemen Claes and Greiner followed. The beer output before the war was a total of 15,000 hl, of which 3 to 4,000 hl of which serviced the Reissdorf Brauhaus and the Brewery-Auschank in Hermann BeckerStrasse. Horse carts delivered as far as Bergheim, train transported beer as far as Essen and Krefeld.
