Werner Brombach, the long-standing owner and managing director of Erdinger Weißbräu, passed away on August 8 at the age of 86 after a short, severe illness. The graduated brewmaster and business economist shaped the development of the Bavarian company for over six decades, transforming it from a local operation into the undisputed market leader in the wheat beer segment.
He joined the business of his father, Franz Brombach, in 1965 and took over sole responsibility after his father's death in 1975. At the time he joined, the annual production volume was just 40,000 hl. By focusing on marketing wheat beer outside of Bavaria and establishing a strong independent brand identity, he significantly increased output, crossing the one million hl mark in 1990 and eventually stabilizing at around 1.5 million hl. Today, the beer is exported to over 100 countries worldwide. With his distinctive glasses, Brombach himself became a recognizable brand figurehead for the company over the years.
A key strategic milestone followed in 2001 with the repositioning of Erdinger Alkoholfrei. By marketing it as an isotonic thirst quencher for athletes, Brombach became a trailblazer for the entire non-alcoholic beer category. Prominent sports figures such as Franz Beckenbauer and later Magdalena Neuner and Jürgen Klopp helped shape the brand's iconic image through major advertising campaigns, driving the non-alcoholic variant to become a market leader within five years.
While recognized globally for wheat beer, Brombach also secured a foothold in the bottom-fermented segment. In 1991, he acquired the local Fischer's Stiftungsbräu to maintain the regional brewing tradition for pale lagers in Erding. Building on this heritage, the company successfully rolled out Erdinger Brauhaus Helles nationwide in 2022 to participate in the growing demand for Bavarian Helles style beers (inside.getraenke, 4.11.2021).
In recent years, Brombach spent increasing amounts of time at his second home in Hawaii, leaving much of the day-to-day management to his executive team, who occasionally traveled to the island for board meetings. As part of his succession planning, he handed over his position as chairman of the executive board to Dr. Stefan Kreisz in 2023. Nevertheless, the "Grand Seigneur" of the brewing industry kept tight control over the business almost until the very end.
Despite the brewery's international success, Brombach maintained a strict one-location policy, brewing exclusively in Erding and never issuing external brewing licenses.
To secure the company's independence for the future, he transferred his shares into the newly established Werner-Brombach-Familien-Stiftung last year (inside.beer, 2025-06-05). Walter Berizzi, deputy chairman of the foundation's board, honored Brombach's entrepreneurial vision, local roots, and dedication to his employees. Brombach is survived by his daughter Claudia (46) and son-in-law Alexander Brombach (45).
