The beers of the Schlossbrauerei Irlbach will no longer be brewed at their historic site in Lower Bavaria. Instead, production is being transferred to Gräfliches Brauhaus Arcobräu in Moos, operated by Arcobräu, which acquired the Irlbach brewery in 2016. Brewing activities in Irlbach, where an estimated 40,000 hectolitres of beer are currently produced despite a much higher installed capacity of around 90,000 hectolitres, will cease by 31 March, ending the long-standing lease arrangement with the Schloss GmbH of the Freiherren von Poschinger-Bray by mutual agreement.
The volumes previously brewed in Irlbach are expected to be redistributed primarily to the remaining Arcobräu sites in Moos and Eschenbach by the end of March, allowing the group to concentrate production on fewer, more efficient locations.
According to Arcobräu, the move is driven by sharply rising technical and regulatory requirements for modern brewing operations. Continuing production in Irlbach would have required investments exceeding EUR 5 million, including around EUR 4 million for modernising brewing technology and a further EUR 1.3–1.7 million for a contemporary wastewater treatment facility. The group stated that such an investment burden would have significantly strained the site and jeopardised long-term economic stability.
To preserve continuity, the Irlbacher beers will continue to be brewed by the existing brewing team from Irlbach, using the original recipes. Arcobräu emphasised that character, taste and quality will remain unchanged despite the relocation of the brewing kettles. The relocation is described as a strategic investment in safeguarding the future of Irlbacher beers, even as the physical brewing location changes.
The decision marks a clear departure from the intentions expressed at the time of the 2016 takeover, when Arcobräu had still planned to invest in and maintain brewing operations in Irlbach. The move underlines the increasing pressure on brewers to centralise production in order to remain competitive in a tightening German beer market.
