632-year-old European craft brewer Riegele continues to make new waves in the U.S., debuting in Michigan and Tennessee

(New York, NY) – One of the world’s oldest craft breweries continues to build upon its legacy by sharing its craft within the United States. Riegele , the 2017 German Brewery of the Year, will soon be available in bottle and draft in eight states, debuting this month in Michigan, and rolling out in Tennessee in Q2. Riegele (pronounced Rig-ula), is one of the oldest and most decorated craft breweries in Europe.

Through its U.S. importer, LuXe Brands, Riegele has signed an agreement with Imperial Beverage for Michigan, with an initial focus on Detroit and Ann Arbor; and with Lipman Brothers in Nashville for statewide distribution in Tennessee. Riegele will be making available its gold medal winning Riegele Privat (Helles), named 2017 German Craft Beer of the Year; Augustus 8 (Weizen Dopplebock), named 2016 German Beer of the Year; gold medal winner Riegele Dunkel; and limited release Michaeli (sparkling Martzen).

Riegele is brewed under the direction of Sebastian Priller-Riegele, World Champion Beer Sommelier and 28th generation brewer, who keeps up traditional brewing values but proceeds with modern technological improvements. Priller-Riegele brews all of the company’s traditional beers strictly according to the Reinheitsgebot; but allows for necessary modern brewing processes for more current beer styles like IPAs. For those beers, Riegele has defined its own Natürlichkeitsgebot, meaning that only pure natural ingredients will be applied and allowed in the brewery.

The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture named Riegele 2017 German Brewery of the Year, bestowing the “Bundesehrenpreis” award for outstanding achievements in the DLG Quality Test for Beer. One of only a dozen German breweries to receive the honor, Riegele received 22 gold medals and one silver medal; these followed closely on the heels of recognition at the Meiningers International Craft Beer Award in May, in which Riegele was named International Craft Brewer of the Year with 17 medals; four platinum, four gold and nine silver. The brewery has also been voted as Europe’s Best Brewery at the European Beer Star and 2016 World Cup of Beer; named 2015 German Craft Brewery of the Year; won the prestigious DLG National Prize an unprecedented nine times in a row; and had its Commerzienrat Riegele Privat proclaimed 2010 German Beer of the Decade.

The brewery recently appeared in a New York Times article by Josh Bernstein regarding breweries that are embracing German tradition to create craft beers with a broad appeal.

About Riegele
Founded in 1386, Riegele is acknowledged as one of Germany’s leading breweries in respect to quality and beer culture. Riegele is imported to the United States exclusively by LuXe Brands and in addition to Michigan and Tennessee, is currently being distributed in bottle and draft by Cavalier Distributing in FL, OH and IN; Sarene Craft Beer Distributors in NY; River City Distributing in KY; and Massachusetts Beverage Alliance in MA. For more information, visit Riegele.com and follow the brewery on Facebook @brauhaus.riegele.