Brau AG (logo) church key opener (type 1)

> Not to be confused with the Brau AG (logo) church key opener (type 2)!
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## Brau AG logo

Brau AG

Church key opener with the **old Brau AG logo**. The two beer mugs with converging handles appear on the opener, which is the most recognizable element of the company's logo.

The merger of five major Austrian breweries in 1925 led to the creation of the Österreichische Brau AG (EN: *Austrian Brewing JSC*, 'AG' being the abbreviation of '*Aktiengesellschaft*' which means '*Joint-stock company*') which, after numerous other mergers and purchases, became **Brau Union Österreich AG** (EN: *Austrian Brewers Union JSC*) in 1998 and was subsequently purchased by **Heineken** in 2003.

## Gallery

There is an extremely similar church key opener in our collection with the main differences being the shape of the bottle opener part and the overall size (this opener is slightly smaller than the other one):

This church key opener (top) and it's sibling (bottom).
## Trivia

In 1921 the *Bodencreditanstalt*, the *Unionbank* and the *Bank für Oberösterreich und Salzburg* founded **Braubank AG** which acquired shares in the *Poschacher Brewery* (Linz), the *Linzer Malzfabrik* (EN: *Linz malt factory*), the *Wieselburger Aktienbrauerei* (Wieselburg), the *Kaltenhausen Brewery* (Salzburg) and the *Salzkammergut Brewery* (Gmunden). In 1925 the merger of these companies resulted in the creation of the **Österreichische Brau AG**. In the decades that followed, the company took over a number of other breweries, most of which were shut down. More mergers followed:

* 1926: *Niederösterreichische Obstverwertung und Brauerei GmbH* (Amstetten);
* 1928: *Liesinger Brauerei AG* (Vienna);
* 1929:
	+ *Bürgerliches Brauhaus Innsbruck AG* (which included the *Reutte GmbH brewery*, the *Sternbräu Salzburg corporation* and the *United Tyrolean Breweries Kundl-Jenbach AG*) (Salzburg);
	+ *Gräflich Arco-Valleysche beer brewery* (Aurolzmünster);
	+ *the monastery breweries in Engelszell*;
	+ *Innsbrucker Löwenbrauerei* (Innsbruck);
* 1930: merger with the joint stock company of the *Brunner Brewery* (Brunn am Gebirge); operation is transferred to Liesing;
* 1933: acquisition of 44% stake in the *Zipf Aktiengesellschaft vorm. W. Schaup brewery* (Neukirchen an der Vöckla);
* 1936: *Hotel-Kaffee München* (Innsbruck);
* 1938: *Austria brewery* (Wiener Neudorf) (Of their annual sales of 20,000 hl, 70% was left to the *Schwechat* and *Ottakring breweries*, the remaining 30% were taken over by themselves.);
* 1939: *Hannamalzfabrik* (Holitz, near Olomouc); nationalized in Czechoslovakia in 1946 as part of the nationalization campaign;

Between 1939 and 1946 the company operated under the name **Ostmärkische Brau-Aktiengesellschaft** and then as **Österreichische Brau-Aktiengesellschaft**.

* 1957: the *St. Florian Brewery*, the *Lambach Abbey Brewery*, the *Hinterweissenbach brewery* and the *Seyr Brewery* (Perg);
* 1959: acquisition of 24% stake in the brewery in Rannersdorf;
* 1964: *„VESO“ Erste vereinigte Linzer Sodawassererzeugung Bocksrucker, Krottenthaler & Co., OHG* (EN: "First unified soda water production facility of Linz of Bocksrucker, Krottenthaler and Co., GMC", *oHG* being the abbreviation of "*offene Handelsgesellschaft*", EN: "*general commercial partnership*"1) (Linz); continued as a separate operating department;
* 1968: holdings acquired in:
	+ *"Biochemie Kundl" Gesellschaft GmbH* (Kundl) (25%);
	+ *"Dachstein" tourism corporation* (Linz);
	+ *Tischer & Co. mbH*, a restaurant operating company (Vienna) (100%);
	+ *Adolf Haslinger & Co. GmbH* (Linz) (90%);
	+ *Linzer Glashütte Worf & Co. KG* (Linz) (26.59%);
	+ *Stubnerkogel-Bergbahn-GesmbH* (Bad Gastein)
	+ *Rudolf Ippisch & Co.KG* (Ebensee);
	+ *Karl Oppolzer KG* (Vienna);
	+ *FAKO Beverage Industry König, Leistner & Co* (Linz);
	+ as well as 40 own restaurants, including the *Liesinger Stadtkeller*, *Linzer Stadtkeller*, *Hotel Münichholz* (Steyr), *Brauhof Wiener Neustadt*, *Brauhof Krems a. d. Donau*, *Brauhof Wieselburg*, the large restaurants *Sternbräu* and *Gablerbräu* (Salzburg) and *Breinössl* (Innsbruck);
* 1970: merger with the *Zipf AG brewery*;
* 1974: merger with the *Tiroler Frischgetränke-Gesellschaft Achammer & Co* (Innsbruck);
* 1975: merger with the *Aktiengesellschaft Mattighofen* (Mattighofen);
* 1978: merger with the *Gaststättenbetriebsgesellschaft Tischer & Co. mbH* (Vienna), *Schwechater Brauerei AG* (Schwechat) and *Soma Getränke GesmbH* brewerie; in this year the brewery also had holdings in the *Güssinger Mineralwasser AG* (Gerersdorf-Sulz, near Güssing) (90%), *Tiroler Frischgetränke GesmbH* (Innsbruck) (100%), *FAKO Beverage Industry König, Leistner & Co* (Linz) (35%), *Pago, Fruchtsaft GesmbH* (Klagenfurt) (100%) and at the *Kurier newspaper publisher and printing company*;
* 1981: brewing in Linz is discontinued and with it the brand "*Linzer Bier*";
* 1991: *Beteiligungs AG* (Vienna), which was wholly owned by *Österreichische Brau-Beteiligungs AG*, was merged with *Gösser Brauerei AG*. After this merger, Österreichische Brau-Beteiligungs AG held 62% in Gösser Brauerei AG, the latter again held 52% in *Brüder Reininghaus Brauerei AG* and both companies together held 100% in *Steirerbrau AG*.
* 1993: Österreichische Brau-Beteiligungs AG contributed its shares in Österreichische Brau-AG as a contribution in kind against the granting of shares in the Brüder Reininghaus AG.

In connection with the merger in 1993, the majority held by Austrian Breweries International AG in the Hungarian breweries at Martfű and Sopron were transferred to the company. As a result of this structural change, the beer division of the group was merged into the Gösser Brauerei AG, renamed **Brau Union Aktiengesellschaft**, which thus acts as an intermediate holding company for the entire beer business. In 1998 real estate was around 2.5 million m2. In addition to the two Hungarian breweries, in 2002 Brau Union Aktiengesellschaft had three breweries in Poland (Bydgoszcz, Rzeszów, Warszawa), seven breweries in Romania (Arad, Bucuresti, Constanta, Craiova, Hateg, Miercurea-Ciuc, Reghin) as well as the *Starobrno brewery* (Brno) in the Czech Republic.

In 2002 Brau Union AG took a 33% stake in the *Schladming Brewery*. In 2003, Brau Union Aktiengesellschaft was 100% taken over by **Heineken International BV** (Amsterdam). Brau Union AG took over all of the *United Carinthian breweries* (Villacher Bier, Schleppe, Piestinger) in 2014.

## See also

1 *General commercial partnership* (*offene Handelsgesellschaft*, *oHG*) = when two or more entrepreneurs or companies get together to operate a trade under a common company, they can create a general commercial partnership or offene Handelsgesellschaft (oHG). This business structure is not, however, designed for freelancers. All shareholders of an oHG are fully liable for their business and private assets. An oHG is entered into the commercial register. (Source)

* Church key openers
* Brau Union (Wikipedia) (German)
* Brau Union website
* Brau AG (logo) church key opener (type 2)