Die Entwicklung des Berliner Flaschenbiergeschäfts

In the late 19th‑century Berlin, a modest network of independent bottle‑beer merchants supplied the city’s taverns and households, but the relentless rise of large‑scale enterprises was reshaping the market. This study traces the early formation of that trade, examining how modest brewers and street‑level sellers built a niche before the wave of industrial consolidation swept through. It situates these changes within the wider transformation of the German economy, where small‑business owners faced mounting pressure from expanding corporations.

Drawing on interviews with forty‑six Berlin beer dealers, contemporary questionnaires, and municipal records, the author maps two distinct eras: the pre‑1868 period of fragmented, locally driven distribution, and the post‑1868 phase when producers began bypassing intermediaries to sell directly to consumers. The analysis highlights how the disappearance of middlemen reshaped pricing, supply chains, and the social fabric of neighborhoods that once revolved around neighborhood bottle‑shops. Listeners will gain a nuanced picture of a trade caught between tradition and the forces of modern capitalism.