Brauerei Fischerstube – We combine craftsmanship with passion.
Ueli Bier is a real affair of the heart for us. Because our founding went back to the desire to offer the people of Kleinbasel a viable alternative to the standard products that were common at the time.
And although our master brewer works with hops, malt, water, yeast and only a few other ingredients, he always manages to come up with new creations.
In addition to the best raw materials and a lot of skill, one also needs to enjoy trying things out. Therefore, passion is still the most important ingredient in all our strains.
Our well-kept brewing secret.
Craftsmanship, however, is no less important. That’s why our beers are made with whole hop cones.
We also refrain from filtering the naturally cloudy varieties. This preserves valuable flavor carriers and minerals.
Let’s bet about a beer that is unforgettable?
The eventful history about Basel beer.
The people of Basel have always been fond of beer. In the last century, however, they were heavily bound by antitrust regulations when enjoying it. The brewery Fischerstube emerged in 1974 from an act of rebellion against the big breweries: At that time, the Kleinbasel doctor Hans Jakob Nidecker decided to brew his own beer in the future.
His solo effort, which was ridiculed by many, developed into a success story that continues to this day.
19./20. century
Up until 1875, eleven breweries were producing Basler beer. After the turn of the century only seven remained, but almost all of them disappeared over the following decades. The brewery with the longest staying power was the Warteck brewery, which produced its beer in Basel until 1988 before moving to Rheinfelden after it was taken over by Feldschlösschen. However, the concentration process in the brewing industry had already started earlier: in the 1970s, cartel agreements between the breweries were the order of the day. And it was at that time that the history of our brewery began.
1974
In 1974, Hans Jakob Nidecker acquired the Fischerstube restaurant, which had been closed for years. After it reopened, he wanted to offer his guests Warteck beer, which was brewed almost around the corner at the time. But the beer cartel demanded that he sell the Anker beer from Frenkendorf that used to be served at this location It was impossible to circumvent the applicable antitrust regulations. However, it was even more impossible for Hans Jakob Nidecker to bow to the will of the big breweries. So he decided to brew his own beer and founded the Fischerstube brewery at Rheingasse 45. On November 13, 1974, the first Ueli beer was tapped. As a long-time champion of the Kleinbasler Ehrengesellschaft zum Rebhaus, he didn’t have to look long for a name. The popular figure of Ueli, who collects money for good causes at the Vogel Gryff and is well-known throughout the city, was the inspiration.
From 1974
The young Fischerstube brewery met with a lot of sympathy and was chosen as a subject by several cliques at the 1975 carnival. Initially, the range consisted of three beers: the Ueli Robur dark, the Ueli Lager and the special beer Ueli Reverenz. In 1977 the top-fermented Ueli wheat was added. This made us the first Swiss brewery to offer a wheat beer by the glass. Hans Jakob Nidecker was also pursuing a social purpose with the Ueli beer: the rental income from the restaurant business was intended to keep the apartment rents in the building affordable for long-term tenants.
From 1984
With the Westphalian beer siphon, we have revived an old tradition from the 18th century: we were the first brewery to launch the two-liter carafe of Ueli beer straight from the barrel. It is still very trendy today, because the beautiful container allows you to serve the naturally cloudy Ueli beer in a tasteful way at home.
1992
In 1992, the brewery took over the neighboring house at Rheingasse 43 with the Linde restaurant (today the Ueli-Brau-Bar), which has been run as the second brewery restaurant ever since. At the same time we were able to expand the production facility. During the conversion work we also found a large medieval vaulted cellar of the former Antoniter hospice. We have been using this cozy cellar with a floor paved with Rhine pebbles for special occasions ever since.
From 2004
For the “Tutankhamun – The Golden Hereafter” exhibition in the Basel Museum of Antiquities, the brewery brought out Tut-Ankh-Ueli, brewed with emmer according to an original recipe from ancient Egypt, which gained fame throughout Switzerland. However, this was not the first of our beers to be created in honor of a special occasion. The foundation stone for this tradition was laid by the longstanding master brewer Anton Welti: for more than 30 years he brewed a beer specialty for each Vogel Gryff. After the Tut-Ankh-Ueli came the Van Ueli and the Ueli Pablo, which were painted for the exhibitions about Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso in the art museum. Our latest creations are the Ueli Primavera, which is available in spring, the Ueli Old School Hops, the Ueli Panaché and the Mac Ueli Ale. A total of more than 50 such beer specialties, which are available around a specific occasion or seasonally, have already been brewed.
2005
After 30 years of bottling in casks and carafes, the Ueli Spezial was launched in 2005 in a 33 cl bottle. Today, the beer variety of our family business includes various types in the bottling.
2011
Bottling was outsourced in 2011 due to the lack of space and the constantly growing brewing volume. Since then, the Ueli beer brewed in the Rheingasse has flowed underground in a 127-meter-long beer pipeline through the old town of Kleinbasel and is bottled in the new bottling plant in the Utengasse in carafes and barrels. With this innovative solution, we gained more space and were thus able to secure our traditional production site.
2013
In 2013 we increased our capacities and replaced the oldest tank farm with eight new beer tanks, which together hold 20,000 liters. This further strengthened the traditional brewery location.
2017
In 2017, we were the first Basel microbrewery to introduce a 50 cl can with Ueli Reverenz. It has enjoyed great popularity ever since.
2021
The aging brewery restaurant Linde was given a new name and a new look in 2021. Since then, the people of Basel have also been able to enjoy their Ueli beer in the modern ambience of the Ueli-Brau-Bar.
2022
At the Beer Dome Basel in November 2022, 37 breweries from 13 countries presented their beer specialties. It was logical that we from Ueli Bier were part of the party.
2023
On March 23rd we tapped the first keg of Hoppy Lager “Kleinbasler Vagabund” and put the 33cl bottles on sale. The collaboration with the Stadtmauerbrauer from the Wyniger Group has produced an extremely drinkable and tasty beer.
2024
Today, the Fischerstube brewery is the oldest brewery in Basel and more successful than ever. This year we can celebrate our 50th anniversary!