After 100 years: Beer enthusiasts in Balve brew the Lüll again - BALVER LÜLL

18 July 2025

By Tobias Schürmann, local editor in Menden (translation: deepL)

Balve. A project that has been years in the making is coming to an end: the renaissance of Balver Lüll. How a group revived a historic export hit.

A group of beer enthusiasts from Balve are trying their hand at a historic brew: Balver Lüll. Cordula Nemetz, Volker Griese, René Vormweg, Julius Rau, Adalbert Allhoff-Cramer, and master brewer Gerd Ruhmann (from left)
© Westfalenpost | Tobias Schürmann

Garlands hang over a street, a man in a smart suit strolls down the street. Next to him rolls a huge trailer pulled by two horses. To celebrate Balve’s 500th anniversary in 1930, the local brewers donated a huge barrel of Balver Lüll. A group of beer enthusiasts from Balve has now revived the export hit, almost true to the original. Find out what hurdles they had to overcome – and when Balver beer will be available again.

A medieval brand

After a good six years, Volker Griese can finally reveal the secret. That’s how long he worked with René Vormweg, Julius Rau, Adalbert Allhoff-Cramer and master brewer Gerd Ruhmann on a real surprise: they are brewing Balver beer again. What sounds a little strange at first and is more reminiscent of a hobby in your own basement has actually been a tradition in the town on the Hönne river for centuries. Balver Lüll was once an export hit that was in demand not only in the region but even far beyond. But the group had a problem: ‘The recipe for Lüll has been lost,’ says Volker Griese.

However, traces of the pub and brewing culture in Balve can still be found in the town centre. For example, the Lohgerberhaus was ‘once a pub’ in earlier years, as Adalbert Allhoff-Cramer discovered during his research on Lüll. This can be seen from the old oak door, which can be divided and was once opened outwards to serve guests. Allhoff-Cramer discovered the history of the Lüll with the help of Balve local historian Josef Pütter. In one of his books, Pütter had left at least some references to the Lüll: according to him, the brew was first mentioned in 1587.

‘The beer didn’t have a proper name, but it was a kind of medieval brand,’ says Adalbert Allhoff-Cramer. And it was apparently so popular that even the Archbishop of Cologne had the barley juice delivered in barrels from the Hönnetal valley. Balve’s advantage, according to Allhoff-Cramers‘ assumption, was its favourable geographical location not far from the Hellweg, in a straight line between Cologne, Arnsberg and Soest.

Nuances make the difference

But there is one thing that is not mentioned in the town chronicles: the recipe and the taste. And this is exactly where the three Balve hobby brewers Volker Griese, René Vormweg and Julius Rau sought help. From master brewer Gerd Ruhmann. For the former head brewer at a Dortmund brewery and adult education lecturer, the Balve idea is a special one. Then as now. ‘Back then, it was unique in the region. It’s quite special that a small place like Balve supplied large cities,’ says Ruhmann. It is also rare today for the concept of Lüll to be based on as many historical facts as possible. Until 1912, Lüll was probably brewed in what later became the Krüdewagen inn on the main street, before the trademark rights and recipe were transferred to the Iserlohn brewery. It was not until 2021 that the Balve Group was able to secure at least the trademark rights again.

The origins of the new Balver Lüll lie primarily in the boiling pots of the three hobby brewers. They spent months testing new recipes. Griese, Vormweg and Rau worked their way forward step by step, even when the coronavirus pandemic put the project on hold for the time being. Beer brewing, says Julius Rau, ‘is one of the oldest biotechnological processes in existence.’ However, what is brewed and bottled on an industrial scale today has little in common with the historical processes. What’s more, ‘it probably always tasted a little different,’ says Ruhmann. These are nuances that could not be controlled 100% at the time. ‘Hops, malt, barley and wheat were not of the same quality as they are today,’ adds Volker Griese. The result is a top-fermented beer with a slightly amber colour and a strong flavour. Adalbert Allhoff-Cramer has discovered that even this colour would have been considered a wheat beer in historical times.

The clever minds behind the recipes drew inspiration from the past – everything should be as authentic as possible. © Westfalenpost | Tobias Schürmann

On a larger scale, however, hobby brewers cannot ensure supplies on their own. Balver Lüll eGbR is receiving help from the Iserlohner Waldstadtbrauerei brewery. The first 1,000 litres have been ordered there. It is not uncommon for smaller breweries to rent space in larger ones. Balver Lüll will be presented to the public for the first time on Happy Shopping Day on Friday, 18 July. Interested parties can get a small sample on the main street; later, the barley juice will be sold in six-packs and 24-packs. Several Balver restaurateurs have also announced that they will serve the local beer in future.