Home Is at The Brewery
Altbier is a family affair in Düsseldorf. Local breweries embody the great beer tradition of the state capital. Schumacher Alt has been drunk since 1838 - at carnival, after work and just for the joy of it. A conversation with boss Thea Ungermann about the current challenges facing the hospitality sector, about family and management style, about home and life as a restaurateur.
Have you ever imagined anything other than a life in the hospitality sector?
No. Even as a child I stood on my own step stool, in a smock and an apron behind the buffet. With my grandmother - she lived on the first floor, where our lounges are today - I kneaded meatball mixture and cooked mussels: not for me, for the guests. I grew up on Oststraße, it was my playground with sandbox and swings.
“ Even as a child I stood on my own step stool, in a smock and an apron behind the buffet.”
What do find fascinating about hospitality?
It is my life. The exciting thing is the variety. I am hostess, restaurateur, entrepreneur. No two days are the same. There are always surprises that confront you. On Oststrasse is our main brewery, but it is also a restaurant with numerous events. In addition, the brewery “Im Goldenen Kessel” in the heart of the old town is also a part of Schumacher. That calls for flexibility. When I start work in the morning, I have a plan for what I want to achieve during the day, but often everything turns out differently - and there are never enough hours in the day anyway. Besides, our motto is always “Give joy with joy”, because the best thing is satisfied guests. That’s fun, not so much the rapidly increasing bureaucracy with all the rules and regulations.
Thea Ungermann, Managing Director Schuhmacher Altbier Manufaktur
The past two years of the pandemic were no bed of roses. How much have the consequences of Covid and the war on Ukraine changed business?
Lockdown, furlough, staff shortages, inflation - the situation was and is tough. The worries and hardships are overwhelming - prices are rising and we don’t know what’s coming in the
autumn. What is our perspective? A bundle of restrictions is already planned again. Energy saving, gas shortages, worst-case strategies are on the agenda, yet we are still in the recovery phase.
What do you expect from politics?
The hospitality industry must not be the one to suffer again. For two years we have been pushed to the limit, we have constantly readjusted our restaurants, the brewery and our staff - depending on the Covid regulation. But if there is no gas in the autumn - then the business is in real danger. Because if we stop brewing beer, it affects us, the suppliers and our guests. In other words, the entire value chain breaks down. And: if we are hit again, we will never get new staff, the uncertainty in the industry will scare them away - and with it a piece of Düsseldorf’s cultural heritage would also disappear.
Do you have sleepless nights?
From time to time. Because unfortunately there is no choice between solution a, b or c. We don’t have any. On the one hand, I understand that we restaurateurs are not system-relevant like the bakers, for example. On the other hand, I find it unhealthy and very questionable from a socio-political point of view to deprive people of socialising. De-socialisation affects everyone. Because people want to go out, meet each other, they crave it. They want freedom and no longer to be restricted.
You have used the pandemic period for renovation work. What is new?
“Im Goldenen Kessel”, the ventilation system and the bar were renewed. In the Oststraße we were able to redo the floor in the inner courtyard during the time without guests. In the brewery itself, we have replaced the old large steam boiler generator with three smaller ones so that we can react more optimally to current demand.
You can’t brew beer without gas to run the steam generators, can you?
That’s right. Especially for mashing and wort boiling, as well as for cleaning kegs and returnable bottles, we need large quantities of steam in our manufactory. That’s why we are concerned about the energy supply and the rapidly rising gas prices. The question is also whether we will still be able to get gas at all in the event of possible rationing. That’s why we originally planned to convert one of the steam boilers to electricity. However, this is not feasible because the plant is located in the middle of the city. If we fed one boiler with electricity, parts of Oststraße would have no electricity.
What changed during the pandemic?
The crisis was a stimulus and spurred incredible creativity. I have repositioned our company horizontally and vertically. The delivery service is one of the ideas, the drive-in is new. Particularly in the run-up to the weekend, there is a real urge to take a bit of the “brewery feeling” home.
BARRELS AND BOTTLES
At Schumacher, Altbier has always been brewed by hand. In 2013, to mark the 175th anniversary, the anniversary old beer 1838er was launched. It is brewed with the American aroma hop Cascade with citrus character and the Australian hop Galaxy for berry flavours with cold hopping. The 1838 has a fruity, sparkling hop aroma. The one-litre Altbier bottle with swing top is iconic. For those who are less thirsty, the 0.33-litre returnable Schumacher Alt bottle with swing top celebrated its premiere in 2019. With a new logo, Düsseldorf coat of arms and in a handy format, it is also available in a 20-bottle crate.
What are your plans?
I don’t have any. The worst thing is not being able to plan. I don’t know today what next week will be. The only thing that is clear is that we are flexible and spontaneous - and we don’t want to let it get us down. My grandmother Thea didn’t let that happen to her during the war, and neither did my mother during the years of economic crisis. So we roll up our sleeves, adjust our cap and carry on - preferably at full throttle and with all our heart.
You call yourself a manufactory. How is that different from a brewery?
Every litre of Schumacher Alt is brewed, fermented, stored and filtered at our main brewery. From malting to bottling, everything happens on the Oststraße. Everything is handmade. We have high standards for quality in the brewhouse and in the kitchen. Everything there - whether vegetables or lettuce - is bought fresh, picked by hand and prepared. The potatoes come from the farmer in Kleinenbroich, are peeled and cooked here. The mayonnaise is freshly whipped and we grate bread rolls for the Schnitzel breading. We have our own laundry. My mother and I take care of the table decorations at events and in the dining rooms.
What does the distribution of tasks look like in the family business?
My father Wolfgang is responsible for the vehicle fleet and the caterers. We also supply other restaurateurs, serve our beer in the arena and, since 2022, at all concerts in addition to the football matches. My mother is the head of finance. I am responsible for sales, marketing, renovations and purchasing. In personnel matters we work hand in hand. We look after the guests together and do so with great passion. My sister Flocke (Gertrud) is a doctor and deputy head of the emergency room at the Evangelisches Krankenhaus. Since 2019, she has been our social media expert, does the Insta account and is of course on the family council.
How would you describe your leadership style?
Strict, but fair. Tough, but cordial. On the one hand, I had to show what I can do and earn the respect of the employees and waiters, who have known me since I was a child. On the other hand, anyone can come to me with their worries and together we’ll find a solution.
“I have carnival in my blood and confetti in my head.”
You say that the brewery and Altbier are part of Düsseldorf’s cultural heritage, as much a part of the city as the funfair and carnival. So does that give you a sense of belonging?
Yes, absolutely. My father is active in the shooting club, I’ve always enjoyed accompanying him. Until 2019, we had a barn at the fun fair for many years. I have carnival in my blood and confetti in my head. There are an unbelievable number of costumes hanging in a great big wardrobe - all neatly packed in garment bags and sorted by colour. I’m really looking forward to the coming session - hopefully without any restrictions this time.
Despite all the uncertainties in these times, you seem confident. How do you manage that?
It helps not to get down. I’m a positive and optimistic person who takes the basic laws of the Rhineland to heart: “Et kütt wie et kütt und et hätt noch immer jot jejange.“ (What happens happens and it still always works out.) •
Thea Ungermann
Thea Ungermann has been at the helm of the sixth generation of Schumacher Altbier-Manufaktur since 2013. Together with her mother, Gertrud Schnitzler-Ungermann, she is the boss of around 130 people (before the pandemic there were 177) who work at the parent company on Oststraße and „Im Goldenen Kessel“ in the old town. The 40-year-old managing director of the oldest family-owned brewery in Düsseldorf, founded in 1838 in the Carlstadt, trained as a hotel manager at the Deidesheimer Hof in the Pfalz after graduating from the Görres grammar school. She then worked in the Sansibar and in the Jörg Müller restaurant on Sylt, among other places, before returning home in 2005 and joining the family business. The Schumacher is a “Weiber-Wirtschaft” - it has been run by women for more than 50 years.
Words Dagmar Haas-Pilwat
Pictures Schumacher Altbier-Manufaktur