Reviving and reimagining the Kuntz Beer brand for modern times

Kitchener has a rich history of beer, and one brew that’s been dormant for decades is getting a facelift for the 21st century.

Kuntz Beer was one of the most well-recognized beer brands in Ontario during the 19th and early 20th century. The brewery was bought by Carling in 1929, becoming Carling-Kuntz, and by 1977, brewing heavyweight Labatt's acquired the company.

The Kitchener-based brewery made its last bottle of beer in 1993, but 28 years later, Marty Schreiter is re-establishing his family’s namesake and reinvigorating the Kuntz Beer legacy.

He is the great-great-grandson of David Kuntz, who started brewing beer back in 1844. Schreiter aims to bring back the Kuntz Beer name, while modernizing the brew for modern times by appealing to a wider demographic than its original incarnation.

“The first thing I felt as a vision was that we needed to make sure that the Kuntz Brewery representation is in fact far more culturally diverse — certainly more inclusive in terms of gays and lesbians, and more inclusive in terms of all cultural communities, so we can express the notion of diversity in our community.”

Schreiter enlisted beer and diversity advocate Ren Navarro of Beer Diversity as the CEO of Kuntz Beer. Together, the Kuntz Beer team wants to reach a much wider and inclusive audience, coining the phrase “a pint of diversity” as one of their core values.

“Her advice and strategic thinking is very crisp and very on tune with how she sees the sector moving, and how she sees it evolve in the next year or two,” Schreiter said. “I don’t think we’d be anywhere without Ren. She has been someone who has really steered the organization in a really effective way. She has been invaluable.”

Schreiter always kicked around the idea of reviving the Kuntz Beer brand with family members, but one day, he went from wondering whether it was a possibility to taking the first step to make it happen.

Since Carling bought the company in 1929, and was later purchased by Labatt’s in 1979, Schreiter had to re-gain the Kuntz Beer trademark from Carling. He was expecting to be a back-and-forth battle, but he obtained the trademark with relative ease.

Kuntz Beer is back! One of the largest employers in ye olde Uptown Waterloo—100 years ago. Great re-launch last night in the old stable (now @marbles_uptown).
Coming soon to a pub near you—Ask for it by name! pic.twitter.com/Bop8yf9K0n

— Dave Jaworsky (@DaveJaworsky) November 26, 2019

From there, he worked with his brewmaster Ryan Dunlop to develop two beer recipes; a traditional Kuntz pilsner, and an IPA. In its original incarnation, Kuntz brewed an Old German Lager, an Olde Friar Stout, and an Olde Tavern Ale.

The lineage of the Kuntz family is well-known in Waterloo Region, and the Kuntz Beer name still carries some cache from its heyday. Schreiter often receives emails from people who have procured old Kuntz Beer bottles or beer paraphernalia.

Recently, Schreiter heard from construction workers who unearthed Kuntz pop bottles from when the company made pop, not beer, during the prohibition era.

“We have the fortunate ability to still have a generation of older people who would remember Kuntz, but also with a younger population that is exploring the whole range of craft beer options,” Schreiter said. “In many ways, we’re dancing two dances here; we’re trying to meld those two together in Waterloo Region.”

Prior to the pandemic, Kuntz Beer hosted a pair of launch events in late 2019, and they aimed to have the beer on tap in local bars and restaurants by spring 2020. But once COVID-19 took hold, that initial release date was pushed back, and its official release is still on hold.

Schreiter’s business plan ties in heavily with the hospitality sector, and with bars and restaurants currently closed to dine-in patrons, that pushes back Kuntz Beer’s plans further down the road.

Today, there is no shortage of craft breweries in Waterloo Region, and Schreiter recognized today’s craft beer drinker is a much different demographic than it was even a few years ago. Not only does he want to release a quality product, he wants Kuntz Beer to stand for what’s right in society.

“I think our interest is making sure we speak the right stuff in terms of diversity, about human rights, about anti-racism and we broaden the dialogue about beer drinking and beer production that is both responsible, but is also really innovative,” Schreiter said.

Maybe one day in the future, Kuntz Beer will flow like it was in the late 1800s, but for now, they’re focused on staying grounded in the community where they’re hoping a new generation will discover Kuntz Beer.

“In many ways, our motto is: 'Small is beautiful at the beginning' because it takes a lot of resources to become big,” Schreiter said. “We wanted to make sure that we could really finesse the expertise of the beer quality, while also making sure it’s seen and visible in Waterloo Region. And then from there, build further.”