“Altbier United” is a cultural branding initiative by Visit Düsseldorf that unites the city’s five traditional breweries under one shared purpose: preserving authenticity and community in an age of mass tourism. While Germany’s beer image is largely defined by Oktoberfest with its mass festivities and folklore, Düsseldorf represents something different: diversity, craftsmanship and togetherness.

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During a period marked by the pandemic, rising energy costs and uncertainty, these long-standing competitors chose cooperation over rivalry. The result was “Altbier United”, a joint movement that celebrates Düsseldorf’s living beer culture and its proud tradition of independent brewing.

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The campaign combined a nationwide out-of-home and social media push with a five-part video series, guided Altbier walks and the launch of an “Altbier United Gift Box.” It positioned Düsseldorf as the cultural counterpoint to Oktoberfest, not a beer carnival, but a beer academy. The campaign achieved more than 1.2 million impressions, 62,000 interactions and over 76,000 complete video views, turning awareness into measurable engagement. Beyond the figures, it redefined Düsseldorf as Europe’s living beer culture hub, where heritage meets modernity and community triumphs over competition.