Dortmunder Actien Brauerei, or DAB, is the last remaining large brewery in Dortmund, Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany, owned by the Radeberger Gruppe, which is in turn part of the Dr Oetker group. The brewery was founded in 1868 by three business people (Laurenz Fischer and Heinrich and Friedrich Mauritz) and brewmaster Heinrich Herberz as “Bierbrauerei Herberz & Co” and renamed “Dortmunder Actien-Brauerei” only 4 years later. At the time coal mines in the region thrived and many breweries competed for an ever-growing clientele. Bavarian-style dunkel was the most prestigious beer, but coal miners seemed to prefer the local golden helles (later more specifically defined as Dortmunder Export) that had a character of its own because of the high sulfur content of Dortmund’s water. DAB’s main rival was Dortmunder Union (DUB)—founded on January 31, 1873—which soon became the fastest growing German brewery of the late 19th century, brewing 75,000 hectoliters (63,913 US bbl) in 1887, 193,650 (165,022 US bbl) in 1900, and one million (852,168 US bbl) in 1929. DAB had reached 100,000 hectoliters (85,216 US bbl) in 1887 but grew at a much smaller pace to reach only 160,000 hectoliters (136,347 US bbl) by the turn of the century, 763,304 (650,463 US bbl) in 1929, and one million (852,168 US bbl) only after World War II in 1959. DUB was run by Fritz Brinkhoff, considered the richest brewmaster (and one of the largest private taxpayers) of his time because he had a contract that guaranteed a huge bonus for the growth of the brewery. He retired after 53 years as a brewmaster and a street in Dortmund and Dortmund’s best selling premium beer, “Brinkhoff’s No.1,” carry his name. DAB and DUB both acquired several other breweries in the town and its surroundings, and both were later bought by Dr Oetker. Production of all remaining Dortmunder brands was moved to DAB’s site in 2005.