Tradition is held high in Franconia. That also applies to their beers and brewery cooperatives. You won’t find them anywhere else.
In the 15th century, citizens were given the privilege to organize for the purpose of brewing beer. The resulting community breweries ensured a higher quality beer than could be produced by each farmer individually, plus there was a “Bierkieser” who was in charge of quality control.
One Brew Kettle for Everybody: The higher production volume not only made the process overall more efficient, it also allowed for better equipment. Now the entire community pitched in to purchase the brewing equipment; most importantly the brew kettle, which is the most expensive piece of equipment needed.