back to news 10.12.2021

“Bitte ein Bit!” – A Slogan Turns 70

When the Bitburger Brewery took part in the most important trade fair of the food and drink industry, the Anuga Food Fair in Cologne in October 1951, it presented its Bitburger Pils with a simple but very clever slogan: “Bitte ein Bit!” (A Bit, please). Known today far beyond the country’s borders, the clever alliterative sound in German is definitely very catchy …

Although the slogan in its longer form “Bitte noch ein Bit” (Another Bit, please) actually goes back to the 1930s and was trademarked in 1936, it quickly transformed into its more concise form and was seen in all kinds of advertisements as well as on beer glasses.

The roots of the phrase are unclear – either Bert Simon (brewery owner in its fifth generation) heard it from a waiter while on vacation or it might have been a spur-of-the-moment request of a merry group of regulars ordering a drink at their local bar. But it’s the clear handwriting of Dr. Theo Simon (brewery owner in its fifth generation and advertising expert) that is actually the slogan’s most eye-catching feature, an expression of the exceptional quality and fine reputation enjoyed by the brand. Let’s raise our glasses and toast to one of the most popular slogans in the entire industry – classics never die!

* In cooperazione per la distribuzione delle birre della Benediktiner Weissbräu GmbH e CREW Republic Brewery GmbH