Sudden Death Brewing Is Founded

Sudden Death Brewing was founded in 2017 by longtime friends Oliver “Olli” Schmökel and Jan Eric “Ricky” Nagel. Raised in Timmendorfer Strand on Germany’s Baltic coast, the two shared lifelong interests in ice hockey, rock ’n’ roll, and beer. Trips to Boston to watch their favorite NHL team, the Boston Bruins, introduced them to New England’s hazy, hop-forward beers and helped inspire their own brewing project. Sudden Death initially operated without its own production brewery and became a prominent name in Germany’s modern craft-beer scene, particularly through hazy, hop-forward IPAs, while also brewing dark beers and sours. In 2022, the company began producing beer in its own brewery at the historic Gollan shipyard district in Lübeck. The site also includes a brewpub serving the brewery’s beers and house-made pizza and hosting festivals, concerts, and other events.