Short article in the Berlin newspaper about Bogk, the guy who has brewed a Berliner Weisse that apparently adheres to both the traditional recipe and methods. Says there has been interest in the U.S. Anyone seen it around/heard of it hitting shelves anywhere? http://www.bz-berlin.de/bezirk/kreu...-keller-nachgebraut-article1794410.html#bzRSS
Apparently he financed this through crowdfunding on inkubato (http://www.inkubato.com/de/projekte/bogkbier ) and so far only his investors are getting this. So, no shelves yet. PS: I'd support this even though it is in Berlin. But reactivating an almost lost tradition, that's exactly my kind of thing
Interesting, short article. I would've wanted to know...why he brews Berliner Weiße, how he came to brew it, and how he does it that makes authentic. The sentence that got me was: 3,50 Euro nimmt er für 0,33 Liter, 40 Euro müsste er verlangen, um an der Brauerei zu verdienen. (He charges 3.5 Euro per 0.33 liter bottle. He'd have to demand 40 Euro [per bottle] to make money on the brewery.) His start up and other costs must be enormous.
It is also on his homepage: Message from Nov 25th: "Nachdem die inkubato-Investoren jetzt endlich ihre Lieferung erhalten haben, werde ich bald die Produktion der Weißen für alle aufnehmen. Gibt’s dann hoffentlich im Frühjahr." --> I think the regular sale in Berlin will start in spring, but there are no infos if he will sell his beer to an US-Importer...
If you read the crowdsourcing page Stahlsturm linked to, you'll get some more info about the process. One of the key things is the months-long lagering period.
No, quite the reverse. He is essentially a homebrewer with a license. Hence his kit is too small to be commercially viable.
I had Bogk's wonderful stuff twice last year. Evan Rail wrote about it in NYT-travel http://mobile.nytimes.com/travel/2013/10/20/travel/good-beer-in-berlin-finally-yes.html. Bogk makes his beer in the basement of an old Berlin rear building. His equipment is so small, you won't believe it. He brews for fun and passion, not for commercial reasons. But maybe things change some day...
Yeah, Ludger's right — it's really good stuff. Ludger and I tried one bottle together when I was researching that first Berlin article, and then I went back and spent a day in the brewery with Andreas a few months later. And it was also on draft, albeit briefly, at Braufest Berlin. The beer has a lot of character, and there are many subtle variations from batch to batch.
I was lucky enough to get hold of a bottle. Definitely on the right lines and full of character. Not quite as sour as I like, but that could have just been the age of the beer. I've a lot of respect for what he's doing. Now if someone could revive Berliner Braunbier.
There are a few technical difficulties which need to be overcome. That's why I'm reluctant to say more.
I brought this up, Ron, and mentioned your name at the opening of the Berlin Beer Academy. And I mentioned Berliner Braunbier specifically to Andreas that night, too. Who knows, maybe after everyone in Berlin gets tired of making American-style IPAs...
