Fernseh-Pils-a-thon 2013

No Jack, I do not. I left Germany before Brew Dog became a player. It's a good question as they parallel each other quite well as far as image, price, positioning & product go. Maybe some of the other guys have seen Brew Dog on the European shelves and can chime in...maybe we should move the discussion to it's own thread....

 

If you do move it to its own thread, I'd suggest couching it in language such as "Brew Dogs and Stone in Germany/Europe"; otherwise I fear it may be merged with the Stone announcement thread in Beer News. Just my $0.02.

 

I'm always curious how successful BrewDog is in the US, too. While I've enjoyed their beers quite a bit, their prices are about 30-50% more than a locally brewed beer from say...New Belgium, Odell, Stone, Sierra Nevada, etc. and those beers were shipped across the Atlantic. I see their normal 6-packs gathering dust around here, although their singles and one-offs seem to do pretty well.

 

My take on the opening of Stone Brewing Berlin. Is the time right to go into Europe? Yes, it is and they are going in big to the tune of $25 million. Others will follow. Of course, they will be targeting a select market: young hipsters who want to make a statement and be unique. The guys coming out of the factories will not buy Stone beers any more than they do in the US where, let us not forget despite all the craft euphoria, light beer is still king. The German youth have always been rebellious up until the age of about 30 when they revert back into clones of their ultra conservative parents. (Don´t even try to dispute this!!!) The price will not matter any more than it matters in the US. I commonly see 4 packs of craft beer for $15 and up selling wildly. Those unbelievers should have been in the German techno clubs in the 90´s where Miller Genuine Draft in clear bottles sold faster than they could get it in at way more than the price of German beers. And then add the distribution to countries like Italy which have always been import beer crazy. Once they get past all the red tape (bureaucracy has been perfected in Germany), the sky is the limit. I particularly like Greg Koch´s idea to establish an event location/beergarden/tourist center just like in San Diego. And with all the money and new jobs coming to a gas factory which has been closed since 1996, he has the local politicians in his pocket. The Bürgermeisterin was of course present at the announcement ceremony and made sure she had her picture taken with Mr. Koch:

http://www.berlin.de/ba-tempelhof-schoeneberg/presse/archiv/20140723.1155.398519.html

Smart guy who has already made a ton of money and stands to make a lot more. This will be a wake up call to the producers of Fernsehpils and the suits in the front office are already starting to sweat. Laugh it up for now boys, because there is a new player in town and he threw down the gauntlet last week when he dropped that boulder on the pallet of German beer. Watch them all scramble like rats to fall in line with specialty products. Bitburger is already batterning down for the storm, up to now more or less covertly:

http://www.lieblingsbier.de/2013/07...rger-begeht-einstieg-in-den-craft-bier-markt/

 

BrewDog is actually doing really well, one of the premier online-sellers (bier-deluxe) is constantly getting in new stuff from them. I doubt this would be the case if there wasn't a demand for their beer (as that would pretty much indicate losses for a shop whose basis is mostly a niche market). They've also been opening pubs all over the place - obviously the majority is still in the U.K. but there's one in the works for Germany, Sweden, they've just opened one in Italy. Considering that every Globus now also carries craft beer (albeit only the "Braufactum" stuff) this might just be a good time to get going with this.

I don't think they necessarily have to target "young hipsters" (what does that even mean? there's not any coherent definition as to what defines "hipsters"?). Younger generations are already more open-minded about this sort of stuff (to a certain degree at least). I don't think it's necessarily hard to convince Germans to give up their money for quality products once you've convinced them. Not to mention that there's other niche markets that have established succesfully in the past despite inflationary prices for no actual quality increase. (e.g. organic food, "all natural" shenanigans etc)

As for the actual thread topic: I find most of them to be disgusting. They're pretty much the reason I thought beer was inherently disgusting for quite a few years because the only way I could get them down was to force myself.

 

My definition is quite simple: If you have ever hung out at a place like the AKW (Autonomes Kulturzentrum Würzburg), then you are a hipster. Wikipedia says:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_(contemporary_subculture)

 

Ha! I have been there with my (now) wife while she was studying law in Würzburg. (She was also a member of the JA, the Juristische Alternative.) I preferred hanging out with the 60- and 70-year-old set at the Bamberg breweries myself....

 

Doesn't ring a bell, in fact I have never heard the term "autonomes Kulturzentrum" before. And that article just proves my point that this supposed "scene" is a murky mess of converged styles and scenes.

 

If it helps any -- and since you seem to have spent some time here due to your amazing grasp of American English and its idioms, etc. -- think of, say, someone in their 20s who thinks they are extremely creative and clever in any number of ways. In terms of how they fit into the beer scene...they often work menial jobs in areas such as landscaping just to seem down to earth (but enjoy retiring to the comfort of their parents' basement after their hard day at work -- and spending parents' money on expensive beers to trade). Maybe that helps...sorry if I seemed to have been ignoring your comments and questions.

 

"...expensive beers to trade..." But that is illegal!?!

 

Uh, thanks for that compliment. Yeah, I mean I know that stereotype but I honestly don't know to which degree that reflects reality - at least here. I've never met a single hipster throughout my travels in Germany, be it in Bavaria (München, Fulda, Oberfranken and Unterfranken), Hessen (Darmstadt, Bensheim, Frankfurt), BaWü (Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Pforzheim and some small Käffer), the North (Hamburg, Schwerin) and of course my homestead Rhineland-Palatinate.

Don't think I met any in Florida, either.

 

For someone with such a strong grasp on a foreign language, you have a pretty weak grasp on your 'home' country's geography.

 

No, I just mixed up Fulda with Fürth. I also doubt that getting one city wrong would be an indicator of a bad grasp on geography unless that means you have a perfect map in your head. Or do you belong to those group of people who judge other people before they've even said hello and you don't like the pants they're wearing?

 

Yea, that's a very common mistake. Especially if you've been to both places; they're pretty much interchangeable.

 

Come to FFM, hipsters ooze practically out of every corner like cockroaches. The long, unkempt beards, the I've seen it all attitude, they're so common. I'm not sure you define as hipster, but they definitely exist in FFM!

 

Maybe I'm just oblivious because I listen to music pretty much everywhere I go and I tend to blend things out very easily, although admittedly I really couldn't care less how people look like and what kind of style they have - that's none of my business. Only if they come with some kind of holier than thou attitude.

 

“Only if they come with some kind of holier than thou attitude.” I hear that!

Cheers!

 

Whole lotta finger pointin' and pot/kettle conversation goin' on 'round here anymore -- how 'bout we get back to beer?

 

Going back to the beer would seem like a good idea.

Since I was at a party yesterday and a discussion about beer styles ensued I have yet to try a Pilsner that really convinces me, my palate cannot handle most of the supermarket stuff. Might give Schönramer a try.

 

"Might give Schönramer a try." Please report back if you do. That beer is on my list of beers to try but I have not located it yet.

Cheers!