German craft beer

On a perhaps related note, Jerry (@spartan1979) made an excellent post recently which had links to a 4-part series of articles on the history of Falstaff Brewing.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/falstaff-what-was-it-like.33763/page-3#post-3585313

One of the interesting aspects from these articles to me was the business decision that the Falstaff owners made to purchase ‘old’ breweries at a discount vs. building new breweries (like Anheuser-Busch did with the Newark brewery). This decision to save money in the short term was debilitating to them later on due to poor efficiencies of these ‘old’ breweries. Hindsight being 20/20 it might have been ‘better’ if the Falstaff owners ‘bit the bullet’ and incurred the expenses of building new breweries and then reap the rewards of efficient brewing for years to come downstream.

The tie-in here is that these ‘old school’ German breweries are inefficient compared to other modernized German breweries (e.g., Spaten) and as long as they sell beer at the expected low prices that mainstream German beer drinkers are willing to pay it is only a matter of time before they go out of business due to lack of economic viability.

Of course a potential alternative strategy could be to brew craft beers if German beer drinkers are willing to pay more for these beers. If you can charge more for your beer you may be able to tolerate your less than efficient production process.

Cheers!

 

There is no direct tie-in here. Very different circumstances surrounding the facilities and their financing; very different economic systems in the areas where they operate; and beer cultures that could hardly be more different in terms of their drinking patterns and practices.

Sorry, but you're WAY off base here. One of the primary reasons *for* these places' closing is modernization; specifically the EU mandates that stipulate breweries must be updated when they officially change hands. That alone is the biggest financial hurdle these places have been facing in the last few years, with many unable to clear it.

 

I don’t have all the facts but I suspect that Schlenkerla will survive for quite some time since they seem to make a lot of money by their export business. These seems akin to Cantillon being successful since they sell a lot (most?) of their beers overseas (e.g., US).

As for the hundreds of other ‘old school’ German breweries, they will indeed have to come up with their own unique strategies if they want to be in business a decade from now. Maybe they could add a significant export business like Schlenkerla? Maybe they could produce ‘alternative’ products like craft beer? etc.

Brewing is a business just like any other business. You have to make profit in order to survive.

Cheers!

 

Sorry, but you really have no idea what you're talking about.

 

Always a pleasure!

 

I give you plenty of credit for your knowledge of many things having to do with beer, brewing, and even beer culture. But in this instance you are, quite simply, wrong.

 

Yup, always a pleasure.

 

Concerning the question of decoction mashing nowadays, do brewers that employ this draw a thick mash, containing a relatively large amount of grain, from the main mash, or do they draw a portion of the liquid mash (lautermaisch) only? One of the Swedish macros talks about decoction mashing some of their beers sometimes but from what I've read it sounds like they only employ a lautermaisch, which would be the last step of an old school Bavarian decoction mash (two thick mashes and with one lautermaisch at the end).

 

In the video they show (and discuss) the brewer pumping over a portion of the mash that contains grain. However, I have to admit I was a bit surprised at how thin the pulled mash looked compared to the homebrewing videos I have seen on decoction mashing (from Kai Troster and Michael Dawson). He was doing a double decoction. Then at the end he talks about boling some liquid for mashout. I'd have to go back and watch it again, but it could have been a Lautermaisch at the end.

 

When reading brewing books from the 19th century the drawing of the thick mashes, using essentially large scoops to transfer the thick portion of the mash seems like it would be relatively straight forward (and also applicable in a home brewing setting), with the lautermaisch being possible to simply run off from a spout at the top of the mash tun. But in a modern setting I figure it has to involve some mechanics and pumps, with pumps obviously used for straining the wort away from the mash and trub, but this also made me wonder how the pumping off of a thickmash would work. Perhaps it's not at all difficult or complicated mechanically, I just haven't seen it described in a modern setting.

 

They use a specialized slurry pump. Different from the other pumps used for moving liquid around.

 

Brauerei Heller-Trum

FWIW -- I have it on good authority that Spaten was still decoction mashing their Dunkel in 2007. Whether or not they still are is not an easy question to answer these days, but my source tells me they didn't completely give up the "old ways" -- no matter who was trying to wrest the helm.

 

Does "Changing Hands" include a brewery being passed from one generation of the same family to another?

 

I believe it has, yes. But I'm not 100% sure. Crazy EU laws....

 

Great line from the video:

Interviewer: What is the difference between "craft" beer and our lager and pils beers?

Brewer: More hops. More alcohol.

 

“Brewer: More hops. More alcohol.”

Let’s hope this new effort permits Göller Brewery to be in business a decade from now and also produce more German traditional beers as well.

Cheers!

 

Interviewer (in ten years): So, after nearly 500 years in operation, what finally did you in? The Thirty Years' War? First World War? ****sm?

Brewer: We failed to brew enough "craft" beer.

 

“Brewer: We failed to brew enough "craft" beer.”

There is still time. Hopefully Göller Brewery can properly address this aspect of the beer market and also continue to brew beers for the traditional German beer market.

This is hopefully not an either/or decision. Brew craft beers that can bring in bigger margins plus also still brew beers that service the folks that prefer traditional beers.

It seems to me that Spital Brewing is doing this via ‘segmenting’ their beer brands. Hopefully this business venture will be successful for both Spital and Göller.

Cheers!

 

This from someone who refuses to pay $14 for a four-pack of world-class Celebrator.

I will make you a wager right now: the aforementioned breweries will be around far longer than the current "craft" beer craze.

Say, a four-pack of Celebrator for the winner?

 

Yesterday, it finally happened- I had the chance to taste the infamous Beck's "craft" beers, without paying for them
Pretty awful,bland stuff. As has been said already several times.
Funny thing though, and the reason I am writing this: I had a side by side comparison with Beck's Amber Lager and a proper, good traditional franconian amber lager, Bayreuther Becher Original. The color was surprisingly similar, but the difference in taste was night and day. The Beck's was very plain, a bit sweet, but not much taste whatsoever. The Becher on the other hand was a very strong personality. Grain notes, only a subtle touch of sweetness, a subtle,peppery,spicy note in the aftertaste. And a very smooth, soft texture. Subtle,yet not boring. In my opinion, it is the same difference you find in general with mass produced, boring industrial lagers and hand made, traditional lagers.