Bayernbiere Bought and Drunk

Are you refering to breweries moving over to Euroflaschen or the bottles in my picture? If the latter I imagine it's an export-only bottle meant to save on shipping by less weight and bulk, since they wont be returned anyway. I guess those brands are big enough sellers in the other EU markets that a separate bottle type makes financial sense for them, and as long as you don't compare them against a standard NRW they look like the real deal.

 

Interesting piece.

“Instead of sending out the wheat beers immediately after the fermentation process, the beers are stored in the bottle or barrel for up to three weeks. In this way, the wheat beers have time for their second maturation and can develop their distinctive taste and fine sparkling carbon dioxide,” says the statement"

https://www.inside.beer/news/detail/germany-three-leading-wheat-beer-brewers-present-new-seal.html

 

yep. why so many versions taste so muddled. that secondary fermentation/conditioning is absolutely key IMO. good for them for doing this.

 

I'm wondering if they are also allowing the beer to mature during transportation. Now that would be cool - I do know that refers are considerably more expensive than "regular" shipping containers.

 

what I have read is that they bottle condition (after adding Speise to the brite and then bottling from there) at 70F for 1 week; followed by 50F for another week; then 30sF for any extended period beyond that. Not sure what kind of "rooms" or facilities they have for this, but that's what my research (into making my own Weizen) turned up.

 

Spaten just started a new marketing campaign in Germany, switching to the stumpy Bottles (looks more bavarian i guess) and with retro Labels for the Hell & Oktoberfest.
The Helles is now sold nationally in REWE markets.

That's after years of treating Spaten like their red-headed stepchild in Germany

 

And is the campaign a success?

I wonder what they’re aiming towards with all this. It sounds like they’re investing more capital into both Spaten and the Franziskaner brands. Still, it seems redundant to have Spaten Hell and Franziskaner Hell competing with one another, right down to being bottled in the same formats.

I wonder what Augustiner must be making of the fact their competitors are jumping onto their vintage-style marketing, right down to Euro bottle type.

 

Would be nice if they also put that Oktoberfest in brown bottles.

 

Or, er, all of their beers really. When I first bought a case of Spaten Helles to celebrate the Oktoberfest season, I remember instantly describing it as being like Heineken.

I was new to import beers then, and since then I’ve come to appreciate it more. But yes, Green has to go, especially for their Helles. While they’re at it, bring the Dunkel back! We need more of that style over here.

 

Dunno, as mentioned elsewhere I've had a few six-packs of the Spaten Okto this year and no skunk at all. Maybe they're using hop extract?

 

According to AB-InBev's 'Tap Into Your Beer' website, it is made with both Hops and Hop Extract.
https://www.tapintoyourbeer.com/index.cfm?id=142

Edit: I too have had several sixers of Spaten Oktoberfest this year and none were skunked. But that was because I bought a sealed case from Costco and 'The Best of Spaten' Variety pack case (2 six packs of Oktoberfest and one six pack each of Original and Optimator).

 

I wonder if darker beers are less prone to skunking?

 

Was that because it was skunked? And skunked beer reminded you of Heineken?

I ask because if that was true, how did that happen if you bought them in a case?

I was wondering this as well. That and the fact that it's not exactly a hoppy beer style.

 

I removed them from the case, directly into fluorescent lighting of my dorm-apartment, and then into the refrigerator. And later took it out of the fridge and drank a few bottles. There was enough time for the lightstrike to happen.

I’m sure too it was also the entire green-bottle aesthetic and the general similarity of being European all-malt lagers as well.

 

When Samuel Smith was using clear bottles I had my fair share of skunky Stout and Porter.

 

How long were they out in the light?

There's a big difference in light protection between a clear and green bottle right?

 

I think a few minutes at least as I slowly moved them over. I may have left the bottles out in the light on the table as we were drinking them, once they cooled off in the fridge. The skunking was not intense, but it did have a snappy initial pop of skunk on the first few sips before settling into the background, similar to when I’ve had Heineken and Stella.

 

I don't think it's greatly different, but if you want me to up the ante I can also point to many skunked Optimators over my years.

 

They can use extracts if CO2 extracted. No tetra or rho extracts. The extracts they are allowed to use will skunk.

 

All big Brew corporations have multiple Brands (many of them in the same style) under their wing.
Just look at the Radeberger Group (Dr. Oetker).


I still havent seen the Franziskaner Hell in my area.


Is the campaign a sucess ?
In the short term probably yes, since it's sold nationwide in the most popular supermarkets.
Whether that is still the case in 12 months remains to be seen.