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Author Topic: The Death of German Brewing?  (Read 4009 times)

Offline bluesman

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Re: The Death of German Brewing?
« Reply #15 on: March 03, 2011, 07:59:50 pm »
I saw a girl drinking a hefe and cola mixture in Bamberg :o

And the hefe/syrup mixtures were popular in lots of places in Berlin, some had 20 bottles of different flavored juices.  I'd never seen banana juice before.  ::)

That's just not right Tom.

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Offline tschmidlin

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Re: The Death of German Brewing?
« Reply #16 on: March 03, 2011, 10:03:42 pm »
I saw a girl drinking a hefe and cola mixture in Bamberg :o

And the hefe/syrup mixtures were popular in lots of places in Berlin, some had 20 bottles of different flavored juices.  I'd never seen banana juice before.  ::)

Maybe it was Berliner Weiße?
No, there was that too, but the menus listed the syrups for mixing with hefeweizen.  Passion fruit, star fruit, banana, mango, all kinds of stuff.  A lot of the places that had Berliner Weisse just had the raspberry and woodruff, and it was premixed in the bottle.  I didn't get to explore Berlin as much as I would have liked, it was a work trip and I put a premium on going to Bamberg before and leaving right after to see a friend in Dresden.  I had a great time though.


That's just not right Tom.
Nope.  Not even a little.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline phillamb168

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Re: The Death of German Brewing?
« Reply #17 on: March 04, 2011, 01:33:37 am »
I saw a girl drinking a hefe and cola mixture in Bamberg :o

And the hefe/syrup mixtures were popular in lots of places in Berlin, some had 20 bottles of different flavored juices.  I'd never seen banana juice before.  ::)

That's just not right Tom.



I'd say that depends. There's a French corona-type beer called "Desperados" (Despy for short) which is basically a Pilsner with tequila/agave flavoring added. Normally I HATE it, but if you're out on a beach (remember, open container laws don't exist here) it's a PERFECT beer for strolling around. A few summers ago we went up to Normandy for camping close to the beach, and had a blast with a few bottles of Despy walking around in the surf.

Still, it's not something that I'd drink regularly. Like McDonald's - sometimes you get a craving for mass-produced crap.
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Offline ryang

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Re: The Death of German Brewing?
« Reply #18 on: March 04, 2011, 08:14:42 am »

I'd say that depends. There's a French corona-type beer called "Desperados" (Despy for short) which is basically a Pilsner with tequila/agave flavoring added. Normally I HATE it, but if you're out on a beach (remember, open container laws don't exist here) it's a PERFECT beer for strolling around. A few summers ago we went up to Normandy for camping close to the beach, and had a blast with a few bottles of Despy walking around in the surf.

Still, it's not something that I'd drink regularly. Like McDonald's - sometimes you get a craving for mass-produced crap.

Ugh, we made the mistake of buying that while over there.  My wife and I couldn't drink anymore than one a couple sips each.  Wow, nasty stuff.

More on topic, that was an interesting article.  Even in such a grim time, there is so much room for expansion and re-build the german drinking populus.  Really makes me want to go over there and take over one of those mom and pop breweries and start cranking out gateway beers and to learn from the best and make traditional ales and lagers too.

Offline Kaiser

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Re: The Death of German Brewing?
« Reply #19 on: March 04, 2011, 10:25:23 am »
I echo much of what has been said so far and have read about this problem a few years back. The brewing industry in Germany is desperately trying to tap new markets.

The RHG is part of the problem but not so much in keeping brewers from making different beers but more in how it has shaped the German's perception what beer is. The vast majority of Germans, just like it was in the US, like balanced and mild beers that don't have weird (other call them interesting) flavors.

Even under the umbrella of the RHG a lot can be done to broaden the beer styles brewed in Germany. But the breweries who will do that will be small breweries. Like in the US, Germany needs to get a craft beer movement going that allows beer to be seen in a different light. Not only as a side dish for dinner but also as a drink that can be savored just like wine or cocktails.

The fading interest in beer among the German youth is one problem that might be difficult to overcome. Maybe once they age they'll regain interest in good beer just like many of us favored cheap beer/alcohol in college but now we have matured and appreciate better quality beer.

I doubt the German beer industry will die.

Kai