Battle of Berlin: Germany's craft beer scene | The Craft Beer Channel
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- Jonny reports from Berlin on how a capital of Old World beer is responding to upstarts in the US and UK, and how it is shaking itself free from the shackles of an archaic law that restricts creativity.
Including tips on where and what to drink, as well as interviews with craft beer brewers from all over the country, it's the Craft Beer Channel's most ambitious and drunk video yet!
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Remember to drink responsibly(ish) and not be that guy...
Germany and beer....well, it turned into a belated rant on my side. Passion I guess. Sorry. ;)
As a German homebrewer and beer nerd (who now lives in Sweden though), I must say that you did a good representation of the situation, the problems, and the possibilities. This is not often done when discussing modern German beer, so thank you.
To me the main issue seemed to be that the basic quality is so high. I can see why the Americans with their macro lager were quick to grab on to anything else. In Germany things like Weihenstephan are common, and those usually do well even with craft beer folk as great examples of classic styles. Why change a running system?
That however started to be turned around slowly. I am from the "real" north, Berlin is south to me....heck I grew up closer to Denmark than to Hamburg, and there a brand called Störtebecker started to appear in supermarkets. They did not do anything experimental, but they did classic styles at a craft level. Their Bernstein Weizen is to this day my favorite Weizen (looooads of ripe banana) and their Atlantic Ale, a dry and partially wheaty pale ale, was what kicked me into the craft beer world. That beer that changed everything.
Now you got people like Crew Republic, Hopfenstopfer, etc. which are starting to get things done and seem to exponentially grow with a lot of bigger breweries trying their luck and churning out really proper stuff.
In the end our high base standard is slowing us down, but just until that tipping point. After that all the good stuff takes over. By that I mean a good beer culture and mostly a bloody great experience in brewing quality beer. If you can do the standards on a world class scale you can quickly catch on.
Finally, Germany grows brilliant hops. With the US and NZ it is one of the top hop nations on earth. Extremly strong and underapprechiated classics plus new mindblowing stuff. Mandarin Bavaria tastes like Mandarin. Huell Mellon has taste of Mellon and Strawberries. I have done it, and even in my homebrewer hands it works. Now imagine the skilled German Pros getting at it. I´ll leave you at that.
Cheers!
+Ole P. it's been a year but just re-read this and realised I have never drank a beer with Huell Mellon in. Any pointers on beers that use it?
+The Craft Beer Channel You can try the Single Hop IPA Huell Melon from Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei for example - their Single Hop IPA´s are fantastic overall.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel One of the problems is the wipeout of Northern German beer culture in the early 20th century because of the beer purity law
great vid ! Been to Berlin myself and must admit they have pretty decent beers down there :)
It's hard to find a bad one! just needs more variation!
wow Alex!
Hi Alex!
One problem is that the big breweries have exclusive contracts with the bars in return of paying the inventory. It shuts the door in the face of craft brew.
Same in the UK. It should not be allowed.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel that’s in essence how craft beer exploded in the us. It’s retrocession in essence and hinders price transparency. But then the beer lobby in Germany has politics by its balls. Lol
Hey The Craft Beer Channel, I strongly recommend coming to Munich and have a look! There's the "Braukunst Live Festival" on a yearly basis with almost 6000 visitors last year, there's the Munich Tap House (where they serve more than 200 craft beers from tap and bottles), there's Crew Republic/Crew Ale and even the big boys, e.g. Paulaner and Schneider Weiße, are releasing craft style beers. The game is changing!
Cool vid! As a Spaniard living in Germany I gotta love German beers (well, actually,
i really enjoy only some to be honest!) but it's a struggle to get any quality craft beer, particularly in smaller cities. It's great that now such a big brewing nation is starting to appreciate craft beer.
Keep up the hard work boys!
I was in high school when this video came out and now I homebrew and work for a major beer distributor in Indiana. Wow! I need to go to Germany
Well we feel old now thanks!
Awesome Job! Well done, Jonny and the Craftbeer Channel! i can spot myself ;)
After seeing this vid for the second time I still love the video and feel it was a needed segment. However, having been a beer geek before living in Germany and then trying their beers I must say I was blown away with the quality. The quality was soooo much better than that of the states. Also, having spent considerable time in Belgium, UK and Ireland I have found that they each have their own version of exceptional quality beers for good reason and should highlight that. America is still figuring out where we lie in the brewing world so while we figure ourselves out just let the regions of the world that have perfected a style or styles of beer brew it. Call everything your experimenting with “American” or “New World” even though that isn’t a thing and help us figure ourselves out. Brew dog made themselves different and hip from learning from U.S. brewers so maybe give credit where credit is due? We have German, Belgian, English, Scottish, and Irish inspired brewers in the U.S. It’s ok if you are a European brewer and gain inspiration from the United States. Anyway, love the channel! Just stick to non political stuff. Thanks!
I love traditional German lagers, but applaud those who are trying to push the envelope with new and different styles of beer as well.
You guys should check out the South African Craft Beer scene! It is heating up seriously quickly!!
Thanks for this interesting video!
Love Berlin what a great city I miss it
Those guys celebrating at the end are from my city, Valencia!
They are Birra&Blues.
Next time I'm in Berlin, I'm gonna go see what that Markthalle Neun is all about. It's right between to very nice craft beer bars too :)
And yes, they really need to revise the Reinheitsgebot, that law is in every possible way SO much last century.
So cool you came to our Germany ;)
I love drinking German Beer and really enjoyed this video, Whats everyone's opinions on the supermarket stuff you can find in the UK? And what are you all drinking?
:)
Steve
It's also worth noting that some of Germany's big traditional breweries like Schneider Weisse like to experiment and come out with great new beers
True! Germany is lucky to have such a rich, deep brewing tradition. Britain's is a little more limited and that's exactly why our revolution happened so fast!
I want to go there to taste some fresh German beer. For now, I'll enjoy some great American craft brews. :)
I wanna visit Berlin ! And soon, Stone will be there.
When I'm in Germany, all the beers are good, even the cheapest ones. That's why I don't feel the need to spend money on expensive craft beer.
It’s nice to see that a place like Germany had the same attitudes to beer as Australians did. Safe and boring! It’s changing now, lots of great breweries here so nice to see Germans branching out too!
Indeed! It is happening all over the world - just a little slower in those who already had amazing (if samey) beer
great, though it'd have been easier to follow if the voices sound level was a bit clearer... a bit difficult to grasp what the Germans were saying due to the general urban and music background noise.
Apologies! Our mics have improved a lot since this video!
04:00 GTA Vice City ^^.
I have been to Germany a few times and to be honest their brewing styles are superb and unique in a league of there own.. 1516 law shouts to me there's no crap in that stein..
Have to say it's an advantage - could do with that law in the UK - but currently it excludes too many good beers. Add a tiny bit of wheat to a lager and suddenly it's not "beer", age over berries or in a cask and suddenly it's not beer. Nuts for a country of Germany's brewing culture.
Yes its a bit mad but call it what you want the Beer drinkers will always call it BEER..
The Craft Beer Channel It's rather confusing, but you can even get Hefeweizens at the grocery store here in Germany that claim to be Reinheitsgebot... Which is simply not true.
Fencer Dave I believe you can put wheat in ales under Reinheitsgebot, but not in lagers.
Nice video but the sound makes it hard for me to understand anything
The Reinheitsgebot is really only a marketing tool these days. There are dozens of additives used in German beer these days for filtration, colouring and preserving.
Mass produced corporate pilsner is very boring and all tastes the same but still your average German beer drinkers favourite unfortunately!!
Worth remembering though that the worst macro German beers are still better than EVERY other country's macro beer - with the exception of the Czech Rep, depending on your tastes.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel I'll give you that one indeed.But living here in Germany I get fed up with people ignoring other German beer styles (Alt, Kölsch, Baltic Porter etc ) in favour of mass produced Pils.
At least "Carling" doesn't exist here 😂
horrible audio...please carry proper recording gears with you next time
Thanks for swinging by. This vid is four years old so we have had a lot of next times since. Even so recording in breweries and pubs has challenges - very loud and echo-y but we are learning.
germany is still top dog in the beer world
they are originators
+royal nass Czech republic, Belgium and the UK might have a lot to say about that. Not to mention the Sumerians who invented it!
well i dont see the sumerians doing anything today and i dont like belgium beers that much. i dont like that sour champagne type of taste a lot of their beers have and those fruity beers they have are gross too. the UK comes in 2nd place. Germany is the birthplace of the lager and the hefeweizen. what more do i have to say
The Craft Beer Channel the czech republic used to be apart of Germany.
+The Craft Beer Channel fun fact when pils was invented in czech republic it still belonged to germany
pils and hefeweizen equals two of the best tasting beer styles on earth in my opinion
Oh great the Americanization of the worlds best beer country. Sorry Germany.
I wouldnt worry. German brewing culture is going nowhere. All this American brewing only adds variation.
@@TheCraftBeerChannel Yes I will agree that now Germany can get more crappy craft beer then ever before. And again I feel compelled to say, sorry Germany.
I disagree. Once you add other shit - its not beer. Call it somethibg else.
This is ahistorical. Beer was made with all kinds of grain for 12000 years before a Prince in Bavaria decided it had to be malt. And all over the world it continued to be made with all kinds of grain for the next 500 years. Really the reinheitsgebot should define Pilsner and Helles - nothing else.
Not matter Germany lose two wars, Germany rules the world with products❗☝️🙂🇩🇪🌎
Münchner Reinheitsgebot 1487 btw.
Basically what I mean man is if you put more alcohol in and beer and everything into it more than you talk you would f****** I would give you a hundred percent rating
Hey man nothing personally or anything I like some of your videos not all the reason why is you talk too much if you can do less and show more of the alcohol that would be great