Despite a pretty bleak year, there have certainly been some great beery experiences. And Golden Pints seemed like a fun way to briefly sum some of them up. Happy 2021! Best brewery In summer 2020, I moved to Berlin and immediately fell in love with the Hausbrauerei Eschenbräu, tucked away in Berlin-Wedding. I have been … Continue reading Golden Pints 2020
A friend told me recently about a conversation he had with some craft brewers that he met at a local brewery. My pal is a German Braumeister and introduced himself to his fellow industry colleagues as such. Apparently, they retorted with something along the lines of: "Braumeister is an outdated concept and we don't like … Continue reading Braumeister Syndrome
Transparency is, in my opinion, a key factor that sets small breweries apart from macro breweries. Transparency manifests itself in numerous ways, whether it's a brewery that offers tours to its visitors or whether we consider transparency as an open and honest dialogue between brewers and drinkers about the brewing process, raw materials and industry … Continue reading Transparency in German contract brewing
So this seemed like a fun way to sum up a beery 2017 and reflect a little on what's been in my glass. (Apologies that Golden 'Pints' doesn't quite seem so apt in a German context but any potential alternatives would most likely lead to confusion.) Best German bottled beer – Schönramer Helles Perhaps the … Continue reading Golden Pints 2017
In my time working in beer in the UK and Germany I’ve had some interesting dealings with customers and industry folk alike regarding CAMRA and the Reinheitsgebot. When working at the BrewDog bar in Bristol, we’d often get real ale traditionalists who would come to the bar and turn their noses up at the broad … Continue reading A couple of things CAMRA and the Reinheitsgebot have in common
I recently sat down and had a beer or two with Bonn resident Stephan Hilbrandt, the current World Champion Beer Sommelier. In September 2017, Stephan won the beer sommelier competition run by the Doemens Academy, Munich that is held every two years. He competed alongside 69 other beer sommeliers from 15 different countries to win … Continue reading A conversation with World Champion Beer Sommelier Stephan Hilbrandt
In this globalised beer market there is a fluid exchange of beery knowledge and brewing expertise and this is undoubtedly a great thing. The Bavarian brewer Gabriel Sedlmayr II first introduced the Brits to bottom fermented lager beer in the 1830s (which came decades before foreign, premium lager was commercialised and subsequently bastardised in the … Continue reading Warm, flat English beer in Germany
It will come as no surprise to many that new breweries are popping up all over world and Germany is no exception to the trend. The Deutscher Brauer Bund (German brewers association) announced in 2016 that 107 new breweries were registered between 2005-2015. A cause for celebration, hurrah! However, what the Brauer Bund fails to … Continue reading What’s with all the gypsy brewing in Germany?
Hop & Schwein 