Greg Koch Bringing Craft Beer to Germany

[mkyl428]

Someone told me about this & I finally had a chance to check it out, very interesting

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/american-shakes-up-the-german-beer-scene

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csJw1DCyObA[/ame]

 

[unionrdr]

That's pretty cool. They are awakening to our style of brewing over there. Koch is making more than enough money here to start that enterprise in Germany & make it work.

 

[ImNoExpert]

Good stuff

 

[hunter_le five]

That's nice of him.

Lord knows ze Germans have never had access to any good beers, until now.

 

[idylldon]

Stone has been working on it as well:

http://www.stonebrewing.com/news/140719/

Cheers,
--
Don

 

[Spartan1979]

Stone has been working on it as well:

http://www.stonebrewing.com/news/140719/

Cheers,
--
Don

Greg Koch is Stone Brewing

 

[mkyl428]

Stone has been working on it as well:

http://www.stonebrewing.com/news/140719/

Cheers,
--
Don

Greg Koch is Stone Brewing

^^What he said^^^

that link did lead to another video on the subject though

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpDIbC42kIw[/ame]

 

[beernutz]

Brewdogs did an episode on Koch and his Stone Brewing Berlin venture: http://www.stonelibertystation.com/event/brew-dogs-episode-advance-screening/

 

[idylldon]

Yeah, sorry. Shouldn't have posted before my morning coffee.

Cheers,
--
Don

 

[unionrdr]

The young folks there seem to like our style of beers, besides mixed drinks & such. Probably moreso the later. Kinda like Death of a Clown, won't someone help me to break up this crowd? Let's all drink, to the death, of a clown...

 

[ten80]

That's pretty cool. They are awakening to our style of brewing over there. Koch is has necessary talent, experience, and skill required to run a very successful brewery in Germany & make it work.

Fixed. Give the man some credit, he is not building the brewery in Germany on cash alone. I doubt any brewer has enough cash on hand to build a new brewery with out a loan. I would guess that most of the funds are coming from investors who are banking on his proven track record.

Interestingly, the word "beer" purposely doesn't appear on any of his products, therefore he will not be violating the Reinheitsgebot. I am curious to see the reaction of the Germans to these novel "beverages."

 

[hunter_le five]

I'm just glad those poor Germans won't have to drink that swill produced Weihenstephaner, Ayinger, Aventinus, Augustiner, Spaten-Franziskaner, Paulaner, Hofbrau, Leipziger, Mahr's, Erdinger, or Warsteiner ever again!

Fun fact: German beer aficionados refer to these brewers collectively as "WAAASFPHLMEW müll", which is the German equivalent of saying "BMC trash". The more your know...

 

[unionrdr]

Ha. I should've known they'd come up with their equivalent of our saying. And he does pull in some 130 million annually, so he just about could afford to lay out cash. But investors, obviously, are the most likely. And your correction reflects the intent of my words. Hey, can we help it we're the new beer mecca of the world? :rockin:

 

[beersk]

I'm just glad those poor Germans won't have to drink that swill produced Weihenstephaner, Ayinger, Aventinus, Augustiner, Spaten-Franziskaner, Paulaner, Hofbrau, Leipziger, Mahr's, Erdinger, or Warsteiner ever again!

Fun fact: German beer aficionados refer to these brewers collectively as "WAAASFPHLMEW müll", which is the German equivalent of saying "BMC trash". The more your know...

Haha. I felt slightly offended (and laughed) when I saw that in the 2nd video posted. Yellow fizzy beer in Germany, it's really flavorless and watered down! Pfff...whatevs, Greg.
I like Stone and what they do, but if he's going into Germany with the idea that he's going to out complete those large breweries you listed, he's crazy. He'll compete with them, yes, but not run them out of business or anything. They're the lifeblood of tradition...and it's actually GOOD beer that is crafted with pride and tradition. Not adjunct bull**** beer.

 

[beerkench]

The outskirts of Berlin are quite rundown with cheap rents on buildings, so I can imagine he's got himself a good deal with a great porthole to European distribution.
Having also lived there I can say that although there are some great beers, there's not much variety.


Sent from hell
using Home Brew

 

[skw]

Fun fact: German beer aficionados refer to these brewers collectively as "WAAASFPHLMEW müll", which is the German equivalent of saying "BMC trash". The more your know...

We call them "Fernsehpils" - breweries that spend more money on TV ads than on ingredients for their interchangeable pilseners. Sure, we have our small(ish) independent brewpubs and local breweries, but the market is dominated by brands like Oettinger (known for cheap beer, not for good beer) or Beck's (owned by AB-Inbev), and you couldn't tell their mass market brews from each other in a blind tasting.

Variety is only regional - you can get Kölsch, but only if you're near Cologne, you can get Alt if you're in or around Düsseldorf and just recently someone mentioned to me how they've never had a dark lager before they moved to the south. And even there, pretty much any beer from Stone would challenge people's palates. Yellow fizzy mass market lager in Germany may be better than yellow fizzy mass market lager in the USA, but that has led to a complacency and narrow horizon of both brewers and drinkers. Stone will have to fight an uphill battle here, but not because German beer is so much better, but because many are going to reject any beer that doesn't taste like what they think beer should taste like.

 

[beersk]

We call them "Fernsehpils" - breweries that spend more money on TV ads than on ingredients for their interchangeable pilseners. Sure, we have our small(ish) independent brewpubs and local breweries, but the market is dominated by brands like Oettinger (known for cheap beer, not for good beer) or Beck's (owned by AB-Inbev), and you couldn't tell their mass market brews from each other in a blind tasting.

Variety is only regional - you can get Kölsch, but only if you're near Cologne, you can get Alt if you're in or around Düsseldorf and just recently someone mentioned to me how they've never had a dark lager before they moved to the south. And even there, pretty much any beer from Stone would challenge people's palates. Yellow fizzy mass market lager in Germany may be better than yellow fizzy mass market lager in the USA, but that has led to a complacency and narrow horizon of both brewers and drinkers. Stone will have to fight an uphill battle here, but not because German beer is so much better, but because many are going to reject any beer that doesn't taste like what they think beer should taste like.

Good post. It's so weird how they don't distribute beer within Germany, kolsch and alt especially. I really love a helles and a pilsner, but I understand the comparison to mass produced beer here in the US. I just hope it doesn't go away completely, because those beers really are produced with better quality ingredients and with more pride and tradition than the swill that is produced here.

 

[passedpawn]

Good post. It's so weird how they don't distribute beer within Germany, kolsch and alt especially. I really love a helles and a pilsner, but I understand the comparison to mass produced beer here in the US. I just hope it doesn't go away completely, because those beers really are produced with better quality ingredients and with more pride and tradition than the swill that is produced here.

I like the US beer scene. I think it far surpasses anything I saw in my travels around the world. And, BTW, that swill you're referring to, I'd assume BMC, is very popular overseas (in the small town in Ireland I stayed in, at least half the people in the bars were drinking it - I was shocked).

I've been to Germany many times (as well much of Europe and the far east). Yes, you can find great beers there, but the choices are really, really limited. And sometimes the regional style is the ONLY style - besides pilsner, which is ubiquitous. I got laughed at when I asked for a Kolsch (Cologne) in Dusseldorf, though they're only 30 miles apart.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah, nowadays, anyway. It's really too bad bud, miller, coors, et al didn't stick to their older recipes. They were definitely better than todays...stuff. At least the Germans still have some pride in craftsmanship. Speaking of dark lagers, I need to drag out my dark hybrid lager recipe again. That one was well received.

 

[Newsman]

I like the US beer scene. I think it far surpasses anything I saw in my travels around the world. And, BTW, that swill you're referring to, I'd assume BMC, is very popular overseas (in the small town in Ireland I stayed in, at least half the people in the bars were drinking it - I was shocked).

Funny you should mention that... I was in Puerto Rico a couple months ago and Bud is very popular there... I was told it's partly because it's hard to get down there.

 

[unionrdr]

Funny how folks want what's hard to get. The grass is always greener in the other guys yard. Until they actually find out that where Bambi goes, nothin' grows!

 

[skw]

I got laughed at when I asked for a Kolsch (Cologne) in Dusseldorf, though they're only 30 miles apart.

Kölsch (Cologne) and Alt (Düsseldorf) is not just regionality, but it's a neighborhood feud. I've seen some bars offer the other city's beer, and ask a ridiculously high price. And naturally, there are plenty of jokes of how the other city's beer is supposedly produced, where most involve urinating.

A really good Helles or German Pils is a treat, and amongst the many breweries I've tried in the US, I have not anything that came close to an Augustiner Helles or Rothaus Pils (which doesn't mean it doesn't exist, it just means I haven't had it). But then again, Augustiner or Rothaus is the exception here in Germany and not the rule, unless you happen to be in Munich or the Black Forest. Unfortunately, you will get served skunked Beck's (green bottles) in many places and for some, the skunky smell is part of the Pilsener experience.

 

[Eucrid]

Hopefully this will mean The Stone we get here in Europe won't be as stale as the stuff I've had so far from them.

 

[passedpawn]

Kölsch (Cologne) and Alt (Düsseldorf) is not just regionality, but it's a neighborhood feud. I've seen some bars offer the other city's beer, and ask a ridiculously high price. And naturally, there are plenty of jokes of how the other city's beer is supposedly produced, where most involve urinating.

A really good Helles or German Pils is a treat, and amongst the many breweries I've tried in the US, I have not anything that came close to an Augustiner Helles or Rothaus Pils (which doesn't mean it doesn't exist, it just means I haven't had it). But then again, Augustiner or Rothaus is the exception here in Germany and not the rule, unless you happen to be in Munich or the Black Forest. Unfortunately, you will get served skunked Beck's (green bottles) in many places and for some, the skunky smell is part of the Pilsener experience.

I had a Jever Pils last night (on tap). I love that. Pretty hoppy for a German Pils. Have you had this?

BTW, if you see a Victory Prima Pils, try it. Very good.

 

[skw]

I had a Jever Pils last night (on tap). I love that. Pretty hoppy for a German Pils. Have you had this?

I've had it, it's pretty common here. Unfortunately, they too package in green bottles. Their N/A is one of the few N/As that I actually like. Some say Jever isn't as bitter as it used to be, not sure if that is true - but for many drinkers here, Jever counts as "too bitter" and given a choice, they'll order something else. We hopheads welcome Stone Ruination on our home turf, of course, but Carlsberg (owners of Jever, btw), InBev or Oettinger etc get rich by selling low-IBU product. In fact, they've made quite some money with beer/lemonade mixtures, catering to the customers with hops aversion. Leave it to our lawmakers and breweries to perceive it as perfectly fine to bottle and sell a mixture of light beer and elderberry or mint flavorings, but to prohibit fermenting wheat malt with a lager yeast.

BTW, if you see a Victory Prima Pils, try it. Very good.

Thanks, I'll keep my eyes open the next time I'm in the US.