Since the corona pandemic, draft beer has been in a deep crisis.
Since then, innumerable liters have simply been thrown away because inns are closed.
Three breweries from the district report what that means for them.
Meanwhile, Sappl Bräu from Holzkirchen advertises beer bread.
District
- In terms of taste, the difference between bottled beer and draft beer is not that big, says Wolfgang Sappl. Rather, it's about the feeling. “A draft beer is something special, you don't get that at home,” says the Holzkirchen master brewer. You enjoy it with your friends, in an economy. “It's an emotional drink.” But since Corona, draft beer has been in crisis. It is no longer bottled. Sappl Bräu, the Hopf wheat beer brewery in Miesbach and the Tegernsee brewery report how they deal with it.
In autumn 2020, Sappl Bräu, a small two-man brewery, stopped producing draft beer, reports Sappl.
“Because the inns had to close in November.” They stored the barrels for a while.
“In the hope that the bars will open.” After all, the innkeepers, the main buyers of the barrels, were not to be abandoned.
But when there was no end in sight, the brewer got into a conflict of conscience.
The beer can be kept in the barrel for a good nine months.
“But the longer it is stored, the more the taste changes.” At some point it gets bad.
Throwing away the draft beer, Sappl couldn't do that.
After all, it's not just about the money.
"We make beer out of passion, it's a craft."
Emotional drink is in crisis: Because inns are closed, breweries are suffering
Then he had the idea of the beer bread. Well, it wasn't brand new. Already during Lent 2020, the Holzkirchen bakery was making Ratschiller's bread from Sappls draft beer. At that time, Sappl was even allowed to help out in the bakery for a day. So this time they quickly came to an agreement. This year, Sappl supplied the bakery with 800 liters of draft beer. You can taste the slightly malty-hoppy aromas. “I'm a total fan of it,” says Sappl. Because it was well received, the beer bread will be available longer, i.e. until mid-May.
Overall, the gastro share at Sappl Bräu is low.
"We specialize in bottled beer, the retail trade," explains Sappl.
In this respect, his brewery can cope well with the failures.
The closed economy of the Hopf wheat beer brewery in Miesbach hurts far more.
The gastro share is 33 percent in normal times, reports managing director Tilo Ruttmann.
The draft beer, in turn, makes up 15 percent.
The lack of sales is manageable here.
But ugly.
Beer is in the Corona crisis: "We threw some away"
The wheat beer brewery also stopped draft beer production in October 2020. The brewery took back some of the barrels delivered to the locales. "We threw away some of it." However, the quantities were not that large. “The lockdown was foreseeable,” says Ruttmann. The Miesbacher Brewery does not want to process the excess draft beer: "It is not worth the effort for us."
It looks a little different at the Brauhaus Tegernsee.
A small fraction of draft beer is used in bread production, reports managing director Christian Wagner.
“A couple of vendors came in during lockdown.” Including a schnapps distiller that makes a beer brandy.
In normal times, draft beer makes up about a third of the business, according to Wagner.
“That is anything but pleasant for us now.” The brewery also stopped producing draft beer.
And have taken back many barrels from the restaurateurs.
“Out of goodwill, not out of obligation.” Also to keep in touch and to support the hosts who are suffering severely from the crisis.
Beer in crisis: failures can be partially compensated by selling bottles
In view of the limited best-before date, a lot of beer - a total of 2500 to 3000 barrels - had to be destroyed, which means: poured into the canal. Doesn't sound nice. “But nothing helps.” As reported, the brewery had sold five 30 liter barrels to the district administration at a reduced price. Thereupon the suspicion of taking advantage was in the room, but in the meantime the public prosecutor's office has stopped the investigation.
Sales towards beverage markets have increased, says Wagner.
“In this way, a large part of the failures can be compensated somewhat.” At the moment, beer is being consumed more at home.
The brewery only wants to produce draft beer again “when there is clarity,” says Wagner.
The approach in Miesbach is similar.
But when it starts again, things can happen quickly, explains Sappl from Holzkirchen.
The beer is ready after two weeks.
The manufacturing process is the same as for bottled beer, it is just bottled differently.
"Then it is ready to eat immediately."
by Marlene Kadach
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