This past February, I had the opportunity to attend Braukunst Live, a beer festival held in Munich, Germany. Vendors from across the country and a few from other parts of Europe presented their beers to the public. It was a great opportunity to see the trends happening in this specific area and what was popular amongst the locals. With an epic turnout, multiple tasting and pairing classes, this event proved a festive and educational experience for all who attended.
Going into the festival, I was excited to see what was new in the beer seen in Europe. However, much to my chagrin, innovation and “newness” was seemingly lost in a world of American style IPAs and pale ales while barrel aging and other up and coming trends in the US were few and far between. It is interesting to notice that as these “new” hop forward styles are somewhat losing speed in America, German producers are beginning to embrace these styles as a fantastical and niche products.
However, not all glimmers of innovation were lost here. Augustino Arioli of the Italian brewery, Birrificio Italiano stunned the crowds with his super balanced and enchanting liquids. Whether it was the crisp and stunning Nigredo or the tart and elegant Scires, the crowds were stunned. It was interesting to see reactions of the drinkers, as they had obviously not had any beer of this caliber before. They would slowly back away from his booth in a state of delight and confusion, and onto the next predictable, dare I say, boring beer. It is producers like Augustino in countries like Italy who do not have a deep rooted beer culture that are able to break away from the norms of production and go head first into the unknown. That is why beer coming out of Italy is so exciting for the US as they are giving us the uniqueness and departure from the norm that we so long for as a beer drinking people.
As Germany has a deep and historical connection to its beer culture, it is not surprising that they take steps in innovation slowly, not to jostle the public too abruptly. However, this leaves many very talented brewers pigeonholed and their creative spirits squelched by the changing times, especially in the US.
This however, does not come without its exceptions. One of these few exceptions is sixth generation brewery Pravatbraueri Schneider Weisse . A few years ago, Schneider Weisse paired up with Garret Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery to create a one of a kind, and seemingly ahead of its time, wheat beer. This easy drinking hefeweizen with its signature Schneider spiciness and the incredible zest of the beautiful Saphir hop, caught the European public off guard. But, in America, this beer has become a super popular product. In this case, Schneider understands that in order to make waves in the US, it is sometimes necessary to step out of the box. They did so again with their Aventinus Cuvee Barrique, a wine barrel aged collaboration brew with Swiss brewery Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes (BFM). In turn, the positive reception in Germany was minimal as this beer was a hot commodity in the states.
As we can observe, the trends in Germany follow the trends in America, but much delayed. One can notice, however, those breweries taking risks with their styles have proven epically successful in the export market and those who continue to produce off trend styles will see continued success abroad. But for those who are still behind, we can only wait until Braukunst 2016 when we will perhaps see the innovation from these producers that we desperately desire now in the States.
Schneider Edel Weisse “Ice”bock – small batch freeze distillation in action!