Are you ready to toast a revolution in the world of beer? Brace yourselves, because German monks near Munich have created the world's first powdered beer. Just add water, and you will get a frothy beer complete with a “foam cap” and intense flavor. The target? Ship it with a weight reduced by 90%, saving enormously on transport costs.
How I pulverize you a beer
La Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle worked together with selected technology partners with funding from BMWi to transform a traditionally brewed beer into a water-soluble granulate.
Many of you will already be horrified at this point, so you might as well give yourself the coup de grace, even if you already understood it: it's a non-alcoholic beer. Mashed potato.
Impact on transport, on the environment…
The product will be tested on the market in small quantities until June 2023, and if it has a good response from the public the intention is to start increasing production soon.
Helmut Fritsche, a major shareholder of Neuzelle, argues that “the time has come to test the production and logistics of classic beer, considering its impact on the environment.” Billions of liters of water are transported around the world to satisfy consumers, as beer is 90% water.
From an environmental point of view, powdered beer already allows you to save on transport, but not yet on the use of resources and production costs. For this reason the team of Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle is also experimenting with alternative beer-making techniques, compressing the process to further minimize the use of raw materials, labor and energy (in addition to the aforementioned transportation).
…And on the flavour
Here Fritsche admits that traditional and craft beer drinkers, especially in Germany, will initially be skeptical of powdered beer. However, the main target is not German consumers, but global retailers who do not necessarily have brewing knowledge, and can therefore appreciate the characteristics of the granules more.
In other words: make way for the markets of Asia and Africa, where transport costs are higher and beer lovers are less widespread.
We don't feel great transport for this beer
Wondering if beer powder will live up to expectations? Who knows: in the meantime, know that there are already many volunteers ready to test this innovative product. If it keeps the promises of the German monks, offering a good tasting experience without carrying water and bottles, we could see a radical and revolutionary change in the brewing sector. And maybe one day we'll all toast with a glass of powdered beer!
At the moment, however, in these parts we have already "christened" a beer reduced to syrup, and we still haven't found the words to describe the horror. We can only imagine that, possibly, this beer powder will be as “tasty” as the other one. Or perhaps as much as the one made with purified urine? We are undecided.
Which is why we do this: we toast to savings on transport and environmental impact, but we do it with a clear attitude like in the "old days". Okay? As long as you can. Prosit!
