Brauerei Potsdam-Rehbrücke output in 1988

The division of Germany caused many problems. In Potsdam, it was one of beer supply. Before the war, the area had mostly been served by breweries in West Berlin. Local breweries, which were small and old-fashioned, were unable to meet local demand. And breweries in East Berlin didn't have the spare capacity to supply Potsdam.

In the mid-1960s, local breweries were only able to produce about 50% of the beer consumed in Potsdam. Therefor it was decided to construct an entirely new brewery in Rehbrücke. It was supposed to start production in 1971. However, due to problems in obtaining the machinery, it didn't actually start production until 1981.

This is one of the few places in "Die Brau- und Malzindustrie in Deutschland-Ost zwischen 1945 und 1989" where there are some numbers for the output of different beer types. And it's very different from what we saw at the Diamant brewery of Magdeburg in 1960. Where three-quarters of their output was Helles.

In Potsdam, Pilsner was king, accounting for over 50% of production. And that's just the standard Pilsner. If you include Pilsator and Spezial, that increases to 88%. While Helles was a mere 5%. Did this represent a change in the relative popularity of the different styles? Or was Potsdam just specialising in Pilsner? I suspect a bit of both. It could also be a regional thing, as I remember Berlin pubs mostly sold Pilsner, not Helles.

Interestingly, three strong beers were brewed: pale and dark Bock and Märkischer Landmann.

I can remember drinking Potsdam Rex Pilsner, as it did seem to be available in Thüringen. At least in some outlets. I think in Delikat shops. It was a decent enough Pils. 

Brauerei Potsdam-Rehbrücke output in 1988
type	hl	%
Vollbier Hell	40,000	5.34%
Pilsner	444,200	59.26%
Spitzenbier	21,300	2.84%
Spezialbier	118,000	15.74%
Pilsator	99,900	13.33%
Heller Bock	10,500	1.40%
Dunkler Bock	9,200	1.23%
Märkischer Landmann	6,500	0.87%
total	749,600
Source:
Die Brau- und Malzindustrie in Deutschland-Ost zwischen 1945 und 1989, VLB, 2016, page 269.