Hasseröder

The fate of East German breweries after reunification was pretty random. Some famous names disappeared almost without trace. Some continued on much as before. Then there's Hasseröder. Whose sales have boomed.

Not that they're independent. They're part of AB Inbev. But they're way bigger that they were before. I can't remember seeing their beer in the good old days. And I did spend a fair amount of time in Saxony, where the brewery is located.

The branding after reunification is surprisingly similar to the old labels.

Still feeling shit, hence the post full of pretty labels.

Braustolz beers

Another day, another brewery from the former DDR.

And from a town that sort of exemplified the DDR, it being the one they changed the name of: Karl-Marx-Stadt, or Chemnitz as it’s once again called. I’m still getting used to the name Chemnitz, even after 25 years. Hardleers, is what the Dutch would call me. (Not sure what a correct English translation of that would be.)

Friedrich August Kupfer founded the Feldschlösschen Brauerei in 1868. It was an early example of the new Lager breweries established in the North of Germany. The breweries which would sweep away the old top-fermenting styles of the region. Later it adopted the name Braustolz.

As a relatively large business, Braustolz left private ownership in the first round of nationalisations in the 1950’s and became VEB Brautolz. At the time there were five breweries in Karl-Marx-Stadt, of which one other, Schloß was also nationalised  and three privately owned, Einsiedler, Germania and Reichenbrand. Surprisingly, both Einsiedler and Reichenbrand are still in business.

In the second round of nationalisations in 1972, all five breweries were grouped together as the VEB Getränkekombinat Karl-Marx-Stadt. Lumping together all the breweries in a region into one group was a feature of the late DDR.

In the 1990’s, Braustolz was bought by the Kulmbacher Brauerei. One of my least favourite in Franconia, if I’m honest. Though it has continued to operate the brewery in Chemnitz. It currently produces beer under the brads Braustolz and Kappler (named after the part of Chemnitz where the brewery is located). It brews around 150,000 hl a year. This is their current range:

Braustolz beers in 2015
Beer	style	OG Plato	ABV
Braustolz Helles Lager	Helles	9.7	4%
Braustolz Pilsner	Pilsner	11.1	4.9%
Braustolz Landbier	Helles	11.7	5.2%
Braustolz Schwarzbier	Schwarzbier	12	5.2%
Braustolz Spezial Export	Export	12.1	5.4%
Braustolz Bockbier	Dunkler Bock	16.1	6.6%
Braustolz Doppel-Caramel	Doppel-Caramel		0.0%
Kappler Braumeister	Export		5.2%
Kappler Festbier	Festbier		5.4%
Source:
Braustolz website http://www.braustolz.de.

A couple of interesting beers in there. I’m amazed that they still brew Doppel-Caramel, though it can’t be the same as the DDR-period version, as that contained some alcohol. The Helles Lager has a very odd gravity for a German beer. Being under 11º Plato, it doesn’t count as a Vollbier. Though the high degree of attenuation means that it’s probably almost the same ABV as their old Hell.

The Pilsner and Bock are most likely the beers that have changed the least. Landbier is a popular, but essentially meaningless, name. All sorts of beers of different strengths and even colour have the name plonked on them. I guess the idea is to make it sound like an old-fashioned country beer. Schwarzbier also tells a story. I can’t recall there being any example, other than Köstritzer. There may have been, but I’ve never even seen a label for one. The style has grown in popularity since reunification and many breweries in Saxony make one.


Sources:
Brauerei-Adressbuch, 2014/2015

http://www.braustolz.de/brauerei/geschichte.html
http://www.bierguru.de/Biergegenden/Sachsen/Chemnitz/

Cannewitzer beers

Some more DDR fun, this time in the form of some old labels. Yes, you've guessed it. I can't be arsed to write anything and this is an easy cop out.

Cannewitz is a tiny place which is part of Grimma, a small town to the Southeast of Leipzig. Surprisingly, since the brewery closed in 1999, there are still beers available under the Cannewitzer name. They're brewed at the Glückauf brewery, around 100 km further south, but Still in Saxony.

This the current beer range:

Cannewitzer beers in 2015
Beer	style	OG Plato	ABV
Cannewitzer "Nerchauer Pumpernickel"	Schwarzbier	11.7º	4.9%
Cannewitzer Pilsner	Pilsner	11.5º	4.9%
Cannewitzer Bock	Bock	16.2º	5.9%
Cannewitzer "Gold Quell" Hell	Helles	11.7º	4.9%
Wurzener Ringelnatz	Pils	11.5º	4.9%
Cannewitzer "Wilder Robert" Pilsner	Pils	11.5º	4.9%
Cannewitzer „Disco Cola“	Cola	-	0%
Source:
Cannewitzer website http://www.cannewitzer.de/.

Looks to me like there are only really four beers as the three Pilsners look remarkably similar. Who wouldn't want to drink something called Disco Cola?

This is what they usede to brew:

Three beers have the same name as DDR-period brews. Though the Nerchauer Pumpernickel has transformed itself from Pilsator to Schwarzbier.

I may continue this series. Depending on how easy it is. And if there's some audience interest. Though the latter is optional.





Klaus Fruchtsäfte & Cannewitzer Biere
Apfelweg 11,
04808 Wurzen.
Tel: (0 34 25) 81 35 95
Fax: (0 34 25) 81 66 97
http://www.cannewitzer.de/



Glückauf-Brauerei
Hauptstraße 176,
09355 Gersdorf.
http://www.glueckaufbiere.de/