DDR beer production by Bezirk in 1987

Some more lovely numbers from "Die Brau- und Malzindustrie in Deutschland-Ost zwischen 1945 und 1989". As you all know, you can never have too many numbers.

I really like this set of numbers because they teach me something new. That there was a lot of tank beer in the DDR. I hadn't realised that there was any at all. 

I drank a lot of draught beer in Berlin. Given that almost 60% of draught beer was in tank form, the odds are that I drank it. And quite a bit, too. Without taking a look in the cellar, there was no way to tell. Unless you could find a chatty waiter.

The top three beer-producing Bezirks were, in descending order, Dresden, Karl-Marx_stadt and Berlin. Between them, they accounted for 37% of beer production. The least productive Bezirks were Cottbus and Franfurt an der Oder (both on the Polish border), Neubrandenburg and Schwerin (both in the North). Areas that weren't very heavily populated or industrialised.

A majority of beer was in bottled form everywhere, except Neubrandenburg and Franfurt an der Oder. Both Bezirks with relatively small beer production.

With regards to tank beer, in most Bezirks it was more common than kegs. I'd love to know more about when tanks were installed. And if they were still being installed in 1989. In the UK, tanks really went out of fashion in the 1980s. Not sure if it still exists at all. 

DDR beer production by Bezirk in 1987
Bezirk	Beer Production in 1000 hL
	Bottle	Draught	Tank	total
Cottbus	207.9	52.3	0	260.2
Dresden	2130	423	869	3422
Erfurt	1094.1	271	384.9	1750
Gera	859.5	215.1	362.3	1436.9
Halle	1319.5	456.5	536	2312
Karl-Marx-Stadt	2051.3	344	751	3146.3
Leipzig	1441	506.7	335.3	2283
Magdeburg	1255.2	364.8	200	1820
Neubrandenburg	404	185	331	920
Potsdam	702.9	262.7	366.6	1332.2
Rostock	923	175	354	1452
Schwerin	724	127	86	937
Suhl	576.5	148	106	830.5
Franfurt an der Oder	173.3	99	131.1	403.4
Berlin	1693	466.2	639.8	2799
total	15,555.20	4,096.30	5,453.00	25,104.50
Source:
Die Brau- und Malzindustrie in Deutschland-Ost zwischen 1945 und 1989, VLB, 2016, page 301.

DDR beer production by Bezirk in 1987 (%)
Bezirk	Bottle	Draught	Tank
Cottbus	79.90%	20.10%	0.00%
Dresden	62.24%	12.36%	25.39%
Erfurt	62.52%	15.49%	21.99%
Gera	59.82%	14.97%	25.21%
Halle	57.07%	19.74%	23.18%
Karl-Marx-Stadt	65.20%	10.93%	23.87%
Leipzig	63.12%	22.19%	14.69%
Magdeburg	68.97%	20.04%	10.99%
Neubrandenburg	43.91%	20.11%	35.98%
Potsdam	52.76%	19.72%	27.52%
Rostock	63.57%	12.05%	24.38%
Schwerin	77.27%	13.55%	9.18%
Suhl	69.42%	17.82%	12.76%
Franfurt an der Oder	42.96%	24.54%	32.50%
Berlin	60.49%	16.66%	22.86%
total	61.96%	16.32%	21.72%
Source:
Die Brau- und Malzindustrie in Deutschland-Ost zwischen 1945 und 1989, VLB, 2016, page 301.

 

 

 

Conical fermenters in the DDR

In one of my Brewing in the DDR slides I mentioned the adoption of conical fermenters. I thought that I'd expand on that a little. Based on a section of "Die Brau- und Malzindustrie in Deutschland-Ost zwischen 1945 und 1989".

I may have banged on about DDR brewing retaining much pre-war equipment. But it wasn't totally immune to modern brewing technology. As is demonstrated by the development of conical fermenters locally. Despite there being no manufacturers of brewing equipment when the DDR was founded. The industry having been all located in West Germany.

Two prototype tanks, based on the Asahi design were built in 1970. The first production version was installed at the Sternburg Brewery in Lützschena early in 1971. It had a capacity of 2,500 hl and had external cooling. Later, two identical tanks were installed at Kindl in Berlin.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, 379 conical fermenters were installed at 29 of the 161 breweries in the DDR. Obviously, these were at the larger and more important breweries. For example, export breweries such as Wernesgrüner and Radeberger, and the large Berlin breweries Kindl-Weißensee, Bürgerbräu, Schultheiss Leninallee and Bärenquell.

The part of Thüringen I knew best, what was then the Bezirk of Erfurt had only one brewery with conical fermenters: Gotha. Is it a coincidence that it was the one brewery in the region whose beers I really didn't care for?

There were three sizes of tank: 1000/1300 hl, 2500 hl and 5500 hl. Most were 25000 hl, with only a handful of 5500 hl tanks. Doubtless more breweries would have installed conical fermenters, had the DDR not ceased to exist.

Brewing technology is a good example of the disadvantages the DDR faced.It was locked out of German suppliers by the division of the country and of international ones by being in the socialist block. Leaving them little option but to try to develop their own brewing equipment industry.

This information comes from "Die Brau- und Malzindustrie in Deutschland-Ost zwischen 1945 und 1989" pages 100 and 101. 

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.

 

Radeberger Production and Sales

My new favourite book "Die Brau- und Malzindustrie in Deutschland-Ost zwischen 1945 und 1989" might be a bit light on information about the actual beer brewed in the DDR. It does still have some numbers. Lovely numbers.

For example, those we'll be looking at today. Which are for the Radeberger brewery. Which, along with Wernesgrüner, was one of the main export breweries in the DDR. Meaning that they were allocated the best quality materials. And, for at least the export beer, brewed to the Reuinheitsgebot.

I was fairly surprised to see that they were already brewing in 1946. In some parts of Germany they didn't resume brewing until 1948 or 1949. For example, in the British occupied zone, the only brewing allowed for several years after the end of the war was for the British army.

Output was rising constantly. Not that surprising, given the generally improving economic conditions. And the fact that the brewery was given preferential treatment.

There seems to be a mistake in the figures in the book. The numbers under bottled beer seem to actually be total output. I know that because the 1988 figures are broken down by destination and the total comes to 449,337 hl. Which is the number given as bottled beer output in the first table. I've adjusted the figures in the first table accordingly.

There's a note to the first table that says:

"Until 1956, the Radeberger Export Brewery produced all types of beer, from Malzbier (6%), Vollbier Hell (10.5%), and Pilsner (12%) to Bockbier (16%). From 1956 onwards, only Radeberger Pilsner was produced."

Quite early, then, that they concentrated on producing Pilsner.

In the second table you can see that very little leaked out to the general public. Around three-quarters was either exported abroad, or reserved for special use internally. Interhotels were the hotels where foreigners stayed. The SED (Socialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands) was the ruling communist party. The Palace in Berlin was the Volkspalast, the DDR parliament building.

One of the surprises in the book was how much tank beer there was in the DDR. Something I never noticed.

Radeberger Production and Sales
Year	Hectolitres		of which Export	total
	in bottles	in casks
1946	125,000			125,000
1951	144,678			144,678
1956	274,880	120		275,000
1960	155,820	83,180	35,547	239,000
1961	174,823	72,419	19,552	247,242
1968	135,000	139,000	-	274,000
1972	168,235	145,000	-	313,235
1976	202,566	137,559	-	340,125
1980	258,178	134,305	-	392,483
1984	262,746	177,452	-	440,198
1988	291,601	157,736	-	449,337
Source:
Die Brau- und Malzindustrie in Deutschland-Ost zwischen 1945 und 1989, VLB, 2016, page 150.

Radberger sales by destination in 1988
destination	hl
Radeberger Pilsner Export for foreign markets 3) amounting to:	177,213
Radeberger Pilsner Export for the domestic market for all Interhotels, special customers (e.g., Soviet Army), and central customers (government and SED Central Committee) amounting to:	141,450
Radeberger Pilsner (Pilsator)	110,500
Radeberger Tank Beer for restaurants in the region and the Palace in Berlin	20,174
Total:	449,373
Source:
Die Brau- und Malzindustrie in Deutschland-Ost zwischen 1945 und 1989, VLB, 2016, page 150.

 

 

 

George Thompson interview part one

George Thompson, talks about his time at the Drybrough in Edinburgh, including continuous fermentation and brewing with raw barley.  

UK draught beer by type and strength 1971 - 2024

A slightly different table today. Covering a longer period than the last period, but only for draught beer.

Between the mid-1970s and 2024, the proportion of draught beer fell by 50%. That's a pretty big change. And obviously bad news for cask beer, which is only available in draught form.

I quick word about the classes. These are:

Class I <= 1034º
Class II 1035º - 1039º
Class III >= 1040º

Ordinary Bitter - that under 1040º - saw the biggest drop. From 26% of beer sales in 1990 to just 5.5% in 2024. In contrast, Bitter of 1040º and above saw its share slightly increase between 2000 and 2024. Despite falling during the early 2000s. Indicating a clear move in Bitter drinkers from Ordinary to Best Bitter.

There was a similar upgrading in Lager, though it took place somewhat later, after 2012. And after the pandemic, the switch was even more dramatic, with stronger Lager outstripping Cooking Lager. Though, with the recent changes in the tax rate for weaker beers which has seen the strength of several big Lager brands reduced that may well have changed in 2025.

The second table just looks at percentages of draught sales. Which shows better how the different styles have been faring.

I was surprised to see that, in 2000, bottom-fermenting beer barely outsold top-fermenting: 53% to 47%. By 2024, that was 64% to 34%. But that's a fall since Lager's peak in 2021, when it was 66%. Interestingly, it wasn't a revival of Bitter that ate into Lager's slice, but Stout.

After 2000, Stout's share of the draught market was very stable at around 7%. Then rose sharply from 2022, hitting 12% in 2024. Which is a pretty dramatic change. With Bitter's share continuing to fall, Stout is starting to breathe down its neck. 

It will be very interesting to see what happens over the next few years. Especially if Stout will continue to chew away at both Bitter and Lager. If the trends of the last couple of years continue, Stout might outstrip Bitter by 2030. Wouldn't that be weird?

UK draught beer by type and strength 1971 - 2024
Year	Mild	Bitter standard	Bitter premium +stout		Lager standard	Lager premium	Bitter total	Lager total	Total draught
1971	17.7	31.3	17.4		7.1			7.1	73.5
1972	15.9	31.1	17.8		8.6			8.6	73.4
1973	14.2	30.6	17.0		11.3			11.3	73.1
1974	13.8	30.6	16.8		12.1	0.5		12.6	73.8
1975	13.3	31.0	15.9		14.9	0.7		15.6	75.8
1976	12.6	30.7	15.2		17.3	1.2		18.5	77.0
1977	12.7	32.0	14.8		17.4	1.6		19.0	78.5
1978	11.9	31.8	13.8		18.8	1.8		20.6	78.1
1979	11.4	31.5	13.2		20.2	1.9		22.1	78.2
1980	8.6	34.9	12.3		21.0	2.0		23.0	78.8
Year	Mild	Bitter I + II	Bitter premium +stout		Lager I + II	Lager III	Bitter total	Lager total	Total draught
1982	8.0	38.0	9.1		22.0	2.3		24.3	79.4
1983	7.3	36.5	8.7		23.5	2.5		26.0	78.5
1984	6.9	34.8	8.6		25.1	2.8		27.9	78.2
1985	6.4	33.2	8.6		25.7	3.3		29.0	77.2
1986	5.9	31.2	8.6		26.2	3.9		30.1	75.8
1987	5.3	29.0	8.7		26.7	4.6		31.3	74.3
1988	4.9	27.6	8.6		27.0	4.9		31.9	73.0
Year	Mild	Bitter I + II	Bitter III	Stout	Lager I + II	Lager III	Bitter total	Lager total	Total draught
1990	4.1	25.8	8.9		27.2	5.3		32.5	71.6
2000	1.7	19.6	3.6	4.4	24.9	8.2	23.2	33.1	62.3
2001	1.5	18.3	3.3	4.3	24.6	8.4	21.6	33.0	60.6
2002	1.4	17.1	3.2	4.2	24.4	8.3	20.3	32.7	58.6
2003	1.2	15.9	3.0	3.9	24.7	8.5	18.9	33.2	57.1
2004	1.1	15.0	2.9	3.8	24.9	8.3	17.9	33.2	56.0
2005	1.0	14.2	2.9	3.8	25.2	8.2	17.1	33.4	55.2
2006	0.9	13.3	2.8	3.7	25.3	7.8	16.1	33.1	53.7
2007	0.8	12.9	3.0	3.7	24.8	7.3	15.9	32.1	52.4
2008	0.7	12.3	3.0	3.7	23.7	6.8	15.3	30.5	50.2
2009	0.6	12.2	3.2	3.6	23.7	6.6	15.4	30.3	49.9
2010	0.5	11.4	3.2	3.5	23.1	6.5	14.6	29.6	48.2
2011	0.5	11.6	3.1	3.3	22.8	6.6	14.7	29.4	47.8
2012	0.3	11.6	3.2	3.2	22.5	6.9	14.8	29.4	47.7
2013	0.3	11.1	3.3	3.1	21.7	6.9	14.4	28.6	46.4
2014	0.3	10.6	3.4	3.1	20.8	7.7	14.0	28.5	45.8
2015	0.3	10.3	3.7	3.0	19.7	8.2	14.0	27.9	45.1
2016	0.3	9.8	3.7	3.0	19.0	8.9	13.5	27.9	44.7
2017	0.3	9.1	3.8	3.0	18.0	9.2	12.9	27.2	43.4
2018	0.3	8.4	3.7	2.9	17.4	9.3	12.1	26.7	41.9
2019	0.2	7.9	3.6	3.0	16.7	9.7	11.5	26.4	41.1
2020	0.1	3.8	1.8	1.4	8.0	5.4	5.6	13.4	20.4
2021	0.1	4.5	2.7	2.0	10.1	8.3	7.2	18.4	27.7
2022	0.04	5.8	3.9	3.2	13.0	12.0	9.7	25.0	38.0
2023	0.04	5.7	3.9	3.8	12.0	13.0	9.6	25.0	38.5
2024	0.05	5.5	3.7	4.6	11.1	13.6	9.2	24.7	38.6
Source:
BBPA Statistical Handbook 2025, page 15.
The Brewers' Society Statistical Handbook 1980, page 10.
The Brewers' Society Statistical Handbook 1988, page 16.

UK % of draught beer by style
Year	Mild	Stout	Bitter	Lager
2000	2.73%	7.06%	37.24%	53.13%
2001	2.48%	7.10%	35.64%	54.46%
2002	2.39%	7.17%	34.64%	55.80%
2003	2.10%	6.83%	33.10%	58.14%
2004	1.96%	6.79%	31.96%	59.29%
2005	1.81%	6.88%	30.98%	60.51%
2006	1.68%	6.89%	29.98%	61.64%
2007	1.53%	7.06%	30.34%	61.26%
2008	1.39%	7.37%	30.48%	60.76%
2009	1.20%	7.21%	30.86%	60.72%
2010	1.04%	7.26%	30.29%	61.41%
2011	1.05%	6.90%	30.75%	61.51%
2012	0.63%	6.71%	31.03%	61.64%
2013	0.65%	6.68%	31.03%	61.64%
2014	0.66%	6.77%	30.57%	62.23%
2015	0.67%	6.65%	31.04%	61.86%
2016	0.67%	6.71%	30.20%	62.42%
2017	0.69%	6.91%	29.72%	62.67%
2018	0.72%	6.92%	28.88%	63.72%
2019	0.49%	7.30%	27.98%	64.23%
2020	0.49%	6.86%	27.45%	65.69%
2021	0.36%	7.22%	25.99%	66.43%
2022	0.11%	8.42%	25.53%	65.79%
2023	0.10%	9.87%	24.94%	64.94%
2024	0.13%	11.92%	23.83%	63.99%
Source:
BBPA Statistical Handbook 2025, page 15.