Showing posts with label Poland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poland. Show all posts

Wednesday, 12 August 2026

Marcin Ostejewsk interview part two

Marcin Ostejewsk and I discuss the Grodziskie competition in Grodzisk and the future of the style.

 

Tuesday, 30 June 2026

Flying back to Amsterdam

I rise around 8:30. Wouldn’t want to miss out on breakfast. It’s often the highlight of the day. I guess that shows my age.

I go for the same as yesterday: fried egg, cheese, tomato and cucumber. It’s a fairly light meal. Accompanied by a couple of double espressos. Which wake me up a treat. That was exactly the idea.

A breakfast of a fried egg, cheese, tomato, cucumber, a bread roll and coffee.

I have a nice chat with some of the other judges while I eat. Getting to talk to lots of different people is one of the reasons I go judging. That and travelling to places that I’d never go to otherwise.

The bus leaves for the airport at 10:00. It’s an hour or so in the bus. But we’re still there well before my flight. I have to wait a while before the KLM check-in desk opens. Which I spend chatting with the two Argentinian judges. Much of it about football.

As soon as the desk opens, I check in and trail airside. And straight to the lounge. Well, with a short detour to the duty free, where I pick up some Ukrainian and Poznan vodka. Never seen Ukrainian vodka before.

The lounge is pretty small. Not much food. Slightly weird sandwiches. But free-pour spirits. Now doesn’t that lift my spirits? I take full advantage. Wouldn’t you?

8 bottles of spirits and a couple of wine. To the right are several small bottles of fruit juice. In the foreground is a plate with a bottle opener andthree crown corks.

I have a couple of hours to enjoy myself in the lounge. Which is nice and quiet. It’s so much more relaxing in a lounge than outside, where there are always people milling about. That’s why I’m so keen on hanging onto my gold status with KLM.

That reminds me of another reason I go judging: lots of long-haul flights. Great for getting up to gold status every year.

I have to make do with cattle-truck class this way. Not so unbearable, as it’s only a short hop.

As I haven’t checked in a bag, I’m straight out of the terminal and into a taxi with minimal fucking around.

Soon I’m opening my front door. Inside Dolores is waiting with tea. As always. 

Monday, 29 June 2026

Grodzisk part two

The rest of my time in Grodzisk. Where I do some more judging, have another brewery tour and hang around at a beer festival.

 

Breweries, judging and a beer fest

I manage to drag myself out of bed around 8:00. As planned. There’s a win to start the day. It’s going to be a busy one.

Breakfast is a pretty decent buffet. With fried eggs and bacon. Though the bacon is rather undercooked. I accompany my fried egg with cheese and tomato instead. Probably healthier.

A red brick stable building with dormer windows.

At 9:30 a bus takes us to an estate on the edge of the village of Wąsowo. Where, in addition to the numerous other activities, a small brewery recently opened on the site. Called, logically enough, Browar Wąsowo.

After a quick tour around the various former farm buildings, we dive into the brewery. Housed in a red brick structure. It’s all very new and shiny inside. As you would expect for a brewery that only opened in 2025.

Wasowo brewery exterior, a two-storey, red brick building.

We’re taken around the various rooms in the brewery, which is two storeys with cellars. Before returning to the fermentation room for samples. Beginning with a Grodziskie which has only just finished primary fermentation. “A bit raw still.” We’re told. It takes perfectly fine to me. With the smoke and hops in good balance.

Wasowo brew house: two stailess-steel cylindrical vessels with tiled walls behind.

Next is a Pilsner. Which is clean and decently bitter. Very drinkable.

A man with a beard and glasses pour samples of beer into small glasses direct from the fermenter.

We roll over to the onsite restaurant. Which is also a sort of taproom for the brewery, serving seven of their beers on draught. Today, that’s: Berliner Weisse, APA, Witbier, Lager, Black IPA, Hazy IPA and Saison. A pretty decent variety of styles. Not just IPA variants.

There are bits of food for us. And samples of the draught beers. Which, just as they were in the brewery, are very good. I kick off with a Black IPA. Mostly because you never see them anymore. Maybe a bit on the roasty side, but pleasant enough. The Hazy IPA I follow it up with is also fine.

A barmaid pulling a beer from a row of eight taps.

It’s getting on for 13:00 when we drive off in the bus to return to Grodzisk. For a bit more judging. The second round. But there’s time for a quick beer outside. It is pretty hot, after all. I wouldn’t want to dehydrate.

Yesterday I judged “straight” Grodziskie. Today it’s the category for beers with additional ingredients. Some interesting ideas, not all of which work for me. But a couple where they really do.

Only eleven beers. No need to fill out score sheets, either. I just scribble a few notes. I really mean scribble. I struggle to read them a few minutes later. There’s a lively discussion. Which is resolved without resorting to physical violence.

A row of numbered small glasses partially-filled with beer. In the background are water bottles and in the foreground a sheet of paper and a pencil.

Our table is one of the last to finish. And the lunch buffet is running a little thin. Just about enough left for a decent meal. I wash it down with some Grodziskie. I’m not missing any chance I get to drink it here in Grodzisk.

Lunch. a piece of meat, potatoes and salad on a paper plate with a plastic cup of beer next to it. In the background are two other plates of food.

Once lunch is chomped and Grodziskie has been drunk. we return to the malt house for a tour. Working from the bottom up. Much of it hasn’t been fully renovated. Some isn’t even slightly done up. With the top floor not being safe to enter.

Malting floor. A large room with a low roof supported by wooden columns and beams. In the background are two small windows.

The brew house is just across the yard. It has a pretty traditional layout. Though the equipment is all shiny stainless steel. There’s even a baudelot cooler. Which seems to be in use.

Mash tun at Bowar Grodzisk, al arge stainless stelel vessel with a manhole.

The open fermenters are hard to see, with their tops far overhead. They look pretty big.

Browar Grodzisk fermentation room. What looks like a stainless-steel wall painted with large numbers and manholes.


It’s about a 15-minute walk from the brewery to the festival, Grodziskie Piwobranie. I’m glad that the sun isn’t out. On the way, we walk past some random old Soviet military equipment parked next to a building.

A field gun Old Soviet military hardware. A field gun with behindan APC and an IFV. Behind them, the wall of a posh old house.

The festival is quite a modest affair, held in a town park. With lots of families. There are half a dozen brewery stands, each selling a range of beers. At pretty reasonable prices: 3 to 4 euros for a half litre.

I get myself a half-litre of Lager. Well, someone else gets it for me as my credit card won’t work. It’s a pleasant enough beer.

All the judges climb onto the stage for the competition results. Which I don’t understand, as they’re in Polish. Once that’s done, we trail off the stage again. To make way for a Queen cover band.

Beer stall at the festival. A man in a singlet and folded arms stands behind the counter. There's a beer tap and a row of bottle on the counter. "Piwa tradycyjne EDI browar niepasteryzowane".

As a storm is forecast, I find a seat under an umbrella. I wouldn’t want to get drenched. Noticing a stall with an old bloke selling what look like bottles of spirits, I wander over there. 

I buy a half litre of some fruit-based spirit. It’s little rough. Let’s be honest, it’s very rough. I mix it with some beer to make it more palatable. Which is successful to some degree.

I chat for a while with the Finnish judge. And share s shot of my dodgy fruit stuff. He seems perfectly normal. 30 minutes later, he’s flat on his back. I didn’t think the fruit stuff was that strong. But his legs seem to have stopped working.

Peopl;e sitting at two tables underneath an umbrella. In the background people are walking and there are beer stalls.

As everyone is feeling a bit tired, we arrange to be collected by the bus an hour earlier at 21:30. Of which I’m mightily pleased. I’m feeling pretty knacked. 

Raindrops start to fall when we’re halfway to the bus. I’m a bit wet when I climb aboard. It’s a bit of a drive back to Grodzisk. But it’s not straight to bed back at the hotel.

A gaggle of judges crowd into a room. Where football is watched and beer is drunk. Though I’m not drinking beer. I’ve brought myself a stiff whiskey down from my room.

Germany are surprisingly losing. Though have pulled things back by the time I retire to my room. I’m too old to stay up past midnight. And don’t.




Browar Wąsowo
Poznańska 2, 
64-314 Wąsowo, 
Poland.



Folwark Wąsowo
ul. Poznańska 2, 
64-316 Wąsowo, 
Poland.
http://folwarkwasowo.pl/



Browar w Grodzisku Wielkopolskim
Poznańska 16B, 
62-065 Grodzisk Wielkopolski, 
Poland.
http://browargrodzisk.com/

 

Here's a video of the day:

 

Thursday, 25 June 2026

I fly to Poznan

A quick report of a short trip I made last weekend.

I trail over to Schiphol a little after 09:00. Which leaves me time to warm up for the flight a little in the lounge. 

The food isn't too bad in the lounge this time. It's the non-Schengen one that I don't visit often.  Not been impressed with the food in the past. The rostis are really nice. Scrambled egg could do with some seasoning.

A breakfast of scrambled egg, two rostis and two mushrooms.
 

But there's free-pour whisky. Of which I take advantage. Though don't abuse. It's a thin line that you need to walk when you're an enthusiastic drinker like me.

I bump into Ferry at the gate. He's judging in Grodzisk, too. Though we both live in Holland, we first met in Brazil.

When my boarding pass is checked before getting on the bus, there's a beep and I'm given a slip of paper. I've been upgraded to business class. I guess because the flight is overbooked. Now there's a win.

After waiting on the tarmac for a while the bus return to the gate. Two vehicles have collided close to our plane. We have to wait for that to be sorted out. We depart quite late. 

A KLM Cityhopper plane sitting on the tarmac at Schiphol airport. Stairs lead to the front door. A sevice vehicle is parked close to the wing. Behind are some airport buildings.

The food is definitely better than the usual KLM slop. And I get a couple of whiskies to wash it down. Which also helps. 

A glass of whisky and an empty miniature of Johnny Walker Black Label sit on an airline table.

After landing in Poznan, we're whisked off in a bus to our hotel Along with other just-arrived judges. It takes a while to get to Nowy Tomyśl. After just about enough time to drop of our bags, it's back on the bus to go to Grodzisk.

Where we're judging in the former malt house of the last brewery to make Grodziskie before the style's extinction in the early 1990s. Which is pretty cool. And it's right next to the brewhouse of Browar Grodzisk. Current brewer of Grodziskie

Four judges sit around a table looking at their laptops. The room has a low, vaulted brick ceiling with supporting metal pillars.

We don't have to judge a stupid number of beers - my table has 17. Just as well, as the judging kicks off in the early evening. There are some pretty good examples in the ones we judge. And a few not so good ones. But there are always a few duds, whenever you judge.

I'm judging with two Polish men, Michal Kopik and Jan Lepek and a German/Greek woman, Dafne Peppa_boy. We have some robust discussions about some beers. Which is part of the fun of judging. If everyone 100% agreed, int would be a pretty dull process.

For those of you that haven't experienced the Grodziskie style, here's an overview of its characteristics.

colour: very pale
grist: 100% oak-smoked wheat malt 
hops:  Polish varieties
yeast: top fermenting
OG: 7.7º Plato
ABV: 3.1%

The last two I've taken from the Classic version brewed by Browar Grodzisk. It's also usually bottle-conditioned.

A poster with a bust of a man wearing a tie holding up a foaming tall, slender glass of beer with the text "Piwo Grodziskie".

I like versions where the hops and smoke are in balance. Combined with a light body, making them very drinkable. Quite a few of the beers I judge fit those parameters perfectly. And are a pleasure to drink.

I already know quite a few of the other judges. Which makes things easier. Catching up with Evan Rail after many years is fun. Great to learn that U Rotundy remains a s wonderful as ever. Plus lots of other great stuff about beer in Czechia.

Judging is scheduled to end at 21:00. It's a while after that when all the tables are done  And it's pushing 10:00 when we hit the restaurant Schabowy & Salata.

Our, quite late, evening meal is very decent. What I expect in Poland, where the food is usually pretty good. I do like a good Schnitzel. One made out of actual meat. Unlike the shttty ones made from reconstituted gunk they sell in the supermarkets in Holland.

A white plate with a Kotlet schabowy, a small piece of potato and a knife and fork.

(I was wondering about the name of the restaurant: Schbowy & Salata. I could get the second bit But what about the first? Kotlet schabowy turns out to be what I called a Schnitzel. It's the Polish version of a fried, thin, breaded piece of pork. Like I said earlier, it was excellent.)

Of course, there's also Grodziskie to drink. From the beautifully elegant, slender glasses. 

It's after midnight when I get my head down Aiming for an 8:00 start tomorrow. A gulp or two of hotel whisky whisks me off rapidly to sleep. 

  

Browar Grodzisk
Poznańska 16B, 
62-065 Grodzisk Wielkopolski, 
Poland.
https://browargrodzisk.com 


Schabowy & Salata
Osiedle Wojska Polskiego 18D, 
62-065 Grodzisk Wielkopolski, 
Poland.

Here's a video report of my trip:

 

Wednesday, 24 June 2026

Grodzisk

By popular demand, (ell, I think one person said they liked them), here's another travel video.

Where I fly to Poznan and am whisked away to judge in the malthouse of the last brewer in Grodzisk when the style died out in the early 1990s. Then eat a Kotlet schabowy. Which was dead good.

 

Tuesday, 23 June 2026

Grodziskie

Now there's another bucket list item crossed off. I finally got to drink Grodziskie in Grodzisk.

Last weekend I was in Grodzisk to judge, well, Grodziskie. And what fun it was.

The entrance to Browar Grodzisk

One of my big regrets, beer-wise, at least, was not getting tro try Grodzisk when I was in Poland in the early 1990s. When the original Grodzisk brewery was still active. And I assumed that was my chance gone to experience the style.

Thankfully, the style has been brought back to life in its home town. And is even brewed in the building as the original. How cool is that? And the judging was in the malthouse of original brewery.\

Fermenting vessels at Browar Grodzisk.

It was quite a short trip for me. Only a short hop of a flight. And just two days away. Almost no effort at all, really.

Lots of fun people there, too. Some I already knew. Some I was meeting for the same time. It's great to still be meeting new people at my age. Which is why I'm going to continue to travel as long as I can. 

Sunday, 21 June 2026

A dream come true

 Piwo Grodziskie.

Drinking Grodziskie in Grodzisk.
 

 

Thursday, 11 June 2026

My travel videos

A Grodziskie beer advert, in Polish, where a smiling man in a jacket and tie looks lovingly at a tall, slender, effervescent glass of pale beer.
Does any of you like them? I'm not sure I can be arsed to continue taking video. 

Maybe I'll continue with the pure beer stuff. Like next week, when I'll be doing some Grodziskie judging in, er, Grodzisk. I can see how that might have some historical value. If I make an effort and interview people. 

The more I think about it, that's exactly what I should do. Not just video my breakfast.

Thanks for that. It's really cleared that up in my head. And given me a plan for next week in Grodzisk. 

 Not been to Poland for 30 years. I'm guessing it might have changed a little bit. 

Thursday, 10 June 2021

Hops worldwide in 1935

You may have noticed that I have a bit of a thing about statistics. I can't get me enough of them. Well, as long as they're related to beer and brewing.

Brewing technical journals are a great source of them. I've spent many a happy hour collecting numbers from all sorts of trade journals in multiple languages. Though mostly in English  or German. So I was delighted to be pointed in the direction of  a Polish trade magazine by Gary Gillman, who wanted some help with a table heading.

A heading in the table below. The one for the last column, which shows hops usage in thousands of zentners (50 kg). I couldn't help posting about it, as it tells us quite a lot.

It doesn't surprise me that the UK and Ireland were the heaviest hoppers, with the latter topping the last. Why did Ireland come out so high? Because most of the beer brewed there was Stout. A beer which was both quite strong and heavily hopped. The UK average rate was double, and Ireland's triple, that of Continental Europe. That's a pretty big difference.

Between them, the UK and Ireland were using over 30% of the world's hops. Mightily impressive, but down from the late 19th century when the two countries consumed over 50% of the world's supply.

No shock either that Czechoslovakia led the pack in Continental Europe. Followed by other bits of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Elsewhere in the world, bits of another empire scored highly - the British Empire. With Australia & New Zealand just a little behind the UK. As was India. Which I can understand, what with the climate there. You'd want plenty of hops to prevent infection. I was a bit surprised at the high rate in Canada, which I would have expected to be more in line with the USA.

Hops worldwide in 1935
Country beer production 1935 hl  hops gm/hl hop usage in 1,000 zentner
Austria & Hungary 2,484,000 260 12,917
Balkans 141,000 250 705
Belgium & Luxembourg 13,913,000 225 62,608
Czechoslovakia 7,748,000 300 46,488
Denmark 2,209,000 165 7,290
France 15,163,000 185 56,103
Gdansk 75,000 250 375
Holland 1,373,000 215 5,904
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland 551,000 275 3,031
Germany 39,754,000 224 178,098
Norway 411,000 215 1,767
Poland  1,065,000 250 5,325
Roumania and Yugoslavia 666,000 300 3,996
Russia * 3,700,000 250 18,500
Sweden 2,530,000 165 8,349
Switzerland 2,315,000 200 9,260
Italy, Spain & Portugal 1,158,000 250 5,790
Continent 95,256,000 223.9 426,506
Ireland 3,092,000 750 46,380
UK 26,587,000 500 265,870
Europa 124,935,000 295.7 738,756
Africa 529,000 350 3,703
Australia & New Zealand 3,109,000 450 27,981
Central America 1,288,000 250 6,440
South America 3,929,000 250 19,645
East Asia 2,101,000 250 10,505
India 72,000 450 648
Canada 2,098,000 375 15,735
USA 53,076,000 255 270,688
Total 191,137,000 286.2 1,094,101
* no specific consumption data available.
Source:
Przegląd Piwowarsko-Słodowniczy: organ Związku Piwowarów w Polsce 1936 wrzesień R.2 Nr3
https://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/publication/401137/edition/314443/content

 

 

Friday, 30 August 2013

Grätzer/Grodziskie analyses

Nothing very long today. It really is just a couple of analyses of Grätzer and nothing else.

Thanks to Marcus Schmitz for going to the trouble to transcribe these from a handwritten laboratory manual of 1936 by a former Engelhardt-Brauerei Brewmaster.

What's particularly pleasing is that there are examples from both Poland and Germany. In fact, the examples are from all the breweries brewing Grätzer/Grodziskie after WW I. Which was one in Poland and two in Berlin.

Unfortunately, there was no measurement of the level of acidity. Probably the detail that I would most have liked to see. I really want to kill the myth of Grätzer/Grodziskie being a sour beer once and for all. Though I fear I may already be too late. Once a piece of shit information gets out there, it's repeated endlessly until the end of time. Or at least that's what it feels like. I suspect I'm going to be arguing about this one for decades.

I was slightly disappointed, having read that 7.9º Plato was the standard gravity for Grätzer/Grodziskie, to discover that two of the samples were lower than that. The Hochschulbrauereiversion was bang on 7.9º Plato, but Vereinigte Grätzer Bierbrauerei's was only 7.36º Plato and Monopolbräu's only 7.03º Plato. Due to the reasonably high level of attenuation, all come out close to 3% ABV.

I'd love to know how that colour measurement relates to any scale I can understand. As it is, the colour numbers only tell me one thing: that the Hochschulbrauerei version was darker than the other two.

Grätzer in 1936
Year Brewer country Beer Style OG FG Colour ABV Apparent attenuation
1936 Vereinigte Grätzer Bierbrauerei Poland Echt Grätzer Bier Grätzer 1029.1 1007.7 0.45 2.77 73.56%
1936 Hochschulbrauerei Berlin Germany Hochschl. Grätzer Grätzer 1031.3 1006.8 0.9 3.13 78.40%
1936 Monopolbräu Berlin Germany Mon. Grätzer Rauchb. Grätzer 1027.7 1005.7 0.45 2.84 79.60%
Source:
handwritten laboratory manual by a former Engelhardt-Brauerei Brewmaster

I told you I was going to be brief today. Not worry, I've got a real monster of a post coming up. I'd wondered what the maximum size of a post might be. I think I've found out.

Monday, 13 May 2013

Berlin-brewed Grodziskie

Now this is getting confusing. Because I've evidence that Grosziskie was brewed outside Poland.

Here's the evidence:
"Grätzer Bier is brewed in relatively small quantities by just two breweries in Berlin, namely the Monopolbrauerei and the Hochschulbrauerei."
"Die Herstellungobergäriger Biere und die Malzbierbrauerei Groterjan A.G. in Berlin", by Braumeister A. Dörfel, page 31 (my translation).

The original text:
"Grätzer Bier wird in Berlin nur in zwei Brauereien, nämlich der Monopolbrauerei und der Hochschulbrauerei in verhältnismässig kleinen Mengen hergetstellt."
When it was first brewed in Berlin, I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if it was after Grodzisk became part of the reformed Poland in 1919*. But I've no evidence to back that up. I could just be talking out of my arse.

What to call Grodziskie brewed in Berlin? I think we can all agree that Berlin is definitely in Germany and has been (or in Prussia) for a considerable length of time. Is it fair enough to call it Grätzer? Though obviously it wasn't brewed in the town the style is named after. It's got me scratching my head.

What do you reckon?



* That was a shit guess. The Josty brewery was already brewing a beer called Grätzer in Berlin in 1900. (Thanks Robbie.)

Sunday, 5 May 2013

A Polish view of Grodziskie

A really good Polish view of Grodziskie. I really am going to have to stop calling it Graetzer.

Thursday, 11 October 2012

Grätzer Breweries

I've officially ceased to be amazed at anything I find. This one really takes not just the biscuit, but the whole tin of jaffas, digestives and rich teas. Yes, British investors tried to buy all the breweries in Gratz and get a monopoly of Grätzer Bier.

I'm mostly amazed that anyone in Britain knew what the hell Grätzer was. That they should try and get a monopoly in it is just par for the 19th century course. That's what raw, naked capitalism was all about. And capitalism doesn't come much rawer than in 19th-century Britain.

"The LISTS of APPLICATIONS will CLOSE on or before THURSDAY, the 26th day of July, 1888,
Purchase of all the breweries at Gratz, near Posen (five in number), thus giving a practical monopoly for the sale of the well-known Gratzer beer, a speciality peculiar to Gratz, and brewed in no other part of Germany.

All the Breweries and Properties are Freehold.

Annual sale of beer over 1,800,000 gallons.

Notwithstanding strong competition amongst the owners of the breweries, the average annual profit for the last three years, as certified by the accountants, amounted to £21,238. which, after deducting the interest on Debentures and Preference Shares, leaves sufficient to pay a dividend of 14 per cent, and in addition a sum of £2,338 per annum.

THE GRATZER BREWERIES LIMITED.
Incorporated under the Companies Acts, 1862 to 1886. Share capital £160,000, divided into 16,000 Seven per Cent Cumulative Preference Shares of £5 each, £80,000; 16,000 Ordinary Shares of £5 each, £80,000. First issue, 14,000 Seven per Cent Cumulative Preference Shares of £5 each, £70,000; 15,000 Ordinary Shares of £5 each, £75,000. Payable 10s. per share on application. £2 per share on allotment, and £2 10s. on August 16, 1888. In addition to the above shares, £70,000 Five per Cent Debentures are offered for subscription, redeemable, at the company's option, in 20 years, at £105, payable £10 per cent on application, £40 per cent on allotment, and £50 per cent on August 16, 1888.

Trustees for the Debenture Holders.
The Trustees, Executors, and Securities Insurance Corporation Limited, Winchester House, Old Broad-street, E.C.
Directors.
Robert Curzon, Esq., Colchester, Director of Daniell and Sons' Breweries Limited.
Charles Horsley, Esq., of Messrs. Mountain, Horsleys, and Co., hop merchants, Southwark-street. S.E.
Major H. W. Scriven, of Messrs. Paley, Scriven, and Co., 34, Great St. Helens, E.C., Chairman of Gilman and Spencer Limited, brewers.
Henry Stopes, Esq., Cintra Park, Upper Norwood, S.E., Director of Colchester Brewing Company Limited,
*Herr Otto Bahnisch. Proprietor of the Bähnisch Grätzer Brewery (Managing Director).
*Herr Otto Grünberg, of the Grünberg Grätzer Brewery.
*Herr A. Herzfeld, President of the Grätzer Town Council and a Magistrate.
*Will join after allotment and form a Local Advisory Board.

Bankers.
Messrs. Brown, Janson, and Co., 32, Abchurch-lane, E.C.
Herr Heimann Saul, Posen.
Herren Marcus Nelken and Son. Berlin and Breslau.

Brokers.
Messrs. Henry Pawle and Co., 13, Copthall-court, E.C.

Solicitor.—W. Capel Slaughter. Esq., 18. Austinfriars, E.C.

Auditors. Messrs. Monkhouse, Goddard, and Co.. chartered accountants, St. Swithin's-lane, E.C.

Secretary (pro tern.)— Mr. G. H. Dixon.
Registered Office. 10, Queen-street-place, Cannon-street, E.C.


ABRIDGED PROSPECTUS.
This company is formed to purchase and amalgamate the five well-known Freehold Breweries at Grätz, in the Province of Posen, together with the goodwill, the lands, buildings, maltings, plant, machinery, materials and utensils, horses, vans, and every description of appliance necessary for the carrying on of a brewing business on a large scale, and also the branches established at Berlin, Posen, and Bromberg, including horses, carts, plant, fixtures, &c.

There are qualities in the water at Gratz, used in making this beer, which have, for a long time past, justified medical men in recommending the use of Gratzer and it is highly appreciated throughout Germany; in fact, so well known is it in North Germany, that the "Gratzer Goblet," a specially designed glass, is in general use in Hotels, Restaurants, Cafes, and Railway Refreshment Rooms throughout the country.

Mr. H. Stopes, whose exceptional experience in all matters connected with brewing gives especial value to his opinion, has, before consenting to join the board, personally inspected the five Breweries, and his report, which accompanies the prospectus, is of the most favourable character. In it he states:—

"Taking into consideration the whole special character of the business of these Breweries, the number, nature, and position of the properties, and plant and rolling stock included in the purchase, and the possession of the monopoly of so well-known and rapidly increasing a trade as that in Grätzer Beer, the prices and terms fixed in the prospectus submitted to me are fair and reasonable, and with proper management the business should develop into one of considerable prosperity and success.

"The present trade of over 50,000 barrels per annum can very readily be increased, and the cessation of all competition, coupled with the simplest, cheapest, and most lucrative form of brewing I have yet seen in any country, makes successful working as much a certainty as can be expected in a commercial undertaking."

The accounts for the past three years have been examined by Messrs. Monkhonse, Goddard, and Co., 28 and 29, St. Swithin's-lane, E.C., and Mr. W. E. Pearse, 10, Queenstreet-place, E.C., chartered accountants, and in their report they detail the steps they have taken to enable them to certify a profit of £21,258 per annum for the five Breweries.

A copy of the joint report of the accountants accompanies the prospectus, and the original can be seen at the office of the solicitor. This certified profit gives the following result:—


Average profit for the last three years (without taking into account the profits derived from the branches on the Bottling and Retail Sales) 
£21,238 0 0 
Deduct annual interest on £70,000 Debentures at 5 per cent  £3,500 0 0 
Annual Dividend on £70,000 Preference Shares at 7 percent  4,900 0 0 


8,400 0 0 
Leaving a Balance of 
£12,833 0 0 

Whilst it will only require £10,500 per annum to pay a dividend of 14 per cent on the £75,000 Ordinary Shares now issued. The vendors pay all the expenses attending the formation of the company up to allotment, including brokerage.

In case no allotment be made the deposit will be returned in full, and if a smaller number of shares be allotted than are applied for, the money paid on deposit will be applied towards further payments.

Full prospectuses and forms of application can be obtained of the bankers, brokers, aud solicitor, and from the secretary, at the office of the company.
London, July 18,1888.

The following table shows the dividends paid on, and the value on the 16th July , 1888, of the shares of some German breweries, from which it will be seen that this class of investment returns a highly profitable rate of interest to the original investor, and is held in high estimation in Germany :—



Dividend 1886.  Dividend 1887.  Price Per Cent. 
Böhmisches  12.5 14 296.5
Dortmunder  20 23.33 342
Dortmunder Union  15 18 267
Friedrichshain 10 10 205
Leipzig Riebeck    10 202
Lindener  26.67 28.67 366.75
Patzenhofer  43.33 53.5 630.5
Schultheiss  14 14 294.25


The directors of the St. Pauli Breweries Company, of Bremen, which was incorporated as an English company in January last, have recently declared an interim dividend for the half-year on the Ordinary Shares at the rate of 12 per cent per annum, and the shares are now quoted as follows: —
£10 Ordinary Shares, fully paid             £15 15 0
£10 Seven per Cent Preference Shares, fully paid      12 10 0 "
Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Wednesday 25 July 1888, page 1.
You may be wondering why I've suddenly returned to Grätzer. There's a good reason. Which you may be able to guess. Otherwise you'll have to wait until I tell you.

50,000 barrels isn't a huge amount of beer. It's a sign that, in terms of renown, Grätzer definitely punched above its weight.  That's if it's true that it was sold in pubs and refreshment rooms across North Germany. You always have to approach claims in a prospectus with a healthy degree of cynicism. I always keep this in the back of my mind: they're trying to prise your money out of you.

One thing I noticed about the locals who were to join the board: all had German names. I know from Bohemia that you have to be really careful with jumping to too many conclusions from names. In Bohemia the same individual would use German and Czech versions of their name, depending on the circumstances.

Interesting to know that they employed the "simplest, cheapest, and most lucrative form of brewing". Would have been even more interesting if a few details of the brewing method had been provided. Can't have everything, I suppose.


Thanks to Bailey for putting me on the trail of this story.

Thursday, 20 December 2007

Grodziskie/Grätzer


Good news from Poland: Grodziskie might be making a comeback. The last brewery producing it closed in the mid-1990's. I've had a report that it's been purchased by a local businessman who intends resuming production. The original yeast strain - preserved by the last head brewer - is available for use.

A little background
Grodziskie was the only truly ingidenous Polish beer style to survive in the second half of the 20th century. It was a top-fermented, smoked wheat beer. It was the last survivor of a style called Grätzer (derived from Grätz, the German name for Grodzisk) and was once popular across northern Germany.

This is the earliest mention I've found of the style:
"Pohlnische Biere. Pohlen liebet besonders die weißen Biere, die es auch
verschieden, und sehr vortrefflich, hat; z. E. das Gräzer und Lobsenzer,
vornehmlich aber das Waretsker Bier, welches leztere, wenn es alt geworden, an
Klarheit und Farbe dem Weine gleichet.""Polish beers. Poland especially likes
white beers, of which it has several excellent ones, for example Gräzer and
Lobsenzer, but mostly Waretsker Beer, of which the latter, when aged, resembles
wine in colour and clarity
.""Oeconomischen Encyclopädie“ of 1773

Grodziskie (or Grätzer as it was called in German) seems to have been quite common pre WW 1, as the name crops up quite a bit. I recently found this:

"Nach den vorliegenden Angaben sind beim Verkauf in Fässern von den
Brauereien abgesetzt worden: gewöhnliche obergärige Biere bis zu 12 M., bessere
Sorten in der Regel zu 12 - 18 M. (Grätzer Bier 12 M.), untergärige Schankbiere
zu 14-18 M., Lagerbier meist 17-25 M. für 1 hl
."
Zeitschrift für das gesammte Brauwesen 1894, p.31


It’s talking about the wholesale price of draught beer in the Brausteuergebiet (all of German territory at the time, except Bavaria, Baden, Württemburg, Alsace Lorraine and Luxemburg):

  • ordinary top-fermening beer up to 12 M. per hl
  • better types of top-fermenting beer 12-18 M. per hl (Grätzer Bier 12 M.)
  • bottom-fermenting Schankbier (I guess 10° Plato or less) 14-18 M. per hl
  • Lagerbier mostly 17-25 M.
What’s interesting is:

  • Grätzer is the only specific style named;
  • even the weakest bottom-fermenting beer is the same price as the best top-fermenting beer.
I think it’s safe to assume that at this time Grätzer was pretty well-known.

In 1894 the district Posen (now the Polish Poznañ) had 158 breweries of which 101 were top-fermenting, producing between them 177,038 hl in the brewing year 1892/93. The 57 bottom-fermenting breweries produced much more - 307,800 hl. Which made the proportions 37% top-fermenting, 63% bottom-fermenting. The only region producing a higher percentage of top-fermenting beer was the Kingdom of Saxony at 41%. (Over the whole Brausteuergebiet the percentage of top-fermenting beer was 23%.) (Source: Zeitschrift für das gesammte Brauwesen 1894, p.23)

In "Ksiêga Piw i Browarow Polskich" ("Book of Polish Beer and Breweries"), Tadeusz Kaczmarek, 1994 dedicates pages 266 to 274 to Grodziskie. Here’s a summary of the most interesting bits.
  • It’s thought that it was first brewed sometime in the 14th century.
  • It was related to German Weissbier, but had its own specific taste from the use of smoked wheat malt.
  • It was brewed using an infusion mash.
  • It was bottle-conditioned.
In the 1990’s 3 variations were produced:
  • Grodziskie 7.7° Plato, 2.5% ABV
  • Grodzisz 12° Plato, 3.5% ABV
  • Bernadyñskie 14° Plato, 3-5% ABV