Nuremberg, September 21, 2023 Breweries are facing major challenges: They are struggling with huge increases in raw material, energy, and logistics costs. On top of that, extreme weather conditions are causing harvest failures and disrupting the supply of malting barley and hops with increasing frequency. In these difficult times, BarthHaas, the world’s leading hop specialist, is doing its utmost to assist the brewing industry as a strong partner with the expertise at its disposal. The company is supporting the German hop research institute Gesellschaft für Hopfenforschung in breeding new, drought-tolerant hop varieties.
The Rittmayer brewery in the Franconian town of Hallerndorf has now brewed a beer using these new hop varieties for the first time. The resulting blond lager beer that goes by the name of “Beer for Future” has an alcohol content of 4.9 ABV and is making its market debut at the end of September. Its recipe was developed and optimized at the BarthHaas concept brewery in Nuremberg before being transferred to Rittmayer’s significantly larger brew house in late July. “By conducting a trial brew in our microbrewery, we were able to test all the raw materials and prepare the recipe for larger-scale brewing at Rittmayer’s”, explains Lennart Heselhaus who heads the BarthHaas concept brewery.
“Traditionally brewed beers will have to be reinterpreted. There will have to be new thinking in all areas – from brew house technology to the choice of raw materials. With this beer we’re going in the right direction!” says Heselhaus. The point of this collaboration brew, he adds, was to produce a traditional beer – not an exotic specialty. It was modeled on the lager beer “Rittmayer Landbier Hell”.
In addition to the sustainable hop varieties (Titan, Mandarina Bavaria, Callista, and one other cultivar from the Hüll hop research center), a new malt from the Ireks malting plant in Kulmbach was used for brewing the beer. Like the new hops, this malt variety features yield stability and good resistance to powdery mildew, as well as being very robust and drought stress-tolerant.
With this beer for the future BarthHaas is promoting the use of resilient hop varieties. “Not only do the new breeds have to find acceptance among the growers; they also have to go down well with the brewers” says BarthHaas Managing Director Thomas Raiser. That’s why the company has set itself the goal of assisting and promoting change at all levels in the industry. “We want to work on this together with our customers and advise them on how they can still achieve the familiar taste of their beers with the new, more resilient varieties,” explains Thomas Raiser.
“Beer for Future” is available at the Rittmayer brewery and can also be tasted at the BarthHaas booth in Hall 1.316 during the BrauBeviale trade show in Nuremberg (November 28-30).
Please note the photo credit: Brauerei Rittmayer/BarthHaas
About BarthHaas
BarthHaas is one of the world’s leading suppliers of hop products and hop-related services. The family-owned company specialises in the creative and efficient use of hops and hop products. As visionaries, instigators and implementers of ideas, BarthHaas has been shaping the market surrounding a unique raw material for over 225 years.
Contact:
Thomas Raiser
Managing Director
BarthHaas GmbH & Co. KG
Tel. +49 911 5489 115
thomas.raiser@barthhaas.de