Beer is tapped

Alkoholfreies Bier & neue Aromen

Will the beer of the future be alcohol-free and taste of vanilla?

Germans are drinking less and less beer or prefer non-alcoholic beers. But even without the flavour carrier alcohol, there are many ways to brew a good beer today. And there are new hop varieties that are better able to withstand climate change. So what will the beer of tomorrow taste like?

  • Hop field
    Breweries like to rely on tried-and-tested recipes and classic hop varieties.
  • Hops on the tractor
    BayWa is increasingly working with new varieties that are better able to cope with climatic changes.

New flavours conquer the brewing market

Divisional Managing Director Barbara Berger has noticed that even traditional breweries are including non-alcoholic beer in their range. The hops expert knows what a big step this is. After all, most brewers are traditionalists who like to rely on tried and tested recipes.

This is partly due to the fact that hops are such an important ingredient in beer. "Farmers are finding it increasingly difficult to grow classic hop varieties such as Herkules or the bitter variety Perle because they are less climate-tolerant," says Barbara Berger. At its test brewery in Wolnzach, BayWa is therefore increasingly working with new varieties that are better able to cope with the climatic changes, such as Tango, Titan or the craft beer variety Mandarina Bavaria. The first BayWa non-alcoholic beer will also soon be brewed there.

  • Holzfässer gestapelt
    Barrel ageing, as we know it from wine or whiskey, for example, is a way of adding new flavours to beer.

New flavours through barrel aging.

Alcohol is an important flavour carrier. But even without it, there are many ways to produce a good-tasting beer today. And it is exciting to experiment with new flavour carriers. John-Patrick Grande, Product Manager at BayWa subsidiary Grainli® GmbH & Co. KG, for example, sees barrel aging, i.e. storage in wooden barrels, as a process for new flavours. Oak barrels, for example, can give beer a vanilla flavour.

Beer from BayWa?

Barbara Berger and her BayWa team trade hops in more than 50 countries. The focus is on German varieties from Hallertau and Tettnang. BayWa subsidiary Grainli from Hamburg, on the other hand, trades in brewing grain and brews its own beer. As product manager, John Patrick Grande is responsible for "Barbarossa", Grainli's beer brand.