I'm shocked.. :-)

[JohnRoberts]

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/13/22290655-german-beer-companies-swallow-150-million-fine-for-price-fixing

Five breweries in germany were fined for price fixing...

I'm shocked...

JR

 

[zayance]

Ouch that's a big fine...
I guess a good beer brand will never do such thing? and these are average grades that wanted to look fancy?
Never tried them but just wondering...  Edit:And I don't know much about beer business neither actually haha
I know that from Bavarian beers that they take its crafting pretty seriously, and maybe they have laws that goes with selling them??

But maybe all they needed was something like this haha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY6uJlI-t14&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[JohnRoberts]

AFAIK those are major mainstream brands.. I recall Bitburger being everywhere on several visits to germany ("Bitter ein Bit") .

The purity laws there control what can be used to make beer and are very old.

JR

PS: During my earlier visits to germany back in 1970 all the beer was in flip-top (resealable) bottles, and most small towns had their own local brewery (good).

 

[desol]

Can I ask, why you're shocked John?

 

[zayance]

Yes i've noticed two of these brands when visiting Germany I think, but my eyes were only locked to another brand so...
Volker, Silent Arts knows that one pretty well haha, the almighty "Augustiner"

 

[JohnRoberts]

Can I ask, why you're shocked John?

I went back and added an emoticon to the "i'm shocked" title. I was just trying to talk about something less painful than watching US politics, and/or middle east developments (deterioration, mismanagement, etc).

I am never shocked when any business tries to engineer less price competition for higher profits, but it is illegal in the modern world, and messing with beer in Germany seems like it should be above reproach.

I guess German beer is now officially a commodity.  I preferred drinking it out of flippies from local breweries there. During later visits I gravitated to drinking alt biers, but I never managed to visit there in the summer months so perhaps weiss biers would do better with some hot summer weather. My personal preference is to brew stouts or porters, so Germany is not my prototype for beer.

JR

 

[0dbfs]

Those beers IMO are fairly generic German versions of what I call "Rice Beer".... However being "German" (and therefore brewed in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot) they don't use rice thankfully.

Just about every town and village have their own breweries. Some lager (I mean larger... Ha Ha!) than others.

For heavier beers the monks brew a special "Salvatore Fest" beer which is dark and strong. Intended for fasting yet still maintaining "nutrition" during the spring/lent season.

Weizen (or Wheat) Beers are always good (esp. in summer) and generally available in Dunkle (dark), Helles (mit Trub or yeast-particles), and Kristal (crystal-clear).

A Pils takes "Seven Minutes" to pour properly and is typically hopped heavier and with a bit more body.

A so called "Export" is like a "Regular Beer" and not specifically exported at all.

Alt's are like an amber "Export"...

Then there is "Kinder Bier" which is for the young'uns (under 16)... Reported to have no-alcohol but I think it normally has a tiny bit.

Most country-folk that live out in the smaller German villages also brew and distill their own "Obstler" schnaaps... Which is made from fruit and distilled.... It's not sweet. It's basically moonshine. There are commercial versions of that stuff too but the DIY stuff is best of course

"Beer is Good Food" isn't just a saying.

That's my $0.02
Cheers!
-jonathan

 

[desol]

Can I ask, why you're shocked John?

I went back and added an emoticon to the "i'm shocked" title. I was just trying to talk about something less painful than watching US politics, and/or middle east developments (deterioration, mismanagement, etc).

I am never shocked when any business tries to engineer less price competition for higher profits, but it is illegal in the modern world, and messing with beer in Germany seems like it should be above reproach.

I guess German beer is now officially a commodity.  I preferred drinking it out of flippies from local breweries there. During later visits I gravitated to drinking alt biers, but I never managed to visit there in the summer months so perhaps weiss biers would do better with some hot summer weather. My personal preference is to brew stouts or porters, so Germany is not my prototype for beer.

JR

Ah. I understand now.... 

 

[JohnRoberts]

Yup but even dunkle weiss is not very dark (perhaps relative to the others)... Oddly the only time I had weiss beer that I enjoyed it was in Atlanta GA after a Peachtree race at a fake bier garten near the park but the summer temps made the difference.

never had a Salvator Fest, sounds closer to my taste.. beer you can chew. 

I have always been suspicious of the time it takes to draw pils... If you drink it faster than 7 minutes a glass you're out of luck.  I wanted to introduce the bartender to the concept of filling a pitcher, but they like to follow their rules in Germany.  I recall several  frustrating times in the small hotel bar trying to rehydrate after a long day at the musik messe and the taps being the bottle neck as they leave half filled glasses unattended waiting for the head to settle. (they probably added extra turbulence to the taps so even old stale beer made plenty of foam). 

JR

PS: There was a shred of good news in the ME as Egyption elections finished up quietly, while the turnout was low so this isn't exactly another arab spring moment. Looks like General Sisi is on track to be the next President Sisi. How could that end badly?  : While of the sundry players there the military has been a force for stability and secular moderation.  Not in step with much of the region tending toward religious factionalism. 

 

[living sounds]

Yes, those are what many here call "Fernsehbiere" - corporate brands spending big euros on nationwide advertisement. I try to avoid those and I despise the taste of "Veltins". The only smaller brewery fined as well is "Barre", I used to like that one a lot when I lived in the region where it is brewed and marketed.

 

[0dbfs]

Aventinus is a Dunkle Weizen "Monk Beer" which is pretty stout AND 12% in 0.5L bottles. I find it in the US but it's not as stout as the Salvatore beers. I think Augustiener Brau does a Salvatore Beer for export so you should try it if you get the opportunity. Nothing like the 1L Mass Kreug's full of Salvatore

Cheers,
jb

 

[JohnRoberts]

Stout is not just about alcohol content, in fact too much alcohol means you can't drink as much.

I've enjoyed some nice Belgium tripls that had lots of alcohol without the typical hot flavor that most high alcohol brews get. I find myself adding some water to my stout just before bottling to make it easier to drink more/longer...probably making it more like a porter than a stout. 

Good beer is more than just a way to get a buzz...

JR

 

[L´Andratté]

Czech beers are underrepresented in this thread ;D

 

[JohnRoberts]

Well he did say "rice beers" and american budweiser is made with rice, and they stole their name from Czech Budvar..  so  indirectly represented.  ;D

JR

 

[firehazard]

Hi,

I'm just a few miles from where guinness was invented and have drunk at least my share of it.

Is it an easy thing to find a taste for in your part of the world?

If you are born in Dublin it's a basic food.

Thirty two years later I can still remember my first pint.

Fifteen years old and as high as two kites. Spent the afternoon sitting out on the pier enjoying the sea and the sunshine. Smoking something black and sticky that came all the way from Afghanistan.

The nearest place that had it's door open was our local music bar. Very quiet at four in the afternoon. The guy behind the bar asked "What can I get you?" and the obvious answer was just so obvious.

"I'll have a pint of Guinness please."

Words I have spoken many times since.

It was like a pint of ice cream. cold and unbelievably tasty.

Thank you Arthur Guinness and Howard Marks.

My grandfathers drank it, my father drank it and, even though it costs four euro and change a pint, I'm looking forward to drinking many more.

I will lift one for you soon. I have here a Peavey 60/60 Classic you might have walked past.

Take care

 

[Dr_J]

... funny to see "the world" discussion about German beer  ;D  ;D

And i think price fixing is daily business in the German beer industry and i doesn't matter if it's international,
national or local...


So, i raise my glass to you guys.... PROST!

ROCK-ON!

 

[JohnRoberts]

Hi,

I'm just a few miles from where guinness was invented and have drunk at least my share of it.

Is it an easy thing to find a taste for in your part of the world?

If you are born in Dublin it's a basic food.

Thirty two years later I can still remember my first pint.

Fifteen years old and as high as two kites. Spent the afternoon sitting out on the pier enjoying the sea and the sunshine. Smoking something black and sticky that came all the way from Afghanistan.

I've never felt the need for additional intoxicants while smoking opium (something else I don't do since I grew up).

While Guinness (mother's milk?) goes with anything.

The nearest place that had it's door open was our local music bar. Very quiet at four in the afternoon. The guy behind the bar asked "What can I get you?" and the obvious answer was just so obvious.

"I'll have a pint of Guinness please."

Words I have spoken many times since.

It was like a pint of ice cream. cold and unbelievably tasty.

Thank you Arthur Guinness and Howard Marks.

My grandfathers drank it, my father drank it and, even though it costs four euro and change a pint, I'm looking forward to drinking many more.

I will lift one for you soon. I have here a Peavey 60/60 Classic you might have walked past.

Take care

Yup Peavey 60/60 and 50/50 were pretty solid amps. I think I know the engineer who worked on the 60/60 (upgrade of 50/50).

JR

 

[JohnRoberts]

Prost...

JR

 

[ppa]

I am never shocked when any business tries to engineer less price competition for higher profits, but it is illegal in the modern world, and messing with beer in Germany seems like it should be above reproach.

John you are shocked for beer in Germany, but some kms (or miles) below Germany here in Italy,
veal is in range 16-28 euro / kg. , apples are in range 2-3 euro Kg., same thing for pears....etc...
All food prices are very high here, so people this years eat less! I think it is more shocking that german beers. 
How much is a kg. of veal in other countries? I am just curious. 


EDIT: just to be clear, many italians have reduced their feeding level against their will for the high prices and the high taxes.

 

[ppa]

for several italians beer is a luxury, but 20 years ago many people here could afford themselves to throw food