Saxony’s Radeberger beer: “always special”
For me and my fellow travel media colleagues, the tall glass is a welcome sight. I never liked Radeberger sold in North America, but here in the original brewery in the city of Radeberg, that freshly drawn Pils tastes like sweet nectar.
Like many in Germany, I associate Radeberger with Dresden from this advertisement in Germany. This is neither accident nor surprise, as the Radeberger brewery is located a short 15 kilometres (9 miles) northeast from Dresden.
The people of Radeberg are right to be proud of their Brauerei (brewery). Brewed with four ingredients (malt, hops, yeast, water) in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot (Beer Purity Law), the Radebeger Pilsener is smooth and a touch bitter (at 33 IBUs), served at a temperature between 8 and 10 degrees Celsius (46-50F). Their tagline is: “schon immer besonders” (“always special”), whereas the English tagline has been about “the culture of taste“.
Even though my preference leans to the Weissbier, I’d be foolish to turn down freshly produced beer, served cold, straight from the source and direct from the tap. In a different part of the world, similarly branded beer has been exported or the recipe itself sold with subsequent beer made with local ingredients. Either way, that beer is not going to have the same taste as the original. Radeberger has always maintained strict quality control over its beer in the last century, and recent branding with Dresden’s Semper Oper and Zwinger helps ensure “quality by association” with the (German) drinking audience.
Germany marks the 500th anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot or Beer Purity Law on 23 April 2016.
Short history of the Radeberger Brewery
• 1412 – the city of Radeberg receives the right to brew beer
• 1872 – founding of the brewery
• 1885 – officially registered as Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei AG
• 1905 – exports begin to Canada and the U.S.
• 1990 – post-reunification modernizations
• 2017 – 145th anniversary of the brewery
All stacked and ready to go
Our guide, C. Ellwardt (right)
Basic materials: malt (Malz), hops (Hopfen), yeast (Hefe)
Short history (Kurzchronik)
Stainless steel vats
“How our beer is made” | “Wie unser Bier entsteht”
Pipes to draw/flow: Würze (wort), Hefe (yeast), Jungbier (“virgin” beer); Leitung (line or conduit), Vorlauf-Rücklauf (flow-return)
Fully lit, the golden nectar – Radeberger Pilsner
Clear filtered and cloudy unfiltered (“Zwickelbier”) versions: both fresh, cold, delicious
Tasting room
A trip from Dresden Hauptbahnhof to Bahnhof Radeberg is about 20-minutes by train (one way); for scheduled trips and fares, check out the ZVON (Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund
Oberlausitz-Niederschlesien) website.
More
• Reinheitsgebot 500, in English and in German
• German text of the Reinheitsgebot (1516), German Brewers (Deutsches Brauer-Bund)
• “Warum sollte das Reinheitsgebot noch aktuell sein?” – Die Welt, 27 Okt. 2015
• About and through the brewery, Bierstadt Radeberg (in German)
Thanks to Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei for opening their doors, to C. Ellwardt for a guided tour of the brewery, and to Germany Tourism and Sachsen Tourismus for support and hospitality in the state of Saxony. I made the photos above on 24 April 2015 with a Canon EOS6D mark1. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-7Iu.
5 Responses to “Saxony’s Radeberger beer: “always special””
Never been to a brewery but would surely love to go someday. It is a shame that Holsten closed its brewery long time ago in my hometown…
I actually can’t say what kind of beer I prefer, perhaps weissbier has chances for that title 🙂
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Until now, I didn’t know Holsten is a product of Hamburg (Altona). But with Holsten now owned by Carlsberg, it speaks to modern globalization. In the past, I was never big on touring breweries or wineries, but I enjoyed two tours last year while I visited Sachsen state: the Sächsisches Staatsweingut at Schloss Wackerbarth, and the Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei. When I lived in Heidelberg, I developed a taste for the “0,5-Liter” Helles- / Dunkles- / Weissbier. I still do when I’m in country. 🙂
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I think being around areas with much beer drinking culture will change nearly everyone in the end 🙂
The Holsten brewery in my city closed down before my time but according to my father it was the best Holsten they produced but closed due to new city regulations and other things…
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