Update on Battle Between BrewDog and Schorschbräu
Amidst recent noise generated about a battle for the strongest beer in the world between Scotland’s BrewDog and Germany’s Schorschbräu, the BBC has released an interview with founders on both fronts. Schorschbraeu’s Georg Tscheuschner and BrewDog’s James Watt spoke on BBC’s Radio 5 Live.
Interesting points from the interview:
BrewDog James says this was done in “good spirits.” Schorschbräu Georg says he appreciates the humor though “as a German, I can not play this war card, of course, because that’s not what people would understand from a German. But I think it’s a great kind of humor that is comparable with Monty Python (or) something like this. And, congratulations (to BrewDog). I really laughed a lot about this (Sink the Bismarck) video.” It appears that Schorschbräu is not finished. Says Georg “We are waking up…or coming up from the ground now…we have lab results now that make us have very positive thinking that we can beat this 41% (beer).” BrewDog James says the focus was more on building an IPA style brew that was along the lines of a whiskey or vodka. He claims the idea is to open up the public perception of beer and it’s potential outside of the “fizzy yellow” beers that are commonplace in his country. Schorschbräu Georg says the problem in Germany is the confined selection available in his country (“Bright beer, wheat beer, dark beer and Pilsner”) though, like Scotland, it’s a community of people who are yearning for new flavors. He adds that “the battle between two breweries makes it more interesting for both of us.” Both breweries agree that this marketing component behind this “war” is sparking more interest in not only their products, but in the craft beer revolution as well.
So where will it all end?
“I think we will both lie at the ground very tired of this and have the same alcohol (strength)” says Schorschbräu Georg. “It won’t get more and we’ll say ‘Ok, it’s 50-50. It’s alright.” How high will this reach? James say “about 10,000 percent.”
About The Author
Angelo
Angelo grew up in Maine and is proud to call New England his original home. Cascadia is now his home. He fell in love with great beer in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California. He has been a correspondent for the Portland Tribune's Guest on Tap column, LivePDX.com, and has been featured in publications such as Beer Northwest and PDX Magazine. Angelo also has a great interest in independent music, and has been a booker and organizer for shows around the Portland under the name Pop Tomorrow! Angelo garnered much knowledge regarding beer from his experiences homebrewing, working at Belmont Station, Pyramid Brewing, Upright Brewing, By the Bottle, Beer Revolution, Olde Depot Public House, Falling Sky Brewing, Cascade Brewing, and from many many knowledgeable, passionate, and loving people along the way. It is Angelo's mission to bring "infotainment" and "edumation" to the readers of this website. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to contribute, please contact me at angelo@brewpublic.com
I think this is great, two great brewers pushing each other is never a bad thing, and if these few months living in portland have taught me anything it’s that there can never be too much good beer.
Not to mention all the comedy gold that is to be had.
Interesting stuff, what’s the Brewpublic take on all this?
Well, there’s a lot of mixed feelings about this. For one: It’s hype. Hype doesn’t equate to good beer and sometimes good beers that are hyped don’t taste as good due to the unreachable expectations(see Pliny). However, I do like the humor aspect and the ingenuity of these brewers. I like the idea of a 41% IPA, but even DFH 120 was a bit much. It would be nice to try these two beers and see what they are all about. Seems they are completely different styles of “beer.” Competing the two seems like apples and oranges, whiskey and vodka. I don’t really go for spirits, b/c they are too strong, but maybe a good 80 proof brew might change my mind. I think this kind of thing as a whole is good for the beer industry. It keeps pushing things forward. However, icing a beer isn’t really beer anymore, it’s distillation, right. I am happy to stick to my HOTD Dave, but if BrewDog or Schorschbräu wanna throw down, I’d gladly partake…