The German variety landscape has become wilder. At the same time, regional beer producers are becoming popular. These two trends are leading to a dynamic scenario which, in the long term, could result in a changing of the guard in the German beertown. How should the balance of power be interpreted in terms of market psychology today and in the near future? What forecasts and recommendations can be derived from this? A small excerpt:
Pils - the sheriff is (still) in charge!
Pilsner is the classic, its balance, the beauty of color and crown is considered standard. Psychologically, we are thus close to a self-fulfilling prophecy: Because beer for many practically always tastes like Pils, Pils also tastes like the ideal beer - not too sweet, usually not too tart, just right.
White beer - too cozy to shoot sharply
Is the white beer the sniper who wants the sheriff to power? Probably not
! The variety of wheat beer is more like a saloon visitor who sucks on his huge glass for hours and occupies the best table. He certainly doesn't gallop across the prairie!
Hell - on the Highway to Heaven
In a completely different vein, the "Hell" variety is currently the "latest hot shit. In urban centers, traditional Bavarian brands are being reinterpreted as original and even avant-garde new discoveries.
What do people like about the "Hell" variety? The unconventional, the exciting transformation of traditional brand into liquid scene gold. In any case, the "Highway to Hell" is not only trotted, but hunted.
Multicultural beers - gold diggers revive the business
Beertown City is home to the three main types of beer mentioned above. In the
districts, however, the special beers from the regions, from abroad, and from the experimental breweries of the craft brewers are bustling about, lively and with the carefree freshness of being in a niche. Whether Kölsch or Export, Belgian or Mexican, Rauchbier or Berliner Weisse - Beertown Germany is buzzing and cracking at its edges. Biodiversity, multiculturalism and a gold-rush atmosphere reign here.
On the "Battle of the Varieties" study by the rheingold institute:
Implementation and evaluation 1st quarter 2018.
Methods: 10 group discussions and 34 in-depth interviews with beer drinkers aged 18 to 59.
Locations: Hamburg, Bochum, Dresden, Frankfurt a. M., Cologne, Munich, Bamberg
For more information on the study and conditions of purchase, contact the author.
Heinz Grüne has been managing director at rheingold since 1988.
His scientific focus is on research into digital media and their impact on everyday life, on senior citizen culture, and on the consumption psychology of food, with an emphasis on beer.
Phone: +49 221-466 828 0
E-mail: gruene@rheingold-online.de
