The Brewery of Weihenstephan Abbey & Boston Beer Co. team up for a transatlantic Anglo-Bavarian connection

When this press release reached my inbox yesterday I knew this would be THE German-American business news of the week. At least in my book. For the uninitiated among you: Beer has been an integral part of German culture for centuries. In fact, some even claim that beer as we know it today was originally developed by monks in territories which now are in Germany.

The brewery of Weihenstephan Abbey in Freising, in the Southeastern German state of Bavaria, is one of the oldest existing breweries in the world. The official founding date is 1040, but there are documents which prove that the Benedictine monks in the monastery have been making beer since 768.

While most mainstream American beers lack a good reputation among German beer connoisseurs, some brands have gained respect in recent years. (Note: I said mainstream beers, not microbrews)

The Boston Beer Co. is one of these exceptions to the rule that many American beers tastes like … well, not like beer anyway. Their Samuel Adams brand is brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, the German (actually: Bavarian) beer purity law of 1516 which stipulates that beer can be brewed only with four ingredients: water, malt, hops and yeast.

If this sounds like companies are being über-traditionalist by obeying this medieval law, you haven’t been to Germany where no beer has a real shot at getting consumers’ attention unless it is true to the original brewing process.

That’s why I find it more than noteworthy that Boston Beer and Weihenstephan have teamed up to jointly produce and market a new craft beer which is scheduled to reach shelves in Germany and the United States in the spring of 2010. Both companies said they have been collaborating on this project for two years. A name for this German-American, or Anglo-Bavarian beer has yet to be determined.

The beer will be marketed in bottles with corks instead of the usual metal caps. It will pack a punch, with more than 10 percent alcohol. Boston Beer founder and master brewer Jim Koch and Josef Schrädler, managing director of Weihenstephan described it as a Champagne-like “crisp pale brew.”

What an excellent idea for a transcontinental German-American business partnership. Way to go, gentlemen!

UPDATE: A knowledgable friend just pointed out to me that selling this novel beer in parts of the U.S. may be difficult for Weihenstephan and Boston Beer. The alcohol content of this Champagne-like brew will be too high. In Tennessee beer needs to have an ABV level of 5% or less to be legal. Guess, we’ll be missing out on this hoppy delicacy.

Beer experts Jim Koch (left) and Josef Schrädler at work

From an AP story:

“We’re creating a brand, a product that never existed before, a very premium brand,” Koch said. ”Beer can stand with dignity and respect with the best of wine and spirits,” he said, without elaborating on brewing style or price. Koch, a Harvard-educated, sixth-generation beer brewer with German heritage, said he was elated when Weihenstephan called suggesting a a joint project.

“No brewer can walk up this hill and not have a reverence for this place; this is the longest-going brewery on earth,” he said. Weihenstephan is headquartered at the idyllic site of the original monastery — a hilltop not far from Munich. ”Nobody knows more about beer than Weihenstephan. There is more knowledge about beer within a mile than anywhere on earth,” Koch said.

The brewery has close ties with the Technical University of Munich’s beer studies program, located at the base of the hill — a place where Koch has sought experts and answers for his own company. Schrädler said some of his staff was skeptical about the project, but were gradually won over.

“You need different ideas and perspectives sometimes. You need this atmosphere in which something new can be done. The first step is a long history. The new style will surprise a lot of people,” he said, but added he doesn’t expect Weihenstephan to become a mass-market brand. Both brewers said they hoped the new brew could win more wine and spirits drinkers over to beer. They also hope the new project will make their other products more known in Europe and North America.

“Today the U.S. and Germany have two great brewing cultures,” Koch said. “One that’s emerging and one that’s 1,000 years old. There’s enormous creativity, energy and excitement about beer in the U.S.”