A portrait of the Ernst Barre Private Brewery

Our horse-drawn cart is one of the last regularly operating work teams in Germany. With Barre's beer cart, Gustav and Alfred supply local bars, pubs and restaurants with Barre beer and are an integral part of Lübbecke's townscape.

Sales and output are stagnating, while energy and raw material prices are rising in the German brewing industry ...

This is indeed a major challenge, one that we have been successfully tackling for years. The fact that our family business is still going strong on the market after 180 years is not least a result of our firm principles. These include the credibility of the brand and an uncompromising commitment to quality and the protection of natural resources.

What does a medium-sized brewery need today to be successful in the market?

We recognised our opportunity in brewing authentic regional beers. Origin, production and sustainability have become increasingly important factors in purchasing decisions in recent years. Quality products from our region are gaining in importance, and we can feel that.

In addition to Pilsner and wheat beer, Barre also produces bock beer and Altbier. How did this diversity and mix of beer varieties come about?

Compared to when our brewery was founded, the environment has changed significantly. This also requires us to adapt our product range. The challenge is to cater to different taste profiles and consumption occasions. One seasonal highlight is definitely Barre Maibock, a strong beer to which we dedicate our own annual customer festival at the start of the season, the traditional Maibock tapping.

In the age of Industry 4.0, is malting and brewing still a craft – or an engineering process?

Beer brewing is and remains a craft! Like other skilled trades, however, brewing also benefits from technological advances that make work easier and increase efficiency. Traditional processes are combined with energy-efficient and resource-saving solutions for sustainable production. Through optimisations in the brewhouse, for example, we have succeeded in reducing boiling time by 50 per cent and saving 35 per cent energy, which also leads to lower thermal stress on the products.

Brewing beer is and remains a craft profession that requires understanding and passion for the process.“

How would you rate the quality of the ingredients you use in the brewing process?

When selecting our raw materials, malt and hops, we rely on certified suppliers whom we trust. We benefit from long-standing supply partnerships that impress us with their consistently high quality and repeatedly meet our standards for raw material quality. Our brewing water is a special feature here. Just as we did when we were founded, we still draw the water for our beer from our own springs in the Wiehengebirge hills – an extremely distinctive component of our products. Ingredient number four, yeast, also comes from our own resort and is cultivated by us in our own yeast culture.

The brewing process must also be monitored and precisely controlled ...

We place great importance on the seamless monitoring of the brewing process. To ensure that our beer, which has received multiple awards from the DLG, is of consistently high quality, we rely on modern inline and offline measurement technology. There are measuring points in all areas of the brewery to record temperature, pressure, conductivity, fill level, pH value, heat quantity measurement and even special flow measurements.
 

Our master brewers must be able to rely 100 per cent on the measurements taken during the individual production steps.“

A good beer needs a stable head. What factors play a role in foam activity and stability, and what parameters do you measure? What role does yeast play in this?

Ultimately, the CO₂ concentration in beer is responsible for optimal foam formation, while yeast has a major influence on the stability of the foam. However, it must first be ensured during the brewing process that foam can form in the first place. This requires proteins and carbon dioxide.

With all the hype around craft beers, demand for traditional specialty beers has also grown again ...

Thanks to the craft beer boom, factors such as beer production and raw materials are finally back in the spotlight. Local and regional breweries can really shine in this segment and successfully demonstrate their beer expertise and quality standards by brewing authentic speciality beers. To this end, we have launched the limited Barre Edition series, which presents a special beer every year. Our team of brewers tackles this challenging task with great enthusiasm and excitement every year.
 

Thanks to the craft beer boom, factors such as beer production and raw materials are finally back in the spotlight.“
 

Does this trend signify a major change in the German beer industry?

The craft beer segment remains modest in terms of volume. This is understandable when you consider the pricing due to the complex production process and the often extreme and polarising flavour profiles. Nevertheless, the beer industry has benefited from the trend as the appreciation for beer as a product and the craft of brewing has grown.

Critics accuse the German purity law of preventing German brewers from making more interesting beers. What is your response to this?

Although only water, hops, malt and yeast are used in accordance with the German Purity Law, there is no question of uniformity! Every year, our master brewers demonstrate their excellent expertise and enthusiasm for experimentation in the brewing trade. There are around 170 different hop varieties and 40 different malt varieties available, as well as almost 200 different yeast strains. The choice of water used also has an impact on the aroma of the beer. Not to mention the special features of the brewing process. Taking all the variables into account, there are more than a million different ways to brew beer in accordance with the German Purity Law.
 

There are more than a million different ways to brew beer according to the German Purity Law.“
 

How will Barre position itself in the coming years?

We see great long-term opportunities for our family business thanks to our close ties to the region, our sustainable corporate strategy and, at the same time, our authentic down-to-earth attitude and the passion with which we devote ourselves to brewing beer every day. These are qualities that we have embodied as a regional brewery since our foundation and will focus on even more strongly in the future.

Do you have a favourite type of beer?

It always depends on the situation and the occasion. Every beer has its own special moment or occasion when it is particularly well suited and tastes best.