We made a day trip to Bremen, specifically because I wanted to visit the Beck's brewery. My wife…read moreisn't a beer fan, she was feeling under the weather at the start of the day, but since she's a trooper, she tagged along. She thought she would be bored. She wasn't. A special shout out to our guide, Falco, who did a fantastic job. The tour started with a history of Beck's beer, which largely due to Falco's enthusiasm and humor, was very enjoyable. Personally, I found the history to be very interesting -- Beck's was my favorite beer for years -- but I could understand how non-beer fans might not find it as interesting. Next, we spent some time understanding how beer is brewed, and again, Falco did a great job. Finally, the best part of the tour, we sampled the product.
Beck's was always my favorite beer. Until it wasn't. When production was moved to the US (St. Louis), the taste changed. I didn't like it. I stopped buying it. I always suspected the recipe might be exactly the same, but the the ingredients are different. And sure enough, the culprit to the change in the flavor seems to be the water. In Germany, Beck's taps into an isolated glacier and uses pure meltwater. In the US, muddy Mississippi River water is used. I noticed the change from the first sip of that American brewed fare. I am not alone. Please, AB In-Bev, find a better water source if you want to produce in the US. Otherwise, import from Germany. Again.
I've done tours of the Heineken brewery in Amsterdam, the Kirin brewery in Japan, and the Miller brewery in Milwaukee. The Beck's tour was, hands down, the best. Not only was Falco funny and engaging and animated -- and educational! -- he made everyone feel welcome. Instead of giving us a small glass of beer then ushering us out as soon as possible (as was done in those other breweries), we were told to stay and sample as many beers as we wanted. We spent about an hour and a half in the Beck's pub, and had a wonderful time. Even my wife, the non beer drinker, found some product to her liking (the shandy, in particular). After we left, she told me she was happy she didn't change her mind and stay at the hotel. She thoroughly enjoyed herself. Best of all, the Beck's we sampled at the brewery (and at various restaurants in town), was as I remembered. Crisp, simple, dry, a bit bitter. The way I like beer.
If you are in (or near) Bremen, I highly recommend the tour! Great job, Falco!
