Baderbräu is a Czech-style

pilsner Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (german: Pilsen), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Bre ...

beer first brewed in 1988 by the Pavichevich Brewing Company based in

Elmhurst, Illinois Elmhurst is a city mostly in DuPage County and overlapping into Cook County in the U.S. state of Illinois, and a western suburb of Chicago. As of 2021, the city has an estimated population of 47,260. History Members of the Potawatomi Native ...

. After Pavichevich Brewing declared bankruptcy in 1997, Goose Island took over production of the beer until 2002. Acquisition of the Baderbräu trademark in 2010 by entrepreneur Rob Sama led to the creation of the Baderbräu Brewing Company, which resumed brewing of the Baderbräu pilsner in 2016 until it closed in 2018.

Product description

Baderbräu is a

Pilsner Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (german: Pilsen), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Bre ...

made with Czech and German Noble hops, a private strain of European lager yeast, and malts from the USA. The beer is made in accordance with

Reinheitsgebot The ''Reinheitsgebot'' (, literally "purity order") is a series of regulations limiting the ingredients in beer in Germany and the states of the former Holy Roman Empire. The best known version of the law was adopted in Bavaria in 1516 (by Will ...

, the German purity law of 1516 which permits only those ingredients in beer and allows no additives or preservatives. ABV: 4.8%, IBU: 38.

History

Baderbräu was originally brewed in the

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suburb of

from 1988 to 1997 by the Pavichevich Brewing Company (1988 to 1997), founded by Kenneth Pavichevich. In its early years, Baderbräu won acclaim, and was called by the late beer reviewer

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

“the best pilsener I’ve ever tasted in America.” By 1990, more than 200 bars in the Chicago area carried Baderbräu on tap. Later in 1990, in an attempt to increase sales, the Pavichevich Brewing Company started making medical claims about Baderbräu, which were soon dropped after an investigation by the

FDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

. Additionally, the company attempted distribution into Washington state, a region that already had many microbrews, which further depleted the company's focus and resources. Boston Beer Company/Sam Adams founder Jim Koch, toured the company in 1990, saying, “He (Pavichevich) could take away all my customers in Chicago and still go bankrupt in two years.” In 1997, the Pavichevich Brewing Company filed for bankruptcy and was liquidated at auction in bankruptcy court. An investment company called Prairie Associates acquired the Baderbräu trademark and formula then promptly sold this intellectual property to Goose Island for an undisclosed sum purported to be more than $100,000 US. In 1998, Goose Island won a silver medal with Baderbräu Pilsner for the Bohemian pilsner category in the

Great American Beer Festival The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is an annual beer festival hosted by the Brewers Association, held in Denver, Colorado. Typically held in late September or early October, the event is currently held at Denver's Colorado Convention Center. ...

. Goose Island continued to brew Baderbräu until 2002.

Baderbräu Revival

In 2010, entrepreneur Rob Sama registered the Baderbräu trademark and URL, sourced the original recipe (including its proprietary yeast strain), and restarted the company. Baderbräu resumed brewing on a contract basis in 2012 with the assistance of original Baderbräu pilsner creator Douglas Babcook. In 2014, Sama leased a vacant warehouse on Chicago's South Side and began renovations to convert it to a new brewery. The brewery and taproom opened in May 2016, and closed in June 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baderbrau American beer brands Czech-American cuisine Czech-American culture in Chicago