''Fassbrause'' , literally "keg soda", is a non-alcoholic or alcoholic (depending on the brand)
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
drink made from fruit and
malt extract, traditionally stored in a
keg
A keg is a small barrel.
Wooden kegs made by a cooper were used to transport nails, gunpowder, and a variety of liquids.
A keg is normally now constructed of stainless steel, although aluminium can be used if it is coated with plastic on th ...
. The original ''Fassbrause'' also includes spices and is a speciality of
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, where it is sometimes called ''Sportmolle''. (''Molle'' used to be a term for "beer" in the
Berlin dialect.)
''Fassbrause'' is about the same color as some
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
s, and usually tastes like apples. The taste is strongly reminiscent of the
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n drink ''
Almdudler
Almdudler () is the brand name of a popular carbonated soft drink from Austria.
Product
The original Almdudler is a sweetened carbonated beverage made of herbal extracts. Almdudler has been called the "national drink of Austria". Its popularit ...
'', except that ''Fassbrause'' is less sweet, and not quite as spicy.
A variant of ''Fassbrause'', the so-called ''Rote Fassbrause'' ("red keg soda"), which is available in some of the
new states, but not in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
itself, appeared in the 1950s. This variant was available in the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**G ...
(GDR) prior to
German Reunification and tastes like
raspberries
The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the rose family, most of which are in the subgenus '' Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries are perennial with ...
.
Another non-alcoholic variant has been produced in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
since the 1960s under the name "
Apple Beer".
As the term ''Fassbrause'' is not protected, completely altered variants with no direct link to the original Berlin recipe have been created and marketed starting in the 2010s.
Cologne brewery
Gaffel Becker & Co
Gaffel Becker & Co is a brewery founded in 1908 by the Becker Brothers in Cologne. It produces a traditional regional style top-fermented beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, ...
was the first to start with ''Gaffel Fassbrause'' in April 2010, and many big breweries followed.
Since then, the term ''Fassbrause'' has been perceived ambiguous in different ways in Western and Eastern Germany, because many people in Western Germany were not aware of the original specialty from Berlin.
History
The chemist Ludwig Scholvien invented Fassbrause in 1908 in Berlin for his son, in order to offer a non-alcoholic beer substitute of similar color and taste. Scholvien's original recipe included a natural concentrate of apple and licorice, intended to approximate the beer taste, along with the main ingredients of water and
malt. A drink based on Scholvien's recipe, known as
Apple Beer, was introduced in the US in the 1960s.
Wild GmbH & Co. KG began producing the Fassbrause concentrate in
Spandau
Spandau () is the westernmost of the 12 boroughs () of Berlin, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of the Havel. It is the smallest borough by population, but the fourth largest by land ...
after acquiring a factory in 1985. It later sold the production to Dr. August Oetker KG. Today the drink is available on tap throughout Berlin as a specialty drink. It is also occasionally served mixed with beer; this mixture is known in Berlin and Brandenburg as ''Gespritztes''.
The brand ''Rixdorfer'', which produces its Fassbrause with water sourced from
Bad Liebenwerda
Bad Liebenwerda () is a spa town in the Elbe-Elster district, in southwestern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 57 km northwest of Dresden, and 28 km east of Torgau.
History
The first written mention i ...
, produces a significant amount of the total market share for the drink. It distributes the drink in 0.33-liter bottles for the Berliner Kindl Brauerei. Another popular brand is the ''Berliner Fassbrause'', distributed by Spreequell. Since August 2012 a caffeinated Fassbrause drink has also been distributed under the name ''Kreuzbär''.
Market availability
*''Barre Fassbrause'' – Produced by
Privatbrauerei Ernst Barre GmbHbr>
*''Fassbrause'' – Produced by Hansa-Brunnen A
*''Faßbrause'' – Produced by Einsiedler Brauhaus Gmb
*''Gaffels Fassbrause'' – Produced by
Gaffel Becker & Co, Privatbrauerei Gaffel Becker & Co OHGbr>
*''Rixdorfer Fassbrause'' – Produced by
Berliner-Kindl-Schultheiss-Brauerei, Berliner Kindl Brauerei AGbr>
*''Rote Brause'' from a keg using the original GDR recipe – Produced by Biercontor Wildber
*''Zille's Fassbrause'' – Produced by Neue Torgauer Brauhaus Gmb
*''Krombacher's Fassbrause'' – Produced by
Krombacher Brauerei
Krombacher Brauerei () is one of the largest privately owned breweries in Germany and ranks number 2 among Germany's best selling beers.
History
The brewery was founded on 4 February 1803 by Johannes Haas. His father Johann Eberhard Haas was ...
br>
*''Flens Fassbrause'' – Produced by
Flensburger Brauerei
Flensburger Brauerei is a brewery located in Flensburg in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (federal state) of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is one of the last country-wide operating breweries not being part of a larger brewery group. The c ...
br>
*''Hartmannsdorfer Fassbrause'' – Produced by Brauhaus Hartmannsdorf Gmb
See also
*
Apple Beer
*
Cider
*
Hard soda
Hard soda, also referred to as flavored beer, adult soda, fermented soda, mature soda and alcohol soda, is a type of alcoholic beverage and craft beer that is manufactured in the style of a soft drink. It has gained recent prominence in the United ...
*
List of soft drink flavors
A soft drink is a beverage that typically contains carbonated water, one or more flavourings and sweeteners such as sugar, HFCS, fruit juices, and/or sugar substitutes such as sucralose, acesulfame-K, aspartame and cyclamate. Soft drinks ...
*
List of soft drinks by country
This is a list of soft drinks in order of the brand's country of origin. A soft drink is a beverage that typically contains water (often carbonated water), a sweetener and a flavoring agent. The sweetener may be sugar, high-fructose ...
*
Queen Mary (cocktail)
A Queen Mary beer cocktail is a mixture of grenadine and beer, which is commonly garnished with maraschino cherries. This mixed drink is typically served in beer glassware, leaving room for a generous amount of beer head which can take on a p ...
*
External links
Gaffels Fassbrause websiteTaz articleon ''Fassbrause'' from 25 July 2005
Apple Beer website
References
{{Reflist
Fermented drinks
German drinks