Bavaria has many famous rural breweries, but last October I set out to explore lesser-known breweries in another picturesque German region: the Black Forest.
One highlight was Rothaus. The brewery, owned by the state of Baden-Württemberg, lies in the heart of the mountainous region, set among lakes, meadows, and dense stands of conifers. So it was a little jarring to be confronted with huge, industrial stacks of Rothaus’ distinctive red crates in the loading yard. I was also surprised when a second glance at the crates revealed a Fransiskaner monk, Krombacher’s metallic livery, and a refreshing lemon on a Warsteiner Radler.
All of these bottles were headed for Rothaus’ production line. Once removed mechanically from their crates, each would be inspected by video camera and automatically sorted, some diverted off the line to be shipped back to their home breweries. Those remaining, which may have contained rival brewers’ beer, would then be washed and sterilized, ready to be filled with fresh Rothaus beer.
While other countries operate bottle deposit schemes, Germany’s is particularly widely adopted and effective, with over 70% of all bottles returned to retailers intact—and refilled up to 50 times. This hugely reduces the energy required to re-manufacture millions of replacement bottles from recycled glass. But what about all those “bottle-miles” racked up by sending the empties back to their home breweries?
Rothaus, along with many other German breweries, extends the principle of re-use. It belongs to a Pool-Flaschen (pool bottle) scheme where groups of brewers all share bottles of the same specifications. When these bottles are returned to a fellow scheme member they can be immediately refilled without the cost of transporting them elsewhere.
Over recent years, participation in bottle pool schemes has fluctuated. Brand differentiation has led some German brewers, like others internationally, to adopt distinctive, individual bottle designs. Up to 80% of the empty bottles arriving from retailers at Rothaus can’t be reused on site, providing justification for investing in the automated sorting line.
After discovering this surprising aspect of the brewery’s production, I enjoyed the autumnal forest views from the brewery’s visitor center garden. The perfect accompaniment was the non-alcoholic version of Tannenzäpfle, Rothaus’ best-known beer, which translates as “little fir cone”—poured from a standard Pool-Flaschen, naturally.
Words + Photoby Michael Clarke