Sneaking a beer into stadiums and other places just got a lot easier.
Neuzeller Klosterbräueri, a brewery in Germany, has developed a powdered lager that lets you make a beer just like you would a protein shake: Just add water and stir. The result is a carbonated cold one that looks like it came from the tap.
Beyond convenience, the powder also has environmental impact, the brewery says, as it uses fewer resources, such as bottles and water, and carries a much lower transportation cost.
Still, a powdered brew? Beer snobs are skeptical—and the brewery understands why.
“We…know that the classic pilsner drinkers and all craft beer enthusiasts, especially in Germany, will be skeptical about our product at first,” Stefan Fritsche, managing director of the brewery, said in a statement. “It’s not just about bringing a new product onto the market, but about disrupting the beer business model.”
For now, the powdered beer is nonalcoholic, but Neuzeller Klosterbräu says it plans to add an alcohol-infused version soon. Initially, the company plans to target “transport-intense” markets in Asia and Africa, offering the non-alcoholic version of the drink first later this year.
“The time is ripe to put classic beer production and logistics to the test in view of the way we treat our environment,” Helmut Fritsche, an official with the brewery. “Billions of liters of water are transported to consumers worldwide, because beer consists of up to 90 percent water. From an environmental point of view, we are already saving on transport, but not yet on the use of resources and the costs of production.”
Neuzeller Klosterbräu has a track record of making unusual beer products. In the past, it has created what it calls an “anti-aging beer” and a potato beer.
Those are unique, but they fall far short of some of the industry’s more unique creations, including Hvalur 2 – a 5.2% ABV seasonal ale that incorporates the testicles of fin whales smoked with dry sheep dung in the brewing process.