Although many people complain because a beer in restaurants often costs almost six euros, barley juice is still wasted in supermarkets. “75 percent of the beer is sold through special offers, and the trend is increasing,” Tobias Frank, technical director of the Ottakringer Brewery, told the “Krone”.
The share of beer promotions has generally increased over the years. The can is often available for minus 50 percent, i.e. “59 cents and up,” says Frank, who emphasizes: “From a brewery’s perspective, beer is far too cheap because it is an agricultural product. It takes a year before the barley from the field reaches the glass in the form of beer. That should be appreciated.”
Ottakringer cannot fully pass on the higher costs
A price of 59 cents is “not good for beer culture”, economically “at the limit” and only possible because manufacturers and retailers share the discount. At the same time, breweries are struggling with rising costs. Frank: “We cannot fully pass on the higher costs to the consumer and try to absorb them through efficiency.” This is only partially successful, because the operating results of recent years have been negative.
Frank understands the higher prices in the catering industry: “It is a different concept, there is service and you get freshly tapped beer, the freshest beer ever. The catering industry also has high costs for rent, staff, etc.”
According to our own information, Ottakringer is number three in Austria, after Brau Union (Gösser etc.) and Stiegl. They are the market leader in Viennese gastronomy. Although turnover increased from 61 million euros in 2022 the year before, the quantity produced decreased from 426,000 hectoliters.
Younger beer drinkers need lighter versions
Frank wants to grow through innovations. Frank: “Lighter beers are especially popular with the younger target group. Our Ottakringer Lager has only 4.7 percent alcohol content instead of 5.3 percent for the classic Märzen beer.”
Ottakringer now offers catering customers a special service: beer straight from the tank. Frank: “It’s the freshest, it’s not even in barrels. It comes straight from the brewery to the restaurant.” There are already 30 customers in Vienna, including the famous “Bermudabrau”.
With a view to the catering partners, Frank hopes that the recent warm weather will continue: “The pub garden season has only just started. We do our main activities in the six months from April to September.”
A can is like a small barrel: this is the best for beer quality
As the first brewmaster, Frank also knows whether the beer tastes better in a can or a bottle: “The can is light-tight and very light, like a small barrel – and that is best for beer quality. In addition, the carbon footprint of the can is better than a disposable bottle, because it consists largely of recycled aluminum.”
Frank points out that Ottakringer also pays a lot of attention to sustainability in other ways: “We value regionality and grow malting barley on 105 hectares of malting barley in Vienna with 15 farmers. There is more than 500 tons of barley that we grow on the outskirts of Vienna – in Oberlaa, Floridsdorf and Donaustadt.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
