NewsletterNewslettersEventsEventsPodcasts
Loader
Find Us
ADVERTISEMENT

Sun-powered beer: Berlin brewery gets creative with no-waste approach

Fuerst Wiacek brewery in Berlin
Fuerst Wiacek brewery in Berlin Copyright Liv Stroud
Copyright Liv Stroud
By Liv Stroud
Published on
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below:Copy to clipboardCopied

This Berlin brewery's innovative take on sustainability has seen it use rooftop solar panels to fuel its beermaking, feed spent grain to local cows and sell its beer in tins.

ADVERTISEMENT

Operating for three years, the Fuerst Wiacek brewery in the German capital makes mostly high-end craft beer and is known for its high-quality IPAs and traditional German beers.

Once a week, a local Berlin farmer drives his tractor to the brewery and picks up the spent grain used to brew the supply.

"The cows really enjoy it and are already waiting," farmer Christoph Brundke told Euronews.

Recycling spent grain isn't the only way the brewery tries to be environmentally friendly.

"We attempt to source a significant amount of our power from solar," said the head of sales, George Shumay. "It doesn't power 100% of the brewery, but it does help to balance out where we're getting our power."

Shumay said the brewery wants to expand its solar panels to increase renewable energy usage.

Fuerst Wiacek employees preparing beer cans for shipping
Fuerst Wiacek employees preparing beer cans for shippingStroud, Olivia/Euronews

The beers made there are completely natural, free from preservatives and extra chemicals.

Each run of beer has been rigorously tested and is less than six months old. Fuerst Wiacek exports to 34 countries and collaborates with other companies, releasing at least one new beer per week.

The company's beer is recognisable by its quirky design and the fact that it is sold in tins rather than bottles.

Fuerst Wiacek beer tins going through the labelling process
Fuerst Wiacek beer tins going through the labelling processStroud, Olivia/Euronews

Shumay explained that this decision has been made to be more environmentally friendly, as tins take up less weight in shipping.

"There's a higher recycling rate in Germany of aluminium than there actually is for glass, because it's infinitely recyclable," he concluded.

Share this articleComments

You might also like

‘Europe is doing great’ on wind power, while US, Russia and Japan fall behind

Meet the companies creating a ‘city of the future’ inside Berlin’s Tegel Airport

German farmers descend on Berlin with tractors in protest against plans to scrap diesel tax break