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Federal Minister Christian Schmidt (left) and DLG President Carl-Albrecht Bartmer (2nd from right), here with “hop queen” Johanna Reith, present the medals and certificates to the winners. Photo: DLG
Our awards
Why are the Eichbaum beer specialities so delicious, you wonder?
Probably because our beers contain 335 years of Palatine brewing traditions and experience. And probably also because our brewers always win gold medals. We don’t go the easy way when it comes to our products’ quality. That is why we never nominate our specialities for the annual beer tests run by Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft e. V. (DLG, German Agricultural Society) but our popular beers from the last production batches. And we also rise to other challenges. Take a look:
This is the highest award a brewery can get for its products’ quality. It is presented by the Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) to food manufacturers having scored best in DLG tests. This year, Eichbaum also got it.
The gold/silver threshold is 4.55 points exactly. Only products that score higher in the toughest beer test this world has to offer will get the DLG gold medal. The four Eichbaum classics, UREICH Premium Pils, Pilsener, Export and Hefeweizen, have won it over the past few years no fewer than 30 times. But for the “Bundesehrenpreis”, the threshold is even higher. In order to get nominated for it in the first place, at least three of a manufacturer’s products have to have got gold in the latest DLG test. But even that does not suffice. After all, there are also regional differences and different competitive situations. In Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, for example, with their huge density of breweries, we naturally also find the most competitors or contestants for this most prestigious food award.
The DLG (Deutsche-Lebensmittel-Gesellschaft) e.V, German Agricultural Society) in Frankfurt/Main, one of the most important food-rating organisations, recently once again presented Eichbaum with gold medals for four of its products. "DLG-prämiert" means that a foodstuff is of exceptionally high quality and in line with the high DLG standards in terms of ingredients, processing and preparation. The tested winning products were Eichbaum Ureich, Eichbaum Pilsener, Eichbaum Export and Eichbaum Hefeweizen.
And Eichbaum is proud of these gold medals. After all, it is not just any test the DLG runs, but the toughest beer test anywhere. The testers spend no fewer than three months on the products. Laboratory tests and microbiological analyses aside, sensory tests are at the forefront. Tested here are those parameters also used by consumers to rate a beer, from its aromas and freshness to purity, bitters, flavours, consistency and finish. German breweries send in 800 products each and every year, with no more than 400 with any chance of winning gold. In fact, one product out of five is disqualified to begin with because one key criterion is not met. But not so for Eichbaum. “We have taken part with our four classic beers for seven years now,” says Martin Ahollinger, Head of R&D. “As yet, we have won 32 gold medals. That is quite something.”
CRAFT BEER GOLD MEDALS FOR EICHBAUM
The 2nd International Craft Beer Award took place in Neustadt an der Weinstraße on March 2 and 3, 2015. Professional tasters tested about 600 beers from 21 countries.
The panel of judges consisted of beer sommeliers, brewers, trade journalists and experts, tasted beers like Blonde Ale, Belgian Style Tripel, Smoke Beer and Experimental Style and decided which beer would get “Großes Gold“, “Gold“ or “Silber“ (great gold, gold, silver). The highlight that year was a beer from Boston that due to its intricate production process costs up to Euro 400.
The 1st Craft Beer Award had been organised by Meininger Verlag (a publisher) the year before and nad convinced the industry with its innovative tasting method – the qualitative and descriptive rating.. For the 2nd, brewers sent in more than double the number of beers, making this Craft Beer Award the leading such event in this world.
Privatbrauerei Eichbaum participated with 3 specialities and got 2 gold and 1 silver medal.
The IFS Food Standard is a GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative)-recognised standard for auditing foodstuff manufacturers. The focus here is upon the processes and products’ safety and quality.
It applies to the producers of both the foodstuffs and of the packaging. It is used where products are processed or where a first packaging may lead to contamination.
This standard is important for all foodstuff manufacturers, for those with their own brands in particular, since many customer specifications are checked. It supports the brand-safety and quality-relevant work of the production and marketing departments. The IFS Food was developed in close cooperation with certification agencies, the trade, the food industry and catering chains.
Privatbrauerei Eichbaum is IFS-certified on an annual basis.
Other topics:
Eichbaum’s core competence is quality. This is not only reflected in our beer but also in the ingredients we use. We procure them from our region, and in order to assure their quality Eichbaum has its own laboratory. We mainly use regional barley. After all, in the Palatinate beer enjoys a long tradition and is of huge importance. For brewing...
