Exporting American beer to Europe

[HappyHippoBrew]

Is it legal to ship American beer to Europe? If so, who are the distributors (specifically in/for Germany)?

Also, does anyone know how government agencies such as AAFES gets/gives contracts from/to breweries? How does AAFES decide which brewery get to sale their product to US military/government personnel?

[chazwicke]

Not sure about your questions. I just wanted to welcome you to the board.

[Tweek]

Im not sure on the specifics but I do know that it depends on whether you are a business or an individual. Individuals are allowed a certain amount of alcohol be it wine or beer. Not sure on the amount I would check with customs.

[freddiefreelanc]

Are you from River Horse Brewing in Lambertville, NJ? If you're a professional brewer interested in shipping beer to Europe I'd start by checking with SCORE (http://www.score.org). They can find you a retired pro to act as a consultant, possibly someone with connections that could help. That should get you started on the right road.

[fretlessman71]

Welcome HappyHippoBrew! We're heard some interesting names here, but I think YOURS takes the cake! You'll have to offer an explanation at some point.... :)

Do I understand you to be saying that you're trying to get better beer available to our boys on the other side of the pond? Can't help you; just curious... a noble task that would be!

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by freddiefreelanc
Are you from River Horse Brewing in Lambertville, NJ? If you're a professional brewer interested in shipping beer to Europe I'd start by checking with SCORE (http://www.score.org). They can find you a retired pro to act as a consultant, possibly someone with connections that could help. That should get you started on the right road.

I'll bet your River Horse guess is correct.

[HappyHippoBrew]

We are actually homebrewers from the Pacific Northwest, who are now teaching on a military base in Heidelberg. We have been spending our spare time "volunteering" at a local brewery learning German brewing techniques. Many of our friends, teachers and mililtary personel, are hopheads looking for a good American microbrew. I know there are export places here in Germany, but none that sell American beer. There are laws here in Germany that only allow beer to be brewed a certain way, but I can't find out if those same laws keep beer that is brewed differently (exported beer of course) from being sold.

It would be interesting to know what it would take to open up an exported beer shop here.

[chazwicke]

I do not know about the laws. I know that in years past German beers were brought into the USA through military channels for Oktoberfest celebrations on some of the bases around here. The last couple of years it was just the standard Spaten though. I also attend the annual German Beer Night at Dulles Airport put on by the German Airforce in their hangar. But they also usually only have kegs of German beer that is available here although I have heard them say they fly it in. Maybe you could arrange a few trades for smaller quanties through this board.

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by HappyHippoBrew
There are laws here in Germany that only allow beer to be brewed a certain way, but I can't find out if those same laws keep beer that is brewed differently (exported beer of course) from being sold.

You´re referring to the german "Reinheitsgebot" I assume ? That one only regulates what can be in beer brewed in Germany. You can sell everything else here in Germany as well though.

Not that many here would buy it. But it´s perfectly legal, otherwise all the belgian, french and god knows what else beers couldn´t be sold here. None of it goes conform with the "Reinheitsgebot".

[danno]

here's some interesting reading (in a Google German translation) regarding the Reinheitsgebot.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.bierfestival-berlin.de/Reinheitsgebot.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3DReinheitsgebot%2BBiersteuergesetz%26s tart%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN

The purity requirement today
The old purity requirement has still today its meaning. The valid beer law certainly:"Zur preparing of bottom-fermented beer may be used... only barley malt, hop, yeast and water "(provisional beer law of the 27.7.1993). The absolute restriction on barley malt applies however only to bottom-fermented beer. For obergaeriges beer are also malze from wheat as well as sugar certified. There are similarly strict manufacture guidelines only in Norway, Austria and Switzerland.

In the context of the eurobureaucratic gleichmacherei the German purity requirement was regarded as barrier to trade and tilted in March 1987 by the European Court of Justice. So far if all had from the foreign country imported beers the purity requirement to correspond, then the purity requirement applies today only to the home market, thus to beer, which is sold both in Germany manufactured and here. However this decision had so far only small effect on the beer offer in our business the market share of foreign beers is extremely small (about 2.6 per cent), some of it even, probably because of the better sales prospects, likewise after the purity requirement is still brewed. For foreign beer, which does not correspond to the purity requirement, the beer regulation prescribes from 1990 that "other" materials must be marked clearly. To enter afterwards the reason of the EEC harmonization proponents remains: "one can manufacture chemistry beer" without purity requirement more simply and more inexpensive. Maximization of profit can product quality and health of the consumers clearer hardly be expressed versus.

that last line pretty much says it all, huh? :D

[Stahlsturm]

Beer that WASN´T brewed according to the "Reinheitsgebot" should be marked with warning labels. But people around here know what to drink :-)

[fretlessman71]

Fine, then... I'll just keep my Young's Double Chocolate Stout to myself! ;)

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Fine, then... I'll just keep my Young's Double Chocolate Stout to myself!

Feel free to :P I like chocolate but most definetly not in my beer. I´m a purist and I do not like aroma added to my brew.