Flamingo - Business Industry - Thirst quenching, natural, preservative free
While most men would declare with much enthusiasm that they are passionate about beer, for many people beer is synonymous with sport, stag parties and big bellies – the official male bonding liquid, burp and all. Sure, Namibia does have a proud German beer-drinking heritage, but it is still a rowdy, social beer-consuming culture.
And while wine connoisseurs are considered sophisticated superior beings, beer drinkers are generally thought of as common folk, thirsty and happy. Even if the majority of beer drinkers do not fall into these categories, perceptions remain – wine is the sophisticated ballerina of the vine and beer her simple hops-and-barley, blue-collar brother.
Until you meet Jörg Finkeldey, that is.
Smart and sophisticated, this hops-and-barley alchemist is sure to change anybody’s preconceived ideas about beer. His knowledge about brewing beer is surpassed only by his passion for it, which is why he managed to acquire a brewing licence, persuade investors to join him and obtained funding of N$10.2 million from the Development Bank of Namibia to set up a microbrewery.
The very first microbrewery in Namibia, the Camelthorn Brewing Company, opened its doors for trade on 8 August 2009, exactly one year after acquiring its brewing licence. The name of the brewery was chosen to signify the authenticity of the beer, as the Acacia erioloba, better known as the camel-thorn tree, is an indigenous and protected tree, symbolising to Jörg a resilient spirit that can endure the worst of droughts.
These traits would be as true of the company as they are of Jörg himself. This Namibian-born chemical engineer’s beer-brewing history started in America, where he worked in the brewery construction industry and fell deeply in love with the fine art of producing quality craft beer. From here his beer-brewing career became an odyssey around the world. Working sixteen-hour days, seven days a week amongst the veteran brewers in Hungary, he acquired the technical knowledge needed to set up the physical infrastructure of a microbrewery. Equipped with sufficient knowledge to support his passion for the trade, Jörg designed and set up 180 microbreweries in America and another 160 across the world, from Upsala in Sweden to Cape Town in South Africa, from Costa Rica in Central America to Noumea, New Caledonia in the South Pacific. In Japan he made history by setting up the very first beer-brewing pub in the country under tremendous pressure from government officials to prove viability of beer in a traditionally sake-drinking market.
Eventually his journey led him back to home ground, where he wanted to raise his children and plough some of his hard-earned experience and expertise back into the Namibian economy.
His vision to start the first microbrewery in Namibia became a reality when the Camelthorn Brewing Company obtained a brewing licence on the 8th day of the 8th month, 2008 – exactly 88 years after the very first brewing licence was issued in Namibia. The poetic coincidence of dates proved to be lucky enough, as one year later to the day, Namibia got its first taste of the premium, locally produced craft beer.
Craft beer is typically produced in limited volumes and brewed on a small brewing system, very different to the factory-like environment of large, modern breweries. Because of this hands-on approach, the beer is brewed according to unique beer-brewing recipes that allow for continuous innovation and creativity. What Finkeldey wanted to do was produce a beer so different that it would literally, in his words, ‘confuse people’s taste buds’. “With microbrewery, you have the flexibility to change your recipes. It is an interactive process; we can bring people to the brewery and educate them on the brewing process. At the same time you see how people perceive the product,” Finkeldey says.
With fresh Bavarian Weissbier being the one type of beer that is not
currently produced in Namibia, Finkeldey and his team decided to
produce a local alternative to the imported varieties available here.
To live up to the standards of established international Weissbier
products, Finkeldey hired the services of a dynamic young Bavarian brew
master, Michael Plank. For the last 392 years the Plank family has
operated the traditional Privatbrauerei Plank–Laaber in Germany.
Michael Plank has won five gold awards, two silver awards and one
bronze award, and holds two World Champion Trophies for his Weizenbock.
His specially formulated recipe was adapted for Namibian climatic
conditions by Camelthorn’s local brew master, Wolfgang Carl. The result
is a balanced beer, with toasted malt character and a light fruitiness
– sophisticated and complex, but slightly lighter than its ancestral
wheat beers.
The rest of the Camelthorn collection includes Helles, which is
unfiltered lager beer and Gold, the filtered lager beer. Camelthorn
will also offer ‘seasonal beers’ such as a flavoured Weissbier for
summer called Fresh, a slightly sweeter beer with a lower alcohol
content for the female market. Later in the year American Red Ale will
be produced as well. Every variety from the selection has a unique
taste, ranging from smooth to dark to bitter sweet, sexy and
sophisticated.
It is evident when you visit the impressive Camelthorn Brewery that the
craft-brewing process is not ‘just add water and stir’. The entire
process takes about five weeks from start to finish, while some
manufacturers turn out a bottle of beer in three days.
The raw ingredients include only the very best wheat, roasted malt,
hops and water. The company uses open fermenting vessels, which is
uncommon nowadays, but actually is the traditional way of making beer.
Once the primary fermentation process has been completed, the beer is
transferred to a lager cellar, where the brew is allowed to mature for
a further three weeks. Once the beer has matured, it is poured into
10-litre kegs, after which yeast and wort is added again to induce the
keg fermentation process, which is similar to the way champagne is
produced. This process takes 10 days to complete and the kegs are then
transferred to the cold storage from where the products are distributed
to the market in refrigerated trucks.
Due to the completely natural brewing process, and the untreated nature
of the beer, Camelthorn products have a shorter shelf life than most
commercially produced beers, which is why the beers never leave the
cold chain. To maintain a four to six-week shelf life, the kegs must be
kept cold at all times and therefore Camelthorn products are supplied
only to outlets that can guarantee refrigerated shelf space.
Ultimately, it is this meticulous attention to detail and no-compromise
attitude that signifies the entire culture of the Camelthorn Brewing
Company and is fast turning the brand into another one of Namibia’s
natural (and preservative-free) wonders.
