A free electron from the Brasserie Nationale, Funck-Bricher is a pilsner like no other. Its name recalls this historic producer born in 1764 in the Grund.
The product
The youngest of the country’s historic brewer, Funck-Bricher was born in 2018 in Bascharage, in the state-of-the-art facilities of the National Brewery (Bofferding, Battin, etc.). “It’s a special beer in our range,” says director Mathias Lentz. It’s a craft (Editor’s note: craft beer) pils type at a single cost and, to top it off, both organic and vegan. Vegan, in fact, all the beers that come out of the brewery on tap are vegan, but only the Funck-Bricher can claim it, “because even the glue on the label and the packaging of the 4-packs is vegan “says the director.
Organic makes the process even more demanding, since it requires a separate line in the production process as well as a specific fermentation tank. There is obviously no question that the Funck-Bricher can come into contact with another beer, and controls are not uncommon. The slightly amber malt is produced by a small factory in Antwerp, Belgium. It comes partly from Luxembourg barley since the brewery has set up, with the collaboration of Ibla, a local sector. However, the quantities produced are not yet sufficient to meet all the needs.
The taste of Funck-Bricher comes from the specific blend of Czech Centennial hops and Belgian Golding. “This marriage is more aromatic, more floral than that of most pils on the market whose hops generally come from Germany”, explains master brewer Maurice Treinen.
Unlike barley, there is no Luxembourg hop production large enough to interest the brewery. “It’s a pity, he says, they say that the cultivation of hops begins where that of the vine stops. The valleys of the Sûre and the Our, for example, would be perfect for hops. Moreover, a very large producer cultivates it just opposite, in Germany, for Bitburger.
The process of making Funck-Bricher, a bottom-fermented beer, takes six weeks. After brewing (1 day), the wort will ferment for 8 days, then cool for 1 week to lower its temperature from 13 to 1°C. The beer will then spend 4 weeks in a maturation tank at -0.5°C. “This aging is important, it will give roundness and will stabilize the tastes and aromas”, specifies Maurice Treinen.
At the end of these steps, the beer is ready to be bottled. It then has 5.5% alcohol and is slightly amber. The original density of the must is 13 degrees Plato, its color is between 8 and 9 EBC (European brewery convention), i.e. between Bofferding and Battin Gambrinus, while its bitterness is 21 IBU (International bitterness unit), therefore very subtle. Production is around 2,000 hectoliters per year.
The producer
The Funck-Bricher brewery was born in 1764 in the Grund, along the Alzette, where Amazon was before he moved. In the past, many beer producers were located there (Mousel, Clausen…), they took advantage of the essential springs and the proximity of places of consumption.
In 1975, Funck-Bricher merged with Bofferding to create the Brasserie Nationale. From then on, his name disappears and we will have to wait until 2018 to see him again. “When we decided to create a new beer, it was naturally that we thought of Funck-Bricher, notes Mathias Lentz. We wanted to play the nostalgia card by bringing a historic brand up to date.”
In the meantime, the National Brewery had also bought the Eschoise brewery Battin in 2004. Today, the local brewer is the leader on the Luxembourg market, with a market share of 26% of beers sold (42% of beers sold in Luxembourg are imported beers).
Where to find it?
All the large supermarkets in the country sell the Funck-Bricher. It can also be found in a selection of 70 bars in the country, including three ambassadors: the Wëllem and the Llama in Luxembourg, as well as the Brutzel Scheef in Remich.
La Funck-Bricher is found almost exclusively in Luxembourg and is not destined for export. Very present abroad, the National Brewery prefers to bet on Bofferding and Battin (48% of barrels are sold outside the borders), whose volumes produced are much larger.
To remember
Funck-Bricher is an organic, vegan bottom-fermented beer with an alcohol content of 5.5%. The barley which makes it possible to obtain the malt is partially cultivated in the Grand Duchy, before being roasted in Antwerp. Hops, aromatic and floral, are of Czech and Belgian origin.
The Funck-Bricher brewery had merged with the Bofferding brewery in 1975 to create the National Brewery. Its name, created in 1764 in the Grund, had then disappeared. Its rebirth in 2018 has created consensus, the National Brewery wishing to revive a brand that was part of its history.
All the supermarkets sell Funck-Bricher, but it is much rarer on tap. A limited selection of bars and only three ambassadors exist: the Wëllem and the Llama in Luxembourg, as well as the Brutzel Schëff in Remich. It is practically not exported.
2023-04-26 13:49:03
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