Interview with Weihenstephan’s Head of Export
Marcus Englet – Head of Export at Weihenstephan – shares insights on the world’s oldest brewery and its 1000 year history.
In the storied halls of Weihenstephan – the world’s oldest brewery – history and innovation seamlessly intertwine. As Marcus Englet, Head of Export, unveils, the nearly 1000-year-old brewery is not only a guardian of Bavarian brewing tradition but also a pioneer in modern techniques.
Englet shares how Weihenstephan stays ahead of the curve by collaborating with the Technical University of Munich, balancing age-old practices with cutting-edge sustainability initiatives.
On his current visit to Australia for the GABS beer festival, Englet discusses an exclusive new offering, the challenges of global business and his personal connection to the Australian beer scene – a journey that began three decades ago.
How does Weihenstephan balance maintaining tradition with modern brewing innovations? What’s an example of a modern technique you have chosen to implement and are there any techniques or processes that you won’t adopt in staying true to tradition?
The close cooperation with the Faculty of Brewing Weihenstephan – as part of the Technical University of Munich TUM – gives us the opportunity to access the newest inventions in brewing technology before any other brewery gets a hold of them. This is an amazing advantage to stay future-minded.
Never before has sustainability been so important too and we try to brew in as much of an eco-friendly way as possible – all of our new techniques are based on the idea of systematic energy recuperation in the brewing process. For example, we’re trying to get a major part of our energy for wort mashing from our wort cooling, which would not only save primary resources but also reduce costs, be environmental friendly and improve the quality of our beers. Our implementation of a brand new filter in 2023, called Twin Flow – a great tool created by Steinecker as part of EquiTherm – relates to that process.
Doing all this does not mean that we don’t stick to our history and tradition. We are bound by the Bavarian Purity Law from 1516 (said to be the world’s oldest food law in existence) and must make our beers with only four ingredients – water, malt, hops and yeast. By maintaining this, we can also guarantee consumers receive a clean product without any additives or adjuncts.
At almost 1000 years old, how does Weihenstephan continue to adapt and differentiate itself in an increasingly competitive landscape?
It is a fine line between tradition and technology. Our owner, the Free State of Bavaria, recently phrased this idea in business as, ‘Laptop and Lederhosen’ – to be accurate, inventive and precise without forgetting your roots and where you came from.
It’s up to us to deliver this to consumers with consistency and continuity – something that we have been doing for almost 1000 years. I do not only mean that we’ve been around for a while but that we’ve also kept consistent quality and taste – for our regular beer portfolio, we only ever use ingredients exclusively from our neighbourhood in Bavaria.
You’re currently in Australia for GABS – a national beer festival. Are there any exclusive offerings or new products launching in relation to the event?
We have a portfolio of 13 permanent beers and 2 seasonal beers and are always experimenting with other styles at the Weihenstephan research brewery. This includes collaborations with other breweries – something we believe is important in exchanging ideas and knowledge.
For GABS in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, we’ve brought a Bavarian Blond Ale with a Belgian twist (some would call it a Belgian Blond Ale with a Bavarian twist). Full of passion and both Bavarian and Belgian ingredients, it is a collaboration beer that we made with the iconic Belgian brewery St. Bernardus.
As the Head of Export, what are some of the challenges you face in expanding into new markets and how do you overcome them?
Covid and recent geopolitical catastrophes have made the current export business pretty difficult. Supply chain problems, inflation and exploding ingredient costs and energy are some the consequences. Exporting to 61 countries, we do our best to support our reliable partners and importers and as much as we can – something that we have maintained throughout these crises.
In this situation, we’d prefer to wait and see how markets evolve before eagerly expanding, as quality is more important than quantity to us.
What are you enjoying most about your visit to Australia – both professionally and personally?
The Australian beer crowd is extremely refreshing for me. People are open and appreciate my visit all the way from Germany. I’d love to get as much beer love and appreciation all over the world.
I am looking forward to meeting new people and reconnecting with old companions because I have a history and personal connection with Australia. Exactly 30 years ago I visited Australia as a backpacker and fell in love. I made many friends that I am still in contact with after all these years.
When I had a chance to start doing business here with Weihenstephan 20 years ago, that was the jackpot for me. So are celebrating a couple of anniversaries on this trip!
