Neuzeller Klosterbräu, a brewery in eastern Germany, claims to have devised a way to create a powdered beer that, when mixed with water, tasted almost exactly like the original liquid beverage.

The global beer industry is massive, but it’s also one of the least efficient in the world. Transporting large quantities of beer bottled in heavy glass bottles all over the world is expensive, but what if you didn’t have to? What if some of the world’s most famous breweries could just ship their products overseas in powdered form, and the company on the receiving end would just have to add water to it? German brewery Neuzeller Klosterbräu claims to have come up with a process to create any type of beer in powdered form, alcohol and carbonation included. All anyone has to do is add water and they are left with a regular beer.

Photo: Bence Boros/Unsplash

“It’s the world’s first complete beer in powdered form and it could change the world,” Stefan Fritsche, the brewery’s managing director, told The Times. “Add water and you’ll get a beer with the complete beer taste including alcohol and carbon dioxide and a head of foam. In principle, we can produce any beer in the world using the method — dark beer, light beer, India pale ale, whatever.”

Fritsche acknowledged that beer drinkers will most likely be skeptical of their powdered beer in the beginning, but emphasized that the innovative product is not meant to replace classic beer. It is mainly designed as an alternative for overseas shipping, as “it makes no sense to import glass bottles, fill them with German water and then send the beer to Africa or China or wherever”. Meanwhile, German breweries will most likely continue to produce traditional beer for the European market.

Neuzeller has reportedly developed its revolutionary powdered beer over the last two years, with the help of Government funding. Although not the world’s first powdered beer, it defers from all the rest because it can incorporate alcohol and carbonation in the powder.

“We want the complete beer taste. We have the foam, we already have the beer taste. We want to add the carbon dioxide in powder form. We want to add the alcohol in powder form,” Stefan Fritsche said. “We can do all that with powder. And, of course, it is absolutely fascinating that we have succeeded. For the first time worldwide.”

Neuzeller Klosterbräu wants to make its powdered beer commercially available this year.