To be honest, beer isn't really my thing. It might be because my father's generation mostly drank Astra. However, I became curious after a dinner in Oslo where, instead of imported wines, they served locally brewed beers. Besides, brewing played an important role in Lübeck for centuries.
Lübeck ZWISCHENZEILEN I headed to the Werftquartier (Shipyard Quarter) at Einsiedelstraße 6, where the Sudden Death Brewing Company has been located in Hall 48 since April 2022. It's an exciting new, or rather, re-emerging district of Lübeck, which we for a blog post during the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival last year . The best way to reach the Werftquartier is by bicycle, e-scooter, car, or Lübeck city bus line 8.
Beer for everyone
In the late Middle Ages and early modern period, beer was less of a beverage for enjoyment and more of a staple food, consumed with meals. It came in a wide variety of styles, from strong beer to children's beer. It was (usually) healthier than water because the boiling of the wort made beer largely germ-free. Its high calorie content also made beer an important supplement to often meager diets, as even low-quality grain could be made somewhat palatable in beer form.
Until the invention of modern refrigeration methods, bottom-fermented beers could only be brewed in winter or where refrigeration was available. Monasteries also played an important role in beer production during the Middle Ages: monks were not only considered gifted brewers, but they also enjoyed drinking beer.
Brewing in Lübeck
During the Middle Ages and the early modern period, Lübeck boasted approximately 180 breweries, where the entire brewing process took place, from malting the grain to bottling the beer in barrels. Lübeck's city brewers were permitted to brew weekly. Export brewers, however, faced no such restrictions. They primarily exported their beer to their northern neighbors in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Scania. Deliveries also reached Holland, Flanders, and England, and later even South India. After the long-distance merchants, Lübeck's brewers were arguably the most successful and wealthiest occupational group in early modern Lübeck. Even today, prominent locations and buildings associated with brewing can be identified throughout the cityscape, such as those on Wahmstraße.
Two craft beer brewers with a sense of humor
Brewing beer is a centuries-old tradition in Lübeck, one that Oliver Schmökel and Eric Nagel are reviving in the shipyard district. These two men, with their ideas and passion, are the driving force behind Sudden Death Brewing Company – SDBC for short. They're men with a sense of humor. This becomes clear when they explain the meaning of "Sudden Death." It's not that a customer drops dead after drinking one of their beers. No, in ice hockey, "sudden death" refers to the game-winning goal in overtime, one of the most thrilling moments of all, according to Olli and Eric. And the story that led to the company's founding was definitely exciting as well.
The two were "gypsy brewers" who, while searching for a partner brewery, came across the Klüvers brewery in Neustadt . They had 1,000 liters each of a stout and a pale ale brewed there and personally distributed it on long tours across Germany.
In parallel, they began looking for a suitable location for their own brewery. The search ended with an offer from Thilo Gollan to Hall 48 in the shipyard district . Since January 2022, the founders and their international team of 20 employees have been on site. In addition to the brewery, a spacious restaurant area has been created inside and outside the hall, where pizza is served as a culinary specialty alongside the beers. Sudden Death Brewing Company is open from Wednesday to Sunday.
The brewery is enjoying growing popularity among a wide variety of guests. It's precisely this diversity that the people at SDBC appreciate so much: everyone is welcome here, regardless of where they come from, their age, or what they wear. The focus is on the love of drinking and discovering beer. The relaxed atmosphere among the team contributes to making guests feel instantly at ease.
Brewery tour
Olli and Eric possess extensive expertise, which they gladly share during a tour of the enormous hall. They explain details of the brewing process, let me inspect the brewing equipment, show me how the bottling plant works, and provide me with a wealth of background information. For example, I had no idea what an IPA was. Now I know: it stands for India Pale Ale , a top-fermented beer. Essentially THE craft beer, it originated when the English wanted to send their pale ale to their armies in India and made it more durable for sea voyage by adding more hops and increasing the alcohol content. It was supposed to be diluted with water in India. However, this didn't happen. The beer with its hoppy aromas simply tasted too good.
Brewing takes place 10 times a month in Hall 48. Each brewing process lasts 6-8 hours. The protein-rich spent grain is collected by a farmer from Stockelsdorf and fed to his dairy cows. It doesn't get more sustainable than that!
The beers, brewed according to the three-person brewing team from Canada, the USA, and Belgium at Sudden Death Brewing Company, are now exported to 25 countries. France and Scandinavia are key export markets, and they also ship to Australia. The hall offers plenty of space and is ideal for private parties and corporate events, with a view of the spotless brewing equipment. SDBC also organizes its own events.
beer tasting
During the subsequent tasting, with a view of Lübeck's Old Town, I learned more about the different beer styles, the German Purity Law, what exactly top- and bottom-fermented beers are, and how best to discern the aromas. I particularly enjoyed " Not your Grandma's Rote Grütze " (Red Berry Pudding). It's a fruit sour with the scent of raspberry, vanilla, and cherry. It was created in cooperation with the "Kleines Waffelhaus" (Little Waffle House), located in Lübeck's Old Town. Their vegan waffles are used in its production. Now in the summer, the summer ale " Greetings from Sudden Death " is also very much to my liking. You can buy tickets for the tasting on the SDBC website. There's also an online shop , of course.
More Beer – Fluent English
Eric and Olli are well-traveled people who love to laugh. They get a real kick out of coming up with ridiculously long English names for their craft beers. They definitely have a passion for playing with words. They can give countless examples of what their customers have sometimes done with the names. It's often said that foreign language skills improve dramatically with increasing alcohol consumption. But even people ordering their first beer sober sometimes turn a " Juice Willis " into a "Juicy Willy," a " Tough Guy " from the two varieties " Hit me with a brick " and " I walk with a zombie." Why not try out your English yourself when ordering a beer at Sudden Death Brewing Company in the Werftquartier?
