Munich Airport’s brewery turns beer into a gin-style spirit

It’s not quite as miraculous as turning water into wine, but Munich Airport’s Airbräu brewery has successfully turned beer into a gin-style spirit to avoid 4,000 litres of leftover beer going to waste.

Like many bars, pubs and hospitality venues across the globe, food and drink sales at Munich’s popular Airbräu restaurant have been adversely affected by the COVID pandemic.

But instead of simply pouring away 4,000 litres of leftover Airbräu beer, the brewmaster, René Jacobsen, made a virtue out of necessity by developing a gin-style beer spirit under the brand name ‘Mountain Hub Distillers’ in co-operation with the Hilton Munich Airport Hotel.

The process involved distilling Airbräu beer with selected so-called botanicals, which the airport reveals has resulted in the creation of a rich and aromatic ‘infused beer spirit’, which combines the taste of strong beer and high-percentage juniper aromas.

The lovingly handcrafted, limited edition of the beer gin was distilled at the Huber fruit distillery in Langenpreising. From the 4,000 litres of beer, a total of almost 300 litres of exclusively distilled beer gin was produced.

The “infused beer spirit” is now available at Munich Airport’s Airbräu, the Mountain Hub restaurants and the Hilton Bar.

For those interested in the manufacturing process or in purchasing the new beer gin at Munich Airport, all relevant information can be found at the following link: https://mountainhub.de/en/distillers/

Moreover, Airbräu beer is produced CO2-neutrally with 100% solar energy. More details about the airport brewery itself are available at  www.munich-airport.com/airbraeu/en/brewery