Wimitzbräu invests

Mundl bottle instead of plastic in the valley of the outlaws

Josef Habich declares war on microplastics and is now focusing on reusable bottles.(Bild: Felix Justich)

Wimitzbräu focuses on sustainability with reusable bottles. All bottles are given a new design. In addition, boss Josef Habich wants to raise awareness of microplastics.

The beer product is changing, the rest remains dangerously honest," emphasizes Josef Habich, founder of Wimitzbräu. The private brewery in the so-called "Valley of the Outlaws" is investing two million euros in the switch to reusable bottles.

A VIP and a Mundl bottle
"A new bottling plant, waste water treatment and logistics hall were necessary. We start in October," explains Habich. "A new VIP bottle will be used for 0.33 liters and a more traditional 0.5 liter bottle. It will be a real Mundl bottle." The change should have no effect on the price; the 0.5-liter bottle could even be a little cheaper. "We want to accommodate the hospitality industry and make it easier to switch from the larger bottles," explains Josef Habich.

Yeast, hops, barley and water: these are the four ingredients used to brew Wimitz beer.(Bild: Felix Justich)

In the future, the filled bottles and empties will be stored in the new logistics hall.(Bild: Felix Justich)

Martin Egrmajer is the master brewer at Wimitzbräu. Born in Bavaria, he is already looking forward to the new bottles.(Bild: Felix Justich)

This range will soon be in demand among collectors.(Bild: Felix Justich)

With the new system, 6000 bottles could be filled per hour. "We will then have the infrastructure for a theoretical output of almost 60,000 hectolitres, compared to 4,000 at present," says Habich, but he puts this into perspective. "However, we are limited by the water from the Lemisch spring, so we will never produce more than around 8,000 hectoliters of Wimitz beer per year."

The company relies on its own supply of raw materials for the beer. "We cover 98% of our barley requirements and 30% of our hops requirements," emphasizes Josef Habich. "A lot of hops used to be grown near St. Veit, and we are working with regional farmers to bring this back to life."

Here in the Valley of Outlaws, we brew honest beer. The big players use lots of small gels and powders.

Josef Habich, Gründer von Wimitzbräu

Bild: Elias Jerusalem

Large corporations use microplastics
He attaches particular importance to one major difference to Brauunion and the like: "Our beer is 100% natural! The list of ingredients ends after water, barley, hops and yeast. But the big players also use microplastics to make their beer clearer. This binds tannins and other particles," says Habich. The microplastics are removed again, but according to the study, residues were found in some beers.

Habich: "We're sticking with natural cloudy beer, but we simply don't like the taste of this PVPP. We are looking for comrades-in-arms in the fight against microplastics and want to raise awareness."