James Fancourt profiles Berlin’s most community conscious beer brand…

When the World Cup started this summer, I set off with some pals in Neukölln to find a place to watch the opening game (Brazil vs. Croatia). One of my friends went to the bar and returned with some beer bottles that looked different to the usual Berliner Kindls.

It had an interesting name – Quartiermeister – and upon closer inspection, I discovered it was a not-for-profit beer, whose proceeds were channelled into local community projects in Berlin.

“This is amazing!” I exclaimed. “You can get drunk and donate to charity at the same time”. My friends, already engrossed in the game, pretty much ignored me. But ever since that day I have bought Quartiermeister wherever it’s available, and always try to persuade my friends to do the same.

The project was started by Sebastian Jacob in 2010. Impressively, the beer is now available in 34 Berlin bars and counting, and is becoming easier and easier to find on a night out. In 2012 it also expanded to its second city, Munich, where it can be found in 22 bars and cafes.

The allure of such a charitable project in a debt-ridden city like Berlin is obvious. With many impoverished and vulnerable people, any extra money the independent social projects and charities can get to help alleviate problems can only be a good thing.

To find out more, I caught up with Peter Eckert, one of the Berlin directors…

Could you tell us how the idea came about to develop a socially-conscious beer?

The main idea is that it’s a social business, selling a product and doing good with the profits from it. The thing about beer is, that it’s an emotional product – people talk about it. And, it’s social as well, because you drink it with friends in your free time.

What have been the biggest obstacles you’ve faced when getting this project off the ground?

The first obstacle was to find a good partner brewery with a good beer, that wanted to work with us and was open to the idea of Quartiermeister. It was especially hard at first, as we had to convince someone even though we didn’t have anyone buying or selling that product.