Swiss Review 2/2018

9 Swiss Review / March 2018 / No.2 new beer culture: “But few of them see themselves as busi- ness people.” He himself entered the industry years ago to counter its “extremely boring” character, but voices mild criticism: “I find some of it too experimental.” If a beer is to remain a beer, “then you should be able to drink a whole bottle on your own”. He remains a rebel and is resisting the pressure to innovate: “Four of my very first beers are still our best-selling. I take great pride in that.” He believes that any brewers able to leave their own mark can look forward to an exciting future. Anyone in their right mind wants genuine choice, he says. This re- quires original products from authentic companies with a real story. The BFM team are also great storytellers. The immortalised Saint Bon-Chien – the noble, sacred dog – who appears on the label of themuch-acclaimed fine beer is not a dog at all. This was the name of Rebetez’s dead brewery cat. The stout Alex le Rouge is also an obituary in the form of a beer in honour of BFM’s former communist brewery technician who even after his retirement contin- ued to potter around and drink in the brewery until his dying day. The Jurassians sometimes like to use wordplay to get one over on the German-speaking Swiss. After de- ciding to promote a BFM beer in German-speaking Swit- zerland in the period before Christmas, Rebetez labelled the bottles with the grammatically incorrect expression “Die Bier vom Weihnachten” (the beer of Christmas). In short, four words, two howling errors and a smirking brewer in Saignelégier. His Highway To Helles is also a bit of banter with German-speaking Switzerland. Beer drink- ers there often order “ein Helles” (a light beer). He finds the fact that they ask for a beer based on its colour aston- ishing. If somebody buys a new car, they don’t say “a grey one, please”. Those who do not appreciate his tongue-in- cheek ribbing can turn to one of the other 900 breweries in Switzerland. Wild yeast Back to the Gurten, the small mountain situated on the outskirts of Berne. The historic local beer has long since ceased to exist, as already mentioned. However, the 523 team recently beganworking on a plan hatched over many years to brew a beer based on original recipes from the 1900s – and using local yeast as it should “embody the earth”. They put down a dozen containers containing beer wort on the Gurten to collect wild yeast. The method worked. Promising samples were found in three of the twelve containers, so they decided to carry on collecting the wild yeast. They then carried out weeks of research on the old local recipes and gained new insights into the in- gredients commonly used in the past. 523 has not yet de- cided what to do with the results. At least in this case, the Swiss beer boomwill provide an entirely new interpreta- tion of oral history. The star of Swiss micro-brewing: Jérôme Rebetez from Saingelégier with his BFM beer Photo: Keystone