Chris Shanahan: No small beer for Aldi founders

Wikipedia says that Germany’s wealthiest men, Theo and Karl Albrecht, retired founders of Aldi supermarkets, earn an estimated 1.5 billion Euro a year from their 5000 outlets.

And their winning formula – small groupings of popular household items at low prices – includes a couple of treats for Aussie beer drinkers.

Buying in large volume and selling direct to consumers allows Aldi to offer two very good German beers – Schloss Pils and Wernesgrüner Pils — at prices that must annoy the hell out of the big brewers and rival importers.

$40 a slab for the Schloss Pils pits it squarely against big volume locally brewed premiums and the German imports of Coles and Woolies, and below the price of fair-dinkum boutique products.

This creates a conundrum for craft brewers. They simply cannot compete on price even if they win on individuality.

But for those seeking a cold drink on a hot day, who can argue?

Schloss Pils 330ml 6-pack $11.99. Wernesgrüner Pils 335ml 6-pack $11.99
These Aldi imports sit squarely in the German Pilsen-style mould – bright, light golden lagers with dry finish and pronounced hop bitterness. The Schloss is a little darker in colour and not as stunningly fresh as the Wernesgrüner. Both offer outstanding value for money and were purchased at Aldi, Holt, Canberra.