Freshly tapped: These two men are now brewing craft beer in Freital

From Annett Heyse

It has become hot. The afternoon sun is beating down on the small window at the front of Deuben station. Good for those who have something cool to drink. Markus Morawietz and Falk Beuchel have something to offer: freshly tapped beer, well chilled. The foam crowns bob on the drink, the carbon dioxide bubbles bubble up in the glass, which immediately fogs up.

"Sudfrei" is the name of the small craft beer brewery that Morawietz and Beuchel have set up in the old station building. Since the beginning of June, they have been serving beer directly on site every Friday. They always have four different varieties on offer. Today, these include a Helles, a Pale Ale and Lilly. "That's the name of the hop variety. It was bred in Germany and has a strong, citrusy taste," explains Morawietz.

He and his partner live in Dresden. Markus Morawietz earns his living as an electrical engineer, while Beuchel is a physics and computer science teacher. Brewing beer is a hobby, they both say. And a passion.

First brewing attempts in your own kitchen

It all started in 2016: "We attended a brewing seminar together," reports Falk Beuchel. They were enthusiastic and set up a mini brewery in their own kitchen. It doesn't take much to begin with: you need three kettles - large pots are enough to start with - and a fermentation tank, as well as barrels for filling and storing.

They both got to grips with the art of brewing. They bought the ingredients online - barley malt, hops, yeast - and tasted them. "There are recipes on the internet and in databases," says Morawietz, who trained as a beer sommelier in 2021.

They initially served their home-brew to friends and acquaintances, and later attended events and competitions. Last year, they even won a prize. At some point, the kitchen at home became too small for their hobby, which became more and more ambitious. They finally found a home in Freital, which has a certain reputation - whether good or bad is in the eye of the beholder.

Deuben station was once home to Freital's most famous pub. "De Vier" was open daily and almost around the clock. It was the pub where the thirsty stainless steel workers met after their shift. It is said that some of them spent a large part of their monthly wages in the station pub. It is said that "De Vier" had the highest beer turnover of any pub in the GDR.

Only four ingredients, but lots of recipes and variations

Now things are to be much more civilized. For Markus Morawietz and Falk Beuchel, beer is not just a thirst-quencher and certainly not a swill. Beer production is a craft and an art, and drinking it is a pleasure. "Only four ingredients go into it. But you can brew so many varieties with the finest nuances. We've already tried out a lot and we're far from finished," says Morawietz.

The "Sudfrei" brewery mainly produces bottom-fermented beers, from light to dark. The color and taste depend on the types of hops and barley malt, as well as the production process.

At the beginning, barley malt is mixed with water in the mash tun and gradually heated to 78 degrees Celsius. In the next step, the mixture is transferred to the lauter tun, where the malt separates from the wort. Finally, this liquid is heated to 100 degrees in the brewing kettle, where the hops are added as an additional ingredient. When and how much hops are added has a decisive influence on the taste. This three-stage process takes four to five hours in total. The vats only hold 50 liters each - these are small batches for which the two brewers stand in their production room.

The beer is then transferred to a fermentation tank, where ingredient number four is added: the yeast. Only then is the alcohol produced. The brew then spends around twelve days in this tank, while the brewers Beuchel and Morawietz monitor the residual extract and the maturing process of the beer using an app.

It is then filled into barrels and stored for six to eight weeks. This also distinguishes the small craft breweries from the large producers, explains Morawietz: "Due to different technical processes and cost optimization, they don't store their beer for as long." However, this is also important for the taste.

Mini brewery "Sudfrei" opens on Fridays in Freital

Beer sommelier Morawietz tasted his first sips as a teenager. "I come from Dortmund, I played soccer there. You were automatically introduced to beer there." The first thing he tried was cola beer. "I wouldn't drink it today." Beuchel, who comes from Dresden, used to drink mostly Radeberger.

But they don't want to compete with the big names. It is important to them to experiment, to be creative with the four beer ingredients and to push the boundaries a little. For example, they have already brewed a "grape ale", a variety that originated in Italy, in which grape must is added to the beer. They buy their ingredients, especially hops and yeast, on the Internet. They source most of their barley malt from malt houses in Germany.

Anyone who wants to is welcome to drop by the "Sudfrei" for a tasting. The bar at Deuben station is open on Fridays from 5 to 9 pm. A 0.3-liter glass costs 3.50 euros. There are tables and benches on the small meadow opposite the station building, where you can sit in the shade, sample and enjoy. In bad weather, the brewers are also happy to open the interior - a small section of the former station pub. The feedback from the first guests has been consistently positive, reports Markus Morawietz.

www.sudfrei.de