First brewpub on a cruise ship opened

The ship’s christening took place in Hamburg on 9 February 2010. It is owned by AIDACruises, Rostock, a shipping company which already has six other cruise ships sailing the seven seas.

In the old days, cruises were synonymous with geriatrics, boredom and liver cirrhosis. Not any longer. AIDACruises set out to change this by turning cruises into some sort of sea-borne Club Med .

The new AIDAblue is no different. With its 1,000 plus cabins and a staff of 600, it hopes to bring the best entertainment to a discerning crowd of predominantly German tourists.

That’s why the shipping company approached Radeberger, Germany’s number one brewing group, and asked them whether it could brew Hövels Original, a Dortmund beer specialty, on board.

Radeberger agreed since the deal did not require Radeberger to dish out any cash. In fact, Radeberger thinks it’s a good idea if Germans will get to know its super-premium brand if they enjoy it unfiltered on AIDAblu.

The ship’s brewery on deck ten is integrated into a brewpub restaurant replete with faux maple trees and 220 covers.

The beer (0.3 litres) costs EUR 3.10.

Brewmaster Andreas Hegny, 28, who was trained at Radeberger’s Frankfurt brewery, will not only brew the beer, he will also give seminars on the art of brewing.

Sounds like a cruise could be a lot of fun for beer lovers.