Translating the Rothaus labels
Join us as we take a look at the Rothaus Tannenzäpfle and the Rothaus Pils labels — different label, same beer! We’ll translate the wording, compare the variations, talk about the history, the geography, ingredients, returnable bottles, shelf life, and more.
Let’s start from the top.
Rothaus-Bräu
‘Rothaus’ – pronounced more like "Rort-hause" as opposed to "Roth-house" as we'd be tempted to say in English.
As with most languages, many words are pronounced in accordance with the context, but generally "bräu" pronounced "brow" means 'brewery' and pronounced "br-oi" means 'brew'.
’Rothaus’ is the name of the village in the Black Forest (in South West Germany) where the brewery is situated. The village gets its name from the "Roth" family who resided in nearby Grafenhausen around 1300 AD. Their homestead – "Rothe Haus" — translated as 'The Red House'.
Tannenzäpfle
Tannen: Fir tree
Zäpfle: Little fir cone (pronounced "Zepflet" – but ignore the t)
Together this becomes: Fir cone from the tree
All Rothaus 33cl bottles are called Zäpfle because they resemble the pine cone.
Rothaus introduced the 33cl bottle in 1956. Prior to that, all beer worldwide had been in 70cl or 1L bottles.
Vom Hochschwarzwald
Vom Hochschwarzwald: From the High Black Forest
"Schwarzwald" is the Black Forest itself. "Hoch" (high) is where all the mountains are.
Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus AG
Pronounced '“Badische Staats Brauer-i- Rort haus arr geeh”.
In 1952 the merger of three German states — Württemberg-Baden, South Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern — saw the creation of the mega state of Baden-Württemberg. This is known as ‘Baden State’ and is the third largest in Germany (roughly three times the size of Yorkshire!).
Basiche: Baden
Staatsbrauerei: State Brewery
AG: A Limited Company equivalent. And in this case, one hundred percent of all shares are owned by Baden State.
Moving on to the back…
DE-79865 Rothaus im Schwarzwald
DE-79865 Rothaus im Schwarzwald is the brewery address. DE-79865 is the postcode.
Throughout Germany, the first two digits refer to the wider area and the last three digits the postal district.
Zutaten
Zutaten: Ingredients
Wasser: Water
Gersten malz: Barley malt
Hopfen: Hop
Einwegflasche
Einwegflasche: disposable bottle
Ein: One
Weg: Path/way (pronounced "vague")
Flasche: Bottle
This means the bottles are not returnable. They’re still recyclable though!
The 50cl Pils bottles on the other hand, say "Mehrweg-pfandflasche" which means returnable bottle (more on this below).
Mehrweg-pfandflasche
Mehrweg-pfandflasche: returnable bottle
Mehr: More (more than one)
Weg: Path/way
Pfand: Deposit
Flasche: Bottle
Where applicable, the bottle can be sent back to the brewery to be reused. The returnable bottles are made of ultraviolet glass, which get used around 40-50 times.
These come in red crates, which must be returned (we are the only importer in the UK who don’t use these – we ship in branded cardboard boxes which stockists can recycle when emptied, rather than needing space to store the bulky rigid crates).
Ever wondered what the white rings around the bottle are about?
They might look a bit unsightly, but think of those bottles as having a story to tell since those white rings occur only on returnables (where the bottle has repeatedly entered the system for sorting, sanitising and refilling).
The more exaggerated the white rings, the older the bottle / the more times it has been recycled – the more miles it has travelled and the more stories it has to tell!
Mindestestens haltbar bis
Mindestestens haltbar bis: Best Before
Our Rothaus beers have a six month shelf life. The beer is unpasteurised and designed to be enjoyed fresh. That's why we have beer delivered weekly from the brewery.
Want to stock some? Get in touch.
Next we’re looking at the 50cl Rothaus Pils.
Seit
Seit: Since / Since 1791.
We talked at the start about the origin of the name Rothaus with the ‘Red House’. In 1660, the Red House itself was sold and turned into an inn with a liquor licence obtained from the Benedictine Monastery of St. Blasien. One hundred years later, the order itself purchased the inn and in 1791 the Rothaus Brewery was born.
Kristallklares weiches Brauwasser aus 7 Quellen in 1000m Höhe, Qualitätsmalz aus der Region und deutscher Aromahopfen aus Tettnang und der Haltetau machen Rothaus-Bier so wohlschmeckend.
Kristallklares: Crystal clear
weiches Brauwasser: soft brew water
aus 7 Quellen: from 7 natural springs
in 1000m Höhe: from an altitude of 1000m
Qualitätsmalz aus der Region: using quality malts from the region
und deutscher Aromahopfen: and German aroma hops
aus Tettnang: from Tettnang
und der Halltertau: and the Halltertau
machen Rothaus-Bier so wohlschmeckend: makes Rothaus beer so ‘full bodied in taste’ (“schmeckend” - taste)
Das Qualitätsbier aus dem Hochschwarzwald
Das Qualitätsbier: A quality beer
aus dem Hochschwarzwald: from the High Black Forest
In Deutschlands höchstgelegener Brauerei mit größter Sorgfalt nach dem Reinheitsgebot von 1516 gebraut.
In Deutschlands höchstgelegener Brauerei: Germany's highest situated brewery
mit grofter Sorgfalt: with greatest care
nach dem Reinheitsgebot von 1516 gebraut: brewed according to the purity law of 1516.
The Reinheitsgebot was the first consumer legislation ever to be passed in the world. It stipulated what a beer had to have in terms of ingredients: water, yeast, barley and hops.
Thanks for reading!
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