Camelthorn Beer gets a facelift
Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) officially launched the new look of its craft beer, Camelthorn, earlier this week.
Camelthorn beer is mainly available at local pubs, restaurants, hotels and events, as well as at clubs and selected shebeens in Windhoek.
According to NBL,Camelthorn will initially be available in two liquids, a Helles Crafted Lager that has been brewed with the finest Saphir Hops for a fruity, spicy, refreshing and easy-drinking taste and a filtered Weiss, which is brewed with Lemon drop hops to deliver a beer with low bitterness and refreshing herbal citrus notes.
“We identified the need for a new look for this special beer, as NBL’s way of celebrating Camelthorn’s survival through challenging times, whilst remaining one of the preferred craft beers in Namibia and South Africa,” NBL Senior Brand Manager: Premium Portfolio, Claudia Opperman said.
According to NBL, craft brewing in Namibia, started way back in 2008 when Jörg Finkeldey, the then CEO of Camelthorn Brewing Company started the company together with Kleopas Asino, the production assistant at this small premium brewer in Windhoek.
“With the growth of the craft beer segment in South Africa and Namibia we identified Camelthorn as a unique opportunity to be part of this exciting category. More importantly, we felt that we have the credentials to participate in the craft beer segment based on numerous factors which includes; NBL’s background of brewing authenticity and love for real beer; positive consumer perceptions around our brewing ethos and history of great quality pure beer; our ability to brew small batch craft liquids, and the opportunity granted to us to build on the Camelthorn story that began in 2008. Camelthorn also provides NBL brewers with the opportunity to express their creative sides, through experimenting and bringing to life new exciting liquid innovations. These reasons, we believe, give NBL the credibility to authentically play in this space,” Opperman said
Camelthorn Brewing Company was the first independent craft brewery in Namibia. According to Opperman, the brand, unfortunately, struggled due to the small market in the country. Initially the company started by brewing five types of beer, but eventually had to scale it down, due to the market challenges. NBL completely took over Camelthorn Brewing Company and its assets in March 2014.
“Although the Camelthorn Brewing Company produced world class beer strictly according to the traditional German and International brewing style, the consumer market was not big enough in Namibia at the time, and unfortunately the brand struggled, which led to the brand and trademarks having been put up for sale,” added Opperman.
