German craftsman's spirit passed on in Shandong

Gerhard Luthardt checks the production line at Taishan Beer brewery in Tai'an, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Gerhard Luthardt, an 82-year-old brewer from Germany, has been working at the Shandong Taishan Beer company for more than 20 years.

Luthardt was born in the city of Cologne, Germany, in 1937. His parents ran a small winery which led to his interest in wine from an early age.

In 1952, at the age of 16, Luthardt entered a brewery in his hometown. From the raw materials selection to the products packaging, he began to learn bit by bit, in order to be familiar with the beer production process and master every step of brewing.

In 1964, he graduated from a research and teaching institute for brewing in Berlin, majoring in wine making and obtained a master's degree.

Years of active experience in wine making provided him with valuable experience and theoretical studies at the university gave him a deeper understanding of his vocation and the pursuit of the production of so-called raw beer.

As beer purists' delight, raw beer is regarded by enthusiasts as the freshest and most original real beer.

Raw beer is so called because it has not been filtered. Compared with other beers, the original pulp beer is not filtered in the brewing process and does not undergo a high temperature pasteurization inactivation process.

"It (raw beer) is part of my life, like the beating of my heart," according to Luthardt.