Mützig is a beer brand owned by Heineken and its subsidiaries, and was originally brewed in 1810 by Brasserie Mutzig [fr] of Alsace, France.[1] It is now a 5.5% ABV lager available in 65cl and 33cl bottles. It has a full-bodied taste and distinctive packaging, and is the most successful premium, locally brewed beer in Central Africa.[2] Mützig is considered a flagship African brand.[3]
 | |
| Type | Beer, pale lager, premium lager |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Heineken N.V. |
| Alcohol by volume | 5.5% (regular) |
| Website | Mützig |
Mützig's slogan is "Mützig, the Taste of Success" in English and "Mützig, Le goût de la Réussite" in French.
History
editThe name Mützig originates from Mutzig, a commune of France located at the entrance of the Bruche river valley, in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace, in north-eastern France. Brasserie Mutzig was founded in 1810 by Antoine Wagner and the beer was brewed there until the brewery closed in 1989, after merging into Alsacienne de Brasserie [fr] (Albra) in 1969, and being acquired by Heineken in 1972.[4][5][6] The 1969 merger forming l'Alsacienne de Brasserie (Alsatian Brewery), combined Mutzig with the Alsatian breweries: de l'Espérance, de la Perle, de Colmar, and Haag à Ingwiller.[5] The old Mutzig brewery was bought by the city of Mutzig in 1992. It was designated a historical monument in 2001, renovated in 2009, and now houses a business incubator.
The spelling of the name was Germanicized with an umlaut for marketing reasons, and Mützig was launched in Africa in 1987 to satisfy the needs of the consumers with a passion for a stronger, yet more refined and bitter tasting beer. It was developed from traditional local methods of sorghum beer fermentation.[7]
The local brewers of Mützig are Bralirwa in Rwanda, Brarudi in Burundi, Brasseries du Cameroun in Cameroon, Brasseries du Congo in the Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone Brewery Limited in Sierra Leone and Bralima in the Democratic Republic of Congo[8]
In Rwanda, Mützig is the most popular beer after Primus, another brand from the same stable,[9] although one survey put Mützig ahead 72% to 69%.[10] It is a more expensive beer than Primus, by some 30%,[9] but cheaper than imported beers.[11] It is packaged in 350 millilitres (12 imp fl oz; 12 US fl oz) and 650 millilitres (23 imp fl oz; 22 US fl oz) bottles.[9] It is branded here as "The Taste of Success".[12]
In Cameroon the beer is produced by Brasseries du Cameroun (Cameroonian Breweries), owned by the French company Castel.[13]
From late 2013 the advertising for Heineken International's Africa brands Mützig and Gulder were handled by M. & C. Saatchi Abel.[14]
Specification
edit(Rwanda)[2]
- Gravity: 10.7 ° P
- Alcohol: 4.7% by volume
- Bitterness: 20 EBU
- Colour: 7 EBC
Sponsorship
editIn Cameroon, Mützig sponsors the Mützig Star national singing competition, which promotes Cameroonian amateur musicians.[15]
In 2015 Mützig was a sponsor of International Fashion week, Kigali, Rwanda.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Brasserie Mutzig SA. (Strasbourg) (1960). Cent-cinquantenaire Bière Mutzig Alsace - 1810-1960 [Mutzig Beer Alsace Sesquicentennial - 1810-1960] (in French). Brasserie Mutzig SA.
- ^ a b "Mützig (Rwanda)". ratebeer.com. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ^ David Fick (2007). Africa: Continent of Economic Opportunity. Real African Publishers. ISBN 978-1-919855-59-2.
- ^ "En Alsace, le renouveau de la bière" [In Alsace, the renewal of beer], L'Express (in French), 24 June 2015, retrieved 25 January 2017
- ^ a b "La bière une passion alsacienne" [Alsatian beer passion], Les Saisons d'Alsace (in French), DNA, p. 43, June 2014
- ^ "Mutzig une bière qui n'a plus droit à la parole" [Mutzig: beer that has more right to speak], Consommateur d'Alsace (in French), no. 62, la Chambre de Consommation d’Alsace, 1988
- ^ The 9th European Conference on Knowledge Management: Eckm 2008. Academic Conferences Limited. 2008. p. 276. ISBN 9781906638108.
- ^ "Celebration of 20 years young of Mützig and re-launch ceremony | Bralirwa Ltd - Braseries et Limonaderies du Rwanda". www.bralirwa.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02.
- ^ a b c Philip Briggs, Janice Booth (2006). Rwanda. The Bradt travel guide. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-84162-180-7.
- ^ "Beers of Rwanda". Inzozu Inflight Magazine. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
- ^ Michael Hodd (1998). East Africa Handbook. Footprint Handbooks Limited. p. 669.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Peter Davis (2013). Corporations, Global Governance, and Post-conflict Reconstruction. Vol. 53. Routledge. p. 120. ISBN 9780415617246. ISSN 1359-7930.
- ^ Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies: Africa. Sara Pendergast, Tom Pendergast (editors). Gale Group/Thomson Learning. 2002. p. 62. ISBN 9780787649562.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Manson, Herman (26 August 2013). "M&C Saatchi Abel revenue jumps 80%". marklives.com. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ^ Tah, Elvis (July 13, 2009). "Brasseries Mutzig Star Laureates Receive Car, Cash Prizes". Cameroon POSTline. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ [1] [dead link]