A brief history of Apfelschorle - Germany

Before I moved to Germany, the last time I drank apple juice was when I was six years old. As an American adult I considered it something to be consumed by children out of a cup with a lid and a spout.

Now, at age 26 and living in Munich, I've found that Apfelschorle - an approximately half-and-half mix of apple juice and mineral water - has become my favourite beverage. Specifically, I like the Adelholzener brand, which is fitting since they're headquartered in Munich.

According to the company website, the Adelholzener Alpenquellen belong to the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. 100% of company income after operating costs supports the convent's institutions and projects such as hospitals, nursing homes, homes for the sick and elderly, and other social projects. The congregation's mother house was built between 1837 and 1839 in the Nussbaumstrasse, near Sendlinger Tor.

The actual facility for Adelholzener Alpenquellen is located at the foot of the Bavarian Alps, in the town of Siegsdorf. They produce 'healing water', mineral water and soft drinks. The 'healing' properties apparently originated 1700 years ago, when a Roman missionary, Primus, discovered the water source. According to the legend, Primus - who was later canonized - used the curative effects of the water and the power of the Christian faith to heal the sick.

If the folklore doesn't convince you, apparently the effectiveness of Adelholzener Healing Water has been certified by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices in Berlin. It's diuretic, stimulates metabolism, helps to prevent both kidney stones and mineral nutrient deficiency, and can aid the treatment of chronic diseases.

But back on topic - I love Adelholzener Apfelschorle, mostly cos it comes in a variety of delicious flavours. I'm particularly keen on the Kräuter Apfel and Sport Apfel Limone varieties, but if you want to try them be forewarned: they're not particularly easy to find. I first discovered Kräuter Apfel in the MiniMal at Bonner Platz, but have yet to find it anyplace else - including the MiniMals on Tal and in the Funf Höfe, and the Galeria Kaufhof on Marienplatz. I stumbled across Apfel Limone in my local Getränkemarkt, and haven't yet seen it elsewhere.

I assume these 'special' varieties may be in somewhat limited distribution, so if you see a bottle, seize the opportunity and grab it. It might just cure what ails you. Oh, and pick up an extra bottle for me while you're at it.

I love Schorle as well. FYI all Mineralwasser have to be bottled at the source and with the "ursprüngliche reinheit". The Schorle market has been in the plus for several years now and there´s money to be made here. Adelholzener is known to be a mild Mineralwater (total minerals = 487.8mg/L) as opposed to say Apollinaris with 2650 mg Minerals /Liter.

Heilwasser or "Healing Water" is a peculiar German classification. It however is on the decline. Heilwasser should not be confused with Mineralwasser, those are 2 different classifications. The Healing Water you mentioned is certified because all Healing Waters have to be certified by the government. There has to be "proof" of therapeutic benefits. It´s kind of like an over the counter medicine, and has to meet many of the same requirements - look at the label and you´ll see what I mean.

Adelholzener Healing water has the following ion concentrations:
Sodium = 4.6 mg/L
Potassium=0.5
Mg=31
Ca=94
Cl=3.6
SO4=10
HCO3=430
NO3=4

What are the ingredients listed on your bottle of Schorle?

Ah, a fellow Schorle fan! I must confess, I was just being cheeky with my last statement. There's no evidence that Apfelschorle has any healing properties, though I do find it a particularly good hangover remedy. Totally unscientific of course

A schorle fan I am

But it gets me how powerful the Mineralwater industry is here in Germany. I guess it´s good cause they keep a lot of people employed, including many brewers believe it or not. My main gripe is the lack of available drink water in restaurants etc. It´s always a hassle here to ask for a simple "Leitungswasser" and almost a social fopah. I also think there must have been an agreement made between the Mineralwasser companies and public buildings - there are no water fountains in Germany! One of the first sights that I see when I step off the plane in the US is a beautiful ordinary water fountain. Water for free - did you hear that one? And, the tap water here in Germany is actually very good, both in taste and also in mikrobiological stability. I´m convinced the majority of Germans don´t know how good the normal tap water is. In fact, it´s better than some Mineral waters IMO. Depends of course what you´re looking for. If you want a lot of Sodium for e.g buy an Überkinger, it has a concentration of 1.09 g of Sodium per liter (Adelholzener has 10mg!)

nice bit of advertising for Adelholzner there
do you work for them or summat?

tap water is more closely regulated than mineral water. buying mineral water is an old tradition in germany that the krauts are not willing to give up. when you can think of how much money you would save...
admittedly, i buy a few bottles of medium everytime i go to the shop just so i can make my own "shorle" at home (usually o-saft or now the red multi-vitamin. mmmm).

Funnily enough, I'm not crazy about mineralwasser. I like nice, un-gassy drinking water. I particularly hate that bottled Ja! crap. Must be an American thing.

But pour a bit of the fizzy stuff into some apple juice and I'm totally sold.

@ Topsy
Nope, I don't work for Adelholzener, but they are more than welcome to send me a complimentary gift basket if they so desire - with Kräuter Apfel, please

@ Lupo
I'm totally shameless about asking for tap water (leitungswasser).

The prickly feeling on the tongue does it all the time. CO2 makes any drink seem "fresher".

Girl, you´ve got to discover Radler then!

Actually there are an increasing number of shops here that have free water, from those big water cooler things, the ones with a big upturned bottle of water on them.

What an easy job - in a nutshell, you bottle water from a spring and sell it. Maybe I should start bottling Munich water and sell it overseas!

I quite like the Rote Schorle.

Big fan of Hollunder-Birne here.

Answer me one question though, why must they use glass bottles? It's impossible to transport these things anywhere, they're heavy and take up way too much space.

I've noticed the plastic bottles slowly appearing which are much more convenient but our Getränkeautomat still carries only the 0,7 l glass bottles which not only make all sorts of racket when they plummet down to the retrieval slot but also require a packhorse to lug my required daily water intake up to my office.

The future is plastic, specifically, PET (Polyethylenterephthalat). Most AFG companies are switching or have allready switched. There´s either Mehrweg (recycleable or oneway.) They´ve been trying to do it with beer as well but it´s had limited success so far (thankfully!) PET has advantages and disadvantages, the biggest pro is of course it´s light weight. But all these new machines cost money. Eventually though, I predict your bottles will be plastic as well.

???

There are 75 public fountains in Munich, with perfectly drinkable water. There are none so blind...

http://www.swm.de/de/produkte/mwasser/wass...serbrunnen.html