German Export

Ha. Still not forgotten that it's German Month. A triumph of memory.

Just for a change, I'm not going to bang on about weird, forgotten top-fermenting styles. Today we're in Lagerland, looking at a beer that was once as mainstream as it gets. Export was for a large chunk of the 20th century, the best-selling type of beer in Germany. Until it went out of fashion and the German public's affection switched to Pils.

Export. The name has nothing to do with being shipped abroad. Like Lagerbier, Märzen and Bock, Export is an indication of strength. Export slotted between Lagerbier and Märzen in the strength hierarchy. At one time it would have been a minimum of 13º Plato (around 1052º). As it's popularity eroded after 1970, so did its gravity. Many current examples are barely 12º Plato (around 1048º).

As with those other gravity-related terms, Export came in a variety of colours. The classic Dunkles of Munich was originally a Dunkles Export. But as dark Lagers became more rare, the older distinction between Dunkles Lagerbier and Dunkles Export became irrelevant and fell into disuse. As usual, the style nazis have chosen a single variation - Dortmunder Export - as representing the whole style. Just ignore them and listen to me. I know what I'm talking about. Honest.

Almost forgot. At the time when Vienna Lagers were actually brewed in Austria, you also had amber Export. But these beers, as far as I am aware, disappeared yonks ago. Unless, of course, you count some of the higher-gravity amber Lagers brewed ion the Czech Republic.

Here's a pretty random selection of Exports from across the decades:

German Export
Year	Brewer	Beer	Style	Acidity	FG	OG	Colour	ABV	attenuation
1884	Actien Brauhaus, Hanover	Export	Export	0.183	1014.6	1065.6		6.96	76.68%
1890	Aktienexportbierbrauerei, Kulmbach	Helles Exportbier	Export	0.15	1016.1	1064.6		6.31	75.02%
1890	Aktienexportbierbrauerei, Kulmbach	Dunkles	Export		1029.2	1080.4		6.63	63.67%
2004	August, Augsburg	Export	Export		1010.4	1050.3		5.20	78.56%
1930	average of 14 samples	Export Dortmunder	Export		1012.2	1054.0	0.73	5.39	76.44%
1901	Brauhaus Würzburg	Export Beer	Export	0.099	1020.9	1061.1		5.09	64.40%
1961	Dortmunder - Hansa	Dortmunder Urtyp	Export	0.04	1006.7	1053.7	9.5	5.88	87.52%
1890	Gebrüder Lederer, Nürnberg	Exportbier	Export		1020.4	1059.8		5.10	65.89%
1900	German	Export	Export		1018.1	1053.6		4.60	65.06%
1900	German	Export	Export		1019.1	1059.1		5.19	66.51%
1930	German	Foreign Export Beer	Export		1007.8	1048.0	0.66	5.20	83.03%
1930	German	Foreign Export Beer	Export		1009.0	1051.8	0.47	5.42	81.78%
1898	Hamburger	Export	Export		1012.7	1046.0		4.28	71.52%
1898	Hanover	Export	Export		1013.2	1050.7		4.70	73.10%
1884	Henninger, Erlangen	Export	Export	0.148	1013.8	1059.3		5.76	75.72%
1885	Kulmbacher	Export	Export		1029.8	1072.3		5.48	57.10%
1887	Kulmbacher	Export	Export		1017.5	1062.3		5.81	70.59%
1884	Kulmbacher Actien	Export	Export	0.18	1025.1	1068.1		5.39	61.56%
1879	Löwenbräu, Munich	Export	Export	0.23	1014.0	1055.5		5.25	73.76%
1901	Löwenbräu, Munich	Export	Export		1016.1	1054.7		5.01	69.48%
2004	Paulaner	Urtyp	Export		1008.2	1050.3		5.50	83.04%
1885	Pschorr, Munich	Export	Export	0.14	1017.9	1057.0		5.00	67.31%
1896	Pschorr, Munich	Export	Export	0.108	1024.0	1057.8		4.34	57.08%
1897	Pschorr, Munich	Export	Export	0.045	1020.5	1056.7		4.64	62.57%
1901	Pschorr, Munich	Export	Export	0.072	1017.2	1053.5		4.65	66.82%
1878	Robby, Nürnberg	Export	Export	0.21	1017.5	1054.3		4.71	66.49%
1885	Sedlmayer, Munich	Export	Export	0.18	1017.7	1064.6		6.13	71.29%
1879	Spaten, Munich	Export	Export		1019.7	1055.4		4.61	63.14%
1879	Spaten, Munich	Export	Export	0.19	1019.7	1055.7		4.68	63.33%
1890	Spatenbräu, München	Exportbier	Export		1015.5	1057.8		5.50	73.27%
1930	strongest sample	Export Dortmunder	Export		1014.3	1057.2	0.84	5.58	73.85%
1895	Thüringer	Export	Export	0.09	1013.4	1050.7		4.70	72.60%
1898	Thüringer	Export	Export		1009.0	1040.3		3.89	76.83%
1895	Tucher, Nürnberg	Export	Export	0.135	1020.1	1062.2		5.39	66.30%
1870	Unknown, Magdeburg	Export	Export		1018.1	1058.6		5.25	69.11%
1898	Unknown, Nürnberg	Export	Export		1020.0	1057.7		4.85	64.09%
1930	weakest sample	Export Dortmunder	Export		1009.4	1051.2	0.66	5.08	80.88%
1870's	Weihenstephan	Export	Export	2.00				4.05	0.00%
1870	Weihenstephaner	Export	Export		1018.9	1049.9		4.00	62.12%
1890	Weihenstephaner	Exportbier	Export		1025.9	1057.4		4.05	54.85%
1878	Wladschlösschen, Dresden	Export	Export	0.17	1014.8	1052.5		4.49	70.81%
1879	Wladschlösschen, Dresden	Export	Export	0.2	1018.5	1068.3		6.20	71.56%
2004	August, Augsburg	Festbier	Festbier		1011.6	1054.6		5.60	77.93%
Sources: "Bericht über die Entwickelung der chemischen Industrie während des letzten Jahrzehends" by August Wilhelm von Hofmann, 1877, page 382 "Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel" by Joseph König, 1879, pages 147 - 158 "Handbuch der chemischen technologie" by Otto Dammer, Rudolf Kaiser, 1896, pages 696-697 "Van Brouwerij tot Bierglas" by F. Kurris, Doetinchem, 1948, pages 26-27 brewery's website The 1911 Encyclopedia Brittanica Wahl & Henius, pages 823-830 Whitbread Gravity Book

You'll surely have seen that most are in the 1050-1060 range. Though there are a few quite a wide outside that range both above and below.

I always think of Export as the German equivalent of Mild. A grand old gentleman who's fallen on hard times. No wonder I follow its fate with such attention.