Munich Export 1879 - 1899

I hope you’re enjoying my series on Lager styles. I realise now that II started this series a few years ago. Then got distracted and forgot to finish it.

I’d written the first part about Export, then never gone any further. Sorry about that.

I’ve so many analyses that I’ve split them up by region. I’m starting with some names that you may find familiar. Several of these names are still around though, as in the case of Löwenbräu, not necessarily the brewery.

The gravity of Export has been whittled down over the years, which is the main reason that the distinction between Export and Lagerbier has been eroded. Most modern examples don’t even reach 13º Plato. As we’ll be seeing later. Assuming I can be arsed to continue this series that long.

The numbers are much as I would expect, especially the low degree of attenuation. That’s so typical of 19th-century Lagers. It leaves the average ABV under 5%. A level of alcohol achieved in modern Lagers with an OG of no more than 12º Plato.

You’ll note that there’s a fair degree of variation in gravity, from just 12.31º Plato to 15.23º Plato. As a drinker, there was no real way of knowing how strong the beer in your glass was. Other than to guess based on its mouthfeel and effect.

In the UK at least, Lager had a reputation for not being very intoxicating. Which presumably was a result of the low degree of attenuation. That and lower gravities to start with. The average gravities of these Exports, which were considered strongish Lagers, is about the same as London X Ale of the period. Which wasn’t considered particularly strong at all.

Next time we’ll be looking at Export from around Nuremburg.

Munich Export 1879 - 1889
Year	Brewer	Beer	OG Plato	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	Acidity
1879	Spaten	Export	13.91	1056.3	1020.1	4.68	64.30%	0.19
1879	Löwenbräu	Export	13.63	1055.1	1014.7	5.25	73.32%	0.23
1883	Löwenbräu	Export	14.18	1057.5	1019.6	4.90	65.88%	0.207
1883	Leistbräu	Export	14.45	1058.6	1015.5	5.60	73.55%	0.291
1884	Löwenbräu	Export	12.97	1052.3	1018.7	4.34	64.24%	0.26
1884	Münchner Kindl	Export	13.11	1052.9	1015.7	4.83	70.32%	0.11
1885	Prschorrbräu	Export	12.31	1049.5	1018.5	4.00	62.63%	0.14
1885	Spaten	Export	12.42	1050.0	1019.6	3.93	60.80%	0.2
1886	Augustinerbräu	Export	13.98	1056.6	1021.0	4.60	62.90%	0.135
1886	Spaten	Export	13.84	1056.0	1018.2	4.90	67.50%	1.081
1887	Hackerbräu	Export	14.28	1057.9	1020.0	4.90	65.46%	0.238
1887	Bürgerliches Brauhaus	Export	14.47	1058.7	1021.4	4.83	63.54%	0.223
1888	Löwenbräu	Exportbier	14.84	1060.3	1024.8	4.58	58.87%
1888	Leistbräu	Exportbier	14.73	1059.8	1023.6	4.68	60.54%
1889	Unknown	Export	14.96	1060.8	1021.0	5.15	65.46%
1889	Unknown	Export	15.35	1062.5	1021.0	5.38	66.40%
1889	Unknown	Export	14.54	1059.0	1027.9	4.00	52.71%
1889	Unknown	Export	15.24	1062.0	1023.9	4.93	61.45%
	Average		14.07	1057.0	1020.3	4.75	64.44%	0.275
Source:
König, J (1903), Bier in Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel by Joseph König, 1903, pp 1101 - 1156, Julius Springer, Berlin.