North German Lagerbiers 1879 - 1893

This time we'll be looking at the Lagerbiers of three North German ports: Hamburg, Bremen and Kiel. I wonder what we'll find?

I'll start with a word of warning: for the Hamburg samples both the OG and FG are calculated. In the published analysis there was only extract (real FG Balling) and ABW. I know from plugging in other numbers that the measured extract often doesn't 100% match the one calculated from OG and FG. Which is my way of saying that there's room for a fair degree of error.

Quickly glancing at the Hamburg set, they look pretty much like the Lagerbiers from other German regions, with OG averaging 1053.6 or 13.28º Plato. That's a bit more than Hannover region and a bit less than Westphalia. I think we're seeing a definite trend here. When I've finished going through all the analyses, I'll calculate averages for the whole of Germany. I reckon OG will come out 1053-1054.

Hamburg Lagerbiers 1880 - 1893
Year	Brewer	Town	Beer	Style	OG	FG	OG Plato	ABV	attenuation	Lactic acid %
1893	Joh. Höbold	Hamburg?	Doppel-Malz Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1045.5	1017.6	11.35	3.60	61.32%	0.351
1893	Joh. Höbold	Hamburg?	Doppel-Malz Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1046.2	1015.3	11.52	4.00	66.88%
1893	Joh. Höbold	Hamburg?	Doppel-Malz Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1047.8	1016.5	11.90	4.05	65.48%	0.401
1893	Richard Behn	Ottensen	Lagerbier Dunkel	Dunkles	1048.8	1010.0	12.14	5.05	79.51%
1893	Holsten Brauerei	Hamburg Altona	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1049.0	1008.8	12.19	5.24	82.04%
1893	Richard Behn	Ottensen	Lagerbier Hell	Helles	1049.5	1007.8	12.31	5.44	84.24%	0.314
1893	Germania Brauerei	Hamburg Wansbeck	Helles Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1049.9	1012.9	12.40	4.80	74.15%	0.250
1893	Joh. Höbold	Hamburg?	Malz-Export Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1050.2	1020.0	12.47	3.90	60.16%
1893	Uelzener Brauerei	Hamburg Uelzen	Exportbier	Export	1050.2	1017.3	12.47	4.25	65.54%	0.270
1893	Kaiserblume	Hamburg?	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1050.7	1011.5	12.59	5.10	77.32%	0.135
1893	Brauerei Hammonia	Hamburg	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1051.0	1017.7	12.65	4.30	65.26%	0.180
1893	Löwen-Brauerei	Hamburg	Kaiser-Tafelbier	Tafelbier	1051.7	1016.9	12.83	4.50	67.31%	0.293
1893	Einbecker Export-Lagerbier-Brauerei	Einbeck	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1051.8	1013.3	12.85	5.00	74.32%	0.150
1893	Frisia Brauerei	Hamburg?	Exportbier	Export	1052.0	1013.5	12.90	5.00	74.04%
1893	Germania Brauerei	Hamburg Wansbeck	Exportbier	Export	1052.5	1014.7	13.02	4.90	72.00%
1893	Brauerei Hammonia	Hamburg	Pilsener	Pilsener	1052.8	1020.3	13.09	4.20	61.55%
1880	Leitmeritz Brauerei Elbschloss	Hamburg	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1053.0	1011.7	13.13	5.38	77.92%
1893	Brauerei	Bahrenfeld	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1053.1	1017.8	13.16	4.56	66.48%	0.272
1893	Hansa-Brauerei	Hamburg	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1053.3	1014.0	13.20	5.10	73.73%	0.270
1893	Brauerei Ditmarsia	Heide	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1054.0	1014.4	13.37	5.15	73.33%
1893	Elbschloss-Brauerei	Hamburg	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1054.2	1018.6	13.42	4.60	65.68%	0.300
1893	Einbecker Export-Lagerbier-Brauerei	Einbeck	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1054.6	1016.8	13.51	4.90	69.23%	0.110
1893	Marienthaler Gesellschaft	Marienthal	Helles Exportbier	Export	1055.0	1016.4	13.59	5.00	70.15%	0.175
1893	Brauerei Hammonia	Hamburg	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1055.3	1021.5	13.67	4.36	61.12%	0.198
1893	Hansa-Brauerei	Hamburg	Export Lagerbier	Export	1056.0	1016.7	13.84	5.10	70.18%	0.212
1893	Löwen-Brauerei	Hamburg	Pilsener	Pilsener	1056.1	1015.9	13.85	5.21	71.63%	0.405
1893	Kronen u.	Hamburg?	Krystall-Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1057.1	1012.6	14.10	5.80	77.93%
1893	Kaiserblume	Hamburg?	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1058.0	1011.9	14.31	6.01	79.48%	0.200
1880	Von Uelzen	Hamburg Uelzen	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1058.7	1013.4	14.47	5.90	77.17%
1893	Löwen-Brauerei	Hamburg	Prälatenbräu	???	1058.7	1016.4	14.47	5.50	72.06%	0.315
1893	Marienthaler Gesellschaft	Marienthal	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1059.8	1018.5	14.72	5.35	69.04%	0.198
1893	Brauerei Hammonia	Hamburg	Klosterbräu	???	1059.8	1023.4	14.73	4.70	60.87%	0.300
1880	Von Uelzen	Hamburg Uelzen	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1063.0	1014.6	15.47	6.31	76.83%
1880	Holsten Brauerei	Hamburg Altona	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1064.6	1009.5	15.84	7.23	85.29%
	Average				1053.6	1015.2	13.28	4.98	71.45%	0.252
Source:
Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel by Joseph König, 1903, pages 1102 - 1156

Again, there are examples at the top and bottom end that look like they belong elsewhere. The bottom three - all under 12º Plato - look more like Schenkbier. At the top are a couple that look like Bock. You may have heard of the brewery behind the strongest of the set: Holsten. Now isn't that handy. The Holsten website list the OG in Plato. Which means I can put together a little table of their beers.

Holsten beers in 2014
Year	Beer	Style	OG	FG	OG Plato	ABV	attenuation	bitterness (EBU)
2014	Pilsener	Pilsener	1044.9	1008.0	11.20	4.80	82.17%	28
2014	Edel	Helles	1044.9	1007.3	11.20	4.90	83.73%	23
2014	Export	Export	1047.4	1007.5	11.80	5.20	84.17%	27
2014	Extra Herb	Pilsener	1044.9	1006.5	11.20	5.00	85.51%	40
2014	Stark	Bockbier, Dunkel	1066.2	1012.7	16.20	7.00	80.88%	16
Source:
Holsten website http://www.holsten-pilsener.de/biere.html

That's interesting. The rate of attenuation has hardly increased. But that's only because the Holsten had untypically high rates of attenuation. The strongest 19th-century Lagerbier even has a higher degree of attenuation that the nearest equivalent modern beer, Stark.

Einbecker Brauhaus also list the OG, so I can treat you to another table:

Einbecker Brauhaus beers in 2014
Year	Beer	Style	OG	FG	OG Plato	ABV	attenuation
2014	Brauherren Pils	Pilsener	1045.7	1008.1	11.40	4.90	82.27%
2014	Dunkel	Dunkles	1046.1	1008.5	11.50	4.90	81.57%
2014	Weihnachtsbier	Festbier	1050.7	1010.1	12.60	5.30	80.19%
2014	Ur-Bock Dunkel	Bockbier, Dunkel	1066.2	1016.3	16.20	6.50	75.36%
2014	Ur-Bock Hell	Bockbier, Hell	1066.2	1016.3	16.20	6.50	75.36%
2014	Mai-Ur-Bock	Bockbier, Hell	1066.2	1016.3	16.20	6.50	75.36%
2014	Winter-Bock	Bockbier, Bernstein	1074.9	1017.5	18.20	7.50	76.63%
2014	Premium Pilsener	Pilsener	1044.9	1008.0	11.20	4.80	82.17%
2014	Landbier Spezial	Landbier	1047.4	1007.5	11.80	5.20	84.17%
Source:
Einbecker website http://www.einbecker.de/product-range

In this case the modern attenuation is much higher, as you would expect.

Once again, the average lactic acid content, at 0.252%, looks very high.

On to Bremen. What a weird set these are. For a start, half of them are dark. Though I'm not sure exactly what colour "Hellbraun" (pale brown) is. Only the Piksener and the beer below it really seem to Lagerbier strength. most of the examples aren't just in Bock country, they've strayed well up the Doppelbock mountain. I fail top see how these can be described as Lagerbier.

Bremen Lagerbiers 1879 - 1884
Year	Brewer	Town	Beer	Style	OG	FG	OG Plato	ABV	attenuation	Lactic acid %	CO2 %
1879	Unknown	Bremen	Lagerbier Hellbraun	Dunkles	1035.5	1014.5	8.94	0.00	71.59%
1884	Hemelingen bei Bremen	Bremen	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1049.5	1012.1	12.31	2.71	59.15%	0.137	0.174
1884	Bremer Aktien-Brauerei	Bremen	Pilsener	Pilsener	1050.3	1009.1	12.50	4.86	75.56%	0.145	0.168
1884	Bremer Aktien-Brauerei	Bremen	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1060.6	1016.2	14.91	5.38	81.91%	0.142	0.152
1884	Andr. Müller, Bremen	Bremen	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1064.4	1011.7	15.79	5.78	73.27%	0.040	0.260
1879	Unknown	Bremen	Lagerbier braun	Dunkles	1067.1	1012.0	16.42	6.89	81.83%
1879	Unknown	Bremen	Lagerbier Hellbraun	Dunkles	1067.1	1012.0	16.42	7.21	82.12%
1884	Andr. Müller, Bremen	Bremen	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1067.7	1013.8	16.56	7.21	82.12%	0.010	0.220
1879	Unknown	Bremen	Lagerbier braun	Dunkles	1070.0	1016.5	17.08	7.05	79.62%
1879	Unknown	Bremen	Lagerbier braun	Dunkles	1081.4	1014.0	19.67	6.98	76.43%
1879	Unknown	Bremen	Lagerbier Hellbraun	Dunkles	1082.6	1016.0	19.94	6.98	76.43%
	Average				1063.3	1013.4	15.50	5.55	76.36%	0.095	0.195
Source:
Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel by Joseph König, 1903, pages 1102 - 1156

The rate of attenuation is shockingly high - over 80% for some beers with gravities over 16º Plato. And blow me, the level of lactic acid is actually just about acceptable , resting a little below 0.1%.

Finally the beers from Kiel. It's worth noting that at this point Kiel hadn't long been part of Germany. Schleswig-Holstein, the region it's in, was Danish until 1864.

Kiel Lagerbiers 1884 - 1893
Year	Brewer	Town	Beer	Style	OG	FG	OG Plato	ABV	attenuation	Lactic acid %	CO2 %
1884	Schlüter & Co., Kiel	Kiel	Hell	Helles	1050.0	1015.5	12.42	0.00	78.76%	0.111	0.169
1884	Kieler Aktein-Brauerei	Kiel	nach Wiener Art	Vienna	1050.3	1015.3	12.50	4.48	69.00%	0.020	0.390
1893	Brauerei Holsatia, Kiel	Kiel	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1051.0	1016.3	12.66	4.54	69.58%		0.133
1884	Schlüter & Co.,	Kiel	Dunkel	Dunkles	1052.4	1013.8	12.99	4.54	69.58%	0.128	0.150
1884	Dreves & Co., Kiel	Kiel	Lagerbier	Lagerbier	1063.2	1018.9	15.52	5.01	73.66%	0.020	0.310
	Average				1053.4	1016.0	13.22	3.71	72.12%	0.070	0.230
Source:
Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel by Joseph König, 1903, pages 1102 - 1156

There's a bit of everything in there: Helles, Dunkles and Vienna Lagers. And they all look like Lagerbiers, except for the strongest example. With that excluded the average gravity is 1050.9. I've not much else to say, other than that the average lactic acid content is the lowest we've seen so far: 0.07. Well done, Kiel!

I'm not too sure what normal CO2 levels are. I can say that the beers of Kiel were fizzier than those of Bremen. Is that good or bad?

What next? Königsberg and Erfurt. I  think. Might change my mind.