DDR Beer Styles

I just came across this dead handy document I’d forgotten I had. It’s TGL 7764: the official DDR standard document for beer.

One of the useful bits of information is something on beers styles. A little table documenting the characteristics of each type of beer. It’s rather longer than the table in Kunze and includes some styles I never came across. Things like Lagerbier Dunkel, Lagerbier Spezial and Dunkel.

It doesn’t include ABV, so I’ve calculated it from the OG and rate of attenuation. I’ve used the middle of the gravity range and either the middle of the attenuation range or the minimum value. What it shows is quite a narrow range of ABVs, with the vast majority of styles between 3.5 and 5%.

I’d been wondering about Doppel-Karamelbier. It always specifies Vollbier on the label, but I was fairly certain it was low ABV. The fact no rate of attenuation is specified implies to me that it’s very low. And that it’s one of those weird German styles with a normal OG, but minimal amount of alcohol. Consulting Kunze*, I see that it had an ABC of 0.63% to 1.5%. So hardly fermented at all.

Another odd feature is the number of Pilsner styles: four in total. I’m not sure why Deutsches Pilsator and Deutsches Pilsner Spezial get separate entries as their specifications seem identical. As do Lagerbier Hell and Lagerbier Spezial, Lagerbier Dunkel and Lagerbier Dunkel Spezial.

It’s handy that there’s an indication of bitterness, though I’m not sure how that relates to IBUs. It does indicate the relative bitterness of the types, at least.

You'll notice that every DDR label has TGL 7764 on it somewhere.

Here you go:

DDR beer styles 1987 - 1990
Type	OG Plato	ABV	App. Atten-uation	CO2 Content	Isohumulon Content	EBC colour
	%	%	%	% min.	Mg/l
Dunkel (Einfachbier)	5.7 - 6.2	1.84	55 - 65	0.35	3 - 11	min 79
Alkoholfreies Bier	6.5 - 7.0		10 - 15	0.42	22 - 28	max 12
Weissbier	7.0 - 8.0	2.90	min 75	0.60	nothing specified	9 - 15
Extra	8.5 - 9.0	3.41	min 75	0.45	22 - 34	max 12
Hell	9.5 - 10.0	3.82	min 75	0.40	16 - 26	max 14
Edel-Bräu Hell	10.5 - 11.0	4.23	min 75	0.42	16 - 28	max 14
Dunkel (Vollbier)	10.0 - 10.5	4.02	min 75	0.40	16 - 26	min 79
Doppel-Karamelbier	11.7 - 12.2	0.63 - 1.5	nothing specified	0.42	3 - 10	min 93
Schwarzbier	11.7 - 12.2	4.12	60 - 70	0.42	20 - 34	min 160
Deutsches Pilsner	10.5 - 11.0	4.23	min 75	0.40	22 - 34	max 12
Diabetiker-Pils	10.0 - 10.5			0.42	22 - 34	max 13
Lagerbier Hell	11.5 - 12.0	4.65	min 75	0.42	20 - 34	max 31
Lagerbier Dunkel	11.5 - 12.0	4.65	min 75	0.42	14 - 26	min 40
Lagerbier Spezial	11.5 - 12.0	4.65	min 75	0.42	20 - 34	max 31
Lagerbier Dunkel Spezial	11.5 - 12.0	4.65	min 75	0.42	14 - 26	min 40
Deutsches Pilsator	11.5 - 12.0	4.83	min 78	0.42	26 - 39	max 12
Deutsches Pilsner Spezial	11.5 - 12.0	4.83	min 78	0.42	26 - 39	max 12
Spitzenbier	12.0 - 12.5	4.86	min 73	0.45	28 - 40	max 18
Märzen	13.5 - 14.0	5.13	min 70	0.42	20 - 34	max 110
Weißer Bock oder Bockbier Hell	15.0 - 15.5	5.86	68 - 75	0.40	14 - 26	21 - 43
Dunkler Bock oder Bockbier Dunkel	15.0 - 15.5	5.62	65 - 72	0.40	10 - 25	min 83
Deutscher Porter	17.5 - 18.0	6.10	min 64	0.42	35 - 50	min 160
Source:
TGL 7764

* "Technologie für Brauer und Mälzer" by Wolfgang Kunze, 1975, page 422.