We start with pitching.
Some German Methods of Fermentation.
A general account of the methods adopted in fermenting in Munich breweries is given by N. Klimoff in the Wochenschrift für Brauerei, and the following is an abstract of his paper:—The density of the wort varies according to the nature of the beer and the season of the year from 12.8°—18.6° Bg. In one brewery the yeast is mixed to a paste with three-quarters its volume of wort, and sometimes the whole of it is sown at once into the fermentation vat; at other times, half the former quantity of yeast is allowed to start in a little wort, and, when fermentation is set up, the main bulk of the wort is added.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, June 15th 1899, page 347.
I've read about German brewers in the 19th century using the method of first pitching and starting the fermentation in a small quantity of the wort. Then later adding the bulk of the wort once fermentation had kicked off.
Now it's pitching and fermentation temperatures.
The initial temperature is 4° R [8.75-10º C] , and fermentation lasts from eight to 10 days, the temperature rising about 1°R. [1.25º C] in 24 hours; it is not allowed to rise above 7—8° R. [8.75-10º C] , but is again reduced to 4°—5° R [5-6.25º C]. When the yeast has been in use for some time it is washed with cold water. Only the middle layers of yeast, separated from each vat, are used for setting up the next, the rest (more than one-half) is sold.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, June 15th 1899, page 347.
That's a pretty cool fermentation. But what you would expect for Lager.
It's the turn of lagering now.
The attenuation varies from 45 to 60 per cent. The beer is cooled to 2° R. [2.5º C], and stored in the lager cellar at 0.S°—1.5° R [0.625-1.875º C]. The time of the different treatments in the cellar varies with the nature of the beer. With summer export beer, 30 days’ storage is allowed before adding shavings for clearing purposes, and 36 days later the lager cask is bunged for another 22 days, after which the beer is filtered and sent out.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, June 15th 1899, page 347.
It would be nice if they said real or apparent attenuation. I suspect that it's real. I know attenuation was poor in Munich, but not quite as bad as 45% apparent.
Summer export beer would have had a fairly short lagering period. But it still adds up to 88 days in total. Or pretty much the classic three months. The bunging would be to carbonate the beer.
Bock beer, after six weeks’ open storage in the cellar is treated with "krausen” in the shape of fresh beer, and the casks are bunged and kept for another three weeks. The density of the different kinds of beer ranges from 1.25° to 2° Bg.; they contain from 3 to 5.9 per cent, of alcohol, and from 6 to 7.3 per cent, of extract, the strongest being bock beer.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, June 15th 1899, page 347.
Was Bock the only beer to be kräusened? I sort of doubt it. Are those alcohol percentages by weight or volume? I suspect weight.
In another brewery only pure cultures of yeast are employed, and a small fermentation of two hectolitres is first set up with one litre of pasty yeast culture. When this is complete the yeast is separated and used in the ordinary fermentations; after being used six or seven times it is replaced by a fresh pure culture. The fermentation is conducted in much the same way as in the former case, and the treatment in the lager cellar only varies slightly. Another brewery cultivates a continuous supply of pure yeast in a Kühle and Hansen’s yeast apparatus and sells it after using it four times.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, June 15th 1899, page 347.
I would have expected all the breweries in Munich to be using pure yeast cultures by this point. Well, the large brewers, at least.
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