What is Broyhan?

Another one of my little videos, this time looking at Broyhan, for centuries the most popular beer style in North Germany. Now, it's just a memory. At least, the original style.

 

Malzbier between the wars (part two)

Time for more watery Malzbier fun with Schönfel. Though this time there are some of almost normal strength.

"In addition to them, there were a number of stronger beers, mostly with 7-9% and sometimes also with 10-12% E. gravity, which soon bore this, now that name, and to which the multiple wheat malt beers (beers made from barley and wheat malt), Hannoversch Broihan (also a wheat malt beer of 7-9% gravity flavored with cloves, cinnamon, anise, etc.), Werdersches Bier, the Braunbier of the Kretschmer breweries in Breslau, the beers produced in East and West Prussia, and many others. They were all poorly attenuatted and mostly deeply dark in color. Some agricultural areas were offered a so-called harvest beer in the summer, which was brewed strong and well-hopped.

Mostly made from pure barley malt, but often with the addition of sugar, which could account for up to 20% of the mash material, they were more or less characterized by a mild and malty-sweet taste."
"Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung" by Dr. Franz Schönfeld, 2nd edition, Verlag von Paul Parey, Berlin, 1938, page 133 - 134.

None of that sounds very Reinheitsgebot-compliant. I can't remember coming across Broyhan having so many spices added to it before. Though I know that spices were used to flavour beer. Even in Bavaria, where for a while coriander was allowed.

That's odd with the harvest beer. In the UK, beer intended for harvesters was weaker than standard beer, as it was intended to refresh rather than intoxicate.

"The fermentation took place either in vats or in barrels, from one-ton pieces up to casks of 6-7 tons.

The fermentation period was finished in 2-3 days at the usual temperature of 15-18 ° C.

For barrel fermentation, especially when using small barrels, slightly higher temperatures (20-22 ° C) were advantageously chosen, so that the yeast could be better discharged.

The barrels lying at an angle during the main fermentation were straightened after the yeast growth had ended and, with constant refilling and keeping it full up to the the bung, left to rest for 1-2 days for a short fermentation and 8-10 days for a longer fermentation."
"Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung" by Dr. Franz Schönfeld, 2nd edition, Verlag von Paul Parey, Berlin, 1938, page 134.

Barrel fermentation sound rather like a ponto: having the barrel at an angle tso excess yeast could be discharged and refilling with fresh wort.

Here are a few beers of these types:

Broyhan and Braunbier 1850 - 1890
Year	Brewer	Beer	Style	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	pH
1884	Hannover, Städtisch	Einfacher Broyhan	Broyhan	1031.4	1022.5	1.03	27.67%	3.78
1884	Hannover, Städtisch	Doppelter Broyhan	Broyhan	1053.4	1043.6	1.20	17.55%	3.99
1850	Unknown, Halberstadt	Halberstädter Breyhan	Breyhan	1034.7	1012.7	2.84	62.59%	3.32
1850	Freundes	Braunbier	Braunbier	1056.9	1036.6	2.60	34.57%	3.56
1850	Unknown, Berlin	Werder'sches Braunbier	Braunbier	1030.4	1012.0	2.37	59.74%
1850	Unknown, Berlin	Berliner Braunbier	Braunbier	1058.1	1041.4	2.12	27.63%	3.52
1879	Remmer	Einfach Braunbier	Braunbier	1038.5	1016.4	2.85	57.40%
1879	Unknown, Bremen	Braunbier	Braunbier	1059.1	1010	6.42	83.08%
1879	Unknown, Bremen	Braunbier	Braunbier	1057.3	1014	5.63	75.57%
1879	Unknown, Bremen	Braunbier	Braunbier	1049.9	1022	3.59	55.91%
1879	Unknown, Bremen	Braunbier	Braunbier	1049.5	1012	4.87	75.76%
1879	Unknown, Bremen	Braunbier	Braunbier	1044.5	1012.5	4.15	71.91%
1879	Unknown, Bremen	Braunbier	Braunbier	1061.1	1012	6.41	80.36%
1890	Löwenbrauerei	Doppelbraunbier	Braunbier	1029.9	1015.5	1.85	48.24%	3.65
Sources:
Wahl & Henius, pages 823-830
“Archive der Pharmacie”, 1855, pages 216-217
Handwörterbuch der reinen und angewandten Chemie by Justus Liebig, Johann Christian Poggendorff, Friedrich Wöhler, 1858, page 1038
"Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel" by Joseph König, 1889, pages 806 - 851
"Handbuch der chemischen technologie" by Otto Dammer, Rudolf Kaiser, 1896, pages 696-697

You'll see that some of the beers are stronger than Schönfeld writes. Five of the beers in the table have an OG of over 14º Balling. Some are also pretty sour.

Top-fermenting relics of the 1930s

We're back with good old Schönfeld again.  In this particularly handy section, he runs through which beers had or hadn't made it past WW I.

It includes a couple of surprises.

"In the meantime (from 1900 onwards) a new type of beer in the form of sugar-sweetened and pasteurized Malzbier (Karamelbier) had appeared, giving top fermentation a considerable boost, which has also recently involved the top-fermented, light bitter Lagerbier which was already brewed in the Rhineland.

Otherwise, the old local beers are mostly forgotten. Even famous beers. Such as Danziger Jopenbier, Einbecker beer. The widely spread Porter. Münsterländer Altbier, of which only remnants of inferior quality remain.

A few have managed to survive into the present day, such as Broihan (Hannover)*, which is brewed using wheat malt and has a sweet taste; the dark and weakly sweet brown beer brewed in the Kretschmerei in Breslau, Hamburger "Beer", Lichtenhainer beer and Gose, the wheat malt beer of Bavaria, especially the Berliner Weissbier, and to a lesser extent the non-sour Weissbier of northern Germany. Grätzer beer has saved itself - as a miserable leftover. Rhenish top fermentation, however, has survived the times in improved condition.

* Brown beer with a schnapps (caraway) has been a well-known popular drink in Hamburg as in Hanover under the name "Lüttge Lage"."
"Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung" by Dr. Franz Schönfeld, 2nd edition, Verlag von Paul Parey, Berlin, 1938, page 132.

I'd assumed that Broyhan dies out a decade or two earlier. But, no, it was still limping on in the 1930s.

It's weird that he lists Porter in the lost beers. As there were still plenty of breweries making it in the 1930s. At least one in Berlin, where Schönfeld was based. Not sure which beers he means by non-sour wheat beers. Possibly things like Bremer Weissbier. About which I know bugger all, other than having seen the odd label.

Lüttge Lage is a weird survivor. It's a type of low ABV Altbier which is still produced in Hanover.

Schönfeld finishes this section with a quick look at top-fermentation elsewhere in Europe:

"In other countries too, top fermentation was pushed away more and more. However, there are still a number of breweries in Holland and France which produce light LAgerbier in a top-fermenting manner to a not inconsiderable extent. In Belgium, top fermentation still remains in the production of old sour beers.

A very special exception is England. Only top fermentation is known here. Hundreds of years ago, English beers had a well-founded reputation. They were all strong beers with great durability and characteristic taste and fragrance. They have  remained so to this day. Bottom fermentation was unable to gain a foothold. National characteristics and habits have allowed the old method of preparation to hold on."
"Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung" by Dr. Franz Schönfeld, 2nd edition, Verlag von Paul Parey, Berlin, 1938, pages 132 - 133.

 Of course, there was far more than sour brown beers being top-fermented in Belgium before WW II. And there was bottom-fermenting beer produced in the UK. Just not very much of it.

History of North German top-fermenting styles

It took a couple of hours, but I scanned and OCR'd the last third of  Schönfeld's "Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung". The bit about top-fermenting beer styles.

It kicks off with a little history of North German styles.

"Brewing grew more and more into an art. Everyone who knew how to make a good beer kept the knowledge as a strict secret, on which reputation and economic success depended. Recipes were brewed, which one should never let fall into the hands of others. Thus a secretiveness developed, which led to the fact that in each community, each town one or more special types of beer were produced, which differed in their quality among the numerous others, which also differed from each other."
"Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung" by Dr. Franz Schönfeld, 2nd edition, Verlag von Paul Parey, Berlin, 1938, page 125.

It's a shame that he doesn't give a date for when this happened. Sometime in the Middle Ages, presumably. Something similar happened in England, where brewing changed from a domestic to commercial activity. At least partially. Large quatities of beer were still being brewed domestically in the first half of the 19th century.

"The reputation of the individual types of beer penetrated far into the country and beyond the national border. Märkische breweries were proud to export beer and particularly heavily hopped beer to England in large quantities in the 11th and 12th centuries. Cologne's hopped beer was no less famous and was widely sold in England. Certain cities in Bavaria had a reputation for brewing a light beer, which was on par with English ale, which was particularly preferred by women. Hamburg enjoyed the reputation of producing excellent wheat beer, which was widely shipped even to England. The beers from Bremen, Rostock, Wismar and Lübeck earned their reputation. Güstrow's Kniesenack had also become famous. The Eimbeck beer, the heavy Danzig Jopenbier, the Braunschweiger Mumme are well known. Even porters were brewed, for example in Halberstadt, Alt-Haldensleben, Stettin. Grätz understood early on how to brew a special smoky, bitter beer from wheat malt, just as Grätzer beer still occupies a special position among top-fermented beers."
"Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung" by Dr. Franz Schönfeld, 2nd edition, Verlag von Paul Parey, Berlin, 1938, page 125.

Märkische breweries were in the region around Berlin. I can't say I'd heard of them exporting hopped beer to England in the 11th and 12th centuries. I thought hopped beer only arrived a couple of centuries later.

With the mention of Porter we seem to have jumped ahead a few centuries. Porter was still brewed by considerable numbers of breweries when the book was written, though mostly in what would later become the DDR.

"Also worthy of mentioning, amongst others, is Broyhan, a beer that was named after the brewer Breihan, Broyhan or Broihan from Hanover, who learned beer brewing in Hamburg, had returned to Hanover with the Hamburg recipe for white beer, and here (1526) began brewing Hamburg-style beer. It was very well received and soon became known as Breihan beer. The name Broyhan has been used as a collective name until very recently. In general, in contrast to the original Broyhan, which was very light in color and was only made from barley malt and without hops, it is used to denote a simple, top-fermented, slightly sweet, dark beer, often made from wheat and barley malt, for which, especially in the countryside there was a demand."
"Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung" by Dr. Franz Schönfeld, 2nd edition, Verlag von Paul Parey, Berlin, 1938, pages 125 - 126.

That's very interesting about the change in Broyhan. I'd already noticed that old sources weren't very consistent in their descriptions of Broyhan. I'd always assumed that, as it was brewed for a long period of time and in many locations, that it must have varied quite a bit depending on where and when you were.

I'm no longer shocked by beers changing colour. I've seen it happen with other styles, for example Mild Ale. Though I've seen recipes where it was pale, brewed from a mix of barley and wheat malt, with some, if only a few, hops. I'm pretty sure the reality was a good deal more complicated than Schönfeld describes.

"Gosebier, Berliner Weißbier, Schweidnitzer Bier and Breslauer Schöps are also among the beers that enjoyed great preference. Significantly, it was not the beers of Bavaria, but the beers of northern Germany that enjoyed the great reputation as quality beers and because of their excellent properties were shipped far beyond the national borders. And all of them were beers, which were only fermented in a top-fermented way."
"Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung" by Dr. Franz Schönfeld, 2nd edition, Verlag von Paul Parey, Berlin, 1938, page 126.

 It's often forgotten that Bavaria was a bit of a brewing backwater until the 19th century. Only with Sedlmayr at Apaten did the Bavarian industry become of any significance.

North German wheat beers 1878 – 1886

It’s not just Bavarian Weissbier I’ve analyses for. I’ve also some for North German variations.

They’re quite an interesting bunch. Especially as all but one – the Lichtenhainer – are examples of extinct beer styles.

The first six in the table below are all from the Hannover region, Cell and Ahlten being villages just outside the city. Two of the beers – the ones from Glitz and Schlombs – look quite similar to Berliner Weisse. They’re around 3% ABV and pretty sour. Are these in fact examples of Broyhan?

What the other four Hannover beers share is a terrible degree of attenuation and minimal amounts of alcohol. And two of those are specifically called Broyhan. In contrast to the stronger beers, none of these is particularly sour, a little tart at the most.

I assume that the Hamburg beers were from a specialist Weissbier brewery. At least that’s what the name implies. The first two look very much along the lines of Berliner Weisse again: around 3% ABV and with a high level of acidity.

The Lichtenhainer stands out due to its high degree of attenuation and is easily the strongest of the set. It shows a mild degree of acidity, which is how the style is usually described. Sadly, this is the only analysis of Lichtenhainer I’ve ever found.

North German wheat beers 1878 - 1886
Year	Brewer	Town	Beer	OG Plato	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	Acidity
1878	Unknown	Celle	Weizenbier	5.02	1019.6	1012.8	0.87	34.69%	0.18
1878	Städtisches	Hannover	Weissbier	9.86	1039.3	1028.7	1.35	26.97%	0.18
1878	Glitz	Hannover	Weissbier	9.31	1037.0	1011.2	3.34	69.73%	0.42
1884	Schlombs Brauerei	Ahlten	Weissbier	8.53	1033.8	1009.8	3.11	71.01%	0.787
1884	Städtisch	Hannover	Einfacher Broyhan	7.84	1031.0	1023	1.03	25.81%	0.158
1884	Städtisch	Hannover	Doppelter Broyhan	12.78	1051.5	1042	1.20	18.45%	0.06
1884	Hamburg-Altonaer Weissbierbrauerei	Hamburg	Export Weissbier	10.97	1043.9	1017	3.48	61.28%	0.627
1884	Hamburg-Altonaer Weissbierbrauerei	Hamburg	Weissbier	8.21	1032.5	1009.5	2.98	70.77%	0.578
1884	Hamburg-Altonaer Weissbierbrauerei	Hamburg	Braunbier	5.69	1022.3	1010	1.59	55.16%	0.165
1886	Unknown	Lichtenhain	Lichtenhainer	9.57	1038.1	1007.1	4.03	81.36%	0.238
Source:
König, J (1903), Bier in Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel by Joseph König, 1903, pp 1101 - 1156, Julius Springer, Berlin.

Broyhan getting even more confusing

I’ve wondered for a long while about when Broyhan exactly disappeared. My guess was around WW I. But it seems it might have limped on a little longer.

Too much information is becoming a problem for me. Flicking through yet another German technical book, I’ve come across a handy little article about beer from the late 1920’s. And it includes Brothan.

It’s just a single sentence, but has confused the hell out of me:

“Broyhan is a top-fermenting, dark, poorly attenuated, lightly hopped beer brewed from barley malt and wheat malt, which is mainly brewed in the province Hannover.” [My translation.]
Ullmann, Fritz ed. (1928), Bier in Enzyklopädie der technischen Chemie Band 2, pp 378, Urban & Schwarzenberg, Berlin and Vienna.

OK, I knew Broyhan was a low-gravity, half-fermented beer that just had a few hops waved in its general direction. But dark? That makes absolutely no sense. Broyhan is a classic Weissbier, i.e. a beer brewed from air-dried malt. (Weissbier originally did not mean wheat beer, remember. I’ve seen plenty of references to all-malt Broyhans.) It makes no sense for it to be dark.

But, Broyhan was around for a long time – 400 years or so. And brewed over a wide area. So obviously it wasn’t always going to be the same. No beer style ever stays unchanged for long. It’s possible it may have changed colour in its later days. Other beer styles have done. Like, for example, Mild Ale, which turned from pale to dark. Did Broyhan pull a similar trick? I’d love to know.

Doppelbier, Erntebier, Hamburger Bier and Broyhan

I’ve a whole clutch of top-fermenters for you. Which don’t seem to have a great deal in common, other than being brewed with top-fermenting yeast. And all coming from the north of Germany.

Starting off with something that, for once, isn’t watery:

“DOPPEL- or ERNTEBIER.
Has an OG of 11-13% balling.

The fermentation takes place at 7-11ºR. [8.75º - 13.75º C.] and lagering at 5-6° R. [6.25º - 7.5º C.] in large lagering barrels: it is bunged and filled with sediment into transport barrels. The mashing process is as described above.

Kalina Malzbier, showed in analysis: FG 1019.1; Turning v. 22 23; Alcohol 4.99%; apparent extract. 4.77; real extract 7.11; OG 16.12%, Balling; real attenuation 56%; apparent attenuation 62.7%. The mashing process is as for Süssbier.”
"Die Fabrikation obergäriger Biere in Praxis und Theorie" by Braumeister Grenell, 1907, page 65. (My translation.)

Erntebier means Harvest Beer. In the UK, that usually meant a beer that was lighter and less alcoholic than standard beer. That doesn’t seem to be the case here. I’m pretty sure the alcohol is given in ABV, making this a mighty 6.25% ABV. That’s hugely strong for a German top-fermenting beer.

Here’s a confusing one. I always though the local Hamburg style was a sort of pale Weissbier:

“HAMBURGER BEER.
It is this a beer with an OG of 7-11% Balling, dark and sweet, and is brewed mostly in North German cities, especially port towns.

Tun fermentation at 12-14º R. [15º - 17.5º C.]

Lagering takes place in 12-20 hl. Barrels and usually takes 14 days.

Clarification takes place by the use of wood chips; after drawing off there is also an addition of Kräusen.”
"Die Fabrikation obergäriger Biere in Praxis und Theorie" by Braumeister Grenell, 1907, page 65. (My translation.)

So dark and sweet and probably 2.5-3.5% ABV. Interesting that it was lagered on wood chips, which I’ve always thought of as a Lager-brewing method. The Lagering time is quite short, but the gravity is quite low.

Sadly, the description of Broyhan is rather brief:

“Hannoversch Broyhan,
also called Breyhan, Broihan. It is supposed to have been named after a Braumeister Broyhan from Stöcken near Hanover, and, in first brewed in 1526, it was said to be a failed attempt to make Hamburger Beer. Hannoversch Broyhan is brewed with the addition of 20% wheat malt, is sweet, spiced and lightly hopped.”
"Die Fabrikation obergäriger Biere in Praxis und Theorie" by Braumeister Grenell, 1907, page 65. (My translation.)

It also contradicts, in terms of the colour, everything I’ve ever read about Broyhan. Everyone else describes Broyhan as a Weissbier,  i.e. brewed from pale, air-dried malt. Had the colour changed over time?

Grodziskie - I wish they just wouldn't bother

Over at RateBeer they've added a new style category. Or rather a combined one to include Grodziskie, Gose and Lichtenhainer.

Hang on, I hear you say, how can they lump together Grodziskie with Gose and Lichtenhainer? The latter two are extremely sour while Grodziskie is smoky and bitter.

Well, according to RateBeer Grodziskie is sour:

"Grodziskie/Gose/Lichtenhainer

Sour wheat beers were common in many parts of medieval and early Industrial Europe. Two styles – lambic and Berliner weisse – survived, but many others did not. Gose, Grodziskie and Lichtenhainer are historic styles of sour wheat beer, each a unique style of its own. Gose is seasoned with salt, Grodziskie and Lichtenhainer contain smoked malt. Historical sources are mixed about Lichtenhainer containing wheat, so modern interpretations may vary. Grätzer is an alternative name for Grodziskie. All three will be relatively low alcohol, tart, with a strong wheat character, but will be distinct from classic examples of Berliner Weisse or lambic. As all we have are historical recreations, substantial differences may exist between interpretations."

Here we go again. Didn't I have to argue against a dodgy Grodziskie/Grätzer definition just a few weeks ago? Now here's someone else defining the style incorrectly. What's that emotion I'm feeling? Frustration? Despair? Irritation? A bit of all three.

I'm not sure where they got the stuff about Grodziskie being sour from. The man I trust most when it comes to German top-fermenting styles, Schönfeld, says something very different:

"Under the influence of the supposedly excellent well water, to whose qualities until recently the excellent quality of the beer was erroneously attributed, it was possible to brew a beer of far-reaching fame from pure wheat, which has maintained its reputation through the centuries, as a highly sophisticated beverage which because of its smoke and hop bitter taste was not only earlier highly appreciated, but even now is counted among the best top-fermented beers."
"Die Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung" by Schönfeld, 1938, page 162.

Smoky and bitter. No mention of sourness and Schönfeld was an expert in sour beers, having studied and written extensively about Berliner Weisse.

Here's another usually reliable source, confirming an intense hop and smoke flavour as being the defining characteristics of Grodziskie:

"3. Grätzer Bier, a rough, bitter beer, brewed from 100% wheat malt with an intense smoke and hop flavour. The green malt undergoes smoking during virtually the whole drying process, is highly dried and has a strong aroma in addition to the smoked flavour. An infusion mash is employed. Hopping rate: for 1 Zentner (100 kg) of malt, 3 kg hops. Gravity just 7º [Balling]. Fermentation is carried out in tuns at a temperature of 15 to 20º C. Since the beer in the tun, as a result of the expulsion of great quantities protein and resin, doesn't break, it is mixed with isinglass and pumped into barrels. After two or three days it is completely clear and ready to be filled into delivery casks or bottles with the addition of 2 to 5% Krausen."
“Bierbrauerei" by M. Krandauer, 1914, page 301.

Here's a classification of German top-fermenting beers where Grodziskie is placed in a different group to Lichtenhainer and Gose:

"1. Low alcohol content, so easy to digest, an Ausstossbier or filled with krausen into bottles, as free as possible from bacteria, carbon dioxide-rich (Lübbener, Werder'sches, Cölner, Bremen, Hamburg, Grätzer, Munich Weissbier, etc.);

2. the same properties, with a higher lactic acid content (Berliner Weissbier, Broyhan, Calenburger Weissbier, Lichtenhainer, Gose beer);

3. more or less rich in alcohol, poorly carbonated, beers with large amounts of lactic acid (Dortmunder Altbier, called Malzweine);

4. low-alcohol, extra-rich, sweet beers (Braunschweiger Mumme, Danziger Jopenbier, Frauenburger Mumme, etc.)."
"Jahresbericht über die Fortschritte in der Lehre von den Gährungs-Organismen" by Professor Dr. Alfred Koch, 1896, pages 160-161. 

Grodziske is put in the same group as Munich Weissbier and is supposedly as free of bacteria as possible. Doesn't sound like a sour beer to me.

Another smoky and heavily hopped confirmation:

"Sour-tasting beers are Berliner Weißbier and Lichtenhainer, brewed from smoked barley malt, even more so Gose, which is also seasoned with cooking salt. Grätzer Bier, brewed from smoked wheat malt, heavily hopped but of a low gravity, also tastes smoky."
"Encyklopädisches Handbuch der technischen Chemie, Volume 4, Part 1", 1915, page 210.

I'll admit this last one is open to different interpretations. I think it says that Grätzer is another smoky beer.

I can't find any description of Grodziskie in an old text that unambiguously describes it as sour. What everyone agrees on is that it was smoky and hoppy.

In addition, there's a practical consideration. How is a heavily-hopped beer soured? Hops will kill lactic acid bacteria. That's why beers soured with it, like Berliner Weisse, usually contain minimal amounts. There were heavily-hopped German beers that were sour. Dortmunder Altbier, or Adambier is a good example. As is Münster Alt. But they were brewed a different way.

Schönfeld classified sour German styles in two groups:

1. Beers that were lightly-hopped and soured during primary fermentation. Berliner Weisse, Gose and Lichtenhainer were in this group.

2. Heavily hopped beers that only soured during a long secondary fermentation Adambier and Münster Alt were about the only beers in this category.

I don't see how a heavily-hopped beer which was sold relatively young like Grodziskie could have been soured. There were too many hops for it to sour during primary fermentation and there was no long secondary fermentation.

I find the evidence overwhelming that Grodziskie was not sour.

I'm not just doing this because I'm scared the Grodziskie and Grätzer I was involved with will be considered "not true to style". I actually find it amusing when cretins erroneously write that in beer reviews.

The real reason is I don't want history to be perverted and Grodziskie to be lost forever. Because if everyone starts thinking it has to be sour and making versions that way, the authentic style will disappear. And that's something I'd hate to see.






I did bring this up on RateBeer itself first. The admins engaged in a dialogue, but haven't changed the dodgy definition.

Potato Broyhan again

This probably what you've really been waiting for: how to brew with whole potatoes.

The description of the brewing process isn't specific to Broyhan. It's a general description of how to brew with whole potatoes. The author suggests any type of beer can be made using this method. Who will be the first to brew a Potato IPA or Spud Stout, I wonder?

To brew 24 - 26 barrels of 100 Berlin quarts [2,748 - 2,977 litres] at a gravity of 1045 - 1050º

12 bushels [346 lbs] pale malt
12 bushels [445 lbs] good, mealy potatoes which haven't sprouted
0.5 pound Irish moss

The earth is washed off the potatoes by repeatedly pouring cold water over them.
The potatoes are mashed to a pulp using a potato rubbing machine.
While this is going on, bring 960 Berlin quarts [1099 litres] of water to the boil in the kettle.
As soon as the potatoes have been pulped, mix the 12 bushels of malt into a thick paste with 360 [412 litres] Berlin quarts of cold water.
The paste is thinned slowly with another 840 [962 litres] quarts of cold water and then left to stand for an hour.
Meanwhile add the finely pulped potatoes slowly to the boiling water, stirring constantly.
After half an hour all the pototoes should be in the water.
Boil the water for a further half hour, stirring all the time to avoid the potatoes burning on the bottom of the kettle, until it becomes a thin paste.
Transfer the malt mash and the potato paste as quickly as possible to the brew kettle, stirring all the time, and leave for an hour at a temperature of 50-55º.
Bring the whole of the mash to the boil and boil for 10 minutes.
Transfer the mash to the Zapfbottich, stirring with mashing paddles.
Draw off the wort, returning it to the top of the mash until it runs clear.
Transfer the clear wort to the kettle, add the Irish moss and boil until the wort breaks.
Sparge the grain bed with hot water to remove the last of the extract.
"Der Bier-Brauer als Meister in seinem Fache" by A.F. Zimmermann, 1842, pages 63-65 and 105-106.

I assume the rest of the process is the same as for the potato-starch syrup version. The first stage where the potatoes are boiled to a paste sounds a bit like a cereal mash.

I'm not sure where you'd get a  potato rubbing machine from. A large hammer might be a substitute.

Please let me know how it turns out, if you give it a try. Though, with the lack of hops and all those potatoes, it looks more like a recipe for soup than beer.

We still aren't ausgebroyhand yet. There's still Nordhäuser Broyhan to go. A bit dull, though, that one. No potatoes of any type in it.

Potato Broyhan

By popular demand, here's the recipe for potato Broyhan. Or at least Broyhan using starch syrup derived from potatoes. You'll have to wait a little longer for the one brewed from raw potatoes.

Let's start off with the author's description of Broyhan:

"The Kingdom of Hannover and the province of Saxony have been famous since the days of old for an unhopped Weissbier, whose inventor called it after his own name of Broyhan and this name has stayed with the drink to our days.

Broyhan (sometimes also written Broihan) belongs to the pale, cooling, thirst-quenching, sweet-sourish tasting, non-intoxicating malt drinks. It is seldom clear, cannot be kept long, turns quickly sour in the summer . . . . ."
"Der Bier-Brauer als Meister in seinem Fache"by A.F. Zimmermann, 1842, page 91.

Interesting that he describes it as unhopped. That wasn't always true. There were some versions with a small amount of hops.

Here he discusses the grist:

"For brewing Broyhan are variously used one part wheat malt to two parts barley malt, the opposite proportions, equally in other breweries a third raw wheat and two thirds barley malt. In times when wheat is expensive, it is often left out and barley malt alone used, and in the present day, where starch syrup is available and cheap, this is also used along with barley malt and it produces a stable sweetness, which doesn't change so quickly, as does malt sugar, through fermentation into a wine flavour, so mostly replaces the wheat flavour. I've even succeeded in producing, using my own brewing process which I have demonstrated on pages 123 to 136, a wort from half raw potatoes and half barley malt from which Broyhan as well as other famous beers of extraordinary beauty and stability could be made and I will try in this treatise to give the necessary instructions to this purpose and thereby highlight a greater profit for the brewing industry."
"Der Bier-Brauer als Meister in seinem Fache" by A.F. Zimmermann, 1842, page 92.

Note that this is one of those Weissbiers that wasn't necessarily made from wheat. This is the older meaning of Weissbier, where it means a beer made from air-dried, pale-coloured malt.

Now for the recipe itself. The text doesn't specify which temperature scale is being used, but, based on the pitching temperature, it looks like celsius to me.

To brew 30 to 32 barrels (of 100 Berlin quarts) [3425 to 3664 litres] of Broyhan with a specific gravity of 1045 to 1050º from barley malt and starch syrup.

24 Berlin bushels of barley malt [+-690 kg]
220 Berlin pounds of yellow starch syrup [102 kg]
0.5 pound of Irish moss

Bring 720 Berlin quarts [824 litres] of water to the boil.
Let the water cool in the mash tun to 30º, then add the malt and stir well with brewing paddles.
While mashing, bring more water to boil in the kettle.
Once the mashing is completed slowly add 1680 Berlin quarts [1924 litres] of boiling water to the mash, mixing in well.
When this is complete, the mash should be 50 to 55º.
Transfer the entire mash to the kettle and bring to the boil.
Simmer for a few minutes then transfer back to the mash tun.
Leave to stand for half an hour then run off the wort into the mash kettle along with the potato syrup.
When the grain bed appears, add boiling water to cover it to a depth of 6 inches.
Continue to run off the wort and to cover the grain bed with 6 inches of water every time it appears.
When half the sparge water has been added this way, the remaining half can be added at once, taking care not to disturb the grain bed.
Boil until the wort breaks. Add the Irish moss to the boiling wort.
Quickly cool the wort in a shallow cooler.
Pitch the yeast at 15º in the summer, 17-18º in the winter.
Paraphrased from "Der Bier-Brauer als Meister in seinem Fache" by A.F. Zimmermann, 1842, pages 98 - 104.

That's quite a high gravity for Broyhan. It's another of the watery Northern German styles, that rarely poked its head above 2% ABV. It must be a Doppel-Broyhan.

I suppose that's a sort of simple decoction mash. It sounds fiddly to me.

Potato Beer

Obscure central European beer styles. They used to be a bit of a speciality of mine. Until Scotland appeared and, like a hyperactive toddler, dragged away all my attention.

Dolores found me a very handy electronic book over the weekend. It's "Der Bier-Brauer" by A.F. Zimmermann, published in 1842. Part of the subtitle - "Erfindung der Kartoffel-Bier Brauerei (the Invention of the Potato-Beer Brewery) - tells you it wasn't published in Bavaria. Right down my street, it is. Because there are big sections of Berliner Weisse and one of my favourite lost styles, Broyhan.

Though the author had his own particular way of brewing Broyhan. He's dismissive of the need for wheat malt in the grist and suggests using potato starch or potato syrup instead. Don't ask me what potato syrup is. It seems to be a kind of sugar syrup made from potatoes. Very weird.

There's a pretty complete recipe for Potato Broyhan. Two recipes, in fact. One using potato syrup and one actual potatoes. Fascinating stuff, with full mashing details and everything. I'm considering translating and posting them. It will be a fair bit of work, what with reading the horrible Gothic script and translating the clunky 19th-century German. So much work, that I'd rather not bother with it unless I'm sure that someone wants to read it.

Here's the question: who's interested in a Potato Broyhan recipe (or two)?

Horst at it again.

You have to hand it to Horst Dornbusch. He's not easily discouraged. An endless supply of historical fantasy flows from his pen.

This is an excerpt from his article on Altbier:

"Historically, the modern Altbier evolved from northern German ales that were typical for the region during the Middle Ages. These were strong, well-hopped brews with names like Broyhan and Keutebier, which often contained portions of wheat malt, perhaps as much as 40%."
"Oxford Companion to Beer", page 37.

So Broyhan and Keute were strong and heavily hopped. Let's see if actual evidence confirms that.

Broyhan

Let's start with a quote from one of my favourite books (and one the bloke who wrote the "Oxford Companion to Beer" article on Berliner Weisse should have read:

"In Hanover, the very weakly-hopped, sweet Broyhan Bier, using 20% wheat malt, has been brewed for centuries."
"Die Herstellung Obergähriger Biere" by Dr. Franz Schönfeld, 1902, page 65.

That's fairly specific. Not heavily hopped.

Her's a quote from another weighty scientific tome:

"1. Low-alcohol, light beers filled as Ausstossbier or bottled with Kräusen which are mostly free from bacteria and rich in CO2. Examples: Lübbener, Werder'sches, Cölner, Bremer, Hamburger, Grätzer, Münchener Weissbier etc.

2. Beers with similar attributes to those just named, but with a higher lactic acid content. Examples: Berliner Weissbier, Broyhan, Calenburger Weissbier, Lichtenhainer, Gose-Bier."
"Jahresbericht über die Fortschritte in der Lehre von den Gährungs-Organismen" by Professor Dr. Alfred Koch, 1896, pages 160-161.

That defines Broyhan as a low-alcohol beer wiuth a high lactic acid content.

"Broyhan is a dark, lightly hopped, poorly attenuated top-fermenting beer brewed mostly in the province Hannover. It is made from barley malt with the addition of up to 20% wheat malt. "
"Encyklopädisches Handbuch der technischen Chemie, Volume 4, Part 1", 1915, page 30. My translation.

Do you see a theme here? Lightly-hopped, not strong.

This text is a little older:

"To brew Broyhahn, after Hermstädt.

This beer is named after its creator, Cord Broyhahn, who first brewed it in 1526 in the brewhouse of Hans von Sode in Leinstrasse, Hannover. The genuine Broyhahn is very pale, similar in colour to young white wine, has a winey aroma and a pleasant sweetish yet acidic taste. Broyhahn differs from other white beers chiefly in that it is brewed from pure barley malt without the addition of wheat malt or hops.

For a brew of 2000 Berlin Quarts [1 Berlin quart = 1.14053 litres] are needed 26 Berlin scheffels (1560 pounds) of pale barley malt, air malt or Welkmalz (?) . The grist has 800 Berlin Quarts at 30º R [37.5º C] poured over it and it is worked through until all the malt is mixed well with the water and no more lumps can be seen. Then the whole is left to rest in the covered tun for half an hour. A second watering follows with 1700 Quart boiling water; it is well mashed for an hour and then the mash is left in the covered tun for a further hour.

After the wort has been drawn off, it is gently boiled in the previously cleaned copper until it evaporates down to 2000 Quarts and then allowed to cool down to 14º [17.5º C] R in the coolship.

In the fermenting vessel the wort is finally inoculated with 6 Berlin Quarts of good yeast, preferably taken from good white beer, well mixed and immediately brought into the barrels in the cellar to ferment out, which takes about 36 to 40 hours, after which the barrels must be tightly bunged. This Broyhahn keeps about 14 days in summer, and in winter 24 days in cool storage, without becoming sour.

The spent grain is once again infused with 500 Quarts of boiling water, mixed well, so that after half an hour the wort can be drawn off, which is inoculated with yeast and processed into Kovent. "
Source: "Grundsaetze der Bierbrauerei nach den neuesten technisch-chemischen Entdeckungen" by Christian Heinrich Schmidt, 1853, pages 444-445.

Look - no hops at all in that version.

Still not convinced that Broyhan wasn't strong? Here are some 19th century analyses:

Year	Brewer	Country	Beer	Style	Acidity	FG	OG	ABV	atten-uation
1850	Unknown, Halberstadt	Germany	Halberstädter Breyhan	Breyhan	1.29	1012.69	1034.67	2.84	62.59%
1884	Hannover, Städtisch	Germany	Einfacher Broyhan	Broyhan	0.158	1022.54	1031.43	1.03	27.67%
1884	Hannover, Städtisch	Germany	Doppelter Broyhan	Broyhan	0.06	1043.60	1053.37	1.20	17.55%
Sources:
“Archive der Pharmacie”, 1855, pages 216-217
Wahl & Henius, pages 823-830

One last point about Broyhan: it dates from the 1500's. That's not the Middle Ages.



Keute

Let's move on to Keut. It's a type of beer that was brewed in parts of the west of Germany, Holland and Belgium. This one does date back to the Middle Ages. So far back, in fact, that it's origins were before the use of hops in the area. Though later small quantites were added to it.

The only current example of the style, Jopen Koyt, is a gruit beer. Heavily hopped? Don't make me laugh.

This is a description of how to brew the German version:

"WHAT IS Keut? WHAT IS Altbier?
Keut, a Münsterland beer, was brewed according to a specific method. It used to be the house drink of the citizens. An old recipe from the period around 1600 reports on the production of Keut:

"To make Koet. Pour 7 cups of malt, 4 buckets of water and a good hand-full of wheat flour the previous evening into a kettle, where it is to be boiled. The next day boil it for 4 hours so that it boils down to about 1 bucket and becomes somewhat thick, but it must be stirred well so that it does not burn. Then it is poured into a basket with straw, over which a coarse linen cloth has been secured, so that it runs off clear. Then another four buckets of water and a handful of hops are boiled briefly, and poured through the same basket; it is then left to stand until it becomes lukewarm. Then add a good dose of yeast (1/4 litre) to the Koet, stir as with beer and cover it. The next morning, remove the yeast and fill into pitchers. Leave open for two days, then seal, place in each pitcher a »beschaten nagel« and a little white sugar, seal tightly and place in sand. "

So you don't imagine that »beschaten nagel« is a rusty nail, it should be pointed out that Krumbholtz explains this expression in his volume "Trade of the city of Munster," as "probably clove or nutmeg". "Pinkus Müller. Der Singende Bierbrauer in Münster", by Walter Werland, 1966, page 53.

I should be thankful for small mercies. At least Horst seems to have realised Broyhan and Mumme (two beers which could hardly be more dissimilar) aren't the same thing. He does appear to still throw around the names of old German styles randomly, making them whatever he thinks they should be.

Funny that Adambier doesn't get a mention in his article. That really was a strong, heavily-hopped type of Altbier.

Oxford Companion to Beer page 37

Anyone know what article is on that page?

It contains this gem:

"These were strong, well-hopped brews with names like Broyhan and Keutebier . . . "

Yeah, right. That's the Broyhan that was the forerunner of Berliner Weisse, a type of beer noted for its hoppiness and strength. Keute was originally an unhopped type of beer.

My guess it's something written by Horst. He is, after all, the man who claimed Mumme and Broyhan were the same thing.

Even more Dornbusch bullshit

Thanks to Barm for pointing this one out to me. It's so stunningly wrong, I can't let it go.

"Mumme or Broyhan beer, so-named after Cord Broyhan, a native Hanoverian brewmaster, is a well-hopped, light brown, medieval ale, made from about one-third wheat and two-thirds barley. Also known as Keutbier, it became, for a couple of centuries, the most widely distributed style in north Germany. In the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries Hamburg emerged as a major international brewing center, shipping its beers to wherever sailing ships would call. The brew industry employed almost half of Hamburg's wage-earning population, and it was in one of Hamburg's 531 breweries that Cord Broyhan learned the secrets of beer-making. When he returned to Hanover, in 1526, he became a very successful bewery entrepreneur. Soon others in Hanover followed Cord's lead and opened up competing breweries. In 1609, the city council of Hanover began to regulate the quality and brew techniques of the local Mumme beer, limiting the number of brewer burghers to 317, combining all of them into one guild, and incorporating the guild as a company. The Guild brewery still exists today and is the oldest enterprise in Hannover. It is now part of the Belgian InBev brewing concern.

Though no longer brewed today, Mumme's historical significance is its relationship to the other northern German beer styles. As an ale, it is a distant relative of the modern Altbier, and has influenced the flavor and brewing techniques of such beer styles as Berliner Weisse, Leipziger Gose and Belgian Wit/bière blanche."
http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/Mumme.html

He manages to confuse three totally different styles of beer. What did Mumme, Broyhan and Keut have in common? They were all brewed in North Germany. That's where the similarities end.

Let's start at the beginning. The first sentence alone has half a dozen errors:

1. Mumme and Broyhan are not the same thing
2. Cord Broyhan was from Stöcken, learnt brewing in Hamburg then moved to Hannover
3. Broyhan was lightly-hopped
4. It wasn't brown, but pale
5. It wasn't medieval - it was first brewed in the 1500's
6. It didn't necessarily contain wheat

Keut (or Koyt) is yet a third style of beer. That is much older, dating back to at least the early 15th century. It's a pre-hop beer that was orininally flavoured with gruit. In Holland Jopen brew a rather good Koyt, based on a 15th century Dutch recipe.

Then there's the differences between Broyhan and Mumme. Broyhan was a fairly low-gravity, low-alcohol beer that's often quoted as the direct ancestor of Berliner Weisse. Mumme was a beer with a massive OG - over 1200 - and an incredibly low degree of attenuation. It's hard to think of two more dissimilar beers. Not sure whether to believe me? Here are some numbers:

Year	Brewer	Beer	Style	Acidity	FG	OG	ABV	Atten-uation
1850	Unknown, Halberstadt	Halberstädter Breyhan	Broyhan	1.29	1012.69	1034.67	2.84	62.59%
1884	Hannover, Städtisch	Einfacher Broyhan	Broyhan	0.158	1022.54	1031.43	1.03	27.67%
1884	Hannover, Städtisch	Doppelter Broyhan	Broyhan	0.06	1043.60	1053.37	1.20	17.55%
1878	Braunschweig	Mumme	Mumme		1202.57	1257.04	4.50	18.43%
1890	Unknown	Braunschweiger Mumme	Mumme		1236.8	1295.1	2.90	19.76%
1850	Unknown, Braunschweig	Mumme	Mumme		1204.14	1224.29	2.52	7.79%
1870	Unknown, Braunschweig	Braunschweiger Mumme	Mumme		1231	1266.4	4.50	13.29%
Sources: Wahl & Henius, pages 823-830 “Archive der Pharmacie”, 1855, pages 216-217 Handwörterbuch der reinen und angewandten Chemie by Justus Liebig, Johann Christian Poggendorff, Friedrich Wöhler, 1858, page 1038 "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

Broyhan was light in colour, body and alcohol. Mumme was "thick, strong, and of a dark brown colour". More like treacle than beer. It's like saying Light Mild and Imperial Stout are the same thing. That bad. Oh yes, Mumme is from Braunschweig and Broyhan from Hannover. Two different towns. Close to each other, yes, but until the late 19th century in different countries.

I might let off a non-German speaker for coming up with such utter rubbish. But Dornbusch is German and can read the sources I've used more easily than me. He has no excuse.

While I've got him down on the floor, I may as well give Horst a few extra kicks in the nuts.

There's the pretentious (and misleading) name of his website: The German Beer Institute. It's not an Institute. It's his personal self-promotion page. Bit of a difference. Then there's the ludicrous claims he makes on its front page "the first and only comprehensive, authoritative information resource for English-speaking fans of German beer." You have to laugh at that.

Finally there's the irritating way he keeps using the word "Ale" to describe extinct German top-fermenting styles. But what would you expect from such an utter twat?