Beating Lager (at its own game)

The Brewers' Journal was a bit obsessed with Lager at the end of the 19th century. I suppose it must have been disconcerting for UK brewers to see the wave of Lager that spread over the Continent. And then the rest of the world. While the impact in the UK was minimal, it seriously damaged Britain's export markets.

A question which comes up quite often is: how can we brew a top-fermenting beer with the attributes if a Lager?

It has often been alleged that top-fermentation beers are, as a rule, very deficient of the sparkling brilliancy of the well-brewed lager, and that apart from any considerations of flavour, the bottom-fermentation beer possesses such a distinctly attractive appearance that comparison with ordinary English beers is altogether in its favour. There is no doubt a considerable substratum of truth in this, and, indeed, so much so that one cannot wonder at the want of appreciation of top-fermentation beers as displayed by our continental cousins. In Germany, for instance, this sort of beer has made no progress at all in the estimation of consumers, and a good deal of this want of success is attributable to the appearance of the beer. The splendid beers brewed at famous centres like Munich, Pilsen, Berlin, Bremen, and other towns are well calculated to hold their own, not only for their inherent qualities of flavour and purity, but also for the delightful appearance they present m the mugs and glasses as used on the continent. 
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, August 15th 1899, pages 484 - 485.

Brilliant, highly-carbonated Lager looked very pretty in the glass. How could dull, old top-fermenting beer compete with that? Well, UK brewers tried to achieve this with their skill.

English brewers, however, have no special reasons to fear an invasion of lager beer, to any disturbing extent, but, at the same time, they strive with all diligence to attain to the manufacture of brilliant and sparkling ales. Brillancy allied with flatness is not difficult to attain, but brillancy and sparkling condition are the goal of every brewer. 
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, August 15th 1899, pages 484 - 485.

It seems that a German brewer had a more technical solution.

Quite recently a German brewer, by name Schanderl, has described a process by which it is claimed top-fermentation beers may be brewed equally attractive in appearance to the lager. The process aims at applying the methods of bottom fermentation in large casks to top fermentation beers. The primary fermentation is conducted in the ordinary manner, at the termination of which the beer is let down into lager casks. To this is added a considerable quantity of “ krausen ” or yeast priming, and the lager casks are closed. The consequence is evolution of carbonic acid gas to a large extent, and since it cannot escape the beer becomes thoroughly impregnated with this gas. As much pressure is exerted, Schanderl advocates the use of metal casks, fitted with funnel-shaped bottoms, so that the removal of the large yeast deposit is facilitated. The quantity of yeast formed must be considerable, and of course this should be carefully excluded from trade casks, to which the beer is transferred without loss of pressure. It is said that beers thus fermented reach the customer in a highly sparkling condition, and certainly the scheme sounds well enough. Whether it is good in practice we cannot judge, but the experiment should certainly be tried in establishments where time and opportunity allow of such like investigations. There is no question that beers naturally impregnated with gas are superior in flavour to those artificially supplied, and this holds good in marked degree with bottled ales.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, August 15th 1899, pages 484 - 485.

What's being described is clearly Obergäriges Lagerbier: stuff like Alt or Kölsch. Beers which, after an initial warm fermentation, are cold stored like a Lager. Did this experiment work? Given that Alt and Kölsch are still around, I'd say yes.

As a loyal CAMRA member, I'm gratified to see confirmation that natural carbonation is best. 

More on Karamelbier

More quotes from Schönfeld's wonderful book on top-fermenting beer from the 1930s. translated by me (with some help from Google Translate).

 I've not quite finished with Karamelbier. This time looking at the specific type of sugar used to flavour it.

 "The character of the added sugar is also not insignificant for the flavour profile. As is well known, the sweetness of the same increases with an increasing content of mineral salts up to a certain limit, beyond which a more and more salty-bitter taste is added. It is the chlorides of alkalis and alkaline earths present in the beet that are concentrated in the syrup and are not removed during the first crystallisation, but are attached to the sugar crystals, especially during the last crystallisation of the byproducts. These not extensively refined sugars also contain other, organic, partly colored, partly uncolored co-formulants, so that instead of being pure white they have a yellow to yellow-brown or even brown color. They are ideal for sweetening malt beer and are also enthusiastically used by breweries, provided that they are allowed under the Beer Tax Act (Biersteuergesetz), according to which sugars are permitted whose mineral content does not exceed 0.75%. Sugars that come close to this limit, however, have a clearly stronger sweetness than the purest refined versions."
"Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung" by Dr. Franz Schönfeld, 2nd edition, Verlag von Paul Parey, Berlin, 1938, page 137. 

 We learn that beet sugar was employed. And not very pure beer sugar at that. It doesn't sound like the sugar is being inverted, simply crystallised. Is it true that certain impurities make sugar taste sweeter? Can't remember hearing about that before.

The description of the colour doesn't make it sound very attractive stuff. More dirty. But I suppose that in a dark beer you weren't really going to notice. Ot would be a different matter in a pale beer.

Karamelbier seems to have given a new impetus to top fermentation, getting it into what had previously been Lager-only breweries. So why not bottom ferment Karamelbier? Because it wasn't allowed under the Reinheitsgebot. Sugar was only permitted in top-fermenting beers.

"With Karamelbier, top fermentation, which had sunk more and more to insignificance and could almost only be kept in medium-sized and smaller companies, was able to emerge from this relapse and to conquer an equal place in its technical development alongside bottom fermentation. Because with the Karamelbier it could and had to find its way into the larger and larger companies, from which it had been closed until then, and which now, due to its highly developed technical equipment of top fermentation, allow the care and expedient treatment it requires to the same extent as with bottom fermentation.

This upward trend was not limited to Karamelbier. At almost the same time, top fermentation began to take off in another special area. It was top-fermented bitter lager, to which the customers were more inclined and which now also gave rise to a stronger stimulation of top fermentation."
"Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung" by Dr. Franz Schönfeld, 2nd edition, Verlag von Paul Parey, Berlin, 1938, page 137.

That last paragraph is fascinating, hinting, as it does, about another type of top-fermenting beer that was on the up: Bitter Lagerbier. Or, as it would be called today, Kölsch or Alt. Two beers I would dearly love to learn more about. Especially their origins. I'll be getting around to that fairly soon.

Cologne

For once, a trip that doesn’t start with trailing out to Schiphol. Because we’re travelling the civilised way: by train.

It does mean taking a tram through the city centre. Luckily it isn’t too crowded.  Before going to our platform, we pick up a copy of the Radio Times. Though finding the newsagent is fun. It’s in one of the new tunnels under the platforms. But they all look the same. Which is the right one?

“Look, there’s an AKO there, Dolores.”

“Do they sell the Radio Times?”

“Pretty sure they do.”

I’m right. As always. Though we have to go through the ticket barrier to get there. Amsterdam Centraal is now a closed station. It’s slightly tricky for us because we’re both on one ticket. I have to shuffle quickly through behind Dolores.

Platform 2, we need. And our carriage is right down the end of the platform. Or at least will be when it arrives. There’s a loud mob waiting at that spot. Great.

“I hope they’re not in our carriage.” Dolores remarks.

They are. Despite being a quiet carriage, it’s like sitting in a pub, as they shout at each other across the seats. It’s a works outing that has reserved most of the seats in the carriage. Annoyingly, they’re going as far as we are.

Luckily I’ve some train beer to distract me. Three bottles of Guinness Special Export. A lovely drop it  is, too.

You may have wondered why I wasn’t at the Borefts Festival. It’s because I’m off to Cologne instead. I would have gone for a Saturday of geeking out in Bodegraven. Except we’re going to Cologne to meet Dolores’s sister, whose birthday it is tomorrow.

Reading the paper is doing a great job of zoning out the annoying chatter. As does the roastiness of the Guinness.

The journey takes 2 hours 45 minutes. Which isn’t too bad. And it’s on time.

It’s too early to check into our hotel. Instead we check Früh out. Which is handily close to our hotel. And not too far from the station. That’s important, because Dolores has to go back there to pick up her sister and partner.

While we’re waiting for the hour or so before their train arrives, I get stuck into some food. A Boockwurst and potato salad. Nice, but a bit pricey.

While she’s gone, I shovel down multiple thimbles of Kölsch. The waiter keeps me well supplied, but the glasses remain frustratingly small. One good gulp and they’re all but empty. II do like Früh Kölsch when it’s served Bayerischer Anstich. Delicate, subtle, refreshing and eminently drinkable.

Cologne is much more expensive than 10 years ago. And seems to be getting worse. Way more expensive than Berlin, surprisingly. I suppose that I’ve been spoilt by all my time in rural Franconia. Where a half litre is under 2 euros and no meal costs more than ten.

Fed and watered (well, beered) we adjourn to our hotel to check in. It’s right at the start of Hohestrasse, literally 50 metres from Früh. Not the fanciest of places. But we do have a balcony with a view of the Dom.

After a little rest, we head off to Rewe. That’s supermarket. Dolores wants to pick up a few things. While we’re there, I buy a six pack of Malzmühle Kölsch. And a couple of bottles of impulse schnapps. Just for old times’ sake. Dolores gives me look, but doesn’t make me put them back. It’s proper impulse schnapps as they are displayed just before the till. Don’t you just love Germany?

We eat tea in a Czech restaurant. I have a pleasant, if rather salty goulash. And some Czech beer, obviously: Budvar. It’s a pleasant relief to have a half litre. A beer that takes more than two minutes to demolish.

We plan sitting on our balcony. Dolores and her sister have bottle of wine to suck on. And I’ve got my Malzmühle. But I’m so utterly and totally knacked, I go to bed at eight.

What a lightweight I’ve become.



Früh am Dom
Am Hof 12-18,
50667 Köln.
Tel: +49 221 2613215
http://www.frueh-gastronomie.de/



Wirtshaus Schwejk
An Groß St. Martin 2,
50667 Köln.
Tel: +49 221 2580634
http://wirtshaus-schwejk.de/

Kölsch obergärig (Deutsch-Pilsener)

Now here’s something I’m dead excited about. A description of Kölsch from relatively early in the style’s life.

Kölsch only seems to have coalesced into a definite, definable style around 1900. In the late 19th century top-fermenting brewers in various part of the Rhineland had started brewing beers which were intended to mimic some of the qualities of the new-fangled Lager beers that were flooding the region. Initially these were lumped together as Rheinisches Bitterbier. They had a few features in common, including heavy hopping and a lengthy lagering. Eventually both Düsseldorf and Cologne developed their own specific styles.

But that’s enough from me. Let’s see what Olberg has to say. This is my paraphrasing of his chapter on Kölsch.

Kölsch is a gold-coloured, thirst-quenching, not too heavy, easily-digestible beer that is the national drink of Cologne.

It is usually brewed using the kettle mash process, or by boiling a thick mash once or twice.  Though to save time and fuel mostly a kettle mash is employed, with perhaps one thick mash.

For example, mashing in is at 7 AM at a temperature of 35º C, the mash is left to brew until 7:30 and then the temperature  raised slowly to 50º C at 8:30 and 70º C at 9:30. The mash is left at this temperature for saccharification (30 to 40 minutes, make an iodine test.). If full saccharification has occurred, raise it to the mashout temperature of 76º C. The lauter tun must be well warmed up beforehand.

Or after saccharification of the mash, about a third is left in the lauter tun while the other two-thirds is brought to the boil in the kettle and returned to the lauter tun to mash out at 76ºC.
Source: Olberg, Johannes (1927) Kölsch obergärig in Moderne Braumethoden, pp 64-65, A. Hartleben, Wien & Leipzig.

So a fairly simple mashing scheme with optionally a single decoction. Next boiling.

A third of the hops are added as the wort is being run into the copper, another third after one hour of boiling and the last third 40 minutes before turning out the kettle. The boil lasts two hours. Usually a small quantity of the hops, 6 to 8 %, are added to the kettle just before emptying it, when the steam has already disappeared. OG is 11 to 12º Balling.
Source: Olberg, Johannes (1927) Kölsch obergärig in Moderne Braumethoden, pp 64-65, A. Hartleben, Wien & Leipzig.

Interesting that there were three hop additions, plus a very, very late on. It all sound very modern, especially that last, very late one.

Here’s how the fermentation went:

The wort is cooled to 10º C and pitched with 1 litre of yeast per 50 kg of malt. The tun fermentation lasts 5 days. The bier is transferred to lagering vessels just like Lagerbier and from this point on is handled and lagered cold in exactly the same way. The lagering vessels are filled to the top and only loosely bunged. After 5 to 6 weeks the beer, without being bunged, can be filtered and sent out to customers.
Source: Olberg, Johannes (1927) Kölsch obergärig in Moderne Braumethoden, pp 64-65, A. Hartleben, Wien & Leipzig.

That’s a pretty cool fermentation, followed by a fairly classic lagering, except for not being bunged. As they were filtering the beer anyway, they seem to have not bothered with the final stage of lagering where, after the bung has been tightly sealed the beer naturally carbonates and clarifies itself. It sounds to me like they must have been force carbonating the beer after filtration. With the bung open, it wouldn’t carbonate itself.

The hopping rate in the kettle is 65 pounds of Lagerbier hops for 1,050 kilos of grist. In addition, before filling, into a lagering barrel of 65 hl, 12 pounds of hops and the water they have been brewed in are put into the barrel. These hops have been mashed with 75º water in a barrel for 30 minutes. The finer the hops, the better the beer will taste and the better its aroma. These beers are not usually bunged.
Source: Olberg, Johannes (1927) Kölsch obergärig in Moderne Braumethoden, pp 64-65, A. Hartleben, Wien & Leipzig.

That’s a pretty heavy hopping rate for a German beer. It works out to about 10.5 lbs per quarter of malt. For comparison, in 1925 Whitbread PA, at 1047º a very similar gravity to the Kölsch being described, had only 7.5 lbs per quarter.* 

I’ve come across this practice of mashing hops in hot water before. I guess it’s a sort of dry hopping. Is 75º C hot enough to isomerise the hops? According to the internet, it isn’t. 79º C seems to be the critical temperature. It’s odd they should use a temperature that’s just slightly too cool. Which has me wondering about the exact purpose of this technique.

That wet hopping is the equivalent of about 5.25 oz. per barrel, which is about the same as and English Best Bitter of the period.

I’m sure modern versions are much more lightly hopped. Unfortunately.





* Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/01/090.

Bitter Lagerbier

This is a class of beer to which I’ve seen references before. It seems to be a general term (I’ve also See Rheinesches Bitterbier used) for proto Altbier and Kölsch.

It seems that towardst the end of the 19th century some North German top-fermenting breweries started to brew beers using methods similar to bottom-fermenting breweries. Presumably to try and stave off competition from Lager. As both Altbier and Kölsch still exist, you could say that the attempt was successful.

"BITTER LAGERBIERS.
Düsseldorfer, Kölner, Wachholder beers. (The latter is a stimulus for bacteria).

Original gravity: 8-9% Balling. Either an infusion or decoction mashing method can be used. These bitter beers should be gold-coloured, and are often produced by the method of "mixed production" (see page 57).

Pitching temperature; 8° R [10º C] Fermentation: 6-7 days.

It is pumped after a good break, fermented at 5° R [6.25º C] in large storage casks, and is cleared with wood chips. After sufficient bunging these beers are usually clear. - In the case of Bitterbiers, the break only occurs when cold, as the protein goes into the yeast head. - In order to produce the strong hop flavour, a large amount of hops are added to the wort in the brewing house, and also in the lager barrel of boiled hops together with the water they were boiled in is added.

Since the yeast quickly degenerates, the old yeasts of the main production are usually used.

The treatment and character are very similar to bottom-fermented beer; it also served in a similar way.

If these beers were less bitter, they might sell more outside the production area. On the other hand, the heaving hopping gives them a long shelf life."
"Die Fabrikation obergäriger Biere in Praxis und Theorie" by Braumeister Grenell, 1907, pages 77 - 78.

The OG Grenell specifies looks a bit low to me. I’d expect a Lagerbier to be a minimum of 12º Balling.

Though Kölsch is a golden colour, I don’t think anyone would say that of modern Alt. So has Alt become darker over time, or was it always more of an amber colour and Grenell just got it wrong?

The primary fermentation temperature of 10º C is pretty cool for a top-fermenting yeast. I guess you’re going to get a pretty clean beer with few esters at that temperature. Though the lagering temperature looks higher than for a bottom-fermenting beer, which would start a 5º C and then drop to -1º C or so.

It’s the hopping I find most intriguing. They’re clearly doing a type of dry-hopping in the lagering vessel, though they’re using boiled rather than raw hops.

I love the final comment about how the beer would sell better if it weren’t so bitter.

Zoigl-Kölsch

An American brewery calling a beer Zoigl-Kölsch. Homage or affront?

It makes me feel uneasy. Zoigl is such a special thing. And Kölsch has very strong ties to a specific region.

I understand there's some sort of communal aspect to the brewery. But it still rankles.

For the record, it annoys me just as much when commercial breweries in Germany market beers called Zoigl.

Be interested in your opinions.

German off sales by type 1981 - 2010

Table time again. I know. I’m a lazy git. Publishing a big table relieves me of the need to waste time thinking up those word things. It makes my head hurt doing all that brain work.

With a span of almost 30 years, what does the table tells us about the long term trends in preferred beer styles in Germany?

The most obvious – and potentially the most interesting – is that Pils appears to have passed it peak in popularity and is starting a long and permanent decline. That said, there’s no obvious candidate to replace it. After hitting an almost 70% market share in the late 1990’s, it’s dropped back to just 55% in 2010. I wish I had some more recent figures. My guess is that the decline has continued. It will be very significant when it falls below 50%.

The type to shoe the biggest percentage growth over the period is, surprisingly, alchohol free beer. Though for much of the time it’s been pretty flat at just under 3%.

Weizen has shown impressive growth from a tiny share in 1981 to becoming Germany’s third-favourite style in 2010. However, it also seems to be on the way down again from it’s peak of just under a 9% share in 2006.

The numbers for Kölsch and Alt look ever worse when looking at more years. They’ve gone from a combined share of over 11% to less than 3%. It makes you wonder just how much more their sales can drop before they start facing extinction.

I can’t tell you how depressing it is to see Biermischgetränke, vile combinations of beer and other junk, as Germany’s forth most popular “style”. Who the hell drinks those things? Teenagers, I would guess. Which doesn’t bode well for the future of German beer if it’s true.

I’m not sure what to say about Export. I looked like it was heading the same way as Mild in the early 21st century, then made a surprising recovery, only to start slipping again. I’m not going to stick my neck out with regards to its future. It could make a comeback, or it could disappear almost completely.

Here’s the table:

German off sales by type 1981 - 2010
Beer type	1981	1989	1992	1994	1996	1998	2000	2001	2002	2003	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Pils	48.5	57.5	64.1	66	68.1	67.8	67.9	66.9	68.6	62	57.9	60.3	55.7	55.2	55.2	55.1
Export/Edel/Spezial	20.8	10.9	10.1	9.7	8.8	8.8	9	9.5	7.3	9.6	10.4	12.5	10.1	9.8	10.1	9.8
Weizen	1.4	4.9	4.5	4.8	4.9	5.3	5.7	6	6.3	7.1	7.9	8.7	8.1	8.3	7.9	7.9
Hell	7.3	7.4	4.5	4.4	3.7	3.7	3.4	3.2	2.9	3.6	4.6	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.5	4.5
Alt	6.6	4.5	3.6	3.5	3.4	3.1	2.9	2.9	2.9	1.9	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.4	1.3	1.2
Kölsch	4.5	4	2.7	2.4	2.2	2.1	2.1	2.1	2.1	2.3	1.6	1.9	1.6	1.6	1.7	1.7
Malz	2.8	2.6	2.1	2	1.9	1.9	1.8	1.8	2.6	1.5	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.2	1.2
Alcohol free	0.3	2.7	3.7	3.4	2.9	2.7	2.7	2.8	2.6	2.4	2.3	2.6	2.6	2.9	3.3	3.7
Leichtbier			1.7	1.4	1.1	0.9	0.8	0.7	0.6			0.7	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.6
Schwarzbier									1	1.1	1.2	1.3	1.7	1.7	1.6	1.6
Bock									1.1			0.7	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5
Lager													1	0.9	0.9	1
Märzen													0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5
Diet									0.4			0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3
Berliner Weiße													0	0	0	0
Biermischgetränke										3.6	4.5		6.3	6.5	6.5	6.5
Other	1.5	4.5	3	2.4	3	3.7	3.7	4.1	1.6	4.8	6.6		3.2	3.7	3.7	3.8
Sources:
1992-2001: Brauwelt Brevier 2003
2002 & 2006-2010: Deutscher Brauer-Bund, Bonn
Brauwelt nr. 46-47 (2006) page 1431

Maybe we should have a look at regional differences in preferences next.

German beer off sales by type 2009 – 2010

I’m feeling rushed so little more than a table this time. Which reminds me – I still owe you that table of hop varieties.

The first thing that’s obvious is how fragmented the market is in terms of style. There are a large number of styles with very small sales. Ten have less than a 2% share and only four more than 5%.

The top three are pretty predictable: Pils, Export and Weizen. Though I’m not sure how they differentiate between Helles and Export. Weizen has grown as it’s spread North away from its southern homeland. At the expense of what? Pils, but probably also regional styles like Kölsch and Alt.

Number four and six on the list are pretty depressing: Biermix and alcohol free. The former are those abominations of beer mixed with other crap. It’s sad to see how popular they are in Germany. Though, hang on a minute, why are they being included here at all? Because under the German law they can’t be sold as beer as they don’t adhere to the Reinheitsgebot.

Kölsch and Alt continue to lose market share, though the loss for the latter is much greater, 3.9% as opposed to 0.3%. Why is that? Are people in Cologne more attached to their local beer than those in Düsseldorf? The identity of Alt isn’t quite so closely entwined with one city as in the case of Kölsch.

It’s indicative of the fall in sales of beer in general that only two types saw absolute growth in terms of volume: Alcohol free and Berliner Weisse. The last one surprised me. Though, as you can see, the quantities involved are tiny. But maybe it’s a sign of the beginning of a revival of the style.

Here’s the table. See what you make of it:

German off sales by beer type 2009 - 2010
	Market share			Quantity in hl
	2009	2010	change in %	2009	2010	change in %
Pils	55.2	55.1	-0.2	30,566,810	29,860,950	-2.3
Export	10.1	9.8	-3.3	5,586,580	5,288,690	-5.3
Weizen	7.9	7.9	0.5	4,371,480	4,300,890	-1.6
Biermix	6.5	6.5	0.7	3,589,820	3,538,490	-1.4
Hell	4.5	4.5	0.2	2,507,100	2,459,470	-1.9
Alcohol free	3.3	3.7	12.9	1,814,090	2,005,330	10.5
Kölsch	1.7	1.7	0.3	929,040	912,740	-1.8
Schwarz/Dunkel	1.6	1.6	-2.3	905,230	865,730	-4.4
Malz	1.2	1.2	1.7	671,010	668,170	-0.4
Alt	1.3	1.2	-3.9	696,750	655,680	-5.9
Lager	0.9	1	1.2	522,480	517,950	-0.9
Light	0.6	0.6	-0.7	356,380	346,500	-2.8
Bock	0.5	0.5	-0.7	286,580	278,550	-2.8
Märzen	0.5	0.5	-1.4	280,790	271,050	-3.5
Diät	0.3	0.3	-7.2	157,310	142,900	-9.2
Berliner Weisse	0	0	14.8	9,060	10,180	12.4
All others	3.7	3.8	1.5	2,054,760	2,042,280	-0.6
total				55,307,279	54,167,560	-0.02
Source:
Deutsche Brauer Bund

I’ve also got the numbers broken down by state. I may show you those, too. If I can be arsed.

German brewing in 1966 - top-fermenting styles

There's some fascinating information this time about German top-fermenting styles. A topic very dear to my heart as an enthusiastic drinker of  both Kölsch and Alt.

But first a recap of the crazy rules on gravity in force until the 1990's:

"According to existing regulations, beers with original gravity from 5.5 to 7%, from 8 to 11% or from 14 to 16% may not be sold. The weaker "Einfach Bier" (below 5.5% O.G.) and "Schank Bier" (7-8% O.G.) have no importance at present, but they may become important as beers suitable for drivers, owing to their low alcohol contents. Since the last war, top-fermentation beers have also become more popular."
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Volume 72, Issue 1, January-February 1966, page 14.

There are still very few beers brewed to the old forbidden zone gravities. For a long time almost all the beer sold in Germany has been in the Vollbier band: 11º to 14º Plato. About the only Schankbier used to be Berliner Weisse, though in recent years low-gravity versions of Pils and Hefeweizen have appeared.

Which top-fermenting styles were gaining popularity? Was it Kölsch and Alt? I'm pretty sure the Weissbier revival came later.

"The Bavarian wheat beer with its in-bottle fermentation is being replaced by filtered beer of high CO2 content which is bottled under high pressure and has a content of 7-9 g. CO2 per litre."
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Volume 72, Issue 1, January-February 1966, page 14.

This reads so odd now. I've just been trailing through current Bavarian breweries beer ranges. And while pretty much all brew at least one Hefeweizen, I can't recall more than a couple of Kristallweizen. The style has clearly lost a great deal of popularity at the expense of the unfiltered version.

Now some stuff about other top-fermenters:

""Kolsch" is produced mainly in the Cologne area. It has a very pale colour, is heavily hopped (400 g. per hl.) and until recently has only been available on draught. It is now being sold in bottles with a considerable advertising campaign behind it. The so-called "Alt bier" from the Dusseldorf area is now being produced in the lower Rhine area; it is nearly as dark as the Munich beer but not as malty: the colour of the beer comes from coloured malt. It also is strongly hopped (approx. 400 g. per hl.).

Generally speaking, the 11.5-13% top-fermentation beers require a shortened fermentation and storage time and they are therefore popular with the brewery technician, although the very necessary separation between top and bottom fermentation results in certain complications to the brewing process."
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Volume 72, Issue 1, January-February 1966, page 14.

Two interesting points there: the high hopping rate of Kölsch and Alt; and that their hopping rate is quoted as being the same at 400 gm per hl. Both at the top end of the Pilsner range. My guess would be that for Alt the hopping rate has remained similar, while for most examples of Kölsch it has been considerably reduced.

Is it true that beers like Kölsch and Alt require a shorter storage time? Surely if they are lagered the way they should be there's no great difference?

Finally, one of those weird almost beer German styles:

"To this already considerable number of beer types there must be added the so-called "Nähr-Biere," which may be roughly translated as food beer, and the so-called sweet beer, which is Nahr-Biere enriched with sugar. Despite a normal original wort they have very low alcohol contents (0.5-1.5%). In order to achieve this, the fermentation is either interrupted or slowed down; alternatively, the beer is originally brewed with a weak wort, and only after filtration is its gravity increased by the addition of first worts or sugars. It is easily understandable that these types of beers have to be pasteurized in the bottle."
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Volume 72, Issue 1, January-February 1966, page 14.

As you've probably noticed, the usual restrictions of the Reinheitsgebot did not apply to Nähr-Bier. There used to be lots of types of weak, top-fermenting beer in North Germany which gradually died away after WW I. There are still odd examples, but the quantities produced are tiny. They're also sometimes sweetened with artificial sweetener. How exactly that is considered acceptable under the Reinheitsgebot is a mystery to me.

Next time it's malting.

How bitter was early Kölsch?

Someone asked me the other day if Kölsch had become less bitter over the years. My guess was that it had, but that's all it was, a guess. At the weekend, purely by chance, I stumbled on some evidence to back up my guess.

It comes from a very odd source: a report of a trip of British brewers to the Brewers' Exhibition in Berlin in 1908. It seems that on their way back, the party called in Cologne and visited a couple of breweries. The date is very important as it's about the time Kölsch first appreared.

This definitely sounds like a description of a Kölsch Brauhaus:

"On our arrival at Cologne, the friends who met us there informed us that they could not offer us the inspection of large breweries such as we should have soon in Berlin and other parts, but they had many small breweries, and, if of interest, they would arrange for us to look over any of them.

We were taken to a small brewery, known as the Obergahriges Restaurant Brewery, which had been working about two years, and whose beers at the moment were exceedingly popular in the town. It was a large restaurant brewing its own beer; behind the restaurant was a model brewing plant, with everything nicely arranged, covering a space of 100 feet square; the whole plant had been erected at a cost of £2000.

The beer was produced on the top-fermenting system: it was fermented for four days, then run into the lagers and stored for eight weeks, afterwards chilled and filtered, and served up in the usual way. Its gravity was 17 lb., and we again noticed the pronounced hop flavour which finds such ready appreciation with Germans. The whole of the brewery production was sold in the restaurant (at the time of our visit, about 12.30 in the day, we found 200 customers there), and, as far as I could ascertain, their trade was not less than 100 English barrels per week, to us a large and remarkable trade for one restaurant. We were told, much to our surprise, that the majority of the restaurants brewed their own beer."
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Volume 14, Issue 1, January-February 1908, pages 50-51.

 Top-fermented, then lagered cold. That's spot on for Kölsch. 17 lbs per barrel is 1047º - which also sounds right for Kölsch. 100 barrels a week is around 50,000 5,000 barrels a year. A pretty impressive amount for a single pub. "Served up in the usual way" implies some sort of pressure dispense rather than directly from the barrel by gravity. Odd, as every Brauhaus I know in modern Cologne serves from the barrel.

Note how the restaurant had only been open two years. Bang on when Kölsch was born. Just a shame he didn't tell us its real name. Obergahriges Restaurant Brewery is clearly just a description of what the place was, not its actual name.

Thankfully, there's a description of how the beer tasted: "pronounced hop flavour". Sounds to me that Kölsch was definitely bitterer back then.

Strange that the author should be so surprised at restaurants brewing their own beer when there were still thousands of British pubs that brewed. In 1912 there were 2,663 publican brewers*.

The other brewery sounds particularly odd:

"We also visited a still smaller brewery, connected with a small restaurant resembling the home brewery attached to the licensed house, frequently found in this country. The proprietor informed us that he was only able to brew during the winter months, but he brewed sufficient then to carry him through the summer. In his case he brewed with bottom-yeast, and he was able to carry through his fermentation successfully at about 50° F. When the beer had gone through its course of fermentation, it was filled into lagers of 12 to 15 English barrel capacity, and removed to the town cellars, where large quantities of beer were stored for small brewers, and the casks were taken out one at a time as required.

It will be noticed that the small brewer was maturing his lager at cellar temperature, viz., 52° (a high temperature in comparison with the large breweries), and I was astonished to find he was able to do without an expensive ice plant, and still produce a beer which I considered equal to any lager I had tasted; it had the pronounced hop flavour, and was very pleasant and refreshing, although perhaps a little too bitter. His trade, he informed me, was from 10 to 15 barrels per week. This was also the only case where I found the boiling of wort done by fire in place of steam."
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Volume 14, Issue 1, January-February 1908, page 51.

I'm very surprised that a small pub brewery was using bottom-fermenting yeast. Especially with the relatively high fermentation temperature of 50º F.  And didn't Cologne have a Reinheitsgebot that forbad bottom fermentation?

I'd never heard of beer being stored in town cellars in Cologne. I wonder when that died out?

If a British brewer complained about a beer being too bitter, it must have been damned bitter. All British beers were hopped like crazy before WW I. I would claim this as more proof of Kölsch once being bitterer, except this obviously wasn't a Kölsch, being bottom-fermented. What would you call this beer? A Lager?





* 1928 Brewers' Almanack, page 118.

Cologne (2)

Cologne (1)

Cologne brewhouse in 1907

I love old books and magazines. As you might have realised over the last few days. So full of  fascinating stuff. To me, at least.

I thought this might interest a couple of you. It's a report about a couple of Cologne breweries, one top and one bottom-fermenting. A very early reference to Kölcsh, though it isn't mentioned by name:

"On our arrival at Cologne, the friends who met us there informed us that they could not offer us the inspection of large breweries such as we should have seen in Berlin and other parts, but they had many small breweries, and, if of interest, they would arrange for us to look over any of them.

We were taken to a small brewery, known as the Obergahriges Restaurant Brewery, which had been working about two years, and whose beers at the moment were exceedingly popular in the town. It was a large restaurant brewing its own beer; behind the restaurant was a model brewing plant, with everything nicely arranged, covering a space of 100 feet square ; the whole plant had been erected at a cost of £2000.

The beer was produced on the top-fermenting system: it was fermented for four days, then run into the lagers and stored for eight weeks, afterwards chilled and filtered, and served up in the usual way. Its gravity was 17 lb., and we again noticed the pronounced hop flavour which finds such ready appreciation with Germans. The whole of the brewery production was sold in the restaurant (at the time of our visit, about 12.30 in the day, we found 200 customers there), and, as far as I could ascertain, their trade was not less than 100 English barrels per week, to us a large and remarkable trade for one restaurant. We were told, much to our surprise, that the majority of the restaurants brewed their own beer.

We also visited a still smaller brewery, connected with a small restaurant resembling the home brewery attached to the licensed house, frequently found in this country. The proprietor informed us that he was only able to brew during the winter months, but he brewed sufficient then to carry him through the summer. In his case he brewed with bottom-yeast, and he was able to carry through his fermentation successfully at about 50° F. When the beer had gone through its course of fermentation, it was filled into lagers of 12 to 15 English barrel capacity, and removed to the town cellars, where large quantities of beer were stored for small brewers, and the casks were taken out one at a time as required.

It will be noticed that the small brewer was maturing his lager at cellar temperature, viz., 52° (a high temperature in comparison with the large breweries), and I was astonished to find he was able to do without an expensive ice plant, and still produce a beer which I considered equal to any lager I had tasted; it had the pronounced hop flavour, and was very pleasant and refreshing, although perhaps a little too bitter. His trade, he informed me, was from 10 to 15 barrels per week. This was also the only case where I found the boiling of wort done by fire in place of steam."
"Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Volume 14", 1908, pages 50 - 51.

A couple of points. First, how bitter both beers were. I'd though that, in this period, British beers were much more heavily hopped. Secondly, I methods used by the Lager brewer seem a little weird. I'm surprised that he could brew a decent Lager without any refrigeration or ice.

Germany's favourite beer style

Some statistics today. I sort of have an excuse for publishing them. Someone asked me the other day about the market share of Weizen. Here's your answer.

Let's takle a look at the table first, then start a discussion:


The biggest changes are a bit depressing. The collapse in sales of Alt and Kölsch. Alt has been particularly hard, dropping from 6.6% of all beer sold to just 1.4%. Very worrying. Kölsch has only fared a little better, declining from 4.5% to 1.6%.

The only real winner has been Weizen, which increased its sales six-fold over the period covered. Schwarzbier has come out of nowhere (well, out of the DDR, actually - about the same as nowhere as far as West Germans are concerned) to overtake both Alt and Kölsch, but still has minimal market penetration.

Export, which rallied surprisingly five years ago appears to be on the slide again. Pils looks to be past its peak and could be about to plummet floorwards. That's my prediction, anyway. As for what might replace it - who knows? I'm not Mystic Mogg.