Distelhäuser Beers in 2014

Did I mention I was busy? I'm busy. Hence this rush job. It is nice to once the telly once in a while.

"No, I won't be long, Dolores."

That's only a semi-lie. A quarter-lie if I really rush.

Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel by Joseph König, 1903, pages 1102 - 1156

Stack of analyses.

Looking at modern ones from the same areas. Happy me - lots of breweries in Bavaria still and they often include the OG on their websites.

"Almost done."

Searching for breweries near Kitzingen - one of the sources of an old analysis.

I'll go back into slow mode here. It was only when I searched on the town name and saw the image of a distinctive tall, round tower that I remembered having been there. On the way to a brewery tap in Düll - charming, but fly-blown, despite the screened windows. That's the real sticks for you. When they keep cattle in the village, effing flies everywhere.

"Just one more minute."

One of the breweries from not too far away brews these beers:

Distelhäuser Beers in 2014
Beer	Style	OG Plato	ABV	EBU	other stuff
Pils	Pils	12.5	5.1	22
Leichtes	Pils	7.8	2.9	18
Hefeweizen	Hefeweizen	12.5	5.4	15
Kristall Weizen	Kristallweizen	12.5	5.4	15
Dunkles Hefe-Weizen	Hefeweizen Dunkel	12.5	5.4	15
Dinkel	Spelt Beer	14.2	5.8	15
Kellerbier	Kellerbier	12.3	5.1	25
Landbier	Export	12.5	5.1	22
Märzen	Märzen	13.5	5.5	20
Export	Export	12.5	5.2	22-23
Festbier	Festbier	13.5	5.4	20
Winterbock	Bock	16.5	6.8	20
Frühlingsbock	Bock, Hell	17.2	6.9	25
Spezial	Spezial	13.5	5.3	26
Distel Blond	Blond Ale	12	5.1	35	dry-hopped
Distel Black Pearl	Porter	15	5.5	28	Pilsner Malz, Münchner Malz, Caramel Malz und Hafer Malz. Golding hops.
Loch Ness Classic Stout	Stout	15	5.5	26	Pilsner Malz, Münchner Malz, Caramel Malz, Röstgerste, Röstmalz und Hafer Malz. Golding hops.
Lucky Hop IPA	IPA	17	7.7	77	Pilsner Malz, Münchner Malz und Caramel Malz. Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, First Gold and Simcoe hops
Source:
http://www.distelhaeuser.de

Notice anything odd?

"A minute . . . really  . . . yes, really this time."

One thing you won't get because I ironed it out: the German styles say, for example "Stammwürze: 13.5 %", the international ones "Stammwürze: 17 °P". Isn't that the same scale.

"I'm just adding in the image."

Their beer range is like a Mercedes with the boot of a - er, what's a typical US car, er fill it in yourself, I need a life, not that great a joke anyway. Notice while the older range has generic names like "Export" the new lot have fancy names. In English.

"Yes, I'm really done."

Recognising the international standard of roast barley = Stout I haven't time to comment on.

"Really, really, really almost done."

Great set of modern Lager styles. And their Spezial has the highest IBU. Of the German-type stuff. Been saying Spezial was a hoppier style for years.

It's just so weird seeing beers from two different worlds under one brewery roof. What does it tell us about modern German brewing?

No time

I usually like to write little reports about my travels in search of beer. But I've been very lax of late. Been too busy.

The Kimchi Farm Festival, the first anniversary part of Truman and last weekend the Borefts Festival. All events I've been too busy to write about.

Maybe you think I'm about to put that right. Well, not really. Sort of. This will be a very brief write-up.

The Kimchi Festival must be one of Amsterdam's best-kept secrets. Held annually on an urban farm, wedged between railway lines and an industrial estate, it's billed as a food festival. But there's quite a big beer element. One which seems to be growing. They have the usual local(-ish) suspects: Oedipus, Two Chefs, Butcher's Tears, Pampus and Rooie Dop; but also Oersoep from further afield and home brewers.

The small plastic cups are a bit annoying and a double measure rarely seems any larger than a single one. The food is quite pricey, too. On the other hand, it's a great setting and it's easy enough to bring along your own food and drink. Which is what we did. Got the best table in the garden again, too.

I really shouldn't be telling you about it. Don't want you grockles clogging the place up next year.

A couple of weeks back I took Dolores for a whirlwind visit to London. Mostly just to drop by the Truman's first anniversary party in Hackney Wick. We flew in Saturday morning and back out again early Sunday evening.

I showed her the high life again with curry down Drummond Street. Seven quid for all you can eat (vegetarian) plus BYO booze from the supermarket opposite. Not even Wetherspoons can match that for value. Then we were off to Greenwich. Not to see the observatory, Cutty Sark, the Naval College or any crap like that. I'd a date for a few beers and a chat with Rod Jones in Greenwich Union. And to marvel at the lovely label collection on the wall. Lots of old Eastern European ones, which are amongst my all-time favourite designs.

Next day I showed Dolores the Olympic Park. "Look, there's the Olympic Park" I said as we got off the train at Hackney Wick. It's true, you could see the back of the olympic stadium and that hideous pile of scrap iron that looks like a bomb-damaged helter-skelter. And then proceeded to drag her through an industrial estate, past a stinky skip yard and along the side of an urban motorway. And Dolores says I never take her anywhere.

Cask Ben Truman was the main reason I'd traipsed over. A beer I've dreamed of trying, I've seen it so often in Truman's logs. P1B as it was called in the brewhouse. Bit more prosaic. The beer didn't disappoint. Firmly hoppy but still drinkable by the pint. Well, if you're a pisshead like me.

Derek Prentice surprised me with the bestest present ever: a 1913-1914 Truman Brick Lane brewing log. I was speechless, which, after a few beers, is a rare occurrence. I'll never be able to thank him enough.

The other reason I was over - apart from getting a chance to meet Derek Prentice again and the boys from Truman for the first time - was the London Keeper. It's a late 19th-century Double Stout. At 8% ABV, it's the perfect afternoon session beer. At least that's the way I was drinking it. We only had a couple of hours before needing to dash to Liverpool Street.

There we dashed around the Tesco, plonked ourselves on the Stansted Express and let out a sigh. Just time for a pint in the airside Wetherspoons before getting on the plane.

Just one event to go - last weekend's Borefts Festival. One of my favourites, with one important proviso: that I take my own glass.

There are always loads of people I know there. Can be a bit of a disadvantage. I'd go to fetch a beer and bump into several acquaintances on the way to and from the bar. I was sometimes gone for more than an hour. That's one of the reasons I take along and imperial pint glass. With three or four measures poured into it, I've even beer to perhaps even last all the way back to my seat. Though there were times I was on my second refill by the time I returned.

There was a bit less cask than last year. Which was worrying, because cask Bitter was how I'd tempted Dolores out into the countryside. Luckily she seemed to like the beers of Närke. The weaker ones, obviously. She's not in the same pisshead league as me.

We'd taken our own food again. No point throwing money down the drain. I have my expensive international lifestyle to finance.

I was so busy, I didn't even have time to take my camera out of its bag. Let alone take any notes. I never do seem to have time for that sort of stuff nowadays.

We didn't stay late. "Arrive early, grab a seat and piss off when it gets full." is my standard advice for beer festivals. We were back in time for Dr. Who.

Munich Winterbier in 1843

Here's something else I'm glad I was pointed in the direction of: all the Munich Winterbiers as of 24th January 1843.

There are 42 entries in the table, though, as Hofbräuhaus has both a Weissbier and a Doppelbier, there are only 41 breweries. Only. That's still a fair few. Sadly, most are long gone. I've never heard of the majority

You should by now remember that Winterbier was the name given to a lower gravity bottom-fermenting beer which was served in the winter. It had a shorter lagering time and a lower hopping rate than the stronger Sommerbier, which was brewed to last through the summer.

Munich Winterbier in 1843
Year	Brewer	Beer	OG	FG	OG Plato	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1843	Utzschneider-Brauerei	Winterbier	1043.0	1016.5	10.76	3.42	61.65%
1843	Gilgenrainerbräu	Winterbier	1043.7	1015.8	10.92	3.60	63.83%
1843	Prüglbräu	Winterbier	1044.0	1022.4	11.00	2.78	49.12%
1843	Bacherbräu	Winterbier	1044.4	1018.0	11.10	3.41	59.49%
1843	Lodererbräu	Winterbier	1044.4	1019.2	11.10	3.25	56.79%
1843	Zacherl, Vorstast Au	Winterbier	1044.5	1018.2	11.11	3.39	59.08%
1843	Hallerbräu	Winterbier	1044.7	1016.8	11.17	3.61	62.44%
1843	Hallmeyrbräu	Winterbier	1045.1	1018.5	11.25	3.43	58.95%
1843	Hascherbräu	Winterbier	1045.6	1016.7	11.37	3.73	63.35%
1843	Löwenbräu	Winterbier	1046.4	1015.1	11.56	4.05	67.43%
1843	Ober-Ottlbräu	Winterbier	1046.4	1020.1	11.58	3.40	56.83%
1843	Singelspielerbräu	Winterbier	1046.5	1018.6	11.59	3.60	59.99%
1843	G. Pschorr, Neuhauserg.	Winterbier	1046.7	1019.6	11.65	3.50	58.07%
1843	M. Pschorr, Sendlingerg.	Winterbier	1047.2	1018.5	11.75	3.70	60.77%
1843	Löwenbräu, Buttler	Winterbier	1047.4	1019.1	11.81	3.65	59.72%
1843	Probstbräu	Winterbier	1048.0	1016.7	11.95	4.05	65.21%
1843	K. Hofbräuhaus	Weissbier	1048.4	1017.2	12.04	4.03	64.45%
1843	Ober-Spatenbräu	Winterbier	1048.6	1016.7	12.10	4.13	65.66%
1843	Faberbräu	Winterbier	1048.7	1020.2	12.12	3.68	58.54%
1843	Zengerbräu	Winterbier	1048.9	1021.9	12.17	3.48	55.24%
1843	Augustinerbräu	Winterbier	1049.0	1019.9	12.18	3.75	59.36%
1843	Wagnerbräu	Winterbier	1049.1	1018.7	12.22	3.93	61.94%
1843	Kapplerbräu	Winterbier	1049.3	1019.8	12.26	3.81	59.94%
1843	Eberlbräu	Winterbier	1049.4	1015.6	12.29	4.38	68.44%
1843	K. Hofbräuhaus	Doppelbier	1049.5	1018.9	12.30	3.95	61.80%
1843	Thorbräu	Winterbier	1049.9	1016.3	12.41	4.35	67.36%
1843	Leistbräu	Winterbier	1050.2	1018.0	12.48	4.17	64.17%
1843	Kreutzbräu	Winterbier	1051.8	1022.6	12.84	3.75	56.33%
1843	Gebhardtbräu	Winterbier	1051.8	1017.9	12.84	4.38	65.41%
1843	Stubenvollbräu	Winterbier	1052.1	1021.1	12.92	4.00	59.50%
1843	Sterneckerbräu	Winterbier	1052.4	1020.5	13.00	4.12	60.90%
1843	Dürnbräu	Winterbier	1053.3	1023.2	13.21	3.88	56.49%
1843	Oberkandlerbräu	Winterbier	1053.7	1018.1	13.30	4.61	66.30%
1843	Metzgerbräu	Winterbier	1054.0	1020.6	13.38	4.32	61.88%
1843	Hirschbräu	Winterbier	1054.5	1020.1	13.48	4.44	63.10%
1843	Menterbräu	Winterbier	1054.5	1019.4	13.49	4.54	64.41%
1843	Büchlbräu	Winterbier	1055.1	1019.7	13.62	4.57	64.23%
1843	Högerbräu	Winterbier	1055.2	1026.3	13.65	3.71	52.35%
1843	Maderbräu	Winterbier	1057.0	1022.1	14.08	4.51	61.25%
1843	Schleibingerbräu	Winterbier	1058.1	1021.9	14.34	4.68	62.33%
1843	Schützbräu	Winterbier	1059.6	1026.0	14.67	4.32	56.34%
1843	Unterkandlerbräu	Winterbier	1061.0	1022.6	15.00	4.96	62.93%
	average		1049.8	1019.4	12.38	3.93	61.03%
Source:
Über quantitative Analyse durch physikalische Beobachtungen by Carl August von Steinheil, 1843, page 706.

There are a couple of points which immediately jump out at me. First the wide range of gravities, from 1043 to 1061. That's a fair old spread. Though the vast majority - exactly two thirds - were between 11º and 12.99º Balling. There were just three examples between 14º and 14.99º and one over 15º. The average gravity of all samples was 12.38º. That's pretty low for 19th-century Munich.

gravity	no. examples	%
10-10.99º	2	4.76%
11-11.99º	14	33.33%
12-12.99º	14	33.33%
13-13.99º	8	19.05%
14-14.99º	3	7.14%
15-15.99º	1	2.38%
total	42

The second obvious point is the poor attenuation. Not a single example manages 70% apparent attenuation. While 16 samples - almost 40% - are below 60% attenuation. The average is a mere 61%. It looks particularly crap if you compare it with the attenuation of British IPA from a few years later.

British IPA 1851 - 1852
Year	Brewer	Beer	OG	FG	OG Plato	ABV	App. Attenuation
1851	Allsopp	Export IPA	1057.1	1008.8	14.10	6.32	84.59%
1851	Allsopp	Export IPA	1060.8	1008.6	14.96	6.84	85.86%
1851	Bass	Domestic IPA	1064.0	1012.8	15.70	6.69	80.00%
1852	Bass	Domestic IPA	1073.7	1019.2	17.93	7.11	73.95%
Source:
"The Lancet 1852, vol.1", 1852, page 474

Or if you compare them with modern Munich beers. Here's a random selection:

Munich Lagers in 2014
Year	Brewer	Beer	Style	OG	FG	OG Plato	ABV	App. Atten-uation
2014	Paulaner	Münchner Hell	Helles	1046.11	1008.5	11.5	4.90	81.57%
2014	Paulaner	Münchner Urtyp	Amber Lager	1050.32	1008.2	12.5	5.50	83.70%
2014	Paulaner	Münchner Dunkel	Dunkles	1050.32	1011.85	12.5	5.00	76.45%
2014	Paulaner	Münchner Hell Leicht	Helles	1030.42	1005.8	7.7	3.20	80.93%
2014	Paulaner	Oktoberfestbier	Festbier	1055.41	1009.5	13.7	6.00	82.85%
2014	Paulaner	Salvator	Dioppelbock	1075.34	1015	18.3	7.90	80.09%
2014	Paulaner	Premium Pils	Pilsener	1046.11	1008.5	11.5	4.90	81.57%
2014	Löwenbräu	Urtyp	Spezial	1049.90	1008.5	12.4	5.40	82.96%
2014	Löwenbräu	Original	Helles	1047.37	1007.5	11.8	5.20	84.17%
2014	Löwenbräu	Triumphator	Dioppelbock	1074.89	1016.8	18.2	7.60	77.57%
2014	Löwenbräu	Oktoberfestbier	Festbier	1055.41	1008.7	13.7	6.10	84.30%
2014	Löwenbräu	Dunkel	Dunkles	1050.32	1008.2	12.5	5.50	83.70%
2014	Löwenbräu	Weisse	Hefeweizen	1047.37	1007.5	11.8	5.20	84.17%
2014	Spaten	Münchner Hell	Helles	1046.95	1007.1	11.7	5.20	84.88%
2014	Spaten	Oktoberfestbier	Festbier	1055.41	1010.2	13.7	5.90	81.59%
	Average			1052.11	1009.46	12.90	5.57	82.03%
Sources:
Paulaner website
Löwenbräu website
Spaten website

The average OG is a little higher for the modern beers but the average attention is much higher: 82% compared to 61%. It's even more impressive when you consider that there are two Doppelbocks in there.

Low attenuation is an obvious feature of early Lagers. I don't really know why that was. Was it the quality of the malt? The mashing techniques employed? The yeast of the fermentation process? I've really no firm information.

Almost forgot to mention the style of these beers. With the exception of the Hofbräuhaus Weissbier, all would have been dark. So a type of Dunkles, really.

Final league table of breweries

We're very nearly done. I'm starting to get a bit impatient myself for it all to be over.

Everything but the final pieces of text are in place. The covers are designed - I'll be announcing the winner of the front cover typography contest soon - I even have the isbn number. It seems like forever since I last issued a book. That reminds me that I have two unfinished volumes: Newark! and Malt!. I must get around to finishing them.

Don't worry - there are still plenty of tables to come. They're one thing I never tire of. That could explain why I've come up with not one but two league tables. One is based on the overall average score, the other on the position in the individual style tables. The results aren't identical. Where to start? Let's go with position.

Ranking of breweries by position
Brewery	Burton	Mild	PA	Porter	Stout	Average
Whitbread	1	4	1	2	1	1.8
Watney	8	2	2	1	4	3.4
Mann	3	1	10	6	6	5.2
Truman	9	6	3	3	5	5.2
Wenlock	6	3	9	7	3	5.6
Courage	2	8	4	5	12	6.2
Huggins	11	10	6		2	7.25
Meux	4	11	7		8	7.5
Lion	7	7	12	4		7.5
Hoare	10	9	11	9	7	9.2
Cannon	14	5	14	11	9	10.6
Barclay Perkins	13	15	8	8	10	10.8
City of London	12	17	5	10		11
Charrington	5	16	15		11	11.75
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001

In this Whitbread are clear winners. Unsurprising when they were never lower than fourth and had three top positions. But caution is required because the sample sizes were so small. And it was Whitbread doing the sampling. Where did they get their samples? If it was the brewery tap, then the contest is clearly unfair.

Mann, Truman and Wenlock all did pretty well, while Courage were let down by a poor Stout. Not sure if this means anything, but the top four breweries were all still around in the 1970's. And all but Whitbread were in the Watney group. It's odd how rubbish Charrington's beers were. The brewery was large and doing well between the wars. Were its beers really always that poor? Cannon, Barclay Perkins and City of London.  weren't much better. Was it the fault of poor cellarmanship or did beers leave the brewery in poor condition?

We'll move on now to the league table based on average score.

League table of breweries by score
Brewery	average score
Watney	1.36
Whitbread	1.23
Wenlock	0.66
Truman	0.65
Huggins	0.58
Mann	0.57
Lion	0.45
Courage	0.29
Meux	0.21
Hoare	-0.10
Charrington	-0.38
Barclay Perkins	-0.48
City of London	-0.54
Cannon	-0.57

You'll see that Watney tops this table with an impressive 1.36 average. Whitbread is not far behind on 1.23. Only two breweries achieved positive scores for every style: Watney and Huggins, though there was no Porter from the latter. Quite a way behind were Wenlock, Truman, Huggins Mann and Lion. Charrington isn't bottom this time, but is still one of the five breweries with a negative average score.

Barclay Perkins have the unfortunate distinction of having four out of five styles with negative score. I can only warn time-travellers to steer clear of their pubs. In fact I'd avoid all those with averages below zero.

I'm still not quite ready to let you off the hook. I'll be finishing with a look at each brewery's scores in more detail.