“The Bohemian type of lager beer with a light yellow to greenish yellow color with pronounced hop flavor and bitter taste; the malt flavor in this beer is not pronounced; it is usually lively and sparkling; alcoholic content is 3.0 to 3.5 per cent by weight, from worts of about 12 per cent original extract; typical of Bohemian beer is the Pilsener from the city of Pilsen (Plzen) in Bohemia, and also the much favored mild American extra pale beers.”
"Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint" by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, page 151.
| German and Czech Pilsener in the 1930's | ||||||||||
| Year | Brewer | country | Acidity | FG | OG | colour | ABV | App. Atten-uation | OG Plato | ABW |
| 1930 | Pilsner Urquell | Czech | 1015.1 | 1049.8 | 0.69 | 4.46 | 68.71% | 12.37 | 3.57 | |
| 1935 | Pilsner Urquell | Czech | 0.05 | 1013.8 | 1049.4 | 4.62 | 72.06% | 12.28 | 3.69 | |
| 1930 | average of 12 samples | Germany | 1013.2 | 1051.5 | 0.65 | 4.93 | 73.34% | 12.79 | 3.94 | |
| 1930 | strongest sample | Germany | 1017.6 | 1054.8 | 0.81 | 4.29 | 66.67% | 13.56 | 3.43 | |
| 1930 | weakest sample | Germany | 1009.7 | 1049.6 | 0.59 | 5.10 | 79.58% | 12.34 | 4.08 | |
| 1935 | Schultheiss Patzenhofer | Germany | 0.05 | 1009 | 1049.8 | 5.32 | 81.93% | 12.38 | 4.26 | |
| Sources: | ||||||||||
| "Van Brouwerij tot Bierglas" by F. Kurris, Doetinchem, 1948, pages 26-27 | ||||||||||
| Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001. | ||||||||||
“The Vienna type of lager beer has less pronounced character than either Muenchener or Pilsener types. In point of color, hop and malt aroma, smooth and bitter taste, it takes a place between these two types; alcoholic content of about 3.5 to 3.75 per cent by weight, from worts of about 13 per cent original extract, so named from Vienna (Wien); the most representative product coming from Klein-Schwechat — a suburb of Vienna where Anton Dreher introduced ice cooling of cellars in 1845.”
"Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint" by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, pages 151 - 152.
“The Dortmunder type of lager beer with a very light color like Pilsener from long grown low kiln dried malt; a strong, very pronounced hop flavor; highly and completely attenuated; alcoholic content about 4 to 4.5 per cent by weight, from worts usually of 14.5 per cent original extract; it originated in Dortmund, near the Rhine in Westphalia.”
"Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint" by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, page 152.
| German Dortmunder Export in the 1930's | |||||||||
| Year | Brewer | OG | FG | colour | ABV | App. Atten-uation | OG Plato | ABV | ABW |
| 1930 | average of 14 samples | 1054 | 1012.2 | 0.73 | 5.39 | 76.44% | 13.37 | 5.39 | 4.31 |
| 1930 | strongest sample | 1057.16 | 1014.3 | 0.84 | 5.58 | 73.85% | 14.11 | 5.58 | 4.47 |
| 1930 | weakest sample | 1051.21 | 1009.4 | 0.66 | 5.08 | 80.88% | 12.71 | 5.08 | 4.06 |
| Source: | |||||||||
| "Van Brouwerij tot Bierglas" by F. Kurris, Doetinchem, 1948, pages 26-27 | |||||||||
“Nurnberger and Wurzburger beers are somewhat darker than Muenchener and slightly heavier brewed. Kulmbacher beer is very dark, almost black, and brewed to 16 per cent original extract with over 4.5 per cent alcohol by weight. Maerzen beer is brewed in November but comes out in March in the Lenten season. Salvator beers are lighter in color than Muenchener but brewed as strong and stored for months. Bock beer is somewhat stronger than Muenchener and comes out around Christmas and like Maerzen is given long storage. Its name is not derived from the horned Billy goat usually depicted on advertisement posters but from the brewery of Einbeck near Hamburg. The American lager beers are generally patterned after these typical German beers. The season for Bock beer in America is the month of March.”
"Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint" by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, page 152.
“California Steam Beer. This type of beer became popular in San Francisco. It is not a lager beer inasmuch as the brew is run directly from the fermenter into the trade packages (barrels). Krausen is then added to the beer in the trade package and the barrels are bunged and delivered to the taverns and placed on racks where fermentation is completed. At the time of kräusening isinglass is also added which aided in clarification during the short storage upon the tavern's racks. This beer is produced by bottom fermentation yeast and when drawn into the stein is very wild because of the high pressure developed in the barrel, the stein being nearly full with foam. This beer has been evidently brewed for this effect, the customers desiring this particular foamy character.”
"Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint" by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, pages 152 - 153.
“Beers Classified. According to the system of fermentation employed, beers may be classified as follows:
"Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint" by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, page 150.
1. Bottom Fermentation Bohemian Lager Beer Pilsener, Michelob American Pale Beer Bohemian Type Austrian Lager Beer Wiener, Dreher American Vienna Beer Vienna type German Lager Beer Muenchener American Munich Beer Munich type German Würzburger Würzburger American Wüurzburger Würzburger type German Nürnberger Nürnberger American Nürnberger Nürnberger type German Bock Hamburger American Bock Hamburger type German Dortmunder Dortmunder American Dortmunder Dortmunder type California Steam Beer San Francisco
“Quality, Character, Properties, Types and Composition of Beers
Before selecting and weighing the materials in order to start brewing operations, the brewer should clearly understand the requirements the finished product is to meet and every operation he carries out should be understood with a knowledge of the influence it may have in shaping the character of the beer desired. A beer has quality if it possesses recognized merit and meets the requirements of the trade. A beer has character if its properties conform to those of a recognized standard or type. Typical beers may differ widely as to their distinctive properties. We may distinguish for instance:
The Bavarian type of lager beer, with a light brown to dark brown or amber color, malt flavor and a mild smooth taste as the main features, with the aroma and bitter taste of hops but little pronounced, usually lively and sparkling, alcoholic content about 3.75 to 4.5 per cent by weight, from worts of about 14 per cent original extract, usually called Muenchener type; typical of Bavarian beers are the Muenchener. Nürnberger, Würzburger. Kulmbacher is a Bavarian beer brewed with considerable body and as dark as English stout.”
"Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint" by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, page 151.
| Munich Dunkles in the 1930's | |||||||||
| Year | Brewer | Acidity | OG | FG | colour | ABV | App. Atten-uation | OG Plato | ABW |
| 1930 | average of 4 samples | 1055.2 | 1018.6 | 3.5 | 4.69 | 65.15% | 13.66 | 3.75 | |
| 1930 | strongest sample | 1056.9 | 1020.4 | 3.9 | 4.72 | 62.92% | 14.05 | 3.77 | |
| 1930 | weakest sample | 1053.6 | 1016.4 | 3 | 4.82 | 68.27% | 13.27 | 3.85 | |
| 1935 | Löwenbräu, Munich | 0.05 | 1055 | 1020.8 | 4.42 | 62.18% | 13.60 | 3.53 | |
| Sources: | |||||||||
| "Van Brouwerij tot Bierglas" by F. Kurris, Doetinchem, 1948, pages 26-27 | |||||||||
| Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001. | |||||||||
"Comparison of Lactic Acid ContentsOne observation: I think he's talking about pre-Prohibition. The numbers he gives for English styles are a lot higher than what I see in the Whitbread Gravity Book. Typical values there are 0.05 to 0.10. Of course, by the 1930's most British beers contained a fair percentage of sugar and unmalted grains.
Lager beers and mild English beers contain considerably less acidity than the English stock beers, which on account of some additional acidity developed during the storage period from ferments other than culture yeast.
The amounts of free lactic acid in the different beers, which may be considered characteristic of the beers, are as follows:
Weiss beer, about 0.50 per cent Stock ales and stouts, about 0.20 to 0.30 per cent Mild ales, about 0.15 to 0.18 per cent German lager beers, about 0.10 to 0.15 per cent American lager beers, about 0.05 to 0.10 per cent
The acidity in lager beer is not due to the development of lactic acid bacteria during its production, but to the development of this organism during the growth of the malt and by the action off the yeast on the neutral phosphates during fermentation. Unmalted cereals, which are generally employed during the production of American lager beers, contain no acidity, hence the low quantity of acid in those beers brewed with high percentages of sugar, refined grits, etc."
"Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint" by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, page 161.
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"FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.
LONDON, Tuesday Night.
Unionist Leaders and the Drink Question.
Some surprise has expressed that the Opposition leaders have given no sign while the drink problem has been much discussed. They are in close consultation with the Government as to the measures be taken, and doubtless pending a decision they do not feel it necessary to give the country any indication as to their attitude. They are not ready, it may be surmised, to go quite so far as many Ministers, and it will be remembered that Mr. Austen Chamberlain separated himself from Mr. Lloyd George in regard to the measure of relief to be given to the trade in connection with the increase in the beer duty, but they are certainly prepared to assent to measures more drastic than the most revolutionary Government would have dreamed of before the war. The question of compensation is a difficult problem, which may give rise to a divergence of view between Ministers and the Opposition, but there is agreement on the essential point that matters cannot remain they are and that further measures are required. Mr. Bonar Law’s personal sympathies are, I fancy, in favour of strong measures. He himself is practical if not a theoretical teetotaler. His beverage at dinners is ginger beer or ginger ale, and he has sometimes caused embarrassment. When he became leader of the party in the House Commons and dined out more than had been his wont, his hosts on several occasions forgot his partiality for these harmless drinks, and servants had be sent out hurriedly at the last minute to buy bottles of ginger beer at the nearest shop in a back street.
Mr. Balfour and Light Ales.
Mr. Balfour’s views would be of particular interest at this moment, and although we have heard nothing from him he has doubtless been consulted. He would certainly in the abstract be in favour of severe measures against whisky and the lenient treatment of light ales. He has always urged that on these lines, rather than by restrictive legislation, would be found the best solution of the drink problem, and he is getting support now for that opinion. He has frequently deplored the growing taste in Scotland and Ireland for whisky in preference to beer, and he will now have an opportunity of helping to correct that unfortunate tendency. It may be some consolation to the Germans in the hour of their defeat to learn that one of their conquerors is considering the adoption of their beer drink as the national beverage. We cannot adopt lager beer altogether. The climatic differences must be taken into account, and in the colder atmosphere of the north Pilsener or Munich would be an insipid drink ; but there are plenty of light ales brewed in England and Scotland which would satisfy the taste for alcohol in some form, and would have no bad effects."
Liverpool Daily Post - Wednesday 14 April 1915, page 6.
"LIGHTER THAN LAGER.
It has frequently been matter of commonplace comment to remark, "Why cannot we brew light beer similar to lager?" German lager beer, either Pilsener or Munich, despite popular notions to the contrary, contains to 3.5 to 4.5 per cent. of alcohol. Our own beers are equally low in alcohol. The majority of light bottled beers — dinner ales or stout — come within the range 3.5 to 4 per cent. of alcohol.
If any measures are to taken in dealing with the drink question full consideration should be given to the low alcohol contents of beer and its claim to regarded as national beverage.
ALCOHOL IN GINGER BEER.
The "Lancet." discussing the alcohol strength of beverages, points out that a total prohibition order would, strictly speaking, include ginger beer, which may reach an alcohol strength 2 to 3 per cent. by volume. The brewing industry, especially if it be confined to brewing light beers, is much less likely to do harm than the distilling industry, which is bound by statute to keep up its product to a very high alcoholic strength."
Liverpool Echo - Friday 09 April 1915, page 5.
"The Germans have many smart well as shameful things to their credit. In the former is the success with which have been able to capture a considerable portion of the Indian market with their beer. The most famous of all English beers — pale ale — which is known and appreciated all over the world, originated with the demand by Anglo-Indians, and, according to tradition, the reputation and fortune of one of our greatest brewing firms owes its origin to the wreckage of a cargo off the British Isles, when the virtues "East India Pale Ale" first became known to stay-at-homes. The explanation of the present esteem of the German article lies in a preference for a lighter drink. At the moment Japanese brews are replacing those of Munich and Pilsen. But surely England will come into its own again."
Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Monday 25 January 1915, page 3.
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