Lager Beers in 1909

You probably realise by now how fascinated I am by Lager. Especially oldie-timey Lager.

The following passage from the Journal of the Institute of Brewing explains the different types of Lager at the start of the 20th century. It breaks them down by region and strength. Rather surprisingly, along with Bohemia, Bavaria and Vienna, the USA is also included. Which is probably fair enough, now I think about it.

The strength types are a bit odd, as it doesn't seem to include Bock. Or, at least, to lump it in with Export.

Our attention must now be directed to the principal subject of this evening's paper: Lager Beers ("Lager Biere"). Of these there are four recognised types :—Bohemian, Vienna, Bavarian, and American. As a general rule, three varieties of each are brewed: Light, Ordinary or Summer Lager, and Export. The exports are all brewed considerably stronger and contain more alcohol. All the types vary a good deal in colour, flavour, palate-fulness, amount of hops, acidity and alcohol. For example :—

1. Bavarian and Munich beers possess a light to dark-brown shade of colour, are lightly hopped, and are characterised by their palate fulness, sweet taste and malt flavour. Their gravities vary from 12.5° to 15.0° B. in the Light, and from 15.0° to 18.0° B. in the Export beers.

2. The Bohemian are light-yellow, as in the case of the Pilsener, to a peculiar greenish-yellow colour. They taste somewhat sharp, dry and wine-like, but with a prevailing bitter of hops as opposed to the lightly-hopped Bavarians. Their gravities vary from 10.5° to 11.5° B. for the Light, and from 11.0° to 12.8° B. for the Heavy.

3. The Vienna Lagers come somewhere midway between the Bavarian and Bohemian, especially as regards colour, hops, and taste. The gravities vary from 10.5° to 13.5° B. in the Light, and from 13.5° to 15.5° B. for the Heavy and Export beers. The larger amount of the common beer of Vienna is brewed at a gravity of 13.5° B.

4. The American Lagers generally follow the German rather than the Austrian types, yet differ considerably in the many American cities.
"Lager Beers" by James Grant in Journal of the Institute of Brewing Volume 15, Issue 3, May 1909, page 379.

It's odd that they state American beers were mostly of the German type. Surely most were of the Bohemian type, generally being very pale. There aren't any details with regard to strength, unfortunately. 

Franconia 2012

Another video of Franconia more than a decade ago. Just shows how long it takes me to get around to doing things. Like editing video. Still, better late than never.

In the video I visit Ebermannstadt,  Aufseß and Bamberg.

 

Zoigl 2012

I visit the Oberpfalz, dropping by Zoiglstube Schwoazhansl in Falkenberg, Zoiglstube beim Käck´n in Neuhaus and Schloßhof Zoigl in Windischeschenbach. With a bonus visit to not-called-Zoigl Kommunbrauer Paul Reindl in Neuhaus an der Pegnitz. From the, sadly, defunct communal brewery there.

 

Down the pub with Andrew

I went over to Utrecht last week with Andrew. To meet Robbie Pickering for a couple of beers. I hadn't been there for ages. 2016, maybe.

The approach to the city, at least from Utrecht Centraal, is almost as awful as in its last iteration. The bridge to the dreadful shopping centre has gone. Now there's a small outdoor stretch. Before entering the maze of the dreadful shopping centre.

"Remember the route so we can find our way back." Andrew wisely advised.

But I digress. I really wanted to talk about my time down the pub with Andrew.

I started him young. While still strapped into a pushchair. I realised fully the advantage in that once he was a little older. And would regularly make a dash for freedom while my back was turned in Cafe Belgique. Often almost making it to Nieuwe Dijk before I caught him. I'm sure he would have made his own way back eventually. If he hadn't been kidnapped or something.

The nut machine, where you put in a coin and turned a knob, would usually keep him quiet for as couple of minutes. Though it could work out pricey. Depending on how desperate for peace I was. And how hungry he was.

We first visited Bavariia together just a little later. When he was six. For him: a visit to the railway museum in Nuremberg and a ride on the heritage railway in the Fränkische Schweiz. For me: well, all the lovely pubs in the Fränkische Schweiz. And Annafest.

It was my first time there. And I made the mistake of having a couple of beers before arriving. So many beers to try. And only in litre measures. I was I had Andrew to prop me up the way back down the hill. Him being so tall did come in handy sometimes. Then his fascination with trains made sure we got the right one back to Bamberg and our hotel. 

No wonder I still travel with him.

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.

Bavaria memories

Remembering one of my last trips to Bavaria.

See how many locations you can identify.

Licensed Houses in Bavaria

The Bavarians have alwyas been a thirsty bunch when it comes to beer. In the 19th century the average Bavarian drank over 300 litres a year. An insane amount.

This interesting letter compares the number of pubs per head of population in the UK and Bavaria. Why mention this? Because at the time temperance lunatics had convinced many in the UK that there were too many pubs. And that the temptations of these pubs were the main cause of drunkenness. Therefore the number of pubs had to be reduced.

This obsession with delicensing as many pubs as possible and at the same time making new licences almost unobtainable were the main reasons the tied house system became so prevalent in the UK. There were a finite number of outlets for beer which needed to be secured if a brewery wanted to sell any beer.

No such problems in Bavaria.

"Licensed Houses in Bavaria.
TO THE EDITOR OF “THE BREWERS‘ GUARDIAN."
SIR,-—In your issue of June 11 you publish a statement of licensed houses in England and Wales, which shows that there are 105,484 houses licensed for the sale of intoxicating liquors to be consumed on the premises, and gives an average of one house to 202 persons on the basis of last census (1881).

It may be interesting to the readers of THE BREWERS‘ GUARDIAN to have some information on the same subject with regard to Bavaria, the only other c0untry which, like England, is mainly a beer-consuming one. There were in Bavaria at the end of the year 1888 34,262 houses with permission to sell beer, and, besides these, there were 3,717 retail houses or the sale of spirits, which may more appropriately he called dram-shops. This makes a total of 37,979 licensed houses for a population of 5,420,199, in accordance with the last census (1885), and gives one house for every 145 persons. Off-licences do not exist in Bavaria, and the few traders who sell beer in bottles (generally only of the very best kinds) require no special permission to do so; and wine houses (of which there are a good many) are also not included. Yet we do not hear of such a continual out cry against licences in Bavaria as there is, without intermission, dinned into the ears of the British public. And, although we find here a great difference, in so far as the proportion of 145 to 202 means nearly 28 per cent. more in Bavaria, it would not be difiicult to prove that sobriety is as great in Bavaria as in most other countries, and greater than in some with less consumption of beer, but in reality with more consumption of spirits.

The Bavarian Administration freely grants "concessions," as the licences are called, for the sale of beer, but, as the figures above show, are very care ful in giving permission for the sale of spirits. That has always been so, and was the making of the Bavarian beer industry, and your last number gives ample details of that too. Roundly speaking, beer, especially of the fine, light description now coming generally into use, is quite innocuous, if not taken in excessive quantities; and it may be that the mixed licences contributed a good deal to make beer figure as an intoxicant, instead of a nourishing, refreshing, and inoffensive beverage.
I remain, sir,
Your obedient servant,
June 16."
"The Brewers' Guardian 1889", 1889, page 201.

The "fine, light" beer the author mentions is probably Light Bitter - stuff like AK. While it was light compared to most other beers of the day, it was still 4.5% - 5% ABV. Not exactly non-intoxicating.

Why wasn't there a call for a reduction in the number of pubs in Bavaria? Because people there hadn't been brainwashed by temperance fanatics.

Substitutes in German brewing (part two)

More on the history of the Reinheitsgebot and the rules of malt substitutes during the early years of the German Empire.

It's quite a surprise to me to discover just how many restrictions there were in North Germany. I thought they's had pretty much a free hand. Not so.

III—REPORT BY DR. DOEMENS.
(Translated from German.)
1.
The following questions were submitted to me by Dr. Schidrowitz, and I have hereinafter answered them to the best of my knowledge and belief :—

1. What are the admixtures to beer that are prohibited—

(a) in Bavaria, and
(b) within the districts under the control of the North German Brewing Tax Union (Norddeutsche Braueteuer gemeinschaft) ?

In the year 1516 the Bavarian civil and police authorities issued a regulation prohibiting the employment of any materials other than barley, hops, and water in the manufacture of beer, both in Upper and Lower Bavaria, while at Nuremberg an order to the same effect had been made as early as the year 1200.

A police regulation of the year 1616 reiterates the prohibition relating to the admixture of foreign substances to beer in regard to Upper and Lower Bavaria.

Under an enactment which was made in 1806 for Upper and Lower Bavaria only, but was extended in the ensuing year to the remaining parts of the kingdom, excise dues were to be charged on beer not, as before, in proportion to the quantity of beer produced, but according to the amount of malt employed in its manufacture. Of substitutes (for malt or hops) this particular order says nothing, inasmuch as prior decrees dealing with that point were then in force, and are so even yet, having never been repealed.

The fact that the employment of substitutes was at no time allowed in Bavaria is borne out by the concluding sentence of the Bavarian Parliament (Landtag) on the 10th of November, 1891, which runs as follows:—

“The use of any substances other than, or any substitutes for, barley, malt, and hops in the preparation of brown beer, continues prohibited."

What is here meant by “brown beer” is low-fermented (as distinguished from high-fermented wheat beer, in the preparation of which the use of wheat malt, together with the ordinary barley malt, was permitted).

Article 7 of the Bavarian Malt Law of the 16th of May, 1868, which was amended in 1889, and is now in operation in its new form, provides:—

"That no substances of any description whatsoever shall, in the manufacture of beer, be added to, or substituted for malt (roasted or air-dried), and no unmalted cereals shall be used either by themselves or in conjunction with malt;”

Article 71 of the same law enacts—

“That whoever contravenes the restrictions herein set forth shall be liable to a fine of from hundred and eighty to five hundred and forty marks."

Now in view of existing precedents supplied by the decisions of the Courts, the construction to be placed upon Article 7 is that the law does not merely prohibit the use of malt substitutes proper, but that it makes the admixture to beer of any substances, whatever their nature, a punishable offence."
"The Brewers' Journal, 1898", page 243. 

No surprise that brewing with anything but malt and hops was an offence in Bavaria.

This next list of substances banned everywhere in Germany is interesting.

"Precedent, as established by decisions of the highest tribunals, shows that penalties have been inflicted for additions of salicylic acid, liquorice, caramel, and saccharin; also for making use of liquid carbonic acid in the manufacture of what is known as “champagne beer; "while for clarifying purposes isinglass shavings and other "finings” that will not mix with the beer, but the action of which is purely mechanical, are alone tolerated."
"The Brewers' Journal, 1898", page 243.

I'm very surprised to see caramel on that list. I'd thought that was allowed outside Bavaria. I knew saccharin had been forbidden. Which is really odd, because it the 20th century it was llowed in some types of low-gravity, sweet beers. Yet finings were OK, but not CO2. It all seems a bit random. Though I guess that's true today, where all sorts of things used in beer manufacture that don't end up in the finished beer are allowed.

"In the district under the control of the North German Brewing Tax Union the question of the employment of substitutes is settled by the provisions of the Imperial Code (which of course applies to Bavaria as well) relative to the manufacture and sale of food stimulants and articles of daily consumption; for section 10 of that law, dated May 10th 1897, says :—

"A term of imprisonment not exceeding six months and a fine not exceeding one thousand five hundred marks or either of these penalties, are incurred by—

“(1) an person who for purposes of deception in the exercise of commerce and trade imitates or adulteratcs food or stimulants ;

“(2) any person who with guilty knowledge and while concealing the fact sells or puts up for sale under a name designed to deceive or milead any food or stimulant that is deteriorated, imitated, or adulterated."

Under this section of the law the addition of saccharin in substitution for part of the amount of malt required for the production of beer of standard quality was held to be “beer adulteration,” and punished as such by judgment of the Imperial Court under date of March 2nd, 1893, and so was the addition to beer of other than pure grape sugar, by a judgment of the same Court dated March 4th, 1884.

Again, the employment of pure sugar and other malt substitutes is punishable where the beer is given a name such as “Bavarian (or Lager) Beer,” which by implication conveys the idea that no substitutes whatever have been used.
(Judgment of Imperial Court dated December 18th, 1882.)
"The Brewers' Journal, 1898", page 243.

Grape sugar is glucose, by the way.

Interesting that the rules were stricter if you mentioned Bavaria or Lager. Like I said before, all a bit weirdly random.

Substitutes in German brewing

You may recall that I have a bit of a thing about the Reinheitsgebot. I find it a fascinating topic.

Of course, in the period this article was written there was no such thing as the Reinheitsgebot. That term only came into use after WW I. And until 1908, the law on only brewing from malt, hops, water and yeast only applied to Bavaria, not the rest of Germany.

But it seems that things were more complicated than that. There were restrictions on the ingredients that could be used in beer in the whole of Germany.

"The use of substitutes in Bavaria is forbidden absolutely. There are two laws bearing on the question:—

(1) The Food and Drugs Act, and (2) The Malt Act.— Under the Food and Drugs Act it has been decided by, the Courts in a series of cases that the use of any material which tends to make the beer appear or actually be better or worse than is actually the case - viewed in the light of the fact that normal beer in Bavaria is by law and popular opinion regarded as a product obtained from malt, hops, and water, and subsequent fermentation — is not allowable.

The use of any material which alters the normal composition of a beer, tends to hide natural deficiencies, &c, is absolutely forbidden. The enalty is a fine of not more than 1,500 marks (£75), and six months’ imprisonment. Anyone concerned in the use or sale of such substances is subject to these penalties. It has been decided by the Courts that the use of caramel, bicarbonate of soda, tartaric acid, heading powder, grape-sugar (glucose), tannin, salicylic acid, &c., are illegal under the Food Act, and the persons concerned were condemned to various penalties. These cases occurred in the years 1885 and 1886. (Literature available.)

Under the Malt Act (a fiscal measure), the use of any material whatever in the manufacture of beer, except barley, malt, hops, water, and yeast is absolutely forbidden. Where the offencc can be brought either under the Food Act or the Malt Act, the former is always put in force, as the penalties are heavier.

In Germany generally (Imperial Law — Reichsgesetz) apart from Bavaria, the use of certain substitutes is allowed, but if these substitutes in any way alter the composition of the beer from the normal (i.e. a beer brewed from malt and hops alone), or tend to make a beer brewed from bad materials appear better than it really is, or worse, the use of such substitute is forbidden except on condition that such beers be qualified as "substitute ” beers, and given a special name clearly showing to the public that such beer is not a normal liquid. If a pure substitute be used and the normal composition of the beer be thereby in no way altered, the beer may be sold as “beer,” but it may not be sold in such a manner as to make the buyer believe that it is a beer brewed from "normal” materials alone. This applies also to wine. From this, and the decision of the Courts, it appears that there is a rigorous check on the use of impure substitutes and the abnormal use of even pure substitutes. In Bavaria it is held by the authorities that even a pure substitute must alter the actual character and properties of a beer, and, if this view be adopted by the Judges in Germany, it is evident that the existing Imperial Laws are sufficient to prohibit their use absolutely in the whole of Germany. This view has been adopted by some of the Courts. It is, therefore, incorrect to say that the use of substitutes is allowed in Germany, with the exception of Bavaria alone. As stated before, there are Imperial regulations as to analytical methods for detecting impurities and abnormal composition of wine, beers.

Apart from Chemical analysis, however, it was considered by all the authorities consulted in Munich that it would be quite impossible for a brewer to use substitutes without detection, and detection would mean his absolute ruin. Each brewer in Munich vies with the other in trying to produce a better beer; the quality of the beer is his chief advertisement. The manager of the largest brewery in Munich said to me, "If a brewer were detected in the use of substitutes — and he could not help bein detected — he would not only be ruined, but the people would try to lynch him as well.” This graphically expresses the very strong opinion on this question held in Bavaria."
"The Brewers' Journal, 1898", page 242.

So you were only allowed to use substitutes if they didn't alter the nature of the beer. That doesn't really fit with what I've read about German rice beer, where the whole point of its use was to produce something that was lighter and more delicately flavoured.

The idea of having to name beer that wasn't brewed from malt and hops alone something else was floated in the UK around this time. Campaigners for "pure beer" wanted beer contained adjuncts or sugar to be clearly stated as doing so. They didn't get very far with that one.

I wonder if any Bavarian brewerss were ever lynched? It wouldn't surprise me. They are pretty crazy when it comes to beer down there.

Nürnberg area Export 1878 – 1891

As promised, Exports from around Nuremberg. How will they differ from those from around Munich?

As with the beers from Bavaria’s capital, there’s a considerable variation in gravity. The weakest aren’t much over 12º Plato, while the strongest are over 16º Plato, and would be classified as Bockbier today. The ABV is all over the place, too, varying from under 4% to over 7%.

I’m slightly intrigued that there are more examples from Erlangen than Nuremberg, despite it being a smaller town.

Nürnberg area Export 1878 - 1891
Year	Brewer	Town	Beer	OG Plato	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	Acidity
1878	A. Schelle	Erlangen	Export	13.82	1055.9	1017.5	4.98	68.69%	0.12
1878	Niklass	Erlangen	Export	12.87	1051.9	1019.0	4.25	63.39%	0.19
1878	Erich	Erlangen	Export	13.84	1056.0	1016.0	5.19	71.43%
1878	Henninger	Erlangen	Export	14.24	1057.7	1020.0	4.88	65.34%
1879	Niklass	Erlangen	Export	14.28	1057.9	1021.0	4.78	63.73%
1883	Henninger	Erlangen	Export	15.16	1061.7	1018.5	5.60	69.99%	0.366
1884	Unknown	Erlangen	Export	15.45	1062.9	1023.2	5.14	63.12%	0.07
1884	Henninger	Erlangen	mittelfarbiges Export	16.09	1065.7	1017.0	6.34	74.12%	0.142
1884	Henninger	Erlangen	helles Export	14.00	1056.7	1014.1	5.54	75.13%	0.127
1884	Carl Niklass	Erlangen	helles Export	13.44	1054.3	1020.5	4.36	62.25%	0.108
1885	Erich	Erlangen	Export	13.09	1052.8	1018.0	4.50	65.91%	0.198
1891	Henninger	Erlangen	Export	14.24	1057.7	1020.3	4.84	64.82%
1878	Robby	Nürnberg	Export	12.94	1052.2	1015.8	4.71	69.73%	0.21
1878	Unknown	Nürnberg	Bayerisches Export-Bier	16.90	1069.2	1014.0	7.21	79.77%
1879	Aktien-Brauerei	Nürnberg	Export	15.11	1061.5	1017.2	5.75	72.01%	0.23
1879	Unknown	Nürnberg	Export	14.73	1059.8	1018.4	5.38	69.23%	0.23
1884	Unknown	Nürnberg	Exportbier	15.73	1064.1	1022.9	5.33	64.27%	0.02
1885	Tucher'sches	Nürnberg	Export	12.38	1049.8	1019.2	3.95	61.45%	0.175
1886	Aktien-Brauerei	Nürnberg	Export	12.87	1051.9	1017.9	4.40	65.51%	0.108
	Average			14.27	1057.9	1018.4	5.11	67.89%	0.164
Source:
König, J (1903), Bier in Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel by Joseph König, 1903, pp 1101 - 1156, Julius Springer, Berlin.

Here are the Munich Export averages:

OG Plato	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	Acidity
14.07	1057	1020.3	4.75	64.44%	0.275

Not a huge difference, except that the Nuremberg beers are more highly attenuated and slightly higher in gravity.

Other Bavarian wheat beers in 2014

I’m not quite done with Bavarian wheat beers. Because there are still a couple of types I haven’t covered yet. And if nothing else, I’m a completist.

The first is a fairly recent development, Leicht Hefeweizen. Over the last decade or two lower-gravity versions of a few styles have appeared. And Weizen is no exception.

For the most, these are beers that would have been legal in the days when there was hole between 9º and 11º Plato. All but one of the beers fits into the old Schankbier category, which had a maximum OG of 8º Plato. At one time, pretty much all the Schankbier brewed was in the form of Berliner Weisse.

The one exception is the Göller beer, which at 9.5º is smack in the middle of the old forbidden zone.

Interestingly, the average rate of attenuation is a bit less than for the full-strength versions. I would have guessed the opposite.

Bavarian Leicht Hefeweizen in 2014
Brewer	Town	Beer	OG Plato	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
Göller	Zeil am Main	Leichte Weisse	9.5	1037.8	1009.3	3.70	75.39%
Püls-bräu	Stadtsteinach	Weismainer Leichte Weisse	7.8	1030.8	1008.4	2.90	72.75%
Paulaner	Munich	Hefe-Weißbier Leicht	7.7	1030.4	1005.8	3.20	80.93%
Hacker-Pschorr	Munich	Leichte Weisse	7.7	1030.4	1005.8	3.20	80.93%
Kitzmann-Bräu	Erlangen	leichtes Weißbier	7.7	1030.4	1008	2.90	73.70%
Privatbrauerei Kesselring	Marktsteft	Steffen Leicht	7.6	1030.0	1007.6	2.90	74.67%
Pyraser Landbrauerei	Thalmässing	Federleichte Weiße	7.2	1028.4	1006.8	2.80	76.04%
Brauerei Hermann Sigwart	Weißenburg	Leichte Weiße	6.8	1026.8	1005.2	2.80	80.57%
	Average		7.8	1030.6	1007.1	3.05	76.87%
Sources:
The relevant brewery websites

The final type of Weissbier is a much older one. And rather under threat. Once this was the most popular type of Bavarian Weissbier, but fashion has turned against it and the version with yeast rules.

I can’t say that I’ve ever been a big fan. I prefer the ramped up spiciness of Hefeweizen. Kristall Weizen has always struck me as rather bland.

Here are the numbers:

Bavarian Kristall Weizen in 2014
Brewer	Town	Beer	OG Plato	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
Paulaner	Munich	Weißbier Kristallklar	11.8	1047.4	1007.5	5.20	84.17%
Weihenstephan	Freising	Kristall Weisbier	12.7	1051.2	1009.7	5.40	81.04%
Privatbrauerei Kesselring	Marktsteft	Kristall Weizen	12	1048.2	1007.6	5.30	84.24%
Distelhäuser	Tauberbischofsheim	Kristall Weizen	12.5	1050.3	1008.9	5.40	82.31%
Kulmbacher	Kulmbach	Kristall Weisbier	12.7	1051.2	1009.7	5.40	81.04%
	Average		12.3	1049.6	1008.7	5.34	82.56%
Sources:
The relevant brewery websites

It’s a small sample, but there does appear to be a significant difference with the yeast versions: the rate of attenuation. It’s three points higher. My guess would be it’s because it’s conditioned at the brewery for longer.

Erdinger beers in 2017

Someone asked after my recent series of posts on Bavarian Weizen: why no Erdinger?

I did contemplate being a smartarse and saying; "Because their beers are shit." But that isn't the real reason. Which is that I just hadn't looked up their website. I thought I'd put that right. And luckily they give both the OG and ABV on their website.

They brew quite a range of wheat beers, eight in all. Excluding the alcohol-free versions.

Most have a very high degree of attenuation, which must make them quite light in the mouth. The Urweiss is an amber-coloured version, in case you're wondering. There are a lot of beers around 12º Plato, which I guess is to be expected. German brewers still mostly stick to the old gravity bands. Habit, I guess.

There was one intersting point I noticed. The website also lists the ingredients. For the Dunkles and Pikantus in includes Röstmalzbier - roasted malt beer. Which I'm guessing is either Sinamar or something similar. Effectively it's a type of malt-based caramel. So no actula dark malts in the grist. I told you lots of this goes on in Germany.

Oh, and do you see what it says on the top of the label? Brewed according to the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot of 1516. Which is a downright fucking lie. The original law sys that beer can only be brewed from barley, hops and water. No mention of wheat.

Erdinger beers in 2017
Brewer	Town	Beer	Style	OG Plato	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
Erdinger	Erding	Weissbier	Hefeweizen	12.60	1050.7	1010.1	5.30	80.19%
Erdinger	Erding	Urweisse	Hefeweizen	11.90	1047.8	1010.1	4.90	78.87%
Erdinger	Erding	Dunkles	Hefeweizen Dunkel	12.80	1051.6	1010.9	5.30	78.87%
Erdinger	Erding	Kristall	Kristallweizen	12.50	1050.3	1009.7	5.30	80.82%
Erdinger	Erding	Pikantus	Weizenbock	16.70	1068.3	1012.6	7.30	81.63%
Erdinger	Erding	Leicht	Hefeweizen	7.90	1031.2	1009.6	2.80	69.26%
Erdinger	Erding	Sommerweiße	Hefeweizen	11.30	1045.3	1009.9	4.60	78.13%
Erdinger	Erding	Schneeweiße	Hefeweizen	12.90	1052.0	1009.1	5.60	82.50%
Source:
https://de.erdinger.de/biere

Bavarian Dunkel Hefeweizen in 2014

It wasn’t just pale Hefeweizen that I caught in my sweep of Bavarian brewery websites. I also found quite a few dark versions.

It’s a sign of the increased popularity of Weissbier that there a many breweries that produce more than one variation. Sometimes a dark version. Which is a bit like black IPA. Because the name Weissbier is connected to the colour and not necessarily anything to do with wheat.

I can’t help wondering how these beers are coloured. It wouldn’t surprise me if some were just the brewery’s standard pale Weissbier with added Sinamar. Or maybe I’m being over cynical.

Though the fact that the averages for these beers and the pale versions are almost identical. Here are the lovely numbers:

Bavarian Dunkel Hefeweizen in 2014
Brewer	Town	Beer	OG Plato	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
Weihenstephan	Freising	Hefeweissbier Dunkel	12.7	1051.16	1010.5	5.30	79.48%
Brauerei Kanone Löhr	Schnaittach	Weizen (dunkel)	12.8	1051.59	1013.9	4.90	73.15%
Arnsteiner Brauerei	Seinsheim	Ur-Weisse	12.7	1051.16	1012.7	5.00	75.18%
Kitzmann-Bräu	Erlangen	Dunkles Weißbier	12.6	1050.74	1007.9	5.60	84.53%
Klosterbrauerei Andechs	Andechs	Weissbier Dunkel	12.5	1050.32	1011.9	5.00	76.35%
Göller	Zeil am Main	Kaiser Heinrich Urweisse dunkel	12.5	1050.32	1010.4	5.20	79.43%
Distelhäuser	Tauberbischofsheim	Dunkles Hefe-Weizen	12.5	1050.32	1008.9	5.40	82.31%
Brauerei Hermann Sigwart	Weißenburg	Dunkle Weiße	12.5	1050.32	1012.6	4.90	74.96%
Paulaner	Munich	Hefe-Weißbier Dunkel	12.4	1049.90	1009.2	5.30	81.56%
Hacker-Pschorr	Munich	Dunkle Weisse	12.4	1049.90	1009.2	5.30	81.56%
Brauhaus Leikeim	Altenkunstadt	Dunkle Weisse	12.3	1049.47	1008.1	5.40	83.63%
Pyraser Landbrauerei	Thalmässing	Angerwirts Weizen altfränkisch dunkel	12.3	1049.47	1008.8	5.30	82.21%
Privatbrauerei Kesselring	Marktsteft	Schlemmer Schwarz	12	1048.21	1007.6	5.30	84.24%
	Average		12.5	1050.2	1010.1	5.22	79.89%
Sources:
The relevant brewery websites

And these are the averages for the pale ones:

OG Plato	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
12.5	1050.3	1010.1	5.24	79.96%

See what I mean? The averages are scarily similar.

Interestingly, no-one seems to make a Kristall Dunkles Weissbier. I wonder why that is?