Reviving Extinct German Beer Styles
Lurking in the dark recesses of beer history are many formerly famous brews that are now all but forgotten. This is particularly true in countries with old beer cultures, such as Great Britain, Belgium, and especially Germany, where folks are known to have been brewing for almost three millennia, probably longer. The proof is a beer amphora discovered in 1934 in a Celtic chieftain’s grave mound, near Kulmbach, in what is now the northeastern part of Bavaria. It has been dated to 800 BC, which makes it the oldest archeological evidence of brewing in central Europe.
These early brewers, however, were illiterate. Thus, the oldest written records of brewing on the European continent were compiled only at the beginning of the current epoch, when scribes accompanied the Roman legions on their conquests of the “barbaric” tribes across the Alps. Perhaps the most noteworthy of these documents is De origine et situ Germanorum (About the origin and location of the Germans), penned by the Roman senator and historian Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (c. 56–120 AD). In this work, Tacitus mused sarcastically about the fondness of the primitives along the rivers Rhône, Danube, Rhine, and Moselle for their “umor ex hordeo aut frumento” (fermented liquor from barley) that tasted much like “vinus corruptus” (rotten wine).
We do not know exactly how these tribes made their “rotten wine” back then, but by the High Middle Ages, around the turn of the first millennium, Benedictine monks in all of central Europe had clearly accumulated a great storehouse of knowledge about the art of making delicious beers from various grains. We know so from many documents, including the annals of the Abbey of Saint Gall, in present-day Switzerland, which were compiled roughly between the middle of the 10th and the 11th centuries, as well as an architectural floor plan from around 830. According to that plan, Saint Gall was equipped with a granary, a malting floor, a kiln, and three (!) brew houses, each dedicated to a different beer.
In the first brew house, the friars made Celia from the first runnings of a mash of barley and wheat malts. This was a privileged beverage reserved exclusively for the abbot and his lofty guests. In the second brew house, they made huge quantities of Cervisa from the first runnings of a mash of barley and oat malts. This was the daily beer of the ordinary monks, who also served it to visiting pilgrims. Finally, in the third brew house, they made Conventus. This was a “small” beer blended from the second runnings of the Celia and Cervisa mashes and often fortified with wort from a freshly mashed bed of malted oats. Conventus was doled out mostly to the abbey’s lay workers and to beggars. At first, these three beers were spiced with herb mixtures called gruit, but eventually hops replaced herbs as the preferred flavoring agents.
We cannot be certain that the Abbey of St. Gall was actually built according to the 9th-century plan because there is no trace left of the original buildings. It is known, however, that European monks made variations of Celia, Cervisa, and Conventus throughout the Middle Ages and well into the Renaissance. Thus, one can argue that these three beers were the foundation from which virtually all regional brews in central Europe have since sprung. In other words, Celia, Cervisa, and Conventus were arguably the world’s first true beer “styles.” Eventually, just about every village and town had its own set of “terroir” brews, based on whatever raw materials would grow well around them.
Nowadays, we still find scattered references to such old beers in documents written in Latin or in antiquated German (think of old German as the equivalent of Chaucer’s English). Initially, the authors of these documents were scholarly monks; but learned secular scribes also wrote about beer-making later on. (A select list of historical sources about German beers is in the sidebar on pages 79–80.) Old beer descriptions are invariably vague and cryptic, which is why they are also tantalizing. In interpreting and re-enacting old brewing instructions, we must remember that their measurements are often quite unspecific — such as a handful of this or two buckets of that. The intriguing part about old recipes is that we simply don’t know for sure how these brews were made or how they tasted. This leaves modern brewers — accustomed to clear-cut, lab-generated analytics, as well as modern ingredients and equipment — with quite a reconstruction challenge.
There is also the issue of replicating old raw materials. Barley landraces of yore were obviously a far cry from today’s thoroughbred brewing barleys, which are the result of sophisticated, genetic marker-guided breeding. In addition, the malts of beers that evolved before the advent of pneumatic malting in the second half of the 19th century were invariably floor malted and dried in smoky, direct-fired kilns, which often left them undermodified, with phenolic flavors, and of relatively low diastatic power. Malt colors were invariably some shade of brown, and pale malts tended to be rare and expensive because they had to be laboriously sun-dried in the open air. For all these reasons, old malt characteristics are difficult to imitate today. Finally, we must not forget that managed yeast strains became available only in the latter part of the 19th century, after Emil Christian Hansen, the head of the Carlsberg Brewery laboratory in Copenhagen, had isolated pure yeast cultures for the first time. Before Hansen, all brews were almost certainly fermented with a random mix of yeasts, as well as other ambient microbes of indeterminate character.
In spite of all these obstacles, the article here features descriptions of a selection of 15 old, now “defunct” German beer styles — five of these with recipes — for adventurous brewers to use as inspiration for their own experimentation. Just put on your magic hat and take a stab at them.
If entering any of the following styles in competition, Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) President Gordon Strong suggests all should be entered in Category 27 Historical Beer, along with a brief description similar to those given in this article.
1. Schöps
This beer is from the former German city of Breslau (now Wroclaw in Poland). It is a top-fermented wheat beer that was brewed in two color variations, white and black (sometimes also referred to as red). The mash is made up of 80% wheat malt, the rest is barley malt. In 1575, Dr. Heinrich Knaust, the author of the world’s first beer style encyclopedia (see sidebar of sources at the end of this article), called schöps a “sweet and lovely beer.” Recently, schöps has even become a Brewers Association competition category. See https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/brewersassoc/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018_BA_Beer_Style_Guidelines_Final.pdf for more on this style.
2. Broyhan Beer
Allegedly “invented” in Hanover, in 1526, by brewer Cord Broyhan, this light-colored and apparently mildly sour ale became a Hanseatic League trading commodity. The League turned the Broyhan into one of the world’s most popular beers. In spite of the brew’s commercial significance at the time, however, there is much dispute in the brewing literature about its composition. It was made either from just barley malt or from a combination of both wheat and barley malts. Either way, it was mildly hopped and had a moderate ABV value. Its bouquet is said to have been viniferous; its finish, sour-sweet; and its color, that of white wine.
3. Lichtenhainer
In the 17th and 18th centuries, this smoky ale from the Thuringian village of Lichtenhain just outside the city limits of Jena, was all the rage among students at the local university. Just as with Broyhan Beer, historical sources disagree about the brew’s grain bill, which was made up either of just barley or of both barley and wheat. Regardless of the mash composition, according to several brewing books from the early 20th century, Lichtenhainer had an original gravity (OG) of roughly 1.032 (8 °Plato), an ABV of 2.5–3%, and a dry finish. The wort was mildly hopped and boiled only briefly — probably just long enough to coagulate proteins and dissipate Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS). It was fermented with yeast and Lactobacillus. All in all, this beer probably had a distant resemblance to a Berliner weisse.
This is the only style of the 15 highlighted in this story that is in the Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guidelines (included in the Historical Beer section).
4. Gardelebischer or Gardelegener Garley
For English-speakers, this ale from the Renaissance is surely hard to pronounce. It got its name from the city of Gardelegen in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, where it was held in high esteem. The earlier-mentioned Dr. Knaust called this beer an “out-of-this world good beer” with “not too much hops.” Johann Georg Krünitz (see sources) added that it must be “brewed from plenty of two-row barley,” which gives it “a sweetish-pleasant taste, along with a translucent brown-yellow color.” This suggests that the Garley might have been a malt-forward ale that we could now brew with a good portion of caramel malts.
5. Kottbusser Bier
This old-fashioned ale from the city of Cottbus along the Spree River in the German state of Brandenburg, about 75 miles (125 kilometers) southeast of Berlin, was made from barley, wheat, and oat malts, as well as honey, molasses, and floral hops. It is described as nutty-sweet, which might remind modern brewers of an altbier. It was also slightly sour. It came in two strengths of about 3% and 6% ABV.
6. Zerbster Bitterbier
This classic, barley-only ale is from the small town of Zerbst in Saxony-Anhalt, not far from the city of Magdeburg. It was first documented in 1369. As the name suggests, it was well-hopped and thus kept well. Part of its bitterness was phenolic and came not from hops but from malt that was smoke-dried in alder-fired kilns. Zerbster summer beers, brewed in March and drunk until September, were the most bitter, while Zerbster winter beers were less so. Zerbster mashes were batch-sparged three times in parti-gyle fashion to produce three separate brews of declining strength. These gyles were also blended in various permutations to create variety. Like the Broyhan, the strongest of the Zerbster bitterbiers were shipped overland to Hamburg, where they served as a Hanseatic League trading commodity.
7. Ducksteiner Bier
In the 18th and 19th centuries, this yellowish and slightly sweet brew was a mildly hopped wheat ale from the town of Königslutter, near Braunschweig (Brunswick), in the German state of Lower Saxony. Not much is known about it, but, in 1773, Johann Georg Krünitz (see sources) praised the ducksteiner as “an excellent all-wheat beer.” Today the designation Ducksteiner Original has survived as a brand name for a red-blond, altbier-like, all-barley ale that has only scant relation to the old Königslutter brew.
8. Danziger Jopenbier
Danzig is the German spelling of the erstwhile Prussian and now Polish port city of Gdansk. The jopenbier from this region is a most peculiar brew! Its wort was heavily hopped, boiled for up to 10 hours or even longer, and then flavored with rosehips. The name jopen possibly derives from the Middle High German word jope or kope for a wooden ladle. Fermentation of this highly viscous wort was in open fermenters in cellars whose walls and ceilings were infested with mold and other microbes. This microflora initiated a year-long spontaneous fermentation, during which the brew also oxidized and acquired Port-like flavors. A greenish mold layer usually formed on the surface of the beer, which was occasionally skimmed off (with a jope?). Before being packaged in barrels, the finished beer was filtered through a sack to trap the mold. The resulting libation had unpredictable alcohol levels that, according to several sources, might have varied wildly between 2.5–7% ABV.
9. Pomeranzenbier
This is a wheat beer that distantly resembles a Belgian witbier. Pomeranze is the German word for bitter orange (Citrus aurantium), whose rasped peel is mixed with a little cinnamon and placed in a porous bag that is suspended into the fermenting beer for some “dry-spicing.” For a treatise of this and similarly spiced beers, see especially the 1840 work by Johann Carl Leuchs, entitled (in translation) Complete Brewing Lore, or a Scientific-Practical Treatise of Beer Brewing in its Entirety and According to the
Newest Improvements.
10. Dampfbier
The name of this beer translates into English as steam beer. It is a medium-body, low-effervescent, all-barley ale that originated in the Bavarian Forest, near the Czech border, in the 19th century. It was amber to darkish and fermented fast and warm with the same ale yeast that gives a classic Bavarian hefeweizen its fruity clove and banana notes. Thus, the yeast’s fermentation byproducts result in an unusual flavor profile for a barley beer. Apparently, the CO2 bubbles that burst on top of the rocky head during high kräusen looked to the uninitiated as if the brew was releasing steam. Apparently, this accounts for the beer’s steam moniker.
11. Güstrower Kniesenack
This beer originated in the small town of Güstrow in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. One of the oldest references to the brew is in a 1624 pamphlet by an anonymous author, who gave his tract the long-winded title (in translation) of “Encomium or praise of the world-famous / healthy / strong and tasty barley beer called Kniesenack / which originates in the Mecklenburg country of Güstrau, where it has its origin where it is being brewed.” The bloated verbosity of this title fittingly contains a redundancy, because “encomium” is Latin for “praise.” Apparently, kniesenack was a beer reserved for society’s upper crust, which we can surmise from the beer’s unusual name that derives from the word “kense,” which, the anonymous author tells us, is “Wendish or Slavonic and therefore a lofty appellation; considering that in days past eminent persons such as dukes would be called kense.”
The grain in a kniesenack mash was “good, well-prepared barley malt dried on the floor by smoke.” It was then “ground, but not very fine — otherwise the beer would not run and the kniesenack would not be clear — and then, the mash [was] well cooked, well stirred, and rinsed through and then again cooked well and rinsed through.” In addition, the anonymous author feels compelled to emphasize that one enjoys kniesenack only in small sips “like a strong and sharp, splendid wine; not even 15 or more sips or both cheeks full . . . but fine and gentle.” According to a document from 1856, which is in the archives of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg, the “bright, clear, tasty” kniesenack reached its glorious peak during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), when it not only delighted the troops of the Holy Roman Empire defending Güstrow, but also those of the Swedish king, who subsequently sacked and plundered the town.
To a modern brewer, the brew house process sounds very much like two sequential, full-mash decoctions of the same grain bed with two rounds of batch sparging. The historical sources also suggest that kniesenack was a poorly hopped, high-gravity brew made from well-kilned and slightly smoky to partly roasted barley malts. Its strength might have been similar or close to that of a modern doppelbock or barleywine. (See a recipe below.)
12. Keutebier
This beer probably originated in Holland in the 14th century. At the beginning, it was most likely a sweet, unhopped gruit beer made from a mash of barley malt, oatmeal, and a little wheat flour. The relative proportions are unclear. Keutebier-making eventually spread throughout the entire northwestern European lowlands, which is why there are many different spellings for this brew, including koet, coyt, keut, koit, keuta (Latin), and quente (French). Although keutebier is hardly ever produced nowadays, it is of immense historical importance, as it is the effective forerunner of many modern ales in Germany, Holland, Belgium, and France, including altbier, Kölsch, witbier, bière de garde, and bière de saison.
Sources from the 17th century indicate that keutebier was eventually brewed with some wheat malt instead of oatmeal, and with hops. One of the oldest and most detailed recipes is in a publication by Dr. Robert Krumbholz, entitled (in translation) Crafts of the City of Münster until 1661, and preserved in the Prussian State Archives. The author tells us that his recipe was intended as a “house drink” and is based on an older document from 1591, which is no longer in existence.
A keute mash was allowed to rest for a full day, which probably activated phytase enzymes and lactic acid bacteria to give the beer a slightly sour taste. It also enhanced its keeping quality. In a modern reconstruction, this aspect would probably call for some acidulated malt in the grain bill. A few hours of kettle-souring might also do the trick. Apparently, the entire mash was brought to a “boil” (decoction) and “filtered” (lautered) through a bed of straw covered with a cloth. The same mash was then mixed with an addition of hops (yes, in the mash!) and with fresh liquor, which modern German brewers call nachguss (literally, after-pour). After a second lautering, the resulting wort was boiled and sent to a fermenter, where it might have been fortified with a little sugar and seasoned with cloves (not used in our recipe). One keutebier interpretation is now a Brewers Association competition category. See “Dutch-Style Kuit, Kuyt or Koyt” at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/brewersassoc/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018_BA_Beer_Style_Guidelines_Final.pdf. (See a homebrew recipe for keutebier below.)
13. Potsdamer Stangenbier
This is an unusual brew, named after its place of origin, Potsdam, which is a suburb of Berlin. The second part of the beer’s name, stange, denotes a cylindrical glass, similar to a Kölsch glass, in which this beer was originally served. Some 400 years ago, Potsdamer stange was an unfiltered ale from a mash of mostly barley and a little wheat, but by the turn of the 20th century, it had become a lager. It is gold to amber in color and highly effervescent. Reputedly, Prussian brewers, known for their frugality, poured the thick yeast slurries and beer residues from returned barrels back into their fermentation tanks filled with fresh wort. The amount of beer recovered was probably very small, but this practice ensured a quick and vigorous start of the fermentation. The Potsdamer stangenbier remained popular in old Prussia until the First World War but it has since disappeared almost entirely. (Find a homebrew recipe for Potsdamer stangenbier below.)
14. Wiess
The word wiess means “white” in the dialect of the city of Cologne. It is a yeast-turbid, well-hopped, roughly 4% ABV quaffing ale from the late 19th century, made with a substantial portion (up to 20%) of wheat malt. It quickly disappeared from its home turf at the end of the second World War, when it was replaced by the filtered, golden Kölsch, with approximately 5% ABV.
Wiess was often matured for up to three months prior to bottling. This is probably the reason why, at the turn of the 20th century, many academics, such as the Berliner Professor Franz Schönfeld, (see sources) often referred to wiess as a “top-fermented, hop-bitter lager beer,” which indicates that while it is fermented with a top-fermenting (ale) yeast strain, it is treated like a lager. (See a homebrew recipe for wiess below.)
15. Braunschweiger (Brunswick) Mumme
There are two versions of this ale, a super-strong one, called segelschiffmumme (sailing ship mumme), and a very light one, called stadtmumme (city mumme). The ship mumme was an old seafarers’ beer. It was transported from the brew houses of Brunswick to several ports of the Hanseatic League, including Bremen and Hamburg. From there, trading ketches would take the beer to all four corners of the world. According to many sources, mumme was a very syrupy, super-high-gravity, fairly low-alcohol, highly shelf-stable brew with a huge residual sweetness. Ship mumme was in demand not only as a trading commodity, but also as a nutritious, caloric beverage that was consumed by sailors on long sea voyages. According to an Economic Encyclopedia published by Johann Georg Krünitz in 1775 (see sources), ship mumme has an “excellent, sweet taste, and a deep brown, beautiful color . . . [and] is the best, because it keeps well on the water . . . without offense or ruin.”
The ship mumme’s high original gravity was apparently the result of stopping lautering relatively early on and then boiling the wort for an extra-long time. Perhaps surprisingly, this high-gravity sailors’ tipple had a fairly low alcohol content of only 2.5–4.5% ABV in spite of an excess supply of fermentable sugars for the yeast to metabolize. Unbeknownst to the brewers of yore, the best explanation for this phenomenon might be a stuck fermentation resulting from the premature depletion of nitrogen sources, such as free amino nitrogen (FAN). In a heavy mumme wort, it is not inconceivable that the yeasts of yesteryear used up all available nitrogen during a turbulent primary fermentation, but then shut down their metabolism, leaving the finished beer with an unusually high viscosity. It seems impossible, however, to fully replicate these aspects of the brew with modern malts and modern yeasts, which just keep on working and producing more alcohol.
The city mumme was much less viscous then the ship mumme. It was consumed by the good burghers of Brunswick. We can only surmise that it was made from the second, weaker runnings of the mumme mash after the separation of the heavier first runnings that were destined for the Hanseatic traders and sailors, as was done with the test brew. (Find a homebrew recipe to create both versions of mumme below.)
Select, Annotated List of Relevant Historical Sources
The invention in 1439 of movable type for printing by Johannes Gutenberg proved to be a turning point in the dissemination of human knowledge, including knowledge about beer and brewing. Before Gutenberg, just a privileged few had access to hand-written manuscripts; after Gutenberg, even the unwashed masses could become educated and learn how to read. Here is a selection of some of the most useful sources about old German beer styles, with some of my own thoughts on them.
Publius Cornelius Tacitus, De origine et situ Germanorum, available online at https://la.wikisource.org/wiki/De_origine_et_situ_Germanorum_(Germania). See especially chapter XXIII.
Dr. Heinrich Knaust, Fünff Bücher, Von der Göttlichen vnd Edlen Gabe / der Philosophischen / hochtheweren vnd wunderbaren Kunst / Bier zu brawen. Auch von Namen der vornempsten Biere / in gantz Teudtschlanden / vund von derer Naturen / Temperamenten, Qualiteten, Art vnd Eigenschafft / Gesundheit vnd vungesundheit / Sie sein Weitzen / oder Gersten / Weisse / oder Rotte Biere / Gewürtzet oder ungewürtzet. Auffs new ybersehen / vnd in viel wege / vber vorige edition / gemehret vnd gebessert. Erfurt, 1575. This is perhaps the most important early printed record about old German beer styles, as well as the first-ever dictionary of beer styles in any language. Written in the late Renaissance in antiquated medieval German, the author describes some 125 contemporary beer styles, mostly from Germany, replete with the occasional brewing tip. The endlessly long title of this tome translates into: Five books about the divine and noble gift, the philosophical, highly valued and wonderful art of beer brewing. Also about the names of the loftiest beers in all of Germany and their names, temperaments, qualities, type and characteristics, health and unhealth, be they wheat or barley, white or red beers, spiced or unspiced. Newly reviewed and in many ways over the previous edition enlarged and improved.
Anonymous author. Der zu allerley guten Getränken treuherzig anweisende wohlerfahrene Curiose Keller-Meister aufgeführet in einem gantz neu heraus gegebenen und in folgenden Theilen eingerichtetem und kurz verfasstem von Wein, Bier, Meth, Brandwein und Essig handelndem Kunst Buch. Nuremberg 1710. The translation of this rambling and seemingly incoherent title reads as follows: The faithfully teaching and well-experienced curious cellar master presented this newly released and in several parts divided and densely written art book dealing with wine, beer, mead, brandy, and vinegar. The anonymous author calls himself “a faithful friend and lover of the arts.” In part three of the book, he elaborates on “die nutzlich- und nöthige Bierbräu-Kunst” (the useful and necessary art of brewing beer).
Anonymous author (probably Johann Heinrich Kaven). Der Vollkommene Bierbrauer oder kurzer Unterricht all Arten Bier wie auch verdorbene Biere wieder gut zu machen, auch alle Arten von Kräuter-Bieren. Leipzig, 1784. The translation of this title is: The complete beer brewer or a short set of Instructions to brew all kinds of beer, as well as make spoiled beers good again, and all kinds of herb beers.
Georg Krünitz, Oekonomische Encyclopaedie oder allgemeines System der Staats- Stadt- Haus- und Landwirthschaft in alphabetischer Ordnung. This is a 242-volume, roughly 170,000-page Economic encyclopedia or general system of state, city, home and agricultural economics in alphabetical order, published in several cities by several printing houses between 1773 and 1858. This encyclopedia represents a comprehensive description of the technologies and production processes of all trades, including brewing in the fifth volume, right up to the early stages of the Industrial Revolution.
Johann Christian Gotthard, Handbuch Der Praktischen Technologie Oder Manufactur- Fabrik- Und Handwerkskunde Für Staatswirthe, Manufakturisten, Fabrikanten Und Handwerker, Hamburg and Mainz 1804. Title translation: Handbook of practical technology or manufacture, factory, und trades knowledge for economists, manufacturers, factory owners, and tradesmen. Part 1 of the book deals with beer brewing.
Johann Albert Joseph Seifert, Das Bamberger Bier, oder praktische, auf chemische Grundsätze gestützte Verfahrensweise, Handgriffe und Gewerbs-Vortheile beim Brauen des Bamberger Bieres, Bamberg 1818. Translation: Bamberger beer, or the practical methods, based on chemical principles, of procedures and trade advantages of Bamberger beer. Although this book focuses on the beers made in Bamberg, it also gives a detailed picture of the brewing methods commonly used in central Europe in the early 19th century.
Johann Carl Leuchs, Vollständige Braukunde, oder wissenschaftlich-praktische Darstellung der Bierbrauerei in ihrem ganzen Umfang und nach den neuesten Verbesserungen, Nuremberg 1840. Translation: Complete brewing instructions, or the scientific-practical elaboration of a beer brewery in its entirety and according to the most recent improvements. This book contains detailed instructions for making brews flavored with such botanicals as bitter oranges, lemons, cherries, ginger, blueberries, plums, and coriander.
Chr. H. Schmidt, Grundsätze der Bierbrauerei nach den neuesten technisch-chemischen Entdeckungen, oder die Kunst, an allen Orten ein wohlschmeckendes, gesundes und haltbares Bier zu brauen und Brauhäuser mit Keimtennen, Malzdarren und Kellern zweckmäßig anzulegen und einzurichten. Mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Bayerischen Brauerei, aber auch mit Beschreibung der vorzüglichen Brauverfahren in Oesterreich, am Rhein, in den Niederlanden, Belgien, England, Schottland und mit mehreren Rezepten zu den beliebten Luxusbieren. Sechsundneunzigster Band. Zweite völlig umgearbeitete und sehr vermehrte Auflage, Weimar 1853. Translation of this long title, which says it all: Principles of beer brewing based on the latest technical-chemical discoveries, or the art to brew a well-tasting, healthy, and shelf-stable beer anywhere; and to build and install purposefully brew houses with germination floors, malt kilns, and cellars. With particular reference to Bavarian breweries, but also with a description of brewing methods in Austria, along the Rhine, in the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Scotland , and with several recipes of the most beloved luxury beers.
This book is the 96th volume, 2nd revised and expanded edition, of a collection of works edited by the “Gesellschaft von Künstlern, Technologen und Professionisten“ (Society of artists, technologists, and professionists) entitled: Neuer Schauplatz der Künste und Handwerke. Mit Berücksichtigung der neuesten Erfindungen. Translation: The newest show place for the arts and trades. Under consideration of the newest inventions).
Around the turn of the 20th century, technical brewing books in Germany started to incorporate the results of the scientific revolution of the era, while still establishing a rearview-mirror link to older beer styles. These books include:
E. Prior, Chemie u. Physiologie des Malzes und des Bieres, Leipzig 1896. Translation: Chemistry and physiology of malt and beer.
J. E. Thausing, Die Theorie und Praxis der Malzbereitung und Bierfabrikation, Leipzig 1898. Translation: Theory and practice of malt preparation and beer fabrication.
E. Michel, Lehrbuch der Bierbrauerei, Augsburg 1900. Translation: Textbook of beer brewing.
Franz Schönfeld, Obergärige Biere und ihre Herstellung, Berlin 1902. Translation: Top-fermented beers and their production.
E. J. Lintner, Grundriss der Bierbrauerei, Berlin 1904. Translation: Basics of beer brewing.
Other, more recent sources about old beers include:
Karl Hennies and Robert Spanner, Die Brauerei im Bild – Der Werdegang des Bieres, Nuremberg 1940. Translation: The brewery in pictures — The evolution of beer.
Karl Lense, Katechismus der Brauerei-Praxis, Munich 1940. Translation: The catechism of brewery practice.
W. D. Speckmann. Biere, die Geschichte machten, Ratiszell 2005. Translation: Beers that made history.
Christine von Blankenburg, Die Hanse und ihr Bier — Brauwesen und Bierhandel im hansischen Verkehrsgebiet, Cologne, Weimar, Vienna 2001. Translation: The Hanseatic League and its beers — Brew industry and beer trade in the Hanseatic trading area.
Recipes & Sensory Evaluations
There are literally hundreds of old German beer styles that are mentioned in antiquarian books, in German or Latin. Therefore, the five recipes selected here for brewing were chosen entirely subjectively based in part on their seeming importance at the time or on their potential curiosity value for today’s brewers. Given the vagueness of the historical sources, none of the five test brews should be construed as “authentic” clones. Rather, because replicating old beers with modern ingredients and equipment always involves some speculation, the recipes here are merely re-imagined. Though based on published material from the past, they necessarily rely also on a good portion of educated guessing. Finally, in the specifications that follow, all quantities reflect the empirical results achieved on the 66-gallon (2.5-hL) system at Weyermann Malting in Bamberg, Germany but they have been transposed to apply to a standard, 5-gallon (19-L) homebrew system with a nominal extract efficiency of 65%.
Güstrower Kniesenack
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.076 FG = 1.014
IBU= 15 SRM = 18 ABV= 8.1%
Ingredients
12.5 lbs. (5.7 kg) Weyermann Bohemian Floor-Malted Pilsner
2.65 lbs. (1.2 kg) Weyermann Beech-Smoked Barley malt (rauchmalz)
6 oz. (0.17 kg) Weyermann Carafa® II malt
3.4 AAU Tettnanger hops (60 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
SafAle K-97 or LalBrew Köln Kölsch Style Ale or a clean German ale yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Dough-in at 95 °F (35 °C), then begin to raise temperature to 144 °F (62 °C); rest 30 minutes and then raise temperature to 154 °F (68 °C); rest 20 minutes; raise temperature to 162 °F (72 °C); rest 20 minutes; raise temperature for mash-out to 172 °F (78 °C) (which was achieved in Bamberg with a 5-minute decoction boil of one quarter of the mash). Lauter/sparge as usual. Boil 75 minutes, adding hops as indicated.
When the boil is complete, whirlpool for 15 minutes and then cool to 66 °F (19 °C) into an open fermenter. Package when terminal gravity of 1.014 is reached.
Güstrower Kniesenack
(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.076 FG = 1.014
IBU= 15 SRM = 18 ABV= 8.1%
Ingredients
7 lbs. (3.2 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
2.65 lbs. (1.2 kg) Weyermann Beech-Smoked Barley malt (rauchmalz)
6 oz. (0.17 kg) Weyermann Carafa® II malt
3.4 AAU Tettnanger hops (60 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
SafAle K-97 or LalBrew Köln Kölsch Style Ale or a clean German ale yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Place crushed grains in a large stock pot. Dough-in with 4.3 qts. (4 L) of water at 107 °F (42 °C) to stabilize mash at 95 °F (35 °C), then raise temperature to 144 °F (62 °C). Stirring while heating will help prevent potential scorching of the grains. Rest 30 minutes and then raise temperature to 154 °F (68 °C); rest 20 minutes; raise temperature to 162 °F (72 °C); rest 20 minutes; raise temperature for mash-out to 172 °F (78 °C). Dump grains into a large muslin bag and separate from the wort by placing in a large colander and washing with 1 gallon (4 L) of hot water. Top off to 6.5 gallons (25 L) then while off heat, stir in the dried malt extract. Once all the extract is dissolved, return wort to heat and bring to a boil. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe instructions.
Sensory Evaluation of Test Brew: This is a very balanced strong beer with a snow-white, very tall and sturdy head — obviously the result of the large amount of floor malts. The color resembles that of a Bavarian dunkel, but with an appealing burgundy hue. The malty bouquet is very complex with faint notes of honey, herbs, and strawberry. On the palate, the beer impresses with an extremely pleasant mix of smoke and warming alcohol leading into a noticeable residual sweetness in the finish. Overall, this “fine and gentle” kniesenack is reminiscent of barrel-aged whiskey.
Keutebier
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.046 FG = 1.014
IBU = 5 SRM = 3.4 ABV = 4.7%
Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) Weyermann Bohemian Floor-Malted Pilsner Malt
1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) Weyermann Bohemian Floor-Malted Wheat Malt
14 oz. (400 kg) Weyermann Beech-Smoked Barley Malt
6 oz. (170 g) acidulated malt
6 oz. (170 g) instant oatmeal or malted oats
2.5 AAU Hallertauer Perle hops (0.3 oz./11 g at 8.2% alpha acids) (in the mash)
Any German ale yeast (optimal: altbier-style Wyeast 1007 or White Labs WLP036)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step (Two Alternatives)
Medieval mash method (before the invention of the thermometer): Mash in at any tap water temperature, at an approximate liquor-to-grist ratio of 3.5:1 (1.7 qts./lb.). Slowly bring the entire mash to a boil, while stirring almost constantly. Lauter until the liquor surface is level with the top of the mash. Replenish the lautered liquor and boil the mash again. Lauter until the kettle original gravity (OG) is 1.042. Bring wort to
a boil. Boil the wort for 45 minutes, whirlpool for 15 minutes, cool, and ferment at the yeast’s mid-range temperature. Bottle or keg as normal.
Modern mash method (used in Bamberg): Mash-in at 95 °F
(35 °C); rest 5 minutes; raise temperature to 113 °F (45 °C); rest 20 minutes; raise temperature to 126 °F (52 °C); rest 20 minutes; raise temperature to 154 °F (62 °C); rest 20 minutes; raise temperature to 154 °F (68 °C); rest 20 minutes; raise temperature to 162 °F (72 °C); rest 20 minutes; raise temperature for mash-out at 172 °F (78 °C).
Boil the wort for 45 minutes, whirlpool for 15 minutes, cool, and ferment at the yeast’s mid-range temperature. Bottle or keg as normal.
Keutebier
(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.046 FG = 1.014
IBU = 5 SRM = 3.4 ABV = 4.7%
Ingredients
3 lbs. (1.36 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) wheat dried malt extract
14 oz. (400 kg) Weyermann Beech-Smoked Barley Malt
6 oz. (170 g) instant oatmeal or malted oats
1 tsp. 88% lactic acid
2.5 AAU Hallertauer Perle hops (0.3 oz./11 g at 8.2% alpha acids) (in the mash)
Any German ale yeast (optimal: altbier-style Wyeast 1007 or White Labs WLP036)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Place the crushed grains in a muslin bag. Steep the grains in 2 qts. (2 L) of water at 154 °F (68 °C) for 60 minutes. Remove the grains and slowly wash with 2 qts. (2 L) of hot water. Top off kettle to 5.5 gallons (21 L), then stir in all the dried malt extract while off heat. Once fully dissolved, bring wort to a boil and boil for 30 minutes. When the boil is complete, whirlpool for 15 minutes, cool, and ferment at the yeast’s mid-range temperature. Bottle or keg as normal.
Sensory Evaluation of Test Brew: The color of this keutebier resembles that of rosé wine. There is a slight cherry and herb candy aroma in the nose. On the palate, the low hop content is only faint, which is fitting for a late-medieval interpretation of this style. This makes the beer taste slightly syrupy, with notes of honey and straw. It is also very low in effervescence. Interestingly, even though this brew was judged the least beer-like of the five recreations covered in this article, it was also deemed surprisingly refreshing, especially if served chilled.
Potsdamer Stangenbier
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.050 FG = 1.010
IBU = 15 SRM = 3 ABV = 5.3%
Ingredients
6.5 lbs. (3 kg) Weyermann Barke® Pilsner malt
2.2 lbs. (1 kg) Weyermann Floor-Malted Bohemian Wheat Malt
0.84 lb. (0.38 kg) Weyermann Carafoam® malt
0.84 lb. (0.38 kg) Vienna malt
3.3 AAU Tettnanger hops (60 min.) (0.65 oz./19 g at 5% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Tettnanger hops (0 min.) (0.46 oz./13 g at 5% alpha acids)
A Kölsch-style yeast (such as Wyeast 2565 or SafAle K-97)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mash-in at 126 °F (52 °C); rest 15 minutes; raise temperature to 144 °F (62 °C); rest 25 minutes; raise temperature to 162 °F (72 °C); rest 20 minutes; raise temperature for mash-out to 172 °F (78 °C). Lauter as normal. Note that run-off tastes very malty, is very pale, and emanates slightly nutty aromas.
Boil 75 minutes, adding hops as indicated. After the first hop addition, wort smells of fresh popcorn. At the end of the boil add the aroma hops and whirlpool for 15 minutes. Cool to 66 °F (19 °C). After the beer reaches terminal gravity (should be approximately 1.010 after five or six days), reduce temperature by 4 °F (2 °C) per day to as low a level as the equipment allows. Package about four weeks after brew day.
Potsdamer Stangenbier
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.050 FG = 1.010
IBU = 15 SRM = 4 ABV = 5.3%
Ingredients
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
1 lb. (0.45kg) wheat dried malt extract
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Vienna dried malt extract
3.3 AAU Tettnanger hops (60 min.) (0.65 oz./19 g at 5% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Tettnanger hops (0 min.) (0.46 oz./13 g at 5% alpha acids)
A Kölsch-style yeast (such as Wyeast 2565 or SafAle K-97)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Start heating 6 gallons (23 L) of water. As the water warms, remove from heat and stir in all the extract. Stir until fully dissolved then return to heat and bring to a boil.
Boil 60 minutes, adding hops as indicated. At the end of the boil add the aroma hops and whirlpool for 15 minutes. Cool to 66 °F (19 °C). After the beer reaches terminal gravity (should be approximately 1.010 after five or six days), reduce temperature by 4 °F (2 °C) per day to as low a level as the equipment allows. Package about four weeks after brew day.
Sensory Evaluation of Test Brew: This is an effervescent, milky-pale, yeast-turbid, and highly quaffable summer session beer with a very restrained maltiness. Upfront, it starts out very crisp with notes of citrus and hay. These notes continue all the way to a fairly dry and refreshing finish.
Wiess
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.040 FG = 1.010
IBU = 25 SRM = 4 ABV = 3.8%
Ingredients
5.3 lbs. (2.4 kg) Weyermann Bohemian Floor-Malted Pilsner Malt
1.8 lbs. (0.82 kg) pale wheat malt
0.67 lbs. (0.3 kg) Weyermann Carahell® malt
0.33 lbs. (0.15 kg) acidulated malt
3.2 AAU Spalt hops (60 min.) (0.95 oz./27 g at 3.4% alpha acids)
6.9 AAU Hersbrucker hops (whirlpool) (3 oz./85 g at 2.3% alpha acids)
A Kölsch-style yeast (such as Wyeast 2565 or SafAle K-97)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mash-in at 113 °F (45 °C); rest 5 minutes; raise temperature to 153 °F (66 °C); rest 30 minutes; raise temperature to 162 °F (72 °C); rest 15 minutes; raise temperature to mash-out temperature of 172 °F (78 °C). Boil 75 minutes, adding hops as indicated. At the end of the boil add the aroma hops and whirlpool for 15 minutes. Chill to the mid-range of your yeast’s fermentation temperature, aerate, and pitch yeast. Ferment and then bottle or keg as normal.
Wiess
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.040 FG = 1.010
IBU = 25 SRM = 4 ABV = 3.8%
Ingredients
3.1 lbs. (1.4 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
1 lbs. (0.45 kg) wheat dried malt extract
0.67 lbs. (0.3 kg) Weyermann Carahell® malt
0.33 lbs. (0.15 kg) acidulated malt
3.2 AAU Spalt hops (60 min.) (0.95 oz./27 g at 3.4% alpha acids)
6.9 AAU Hersbrucker hops (whirlpool) (3 oz./85 g at 2.3% alpha acids)
A Kölsch-style yeast (such as Wyeast 2565 or SafAle K-97)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Start heating 5 gallons (19 L) of water. As the water warms, place the crushed grains in a muslin bag and submerge in the water. When the water hits 170 °F (77 °C) remove the grains and allow to drip back into the pot. Remove from heat and stir in all the malt extract. Stir until fully dissolved then return to heat and bring to a boil.
Boil 60 minutes, adding hops as indicated. At the end of the boil add the aroma hops and whirlpool for 15 minutes. Chill to the mid-range of your yeast’s fermentation temperature, aerate, and pitch yeast. Ferment and then bottle or keg as normal.
Sensory Evaluation of Test Brew: This beer appears golden blond and slightly turbid. The head is tall and strong. On the palate, this beer has a faint sweetness and some graininess, balanced by a mild acidity. The noble hop aromas come to the fore especially in the finish. Cognoscenti will recognize this beer right after the first sip as a chewier and heftier forerunner of the modern Kölsch.
Segelschiffmumme (First Runnings)
OG = 1.128 FG = 1.037
IBU = 80 SRM = 14 ABV = 12.1%
Stadtmumme (second runnings)
OG = 1.043 (before a 75-minute boil) FG = 1.005
IBU = 40 SRM = 7 ABV = 4.8%
Ingredients
14.44 lbs. (6.55 kg) German Pilsner malt
0.79 lb. (0.36 kg) Weyermann Caramunich® I malt
0.79 lb. (0.36 kg) melanoidin malt
Segelschiffmumme: 16.4 AAU Saaz hops (60 min.) (4.1 oz./116 g at 4% alpha acids)
Stadtmumme: 9.4 AAU Saaz hops (60 min.) (2.34 oz./66 g at 4% alpha acids)
Any strong attenuating ale yeast (such as SafAle US-05)
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step for both Segelschiffmumme and Stadtmumme
Set the mill gap for this heavy grain bed to approximately 1.5 mm. Mash-in for both beers at 126 °F (52 °C) at a liquor-to-grist ratio 2.6:1 by weight (1.25 qts./lb.). Rest 10 minutes. Raise temperature to 144 °F (62 °C) and rest 25 minutes. Raise temperature to 154 °F (68 °C) and rest 25 minutes. Raise temperature to 162 °F (72 °C) and rest 20 minutes. Raise temperature to 172 °F (78 °C) for the mash-out. Recirculate until clear, then sparge. Continue lautering until kettle gravity is about 1.088 then discontinue runoff to that kettle. Boil the wort for the segelschiffmumme, to achieve 30% evaporation, or when SG is about 1.128. This portion of the wort develops a reddish, sour-cherry-like sheen. Taste this high-gravity wort: It has a surprisingly pleasant, melanoidin-derived taste of bread crust, malt candy, and toffee. Pour this wort into a coolship for overnight cooling, sedimentation, and aeration.
For the second-runnings stadtmumme, continue lautering and sparging the same mash into a separate kettle, until the OG is about 1.043. Boil this wort for 75 minutes; and finish the brew in the usual fashion through heat-exchanging and fermenting it.
Extract with grains versions: The use of extracts can easily be swapped out for the segelschiffmumme recipe but creating the stadtmumme is hard to achieve with an extract-based recipe. For the segelschiffmumme, simply replace the Pilsner malt with 6.25 lbs. (2.8 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract while maintaining the same pre-boil and post-boil volumes as well as hopping rates. Steep the grains in the water as it heats up to 170 °F (77 °C). Remove grains and stir in the dried malt extract while off heat. When all the extract is dissolved bring wort to a boil, adding hops according to the all-grain recipe. The rest of the all-grain instructions can be followed.
Sensory Evaluation of both schiff- and stadtmumme Test Brews: The schiffmumme is truly a “big” beer. It is chestnut brown, slightly turbid, with a creamy, fine, and long-lasting head of foam. The bouquet is powerful with notes of strawberry, gooseberry, and dried fruit. On the palate, the mouthfeel is velvety with the alcohol providing warming underpinnings for delicate notes of caramel and creamy sweets, both of which linger. The long-lasting, malty finish has mildly estery hints of mint and pear. Overall, this beer is rich and absolutely delicious.
The color of the stadtmumme is much lighter, but in most sensory aspects it resembles its mighty cousin, but in a restrained fashion. The bouquet and the upfront taste are reminiscent of sweet, creamy caramel and apple pie. These notes give way to a brief but distinct sensation of hop bitterness, which fades relatively quickly. This ale is surprisingly substantial and complex on the palate considering that it is a mere second-runnings brew.
