Microbrewed Adventures - Charles Papazian [66]
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Altbier was the most popular style of beer in the city of Düsseldorf, where it has maintained a tradition for centuries. That evening I delightfully lived my own 19th century. These Altbiers were certainly the most popular styles of the evening. Altbier is difficult to find in other parts of Germany, though bottled versions are sometimes available. A growing number of American and Japanese microbreweries are making true-to-style German Altbier. The Widmer Brothers Brewing Company in Portland, Oregon, was one of the first microbreweries to popularize this style in the United States. Their version is delicious and true to style, yet not quite as bitter as my favorite, Zum Uerige Alt.
Weissbier in Bavaria
Hopfweissbier Brauerei
AT 10 A.M. in Bavaria you are likely to find yourself in the company of others enjoying the traditional late breakfast of Weissbier (wheat beer) and Weisswurst (white sausage of veal). It’s a treat any time of day, but uniquely Bavarian when enjoyed before noon.
Whichever you call it, Weizenbier or Weissbier, wheat beer is spectacularly popular in Bavaria. In 1984 this slightly acidic, yeasty, well-carbonated style of beer with its hint of clove and banana flavor accounted for less than 1 percent of German beer drinking. By 1989 it was the second most popular style of beer in Bavaria (pils is first), with a 28 percent share of the beer market. In 2004 its share was 33 percent, and it continues to grow. Bavarians love their Weizenbier, and they like it mit Hefe (with yeast).
I had the privilege and great pleasure of spending several days with Hans Hopf and his family in Miesbach, 30 miles south of Munich in the foothills of the Alps. The relatively small Hopfweissbier Brauerei has been in the Hopf family for three generations and continues to slowly grow to meet the demand for wheat beer. It is unique in that it is one of only a few breweries in Germany that brews exclusively wheat beer.
A morning in the brewery and some enjoyable evenings at local beer gardens gave insight into the German wheat beer phenomenon. Hans explained, “I have problems sometimes with my cask wheat beer because the yeast settles too well and the beer comes out too clear. People prefer yeast in their wheat beer. I tell the managers to roll the kegs a little, but that does not seem to help.” I was astonished to learn that some beer gardens and beer houses offered yeast dispensers, designed like mustard dispensers. “People will put the yeast in their other beers as well. It is a healthy thing to do because of all the vitamins in the beer yeast.”
If you are a brewer and are thinking of culturing yeast sediment from the bottom of a bottle of German wheat beer, though, you’d better think twice. Yes, the yeast sediment is alive and naturally carbonates the beer in the bottle, just as in homebrewed beer. The fact is that most wheat beers are filtered before bottling in order to remove the “powdery” top-fermenting yeast that does not settle to the bottom very well. Wheat beer is then inoculated with a more easily sedimented strain of lager yeast and held at relatively warm temperatures to naturally carbonate in the bottle. While touring the brewery, Hans explained that using a different “bottle yeast” really affects the flavor of the beer significantly—and for his beer it made a positive difference.
Hans Hopf
Bianca Hopf
In the room beneath the kettle it was very warm. It was there Hans had me sample a small batch of fermenting wort. It was so sour my mouth puckered. “That is 1 percent lactic acidity,” he explained. Because of the natural carbonate hardness of the local water, Hans had been experimenting with naturally acidifying his mashing regime and wort production. High carbonate levels in water will produce pH ranges that prevent