Lost Ingredients Bring Old Franconian Lager Back to Life
How did Franconian lager taste before World War II? In Berlin starting March 9th, you’ll be able to find out, thanks to a special beer release by Berlin Craft Brewery, Bräugier.
“Damals” (German for “back then”) historical lager is brewed by Bräugier as a collaboration with three of Germany‘s most renowned beer institutions, Bamberger specialty malt producer Weyermann®, German Hop Farmers‘ Association (Hopfenverwertungsgenossenschaft, HVG), and The Yeast Center of the Research Center Weihenstephan for Brewing and Food Quality of Technical University of Munich (TUM).
Each of the ingredients in “Damals” – malt, hops and yeast – were carefully selected and supplied by the collaboration partners. These historical ingredients were the most commonly used in the early 20th century, but were eventually replaced with newer products for cost and efficiency reasons.
HEIRLOOM INGREDIENTS AS USED IN HISTORIC BREWING FOR TRADITIONAL TASTE
Lost Ingredients Bring Old Franconian Lager Back to Life
Berlin, 22 Feb: How did Franconian lager taste before World War II? In Berlin starting March 9th, you’ll be able to find out, thanks to a special beer release by Berlin Craft Brewery, Bräugier.
“Damals” (German for “back then”) historical lager is brewed by Bräugier as a collaboration with three of Germany‘s most renowned beer institutions, Bamberger specialty malt producer Weyermann®, German Hop Farmers‘ Association (Hopfenverwertungsgenossenschaft, HVG), and The Yeast Center of the Research Center Weihenstephan for Brewing and Food Quality of Technical University of Munich (TUM).
Each of the ingredients in “Damals” – malt, hops and yeast – were carefully selected and supplied by the collaboration partners. These historical ingredients were the most commonly used in the early 20th century, but were eventually replaced with newer products for cost and efficiency reasons.
HEIRLOOM INGREDIENTS AS USED IN HISTORIC BREWING FOR TRADITIONAL TASTE
An heirloom malt, Weyermann® Isaria 1924® was originally approved for beer production in 1924 to brew traditional, unfiltered, and flavorful traditional German Lagers. It is produced from barley type Isaria and has been recently brought back on a small scale by Weyermann®. This malt provides a malty-sweet taste and soft biscuit-like aroma, as well as a soft mouthfeel.
“With Hallertauer Mittelfrüher, Tettnanger, German Saazer, Hersbrucker and Diamant, HVG contributed classic, noble hop varieties from the Hallertau region in their natural, unprocessed leaf form as opposed to pellets or extracts used in modern brewing techniques today,” said HVG’s technical manager, Dr. Florian Schüll.
The yeast strain, Saccharomyces pastorianus Franconia TUM-35, is a low sulfur producing lager yeast noted to have a mild and balanced flavor that accentuates hop aroma. The strain was actually lost for decades before being rediscovered and resurrected by Dr. Mathias Hutzler and his team at The Yeast Center of the Research Center Weihenstephan.
“It was great to focus on yeast, especially a cold-tolerant lager strain Franconia TUM 35, and complement it with historic hops and malt but using newer brewing techniques. It is truly a unique beer that makes you think about historic brewing in Germany,” remarked Dr. Steve Wagner, former visiting Professor at TUM, who made this collaboration possible by introducing the partners.
“We’ve brewed over 100 different beers since 2019, from German lagers to IPAs to stouts, but this is by far the most exciting for me and the brew team. Working with these three prestigious experts in German beer to bring back a piece of history is a tremendous honor and responsibility. We can’t wait for the Anstich,” said Bräugier founder, Brian Trauth, an American still deeply impacted by his year studying in Bamberg.
“For the past 10+ years I have been using the ingredients and research articles from Weyermann®, HVG, and The Yeast Center of the Research Center Weihenstephan in both the United States and Germany. I am humbled and excited to be collaborating with these companies and Dr. Steve Wagner to combine traditional ingredients with modern day practices for this beer,” stated Bräugier Head Brewer, Ryan Sandersfeld.
BEER RELEASE EVENT DETAILS
“Damals” Historical Lager will be tapped on March 9th, 2023 at the two Bräugier taprooms in Berlin: the Brewpub in Prenzlauer Berg and Taproom in Ostkreuz. The main event will take place at the taproom in Ostkreuz, with the collaboration partners and brew team raising a glass during the traditional keg tapping (Anstich). To add to the authentic experience, the Bräugier Ostkreuz kitchen team will be preparing a traditional Franconian Brotzeit.
Thank You to Daria Smolina
I want to than Daria Smolina of BRÄUGIER Craft for reaching out to me to write this article for them. German beer is definitely a fascination of mine and absolutely love the beer, the craftsmanship that goes into it, the talent, the dedication, and everything else that makes up the German beer culture.
You can find out more here: www.braeugier.de
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