Franconian Beer Message Board
Bayerischer Anstich |
| Posted by barry on 2012-09-02 02:45:11 |
| Accurate to a point, I think. It seemed obvious to me that CO2 (and lots of it) had been added to the keller bier in the Witzgall Keller yesterday (incidentally, are the pub and keller still owned by the same people?). On the other, the U at Mahrs had no CO2 (or so little to be indescernible even to us real ale fanatics! The only reasons for additional CO2 are for preservation (beer goes 'off' once the natural fermentation process ends) and dispense (to get it from cask to servery). I assume, therefore, that CO2 is added to the kellerbier because the proprietors are concerned about its life cycle, see below. Adding CO2 in the UK came about due to the takeover and closure of local breweries by the large national conglomerates from the 1960s on. Previously, localised distribution meant that brewers could rely on secondary fermentation to keep beer in good condition, as the brewing/delivery/dispense cycle was quite short. But, when beer was brewed in non-local breweries, the cycle was too long to rely on natural fermentation. Thus, it was filtered and pasteurised, with CO2 added to give the impression of a naturally foaming pint. In other words, it was a con trick perpretrated by the big brewers. Beer engines became unneccessary as it was simpler just use an electric pump. What has this got to do with Franken beer? Simply, it seems to me that something similar must have happened here. I don't suppose that many forum members are old enough to remember when brewing was only on a local scale, though the lovely vignettes of old Bamberg breweries on this site give a taste of what life must have been like pre-fab mass commercial brewing, the remnants of which can be seen in Mahrs U and the non-filtered beers sold by some country breweries. Many casual beer drinkers (i.e. those other than us 'nutters' who inhabit this and other such sites) have become so used to the bright sparkling beer produced by adding CO2 that they simply cannot stomach the taste of the natural produce. A great victory for the large scale commercialisation of brewing. Incidentally, there's a nice chart illustrating the brewing process in Ireland (and goes also for the UK) available on the Smithwick's web site (http://www.smithwicks.ie/media/Smithwicks-70s-Brewing-Chart.pdf). For real ale, just forget the bit at the end where the beer is filtered and pasteurised. Sorry for this long diatribe, not much else to do on a Sunday morning, when the weather is not so lovely and whilst waiting for our appointment at 4 pm! |
| Followups: |
 Bayerischer Anstich by Nick B. on 2012-09-02 03:53:03 |
| Bayerischer Anstich by barry on 2012-09-02 05:29:00 |