Franconian Beer Message Board

German beer around 1900
Posted by Jason on 2018-07-23 08:03:48
Looks interesting, will have a detailed look later. 

One thing I would say is that rauchbier would not have strictky been a style. Schlenkerla for example is a Maerzen and Spezial a Lager, those are the styles. As we all know a lot if not all beers would have had some smoke flavour at some point in the past (though this poster is much later than that). 

It's interesting that the style trend has really only become so extensive in recent decades as brewers look for influence from other countries, therefore have a need to give it a name. I don't think something like Gose would have been known as Gose 50-100 years ago, it was just beer. Gose Bier as in beer from Goslar. Rauchbier was the same, they wouldn't have called it Rauchbier, it was just beer, probably Maerzen or Bock. That's why a lot of these styles have the name of the city in them, as the interpretation of the styles were important rather than the 'style' as we use the term today.

As today in both Spezial and Schlenkerla if you go in and ask for a beer you get the rauchbier. Both have other beers on (Spezial regularly) but this would have been quite a recent trend I think. Either way you don't ask for a rauchbier. 

I'm no expert on beer history this is just some thoughts. 
 
Followups:
     German beer around 1900 by TomM on  2018-07-23 09:38:34
       German beer around 1900 by Mike on  2018-07-23 10:43:18
         German beer around 1900 by TomM on  2018-07-23 11:15:50
       German beer around 1900 by Jason on  2018-07-23 11:21:12
           German beer around 1900 by Mike on  2018-07-24 02:51:56
     German beer around 1900 by barry on  2018-07-24 04:34:20
             German beer around 1900 by TomM on  2018-07-24 04:43:53
               German beer around 1900 by Mike on  2018-07-24 05:02:10
                 German beer around 1900 by TomM on  2018-07-24 05:57:09
                   German beer around 1900 by Mike on  2018-07-24 06:20:52
                     German beer around 1900 by TomM on  2018-07-24 06:43:24
                       German beer around 1900 by Mike on  2018-07-24 07:27:41
                         German beer around 1900 by Jason on  2018-07-24 14:01:46
                           German beer around 1900 by barry on  2018-07-25 04:49:06
                             Red Willow by Mark Andersen on  2018-07-25 11:05:33
                               Red Willow by barry on  2018-07-25 13:49:33
                                 Red Willow by Jason  on  2018-07-26 00:12:41
         German beer around 1900 by Barm on  2018-10-19 04:17:25