Altbier

 

Altbier

 

In the long history of German brewing, several distinct characteristics have become clear. First, German beer is distinct. The rich traditions of Bavaria, the Rhineland, Hamburg, and Berlin have worked in concert to develop traits that make German beer instantly recognizable in the vast world of beer. Among those great brewing cities, Dusseldorf, in the western part of the country, stands as tall as any other great brewing locale due to its famous beer, called Altbier. 

“Alt” is the German word for old, and this old ale has a tradition that dates back over 100 years. Altbier is traditionally top fermented, like English ales and many American craft beers, however, unlike those styles, Altbier was aged during the winter months in ice caves, creating a clean lagered finish that English ales generally lack. Altbier is usually more heavily hopped than other German beers, which rely on aromatic hop additions to create the floral and spicy nose so common in Bavarian lagers. A more bitter beer, Altbier has more balance than many other beers from this region, which rely on stronger malt bills to get their distinctive characteristics. 

Of course, we don’t have an ice cave to age our Altbier in, so we are going to have to take some shortcuts to make this beer as traditional as possible. We are also going to take a few liberties with the Reinheitsgebot. The Reinheitsgebot is a German law that ensures the purity of beer. It states, among other things, that beer can only contain water, hops, yeast, and water. It states that no herbs, adjuncts, or chemicals are allowed in German beer, so that the beer stays honest and pure, relying on the skill of the brewer to make sure that it tastes good and won’t kill anyone. In this version of the Altbier, we are going to have a couple of additions that go against that document, adding Irish Moss to enhance clarity, as well as calcium carbonate to mellow out the sharp flavors of some of the malts used. 

Altbier is clear, reddish in color with hints of orange and brown, and very hoppy for a German beer. Of course, “very hoppy for a German beer” isn’t saying much, as most German beers aren’t very hoppy at all (Berlinerwiess traditionally eschew the use of hops altogether). As mentioned previously, an analog for the Altbier is the English ESB, a relatively strong pub ale. Both styles are between 5 and 6.5% ABV with moderate hop bitterness according to modern palates. Modern palates are more accustomed to larger hop profiles, so the Altbier lives on the high end of German beers in terms of hoppiness, but would be firmly middle of the road in comparison to the American and English beers we are used to today.

 Altbier, as with most traditional German beers starts with a step or decoction mash. We will not be mashing with these techniques. Step and decoction mashing take a significant amount of time as well as several steps that are not necessary for the homebrewer to jump into. Advanced methods like these are nice to know about, even interesting to implement when one has the time and experimental spirit to attempt them, but in terms of modern brewing, they are simply not efficient. A simple Single Temperature Infusion Mash is what most brewers use for their beers, regardless of style. Some ancient breweries still use the older methods, however, most brewers today, especially when small batch brewing, find it easier to use a more modern technique.

 

ABV: 4.5%-5.5%  IBU: 25-50  SRM: 11-17

 

 

 INGREDIENTS

10lb Pilsen Malt
¼ lb 80L Caramel Malt
¼ lb Chocolate Malt
¼ lb Carafoam 

1oz Tradition Hops
1oz Hersbrucker Hops
1oz Perle Hops 

K-97 German Ale Yeast 

1tsp Irish Moss

1tsp Calcium Carbonate 

5oz Priming Sugar (dextrose)

  

Grains Used

Pilsen Malt: Light bodied and mildly flavored, Pilsen malt originates from the Bohemian region of Europe, in modern day Czech Republic. Its malty flavor and pale color is synonymous with European styles of beer, and since it is so light, Pilsen malt works well as a platform from which flavorful, malty beers can be created. American versions of Pilsen malt are often very slightly darker and more flavorful, but American Pilsen remains interchangeable with European Pilsen for homebrewers. 

80L Caramel Malt: Caramel malts are the most commonly used specialty malts, especially in homebrewing. Rated on the Lovibond Scale for color (L), the 80L leans darker than most. 80L Caramel Malt adds roasted sweetness, some raisin and prune flavor, and warm red tones to the final beer. The flavors in this beer will be less prevalent than the color, as the amount being used is relatively small. 

Chocolate Malt: Despite its tasty name, Chocolate malt does not taste like chocolate. Instead it has heavy bitter espresso flavors when used in large volumes. In smaller quantities, Chocolate Malt imparts warm brown tones (thus the name) and nutty aromatics that accent darker beers. 

CaraFoam: Also known as Dextrine Malt or CaraPils, CaraFoam is the very definition of specialty malt. Used almost exclusively as an agent of head retention, CaraFoam imparts very little color or flavor to the finished beer. There is some debate as to how much should be used in a batch, with some brewers increasing equivalently with increased batch size, (1/4 lb for 5 gallon, ½ lb for 10 gallons, etc) where others believe that ¼ lb regardless of batch size is plenty until larger volumes are being produced.

  

Hops Used

 Most German beers will use Germanic hops exclusively. Noble hops are known for their distinctive floral and spiced aromatics, low Alpha Acid, and delicate flavor. Many varieties are interchangeable, with only minor differences between the breeds. 

Tradition: A relatively new breed, released to the public in 1993, Tradition hops are slightly stronger than many German varieties. They add bitterness when added at the beginning of the boil, giving Altbier more of an English characteristic than other hops. When added at the end of the brew, Tradition hops will give herbal and spiced aroma, with hints of citrus laying in the background. 

Hersbrucker: With its low Alpha Acid levels, Hersbrucker hops are full of aroma and flavor without adding any bittering qualities to the beer. Floral and slightly sweet, Hersbrucker has somewhat fallen out of favor with American brewers, who are more influenced by enormous citrus or Alpha Acid characteristics than the nuanced abilities of Hersbrucker. Flavor notes of dried herbs, fresh cut grass, and light spice come trough in a middle addition while allowing stronger hops to bitter the beer.

 Perle: Another relatively young variety, Perle was first released in 1978 as a hybrid of two other German breeds. Perle has a higher Alpha Acid level than many other noble hops, however, it retains the same floral and spice traits that are so well regarded in Germany. In Altbier it is an unusual choice for a finishing hop, as it is higher in Alpha Acids, however there are mint and pine scents that follow a late Perle addition which enhance the unique qualities of the style.

 

Yeast Used

 K-97: K-97 is a German strain of dry ale yeast that can work for any German style of beer. Lagering a beer can take a long time, often several months, and using ale yeast as an alternative is an easy way to get classic German, Belgian, or Czech beers in a fraction of the time. Dry yeast is simple to use, and with advancements in technology and yeast chemistry, dry strains are more stable and reliable than they were even 10 years ago. K-97 is clean, keeps a strong krausen, and will be active in a rather wide temperature range. Of course, any ale yeast will prefer to act in room temperature situations, K-97 can also perform at slightly lower temperatures making it good for all season brewing.

 

Adjuncts Used

Calcium Carbonate: Known by the common name chalk, Calcium Carbonate is added in small amounts to mash water, before adding cracked grains, to lower the acidity of darker malts and to aid in the clarification of the final beer.

 Irish Moss: A variety of seaweed that grows along the rocky shores of the North Atlantic Ocean, Irish moss (Chrondrus crispus) is used as a clarifying agent in beer. Added in the last 15 minutes of the boil, Irish Moss attracts coagulated proteins and other free particles in the boiling beer and drags them to the bottom of the boil kettle after cooling the beer. This process keeps those particulates and proteins out of the fermenter, creating a clean crisp beer. Most fining agents (clarifiers) are ignored in traditional German brewing practices, as they dispute the Reinheitsgebot, but recent years have proven that cleaning up hazy beer might take a little extra help.