Spalt und das grüne Gold

Unter unserem Himmel

Genießen die gelungene Dokumentation über Spalt und das grüne Gold

 

External content

When activating this content,
data is processed by www.ardmediathek.de.
Information about this data processing
can be found in our privacy policy

Hop stories

Chatting from the treasure chest

"In Spalt, in Spalt, people get really old.

It`s not their fault, that´s what makes the good beer."

Below you will find this wisdom told in the Spalter dialect:

Weisheit zum Spalter Bier

Beer ABC

Everything you should know about beer

 
A
 
Alcohol-free beer
Beers with an alcohol content of less than 0.5% vol. are called alcohol-free beers. To achieve this, either the fermentation process is interrupted at an early stage or the alcohol is removed from the beer by later reverse osmosis processes.


Ale
Ales are particularly versatile in taste, which is often quite fruity. It is created by warm fermentation at 15 - 25°C. Two factors are important here: the aroma is determined by the type of yeast culture; malt and hop content give the ale its different flavours such as "mild", "bitter" or "pale". Ales are above all considered classics of English beer culture.


B
 
Barrel-aged beer
Barrel-aged beer has the special feature of a secondary fermentation process in the barrel that extends over a long period of time. As a rule, more powerful beers such as stout or doppelbock are suitable for barrel ageing. Because it is not produced industrially, barrel-aged beer is unfiltered and non-pasteurised.

Beer foam
Beer foam is also commonly called "head" (or "flower" in Germany). It varies in height, density and colour depending on the beer and plays a different role in different beer cultures. Gases such as CO2 determine the buoyancy of the foam. Proteins give it the necessary hold and strengthen the head. Depending on the composition, the foam stability and the foam volume change.


Bock beer
Bock beer is a bottom-fermented, golden-brown and usually strong beer (over 6.2% vol.). In Germany, there is a regulation that Bock beer must have an original gravity of at least 16°P. Bock beer is often only available seasonally, especially in spring, known as Maibock.


Bottle fermentation

The best-known example of bottle-fermented beer is the common yeast white beer. During bottle fermentation, additional yeast is added to the beer bottle at the end of the fermentation process and thus expanded.


Bottom-fermented / top-fermented
Bottom-fermenting yeasts separate during propagation and fall to the bottom of the liquid during fermentation; top-fermenting yeasts form associations and are carried to the top by rising carbon dioxide.Bottom-fermented beers, such as Pils, are brewed with bottom-fermenting yeast at cool temperatures. Top-fermented beers, on the other hand, such as Kölsch, Alt or Weissbier, are brewed with top-fermenting yeast at warmer temperatures.


Brewing water
The brewing water is a main component of brewing. It should be as pure as possible and, depending on the type of beer, free (soft) or full (hard) of certain minerals. In addition, a low lime hardness leaves the taste unaffected.


C
 
Cellar beer
Cellar beer is a general term for a rather dark beer. It is usually unfiltered and therefore slightly cloudy.


Craft Beer

Craft beer means beer produced by hand and stands in contrast to the industrially produced beer of large brewery groups. The characteristic difference is the natural flavour that is supposed to come from high-quality brewing ingredients. You often come across unconventional creations and flavours in craft beer.


D
 
Dry Beer
Dry Beer is a beer that is less dominant in flavour. It is mostly tart and spicy, but of short duration. Due to the low aftertaste, Dry Beer is very popular with food. This "dry" character is the result of high fermentation during the brewing process. At 5% vol. it is nevertheless moderate and digestible.


E
 
Export
This type of beer is a bottom-fermented, light beer. It is distinguished from the closely related Pils by its less tart character. This is due to a lower proportion of hops. The export became famous in the Dortmund area around 1700, which is why the term "Dortmunder Export" is commonly used.


F
 
Fermentation
Fermentation describes the process of yeast propagation using malt sugar. Carbon dioxide and alcohol are produced as a by-product.


Filtration

Filtration is part of the brewing process in which the beer passes through a special filter after the storage period, which sorts out remaining turbid particles.


Full Beer ("Vollbier")
Full beer is a general term for beer types with an original wort content between 11°P and 16°P. Therefore, a good 95% of all German beers are also "Vollbiers".


Hops
The hops are the heart of the beer and serve as a beer spice. The type of hop culture determines the typical tart taste and its characteristic. It also increases durability. Only the unfertilized flowers of the perennials are used for brewing beer.


I
 
India Pale Ale
India Pale Ale is the term used today for some types of pale ale. The term originates from the British colonial period in India. To make the beer more durable for the long transport routes, strong hopping and high original wort were used.


K
 
Kölsch
Kölsch is a type of beer based on Cologne and may only be brewed by almost 30 breweries on Cologne soil. It has a palatable and light character, low carbonic acid and a golden coloration. Kölsch contains 11-12°P original wort and about 3.7% alcohol.


L

Lager
Today, Lager generally describes all bottom-fermented beers. In Germany, this designation does not apply to Pilsner and only to beers whose original wort content is below 12°P. Originally, the term "Lager" meant all beers that were stored in cellars for a long time.


Light

The term "light" unites many types of beer among itself. A light beer is a classic gold-colored bottom-fermented beer.

 
M

Malt
The grain used for brewing (barley, wheat, etc.) is brought to germination and dried at the beginning. The product is called malt or brewing malt. The aim of this process, also called malting, is to extract malt sugar from the grain starch.


Mash

Mixing ground malt and water produces the mash. In this step, the malt starch dissolves in the water and later becomes malt sugar when heated.


O

Original wort
The original wort of a beer means the proportion of wort measured by the content of dissolved substances such as bitter substances, sugar and protein. During fermentation, alcohol and carbon dioxide, for example, are produced from the original wort. The unit of original wort is degree Plato (°P) and corresponds to the original wort content in %.

 
P
 
Pale Ale
The term "Pale" is used to distinguish the colour from dark brown beer. Pale ale is copper-coloured and is usually used by English brewers to designate bitters. The lightly roasted malt variety "Pale Ale Malt" is responsible for the colour and a slight nutty taste.


Pils
Pils or Pilsener is a common bottom-fermented and light full beer. The golden colour and strong hop flavour are characteristic of the most popular type of beer in Germany. It has an original wort content of 12°P.

 
Purity Law
The German Purity Law has been in force since 1516 and requires that only barley, hops and water be used in brewing beer. It is the world's oldest food regulation and is still observed today.


S
 
Scotch Ale
Scotch Ale is a Scottish beer strain in various forms: Light, Heavy, Export or Strong. Each Scotch Ale has a certain malt accent and varies in original wort and strength depending on the type. Therefore, the alcohol content ranges from 3 to 11 % vol.


Stout
Stout is a predominantly English and top-fermented beer. It is characterised by its almost black colour, which is the result of heavily roasted malt. Irish Guinness is the best-known stout in the world.

 

Y

Yeast
Yeast or brewer's yeast is used for fermentation during the brewing process. The yeast ferments the sugar contained in the beer wort to carbon dioxide and alcohol, which are produced as a waste product during yeast propagation. A distinction is made between bottom-fermenting and top-fermenting yeasts or beers.


Z
 
Zymase 
Zymase is an enzyme contained in yeast. It helps the yeast to process glucose and fructose and therefore serves as an initiation to the fermentation process.