Because it is important to dream...

Enter Captain Frederick Pabst, Great Lakes steamship captain and firm believer in the future of American brewing. Call it fate or blind luck, but Frederick and Maria's paths crossed, and he quickly saw much more in her than her brewery-owning father. He saw his future wife. They married in 1862 - and Frederick wasted no time plunging into the family business.

Captain Pabst bought half-interest of the brewing company in 1864, when the entire operation was turning out just 5,000 barrels a year. But his plans were far bigger. A traditionalist with a firm grasp on free-market capitalism, Pabst sought out the best brewmasters of his day, even traveling abroad to pitch his idea of beer-making nirvana to those who would listen. He increased the brewery's capacity by convincing stockholders to sink profits into bigger, better equipment. And soon it all came together: By 1873, the company was producing 100,000 barrels annually. Captain Pabst was its president.  

Under the Captain's guidance, Pabst Brewing Company became known far and wide for good, honest beer, brewed for those who appreciate classic taste and value. And as the years rolled on, a whole slew of classic regional brands joined the Pabst family. Though each has its own distinct flavor and character, every one is still brewed to the Captain's exceptionally high standards.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 8:17 AM

By: Sylvia Booth Hubbard

Researchers are always looking for the magic bullet to kill cancer, and now they may have found it in a surprising place – a glass of beer! (Who knew?) It turns out that hops, which is the flavor component of beer, contains a cancer-fighting compound called xanthohumol.

Xanthohumol turns out to be toxic to several kinds of human cancer, including prostate, ovarian, breast, and colon. Further, it inhibits enzymes that can activate the development of cancer, and also helps detoxify carcinogens. It even seems to slow down tumor growth in the early stages. Scientists are trying to produce hops that contain even more xanthohumol, and the Germans are racing to develop a “health” beer.

But wait – there’s more! Other compounds in hops are potent phytoestrogens which may help with post-menopausal hot flashes and also prevent osteoporosis.

Beers that provide the most benefits contain the most hops, and include strong brews such as ale, stout, and porter. In general, the darker the beer, the better. For those who can’t stand beer, herbal supplements made from hops contain the highest concentrations of beneficial elements.

This year's Munich Oktoberfest ended on Sunday with new records for beer and oxen consumption and for the number of false dentures found. Rowdy it may be, but the festival, just like last year's World Cup, seems to be exporting a positive image of Germany.

Not only is beer a prized industry, but it is also a prized piece of heritage, protected by law. The Reinheitsgebot is the purity law that protects German beer from outside influence. It prevents the dominance of beers brewed with preservatives, stabilizers, rice maize and other flavouring.

Each beer tends to have a proper serving glass designated to it. For example Hefeweizen, Kristallweizen, and Dunkles Hefeweizen are served in tall glasses with a narrow base that widens toward the top before narrowing again slightly. On the other hand, Kölsch is served in a simple, tall, straight, cylindrical 200ml glass. Altbier is also served in a straight cylindrical 200ml glass, but it's broader and shorter than the Kölsch glass.

Berliner Weisse tends to come in a rounded goblet or a stout, straight edged tumbler. Finally, Pilsner is served in a Pokal, which is similar o an elegant elongated champagne flute. The most familiar of the beer glasses is the Krug, or in the liter case, the Mass Krug. It is traditionally an earthenware mug with a handle but the glass version, properly called a Seidel, is the more familiar one.

Although lagers are the most recognized of the German beers, there are many other varieties to choose from. There are top conditioned warm-fermented ales, wheat beers, smoked beers, and spontaneously fermented beers. Here are a few examples of styles of German beer . . .

Anyone interested in drinking German beers has probably heard of the Reinheitsgebot – the beer purity law that regulates brewing in Germany.

But exactly what the law says, and its effect on brewing quality, are less well known. Its history is also rather interesting.

Original Law Applied Only in Bavaria

The original law of 1516 only applied in Bavaria – not elsewhere in Germany. It specified only three ingredients – water, hops, and barley malt – omitting yeast. That probably indicates that brewers of the day were using spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, as the lambic brewers of Belgium do today.

The original Reinheitsgebot also specified the use of only barley malt. That would have ruled out wheat beers, and the use of other grains such as rye that can add distinctive character to a beer. This probably wasn't motivated by a concern for beer quality, but rather by shortages of wheat and rye, used primarily for bread-making. Fortunately, today’s version of the law specifies ‘malt’ but doesn't say what kind.

It was only in the early 20th century that the updated law (including yeast as a permitted ingredient) was applied across Germany. This wasn't an unalloyed blessing for the beer drinker; many local styles, including fruit and herb beers, were forced out of production.

German Beer Law Prohibits use of Many Additives

On the positive side, the Reinsheitsgebot outlaws the use of additives common in American beers, such as corn syrup and rice. And it is truly amazing what amazing flavours can come from just the basic four ingredients. For instance, many of the Bavarian wheat beers have fantastic notes of banana, vanilla, coriander, or cloves – without any flavourings being added.

On the down side, though, the Reinheitsgebot means no adventurous use of ingredients such as herbs, fruit,or spices. Many Belgian beers would be outlawed by the German rules. The well known Hoegaarden, for instance, owes its tang to coriander seed and Curacao orange peel.

Some traditional German beers managed to get round the Reinheitsgebot by brewing the beer straight and then inviting customers to add syrup in the glass. For instance Berliner Weisse and Gose are often drunk with woodruff syrup (an herb) or raspberry syrup, modifying the very tart nature of the beers. (The Gose style has now been revived, with coriander and salt added during the brewing process – the state of Saxony has granted it a special exemption from the law.)

Sugar Can Be Added After Brewing

In fact, the Reinheitsgebot applies only to the actual process of brewing. Sugar, syrups or other ingredients can be added once the beer has been brewed, so you’ll find bottles of Berliner Weisse on sale with the raspberry syrup already added.

The Reinheitsgebot applies only to the ingredients of beer. As any homebrewer knows, though, you can have the best ingredients and still make appalling beer. The process of brewing and fermentation is extremely important in producing the final character of the beer – and the Reinheitsgebot doesn't have anything to say about that.

For instance the character of lager is determined by the amount of time the beer is left to mature - ‘lagering’, which means ‘storage’, gives the beer its name. Some brewers have cut the time down from months to weeks, affecting the quality of the beer.

The addition of carbonation is also not covered by the purity law. Nor is filtration or pasteurization, which many people believe deadens the beer’s natural taste (and prevents bottled beers undergoing a second fermentation, which deepens their character).

German Beer Produced Abroad is Exempt

Besides, the Reinheitsgebot only applies inside Germany. So a German beer produced under license in another country might not comply with the law. And it doesn't apply to beers imported into Germany – so if you’re drinking, say, Danish or Dutch beer in a German pub, you can't rely on it.

Despite its many faults, the Reinsheitsgebot has done much to ensure that German beer doesn't commit major abuses such as using inferior grains. But the Reinheitsgebot on its own can't preserve the future of German beer. That takes educated consumers – who should vote with their wallets against industrialised beers, and for the smaller craft breweries who are keeping many of Germany’s beer traditions alive

For many centuries, beer has been a regular and continuous part of the everyday diet in all levels of society. As it was in Babylonia, so too is the quality of beer in Germany legislatively regulated by the authorities - and beer is still an important source of tax revenue.

The first regulation appeared in Augsburg. Establishments that served bad beer or dishonest amounts would fined and their beer destroyed.

The best known and most famous brewing law is the Reinheitsgebot. The "Purity Law" is the oldest food regulation in the world and still exists today unchanged from the original. It was ordered by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria in the year 1516. See picture above. It said that beer should only be brewed from barley, hops and water. Thanks to the regulation, Bavarian beers then became leaders among their peers. Thus other lands of Germany also enforced the regulation.

Today, of course, yeast is also recognized as a vital ingredient, but it was a brewing element whose effect was unknown at the time the law was written. Back then, brewers would just use the yeast that was present in the air.

Even today the most important law The Reinheitsgebot is still the most important law affecting brewing in Germany. In the beer tax law, which regulates beer production, it states: "For the preparation of beer, only malt, hops, yeast and water can be used." German brewers observe strict compliance with the Reinheitsgebot and the guarantee that in Germany only good, healthy beers will be brewed.

From Grain to Glass,
Beer has History

The history of beer is closely intertwined with the history of humanity itself. Proof exists that the brewing tradition began some 6000 years ago. During this era some of the earliest concepts of brewing were discovered. When the Sumerians, the oldest known civilization on earth, noticed the fermentation process act upon an abandoned bowl of bread dough, they repeated the process to understand it and soon began "brewing."

They had discovered a true drink of the gods. They offered it to their gods as sacrifice; they gave it to their kings to drink; and all of this is inscribed in cuneiform tablets.

Around 3000 BC one of the world's greatest works of literature was written: The Epic of Gilgamesch. Written therein, bread and beer played a large role in the development of the tribes of the time into "cultivated people" - who we know now as the Sumerians. The tribal man Enkidu wants to measure his power with the demigod sovereign Gilgamesch and becomes after the enjoyment of bread and beer equal to a human being.

2000 BC was the downfall of the Sumerian empire, and the birth of the Babylonian empire. They built upon the culture of the Sumerians and took over, among other things, the art of brewing beer. The Babylonians brewed around 20 different beer styles and exported beer as far away as 1000 kilometer (621 miles) distant Egypt. Their king Hammurabi (1728-1686 BC) had even then ordered the chiseling of strong beer regulations - among other laws - in Doric columns. The "Codex Hammurabi" is the oldest set of known laws in the world. The people were given their daily ration of beer according to their social standing: Workers two liters per day, officials three, managers and highpriests five!

The oldest evidence that beer was brewed in Germany comes from around 800 BC beer amphorae from what is known as the Hallsstattzeit found near Kulmbach. By the second century after Christ, beer was already being traded commercially. This was verified by a beer publisher's tablet that was found near Trier. As to the Egyptians, beer to the Germans was not just for sacrifice to the gods: That is why, for example, Finnish verses of Kalewala 400 verses are dedicated to the production of beer - while the creation of the world only gets 200!

Like bread baking, brewing in the earliest centuries was the work of woman. Not until the turn of the first millennium did the cloisters take up brewing. The monks were particularly interested in the scientific aspects of brewing, and so it was that at the Brabant Cloister zum Würzen that hops were tried for the very first time. That probably lead to the legend that Brabant King Gambrinus was the inventor of beer. He is still remembered today as a great patron of the brewers and a beer lover in his own right.

But the monks did not brew the beer just for their own thirst. Many paintings of that era show that they were very devoted to this drink - and with time many of the cloister developed into very lucrative businesses. As compensation, the monks legally had the right to market beer. The led to the birth of Kloisterschenken, taprroms where the Monks could sell the beer to go.

In the meantime the craft of brewing had become a respectable profession in the many cities that were springing up in Germany. Beer tithes and taxes were filling the coffers-especially those of the royalty. The purchase of cloister beer threatened this tax source, so many heads of state banned it. The first to do so was Kaiser Sigismund (1410-1437). By 1803, secularization became the end for many cloister breweries, and only a few survived.

Today there are only 11 of them, the most famous being Andechs and Ettal.

With the rise of exports, German developed world famous beer cities. In the 14th century, Bremen was the midpoint for beer exports to Holland, England and Scandinavia, Hamburg was the brewery of the Hanse: By 1500 there some 600 breweries situated there. The Hanse exported beer as far away as India. Braunschweig and Einbeck, the birthplace of bock beer, were also important beer cities.

An prominent date in the history of beer is without a doubt the enactment of the Reinheitsgebot (Purity Law) in 1516 by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria. It said that beer could only be brewed with from barley (later barley malt), hops and water. The usage of yeast was not yet known at the time and was usually left to chance - yeast in the air. The Reinheitsgebot is the oldest, still-enforced food regulation in the world.

A King becomes a Brewer Berlin also has an old brewing tradition. Under the Prussian "Soldier King" Friedrich Wilhelm I beer became " hoffähig" (fit for the court). With his legendary "Tabakskollegium" (tobacco board), " Friedrich Wilhelm I brought what was perhaps the first "Stammtisch" round into being. (The "Stammtisch" is a German tradition - a big table where friends, neighbors and guests gather frequently to relax, celebrate or just pass the time.) Friedrich Wilhelm I even let his son become a brewer. That son was later known as Friedrich der Große - Frederick the Great.

The industrial development of brewing began in the first half of the 19th century and Spaten was at the forefront of innovation.

The precursor for it was the invention of the steam engine by James Watt for firing brewhouses and artificial refrigeration by Carl von Linde developed at the request of, and while working for, Gabriel Sedlmayr II of the Spaten Brewery. It had been scientifically proved, that the production of constant quality beer demanded certain temperatures - temperatures that at the time were only available in the winter months. The invention of refrigeration made it possible to brew year round. Another decisive development was the discovery of microorganisms by Louis Pasteur - thus the science of the fermentation process was finally established.

Closed off from the hectic stress of everyday life, friends, neighbors and colleagues meet, to talk about everything under the sun along with a freshly poured glass of beer in their favorite bar that is a snapshot of happiness from everyday life. Some 78% of German citizens consider a visit to a local watering hole their most beloved leisure activity, and nearly every other German has a "Lieblingslokal" - a favorite place where the host is a friend and where one feels at home.

Gastronomy in Germany has many faces. Favorites are pubs with pastoral or rustic decoration and those that awaken the memories of the good old days. 54 percent of Germans feel most content in an everyday pub, 31 percent at a corner restaurant and 28 percent at an Italian, Greek or Spanish restaurant. But outdoor restaurants (25%), cafes (23%), and the aforementioned rustic, pastoral pubs (20%) also have their fans. Some 11 percent prefer select gourmet establishments.

What would the most comfortable pub or happy hour be without beer? That's why Faßbier (draught beer) is Germany's most beloved drink. 73 percent of all guests will buy a draught beer before a bottled beer. It should be served cool and fresh, with an appetizing head of foam, and it should taste good. Nine out of ten German citizens is happy with their local host. The beer in their establishment is well tapped.

SPATEN BEER

The history of the SPATEN-FRANZISKANER Brewery, which even today is still in the family hands, can be traced back to the year 1363. The experience and knowledge gained form six centuries of brewing was handed down from generation to generation, right on down to the present day. But the actual "modern- day" brewing tradition in Munich began in 1807, when Gabriel Sedlmayr I, the brewmaster for the royal court, took over the SPATEN Brewery. At that time it was a small brewery, but he constantly expanded it until his death in 1839. In 1851 his son, Gabriel Sedlmayr II, who learned the art of brewing in various European countries laid the cornerstone for what was to become the SPATEN brewery in the heart of Munich, where it is still located to this day, just a few blocks away from the center of town. SPATEN, Bavaria's second largest export brewery.

Over 600 years of experience in brewing have made SPATEN beers world-famous. SPATEN beer, made in Munich. Highly regarded the world over by those who know good beer, because no other beer is purer, better, or more natural in taste. Try a SPATEN beer, and you might just forget that there is any other kind of beer.

Brewing in Style
Germans are very conscious of distinct beer styles. When they order a beer, they rarely ask for it by its brand name. Rather they order beer by its style designation, asking for a Pils, an Alt, a Kölsch, a Weissbier, a Helles or a Dunkel, for instance. Depending on your definition of beer style, there are arguably between two and four or five dozen styles in Germany. Some people consider Bockbier, for instance, a broad style that comprises many subcategories, such as the stronger Doppelbock and the even stronger Eisbock, while others count each of these brews as a separate style. The same goes for Altbier and its stronger version, the Sticke Alt, for instance. Likewise, the large family of yeast-turbid German wheat ales, called Weissbiers or Hefeweizens, has a clear, filtered member, called Kristallweizen, as well as a strong member, called, Weizenbock, which many consider separate styles.

Except perhaps for the ubiquitous Pils, which holds a roughly 60% market share throughout Germany, most styles have a stronger following in their regions of origin but are much less known, though usually available, elsewhere. The unfiltered, low-carbonation, malty Kellerbier, for instance, is a specialty of Franconia in northern Bavaria, but it can be hard to find along the Atlantic and Baltic coastlines. Likewise, the blond Kölsch, which is by far the most popular beer in and around Cologne as well as the copper-colored Altbier, which holds the same rank in and around Düsseldorf, would be hard to find in, say, southern Bavaria. Conversely, Weissbier, which is the most popular beer style in Bavaria, with more than a one-third market share there, holds only about a 10% market in the rest of Germany.

German Beer Regions
German beer making has taken different paths in different parts of the country. Broadly speaking, beers become maltier as you travel from north to south and hoppier as you travel in the reverse direction. In addition, some styles have more than one, often regional, name. A Kellerbier, for instance, may also be called Zwickelbier, Kräusenbier or Zoigl; a Dortmunder may be called Export; a Maibock, Helles Bock.

Among all the German regions, the southern-most state, Bavaria, clearly has spawned the greatest variety of beer styles. They vary in shades of color and strength. There are very blond and almost black lagers as well as clear and yeast-turbid, pale and brown wheat ales. Some brews, like the Helles, are quaffing, or easy-drinking, beers, while others, like the Eisbock, are sipping beers.

Neighboring Bohemia to the east of Bavaria (once part of the German-speaking Autro-Hungarian Empire and now part of the Czech Republic) has produced, under Bavarian influence, the world's most popular style, the Pilsner, which is the mother of all modern lagers, including the popular German Pils, the Dortmunder Export, and the Bavarian Helles.

Rhineland and Westphalia, which together now form the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia, probably rank second in contributions to the German beer landscape. The Rhineland, with its Alt and Kölsch ales, has become the custodian of the ancient German ale tradition, while Westphalia has enriched the world with its peculiar interpretation of the blond lager, the Dortmunder Export.

The northern regions, until the late Middle Ages hot-beds of ale brewing, have given us the dry, assertively hoppy Pils, the original Bock from Einbeck (which was an ale in the Middle Ages), and a light, acidic wheat beer called Berliner Weisse.

Understanding German Beer Labels
German breweries often use prefixes or adjectives in conjunction with their style names to highlight a particular characteristic of their beer. For instance, ungespundet means a low-effervescence beer that was fermented to the finish in an unpressurized fermenter. The carbon dioxide in the solution, therefore, is minimal and the beer tastes only gently pétillant and very smooth.

The word hell or helles means "light," but, unlike in North America, this designation refers to color only, not to the beer's calories or alcoholic strength. A light beer in the North American sense would be called leicht or, more commonly, by the English term "light."

If a beer features the prefix ur or urtyp, which mean "original" or "original type," the brewery tries to emphasize the authenticity of its beverage.

A spezial is just what you suspect it is: A beer that the brewery made as a seasonal special or one it considers especially good.

If a brewery designates its brew as edel, which means "noble," it points to the lofty rank of its hops, because the best hop varieties in Germany are called Edelhopfen noble hops).

German breweries pay taxes by the "heaviness" of their sweet wort (which is the run-off from the malted grain in the mash tun, i.e., unfermented beer). Wort heaviness is measured as the percentage of non-water substances—mostly fermentable malt sugars—dissolved in the wort. Most German beers contain around 88% water and 12% extract. As a rough rule, depending on the fermentation method used, one extract point contributes about 0.3 to 0.4% alcohol by volume to the finished beer. The higher the extract level of the unfermented beer, the more tax the government collects on the brew, regardless of the final alcohol content of the beer that results. Thus, in additon to belonging to style categories, German beers also belong to one of four official tax categories, which are sometimes noted on the label:

By law, a Vollbier (literally "full" or "entire" beer) contains 11 to 14% extract. This category holds about 99% market share in Germany. A completely fermented Vollbier usually has between 3 and 5.3% alcohol by volume. Pils, Helles and Weissbier (Hefeweizen) belong in this category. Three other beer categories occupy the remaining 1% of the market: Einfachbier (literally "simple" or "plain" beer) has about 0.1% market share. It is defined by a taxable extract value of 2 to 5.5% and generally has no more than 0.5 to 1.5% alcohol by volume. Schankbier (literally "tap" or "draft" beer) has a 0.2% market share. Its extract value is 7 to 8%, and its alcohol by volume level tends to be between 0.5 and 2.6%. Berliner Weisse, for instance, falls into this category. Finally, Starkbier (literally "strong" beer) has a 0.7% market share. All beers with an extract value exceeding 16% are Starkbiers. Their alcohol level is invariable above 5% and usually no more than 10%. All Bockbiers, Doppelbocks, and Eisbocks belong in this category. Until 1990, beers outside these extract bands — that is, beers with 5.5 to 7%, 8 to 11%, and 14 to 16% extract — were not permitted to be brewed, by law. Oddly, the law has since been changed, but the definition of beer categories has not.

From the Brewery to the Consumer
Germany never had Prohibition, as did the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. As a result, Germany lacks the stringent alcoholic beverage regulations that prevail in North America. There are no state-run or province-run beverage stores, nor is there a three-tier system that rigidly separates licensed producers from licensed distributors, and both from on- and off-premise retailers. Instead, anybody in the beer trading chain — including breweries and wholesalers—can sell beer directly to the public and many beer distributors make "house calls." In Germany, therefore, beer is just another food commodity. It is readily available just about anywhere, any time, including on Sundays, at convenience stores, supermarkets, department stores, newspaper kiosks, gas stations, company cafeterias, and even vending machines.

Every brewery—national or local—makes several beer styles, and a brand is a brewery's particular interpretation of a style. While stores are likely to carry more than one brewery's brands, pubs and restaurants tend to be tied to just one, often local, brewery and serve only that supplier's brands. The brewery, in turn, supplies all the establishment's glasses, taps, trays, and neons, and often even the pub's or restaurant's entire furnishings. Thus, unlike in North America, when you order a beer, you can rarely choose the brand you will be served.

Still, with such a great variety of beer styles, from the racy, edgy Pils to the mellow, malty Schwarbier (black lager), there is usually a beer for just about any mood and any occasion. On a hot summer afternoon, for example, the lazy quaffer may crave a Helles to keep his internal temperature in check, while on a wintry afternoon, he may crave a tankard of nourishing Doppelbock to warm his insides and to help him forget the frosty punishment from his long wait at the commuter bus stop.

In Germany, brewers are much like great chefts. They emphasize technique as much as they do ingredients. Restricted by the so-called Reinheitsgebot (purity law), which allows them to use only four ingredients in their beer — malt, hops, yeast, and water — they insist on working only with quality raw materials. The incredible variety of German beers, therefore, stems largely from technique in the service of a traditional style. At right is a complete list of the styles that you might encounter while traveling in Germany or while shopping for a German beer in North America.

The brown ales of Flanders are a distinctively regional style in Belgium. These beers, deep copper to brown in color, are faintly to strongly tart with a dry, assertive, lactic character. They have a very complex caramel/nutty/slight chocolate malt character, with flavors sometimes reminiscent of olives, raisins, or spices. The unique fermentations lead to a fruity, spicy complexity with a vinous nature. Hop flavor and aroma do not make an impression, though the bitterness can be assertive.

Red Ales

This West Flanders style known as the "burgundies of Belgium" is distinctively red in color, thin but firm in body, and tart with a wide range of fruitiness. The red color comes, in part, from the use of Vienna malt; but it is also derived from aging in the brewery’s uncoated oak tuns, which creates caramel flavors, tannins, and acidity.

Saison

Saisons are the summer and harvest specialties for French-speaking Belgium. The characteristics of the style are a powerful effervescence and a unique fruitiness, often with citric notes and a pungent sourness accented with aroma hops. This ale is distinctively bitter but not assertive. The style is crisp, tart, and refreshing. Most of these beers have a distinctive orange color, though they can range in color from light to amber. A crystal maltiness is sometimes evident.

Strong Golden Ale

Belgian golden ales are strong, golden in color, full of fruit, and somewhat hoppy, with low hop flavor and aroma. Usually they are very effervescent. References to the devil are often a trademark of these beers.

Trappist Ale

Trappist ale is beer that is brewed only in Trappist monasteries, or under license of a Trappist monastery. Its appellation is thus based on origin rather than referring to a style. These beers are identified as "trappiste" and are made by only five breweries in Belgium and one in the Netherlands. The five abbeys in Belgium are Orval, Chimay, Rochefort, Westvleteren, and Westmalle. There are commercial versions, not brewed under the control of monks, that are referred to as "bière d’abbaye" or "abbey beer." The ingredients and brewing methods for abbey beers are similar to those for the Trappist beers. Although widely varying in character, Trappist beers are generally regarded as relatively strong, malty, and fruity, with a unique Belgian spiciness and a slight acidity that sets them apart from all other ale traditions.

Lambic

Lambic is a type of wheat beer that has the unique distinction of using unmalted wheat and being spontaneously fermented. The lambic family of beers includes many different substyles, such as gueuze, faro, kriek, and framboise.

Wheat Beers

Beers that originate around Leuven and Hoegaarden are traditionally known as "white" beers because of their very pale color and a degree of cloudiness. They are Belgium’s dessert beers, with a tangy, faintly acidic aftertaste, and are sharply refreshing, with hints of orange, honey, and spices.

Gone are the days when only a minority of French would be seen drinking beer in bars. Perhaps it is a reaction to the tightening up of drink/drive laws, or perhaps it is due to the good value for money offered by beer; the fact is that, after 50 years of decline, brewing and beer appreciation in France is now undergoing a huge surge of interest.

At the start of the 20th century there were well over 1,000 breweries in France, but a series of events and trends between 1900 to 1950 had a major impact on the industry resulting in many bankruptcies, closures and mergers. Rural depopulation, two World Wars (both of which saw parts of France under occupation by the Germans) and lack of investment capital to replace old brewplant with equipment capable of brewing the 'trendy' pilsener-type beers of the 60s and 70s left the country with a small collection of huge beer combines. A handful of smaller regional breweries, some family-owned, managed to struggle through the hard times and were eventually joined by the first of a new generation of special beer brewers which started to appear in the late 70s.

The first of these special beer producers were Castelain (which make the Ch'ti beers) and La Choulette, both in the Nord/Pas-de-Calais region. Thankfully they decided not to try to compete with the likes of Kronenbourg and Heineken by making pilsener-type beers, preferring instead to brew beer with ale yeasts. This original trailblazing encouraged others to take the brave step to open - and even gave some breweries which had long been closed to start brewing again. The beers made in this region, although many have now adopted the production process, undergo a period of "garding" (or lagering, that is a secondary fermentation at very low temperatures just above 0°C) which have given rise to the term "bières de garde" to describe their products.

By the mid-1980s there were two distinct brewing regions - Nord/Pas-de-Calais and Alsace, the latter preferring to continue brewing beer with bottom fermenting yeasts in the broad German style. It was also at this time that the provinces started to wake up to the burgeoning national beer revolution with the opening of Deux Rivières in Brittany and the first of the 3 Brasseurs chain of brewpubs in Lille.

The French beer revival is now in full flow to the point that around 15 breweries opened in 2000, supplementing the 18 that opened the previous year, with a wide variety of beer styles and brewing techniques. Now it is possible to drink British-style real ale, German-style weizenbier, Belgian-style witbier and spiced beer along with the traditional Alsace and bière de garde styles. Even the UK-owned Firkin pub chain has three pubs in Paris, although at present only one brews beer on site. A handful of tiny rural breweries have found the trend towards organic produce in France a real benefit with a ready market for organically-accredited beers.

Although it is easy to point out that almost half of all the breweries of France are in the highly populated and quite industrial regions of Nord/Pas-de-Calais and Alsace/Lorraine, the current trend is for new breweries to open in the rural provinces. Brittany is becoming a brewing centre of its own with 14 breweries operating today, but the rest are scattered thinly around this huge country. With the tendency for information to be only sporadically available and because many new breweries will only be operating within a small radius from their brewery, we greatly appreciate any news and comment from readers and, if we use the information on the website, we will credit the source.

A beer of substance
With brash malty attitude
Local boys done good

A Celebrator
On my twenty first birthday
That’s what friends are for

Further down the road
What was once overwhelming
Now sustains my soul

Written by Captain Hops.

References: This post is part of The Session. The Session is a monthly group writing project for beer bloggers. This month’s theme is Doppelbock and is hosted by Brewvana.

Doppelbock is a rich malty bottom fermented beer. It was originally brewed by monks and was sometimes called “Liquid Bread” because it was used to provide sustenance during Lenten fasts. From what I could gather, today’s doppelbocks have a lot more alcohol than the original brew, which makes sense when you think about what the originals were used for. Because of their connection with Lent, doppelbocks are often associated with the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring. Often brewers release doppelbocks as seasonal beers around that time. However, the two I reference in the haiku above are brewed year round.

For the record, I was actually given a six pack of Celebrator for my 21st birthday. I have to admit that it was way more than I was ready for at the time. However, I did appreciate that it was a beer to appreciate. When I revisited the Celebrator for this post, I was happy to see that my taste had caught up with my appreciation. Wow. Good stuff.

Technorati Tags: beer, haiku, The Session, doppelbock
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