Does anyone know (I’m assuming Kai might) more about modern German brewing practices? I know a lot of breweries are moving or have moved away from decoction mashing due to high energy costs. What about step mashing? We talk a lot about not needing a p-rest, etc., due to the malting techniques used in todays malts, and yet I still constantly hear about how German lagers are all step mashed, including a p-rest. I guess I would just like to know a little more about modern German brewing practices. The old Style Guide books are great, but I wonder how accurate they are today?
Aside from brushing up on my German and buying a plane ticket and touring as many breweries as possible in a 2 week period (lord how I’d love to do that!) I would like to know some answers to some of those secrets!
Yeah, I have not investigated his wiki as much as I should (but that does give me something to do, thanks) however, I am not interested in learning about infusion mashes, step mashes and decoction mashes (since I am fairly well versed in them as is) I’m just mainly concerned with what breweries are doing what now. Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t see that info on his site. Mostly I am wondering why I hear that so many German brewmasters still are proponents of multi-step mashes (including p-rests) or is this really just fiction?
OK, so there is one brewery with a wood fired ketttle that doughs in above the protein rest. Looking for maybe just a bit more info than that… though it is a very nice read. I want to go there!
Actually, I think I just found what I was looking for
[quote]The Hochkurz mash has become the standard mashing schedule for beers brewed in Germany. Especially large breweries like it because it doesn’t require decoction and can be done in less than 2 hours which fits well with their desire to be able to mash a new batch every 2 hours. It uses 2 different sacharification rests; one for each group of amylase enzymes. A low temperature rest favors the beta amylase and sets the fermentbility of the wort. A high temperature rest favors the alpha amylase and completes the starch conversion.
No its like direct heating.
They dough in at a certain temp and then raise the mash temp to the desired sacch rest temp.
Kai uses this method quite a bit with his brews.
I have been busy with new responsibilities at work, hence the late response.
There is not much on my site what particular German breweries actually do. I thought that decoctions are largely dead but I when I toured Paulaner for a second time I found out that they decoction mash most of their beers. They also hold a protein rest from which they pull the 1st decoction. Based on their brewhouse configuration and the number of batches they run per day I’d say that they can spend up to 4 hours on a single mash.
Large non Bavarian breweries are expected to use a simple Hochkurz infusion mash where they dough in around 60 C and hold the first rest at 62-63C. There is no single infusion mashing in German brewing. Based on some statements I saw it is even frowned upon as producing beers with less character. And they don’t have to single infusion mash since the standard German brew house has a heated mash tun or the mash boil kettle also serves as mash tun.
What else do you want to know?
Most of my insight comes from text books, papers, magazines and some brewery tours. I know little how a specific brewery brews their beer, so don’t ask that. Germans brewers tend to be very secretive about their recipes and specifics of the brewing process. Even if you speak German well you’ll have a hard time getting to the details you are interested in as a brewer when you attend a public tour.
No, thats good stuff Kai. I have just wondered many times why so many German breweries adhere to methods that most homebrewers swear are obsolete. P-rests and decoctions for instance, unless they adhere to these practices strictly for tradition. I was also wondering how many breweries still use decoctions and p-rests in Germany. It sounds like many don’t, but then I am always surprised how many still do.
You have to ask yourself: “why do home brewers consider them obsolete?”
I have heard a number of respected and knowledge home brewers state that p-rests and/or decoction make their beer much better. But then you also hear the opposite of equally respected home brewers. I’m not taking sides in this debate but I’m planning a few of those experimts myself. You have to admit that hardly any of the German style beers brewed here taste just like the beer over there. Until I figured out why that is I’m still open for the idea that mashing may make a difference. And then there is also fermentation which is quite different as well.
I’m just throwing this out there, but don’t many german brewers have malt made to their exact specifications? so for example if ayinger wanted to continue its decoction traditions, perhaps they have malt made specifically to benefit from decoction?
Just food for thought - I have no knowledge of this being true.
Brewing beer is big business and money talks…I would believe there is some custom kilning in regards to malting to achieve precise specs, but I have no knowledge to support this. I guess it also depends on the philosophy of the brewery…are they focused on money first or quality beer…
