Altbier

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Altbier in Düsseldorf Altbierglas

Altbier (often just called Alt ) is a mostly dark, top-fermented type of beer . It is particularly widespread in the Lower Rhine and Westphalia . Due to the different proportions of the malts used in these two parts of the country (see below), a distinction can also be made between the types Düsseldorfer Altbier and Westphalian (or Münster) Altbier.

Origin of name

The name "Alt" describes a beer according to the old , traditional brewing method , which was created for the brown beer that was once predominant in northwestern Germany after "new", bottom-fermented pale lager beers from the southern German and Bohemian regions competed with it. At the time, most pubs had both beers on the bar, the “new” and the “old” beer. A common but incorrect assumption about the origin of the name is the reference to the Latin altus , which in some sources is translated as high, above in connection with beer . This should indicate the brewing method with top-fermenting yeast . In many German dialects, “Alt” becomes “Aal” (“Dat aale beer”) . Not related to this word is the similar-sounding name “ ale ”, which is used especially in Great Britain and which also describes a top-fermented brewing beer. Nevertheless, the German Altbier is also known as "German brown ale" in the English-speaking world.

overview

Depiction of an Altbier connoisseur in the genre picture A good drop by Eduard Lotz , 19th century

Altbier is a type of beer whose fermentation process is carried out with top-fermenting (Altbier) yeast. This means that the fermentation process can take place at a higher temperature than with a bottom-fermented beer. This was advantageous because before Carl von Linde developed the refrigeration machine in 1873, there was no technical cooling and large quantities of ice were needed for brewing. The temperature control for Altbier takes place (in contrast to the English ales, for example) at the lower limit of the tolerance of the (special) yeast type used, in order to avoid undesirable fermentation by-products in the Altbier that arise at higher temperatures. Nowadays, the dark color comes from a proportion of roasted malt, in addition to the use of light barley malt. Before the development of pneumatic kilning methods in the 19th century, all kiln malts were more or less dark, which is where this type of beer got its traditional color. The Westphalian Altbier (with the historic brewing center of Münster), unlike the Düsseldorf Altbier, is brewed with a proportion of wheat malt (around a third) and usually a lower proportion of dark barley malt, which gives the beer a creamier foam consistency and a lighter color.

In Düsseldorf itself, the house breweries Füchschen , Schumacher , Schlüssel and Uerige still brew . Since autumn 2010 "Kürzer Alt" has been brewed in the Kürzer (formerly Quetsche) brewery in the old town. Since 2011, the Alter Bahnhof brewery in the Oberkassel district has also been brewing the “Goulash Alt” variety.

The following Alt beers are still brewed in Krefeld : The Königshof brewery has been producing the premium brand "Original Königshofer Alt" since September 2007 and its own entry-level brand Brauerei Königshof Alt since September 2008. There are also the varieties "Gleumes Lager", "Wienges" and "Herbst Pitt" - all brewed by the Gleumes brewery and a house beer of the brand "Melcher's Dunkel" in Uerdingen .

The second oldest Altbier brewery is located in Neuss . "IM Dom" is brewed in Michaelstrasse. The brewery dates from 1601.

The oldest Altbier brewery in the world is located in Korschenbroich near Mönchengladbach . The traditional “Ur-Alt” is brewed there by the Bolten brewery . The brewing rights for the local Kraushof were granted as early as 1266.

The most commercially successful Altbier in Germany is produced by the Diebels brewery in Issum .

Others

A strong beer is traditionally served during Lent and in autumn . According to history, monks secretly (stikum / stike) brewed this Altbier at that time, it contains six percent alcohol by volume instead of the usual five percent. The Stike-Alt, also called Latzen, also tastes a bit spicier.

Altbier is also the basis for mixed beer beverages with cola or malt beer . Altbier here has the property of not making the cola "flake", as is the case with eg. B. occurs after a few minutes when mixing beer with cola. In the meantime, the mixture of Altbier and Cola has established itself across regions under the name “Krefelder” and is even marketed as a “ready-mix” in bottles. Another popular mixed drink is "Alt-Schuss", in which Altbier is mixed with malt beer.

A hit is dedicated to Altbier , the Düsseldorf Altbierlied by Hans Ludwig Lonsdorfer , which was also interpreted in a punk rock version by the Düsseldorf band Die Toten Hosen .

Top-fermented beers output

The sales development of the big brands has been declining for years. In 2008, sales of the Frankenheim brand were around 250,000 hectoliters. Diebels-Alt was below 700,000 hl in 2008. According to the figures for 2010, the output has fallen to a total of 656,000 hl old. This corresponds to a nationwide market share of 1.2% after 1.3% in 2009. In the meantime, sales continued to fall until the beginning of 2016. In the area of ​​the Association of Rhenish-Westphalian Breweries, and only here old is still industrially produced, it is 3.73%. However, this percentage does not include the amount of Altbier that is brewed in inn breweries.

Particularly in the greater Düsseldorf area is the amount of Altbier that is produced and sold by the four large local inn breweries Brauerei im Füchschen , Brauerei zum Schlüssel , Brauerei Schumacher and Uerige . In contrast to the supra-regional data, the Düsseldorf breweries have recorded constant to growing sales markets for years. Both the Füchschen and the Schlüssel breweries were able to increase their serving volume by around 10 percent from 2008 to 2009. The main problem now consists primarily in the technical limitation of the maximum production quantities.

Altbier breweries

Dusseldorf

Classic flip-top bottle from a Düsseldorf brewery

Lower Rhine

Westphalia

Rest of Rhineland and Hesse

  • Hellers Brauhaus, Cologne
  • Helios brewery, Cologne-Ehrenfeld
  • Ratinger Brauhaus, Ratingen
  • Erzquell Brewery Bielstein Haas & Co. , Bielstein (Wiehl) , (Bergisches Landbier)
  • Lahnsteiner Brewery, Lahnstein
  • Gemünder Brewery, Gemünd in the Eifel
  • Monheimer Biermanfactur, Monheim
  • Stromberger Urbräu, Schweppenhausen

More breweries

  • Neustädter Hausbrauerei Schwingenheuer, Dresden , (Hecht Alt)

The following breweries produce Altbier at times:

  • Hops & Barley, Berlin
  • Walsumer Brauhaus Urfels, Duisburg-Walsum
  • Ludwigsburg brewery
  • Brewery Joh. Albrecht, Düsseldorf
  • Brewery Goslar

foreign countries

  • Roter Hiasl Brewery, Vienna (Hiaslbräu Alt)
  • Unibräu, Vienna (Unibräu Alt)
  • Erusbacher & Paul AG, Villmergen , Switzerland (Paul 05)
  • Lindeboom brouwerij, Venlo , Netherlands (Venloosch Alt)
  • Boston Beer Company , Boston , USA ( Samuel Adams Boston Ale , hopped)
  • August Schell Brewing Company, New Ulm (Minnesota) , USA (Schell Schmaltzs Alt)
  • Brasserie Dieu du Ciel, Montreal , (Rescousse Alt)
  • Wiesener's iBrew Beer, Taiwan (Wiesener's Altbier)

Web links

Wiktionary: Altbier  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Altbier  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ RP ONLINE - The Altbier tap is turned off , accessed on November 23, 2009
  2. ↑ NRZ, in supplement: Bürgerbarometer of December 16, 2011, p. 20.
  3. ↑ In: Article: Beer is on everyone's lips again . In: Der Spiegel, No. 20/14. May 2016. Special section: NRW 20/16 . 2016, p. 52.
  4. ↑ RP ONLINE - Home breweries are on the rise , accessed on August 27, 2010
  5. ↑ Express - Unterbach club closed
  6. ↑ http://www.gruthaus.de/biere/ueberwasser-alt/
  7. ↑ Bernd Imgrund: Braustelle - An almost perfect circular economy In: 111 Cologne pubs that you have to know. Emons 2012, ISBN 978-3-89705-838-5 ; P. 44
  8. ↑ Design Office, Agency for Communication: Brauhaus Goslar - Bier. Retrieved September 18, 2018 .