Paulaner Original Munich: a pilsener?

hse_66 a écrit :

B*ll*cks. Uttering such a thing in a Bavarian Kneipe could see you landing head first on the pavement...

Indeed. And it's in no way "North German" in style

It's a Helles. And it's a Muenchner helles, obviously, being brewed in Munich... Besides, Spaten is not necessarily the original Helles either, since the style has changed over the decades due to changes in brewing methods. Same for Pilsner Urquell, which certainly is in no way like what in was in the 1840s... Basically it's very hard to call anything "the original ", because that would imply the product hasn't evolved since it was first brewed.

Cheers !

Laurent

Je vous remercie pour les infos. Vous avez l'air de s'y connaître. Mais comment la Pilsner Urquell a changée-t-il depuis les années 1840, sauriez-vous? (C'est une de mes bières préférées.)

Salut!

henry

hse_66 a écrit :

How has Pilsner Urquell changed since the 1840s ?

Hard to tell for sure but I'd suggest a few possible evolutions :

- Lowering of alcohol percentage : it's 4.4% ABV, nowadays, whereas it probably was more on the lines of 6%+ ABV at the time, given its success as an export product, when transports were a lot slower and less reliable in terms of temperature stability than they are now.

- Along the alcohol %, the hop rate is certainly lower nowadays than it was at the time. And we have no reliable info as to the alpha acid contents of 19th-Century hops compared to what they are now, which means that, even with recipes of the era available, it's not possible to tell how bitter /hoppy the beer really was.

- The yeast strain has certainly evolved as well. The fermentation process is more controlled than it was at the time... rather : it is mastered nowadays, whereas at the time it was merely based on empirical

- if sound and worthy of respect - experience. Though in what exactly it all has changed the taste would be very tricky to tell. (disappearing of a slight sharpish tang ?)

- The type of vessel used for brewing and maturing the beer also has animportance. In particular, I've been told that up to the early 90s, PU was matured in huge wooden vats, which would certainly have left their mark on the taste of the beer (woody / slight sour edge).

This whole "what did the beer really taste like at the time" question is one of the big question marks that's been keeping beer historians busy for decades. There for example still are controversies raging about what 18th Century porter really looked and tasted like. Enthusiast groups such as the Durden Park Beer Circle in London have researched the matter, bringing in a wonderful input about how to recreate historical beers, but there's still a lot of question marks left... Captivating stuff !

Cheers !

Laurent

"The Submarine Captain" schreef in bericht news:40bcbbed$1 snipped-for-privacy@news.bluewin.ch...

There's more. Until the mid nineties, not only the maturing was done in those subterranean tunnels full of vats, there was also a very particular part-gyling system. There was a quick initial fermentation for a part of the beer only, to get the yeast started. Then the full volume was getting fermented, only to be Krausened later on. All PU was a mix of pilsener of different 'ages' of fermentation. joris

Fascinating stuff! Thanks very much.

Not sure if Spaten is actually the original helles, but even if it is, there's a wide range of character within the style. There's a wide range amongst the Munich breweries alone, let alone the dozens or hundreds of examples found elsewhere throughout Bavaria and Austria. Some are very malty and sweet. Some are quite dry and crisp. My favorite, Augustiner, is even drier than Paulaner. But it still has that classic malt character that makes a helles a helles.

-Steve