$category>Lager
Overview: The art of brewing a perfect golden lager, or helles, requires precision and attention to detail. A team of expert brewers from around the world shares their insights on creating exceptional beers that balance delicate flavors with restraint.
The Full Story
The pursuit of perfection in brewing is often driven by technique rather than recipe. This is certainly true for helles beer, a style characterized by its light maltiness and restrained sweetness. Brewers from top medal-winning breweries have contributed their expertise to create exceptional golden lagers that showcase the complexities of this delicate style.
Among these experts are Danny Kueser, head brewer at Cinder Block in North Kansas City, Missouri; Jack Van Paepeghem, quality manager at Von Trapp in Stowe, Vermont; Robin Reed and Jake Lancaster from Glenwood Canyon in Colorado; Craig Rowan of Altstadt Brewery in Fredericksburg, Texas; and Eric Toft from Private Landbrauerei Schönram in Bavaria.
These brewers emphasize the importance of a detail-oriented approach to brewing helles. While German malts are often preferred for their distinct specs and character, it’s clear that this choice has a significant impact on the final product. The use of Noble hop varieties, typically from Germany, is also crucial for achieving the desired profile.
The choice of yeast strain varies among these breweries but highlights its significance in determining fermentation efficiency and attenuation rates. Decoction mashing remains an essential technique employed by only one brewery – Schönram’s traditional method allows them to iron out malt inconsistencies while maintaining consistent results.
The American brewers, however, opt for step mashing as a way to achieve the desired level of complexity without sacrificing balance.
Production & Profile
When it comes to production methods, these breweries demonstrate remarkable consistency. The choice of equipment and techniques may vary but highlights their dedication to precision.
* At Cinder Block, Kueser employs step mashing with three rests: beta, alpha, and mash out.
* Similarly at Altstadt they rest at 144°F (62°C), 162°F (72°C) for sacch.,and170°F(77°C).
* Glenwood Canyon starts its process by resting the grains in a protein-rich environment before subjecting them to higher temperatures.
Despite these differences, each brewery targets between 2.6 and 2.7 volumes of CO2. The use of spunding valves for capturing natural carbonation is also prevalent among all five breweries, with Glenwood Canyon occasionally opting to kräusen its lagers.
Brand & Industry History
As we delve into the history behind these exceptional helles beers, it becomes clear that their creators are deeply invested in preserving tradition. The emphasis on quality and attention to detail is evident across all five breweries.
Private Landbrauerei Schönram has maintained a commitment to local sourcing since its inception. By partnering with smaller Bavarian maltings, they’re able to produce an authentic product true to the traditional German brewing methods used for centuries.
What This Means
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