Gratzer: oud-Duits rookbier (2.6% abv)
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Grätzer
Grodziskie of Grätzer is een Poolse biersoort uit Grodzisk Wielkopolski.
Grodziskie is een bier van hoge gisting, hoofdzakelijk gebrouwen met op eikenhout gerookte tarwe. Het bier kan vergeleken worden met het Duitse Weizenbier, maar dan met de specifieke smaak van de gerookte tarwe (http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grodziskie).
Ik mag er van uitgaan dat de lezers hier hun bierstijlen kennen. Stout, Tripel, maar wellicht ook Berliner Weisse en Baltic Porter. En Grätzer? Grodziskie? Ooit van gehoord? Ik niet, tot voor kort.
Het bieruniversum blijkt weer eens eindeloos rekbare grenzen te hebben, bereikbaar via lange paden met vele afleidingen, enerverende hoekjes en donkere kamers. Achter elke boom lijkt een geheel nieuw bier te liggen, wachtend om gedronken te worden (http://bierkoning.nl/2012/11/gratzer-and-grodziskie/).
Having scoured through all extant commercial styles, brewers now appear to be perusing the extinct. ...Grätzer is actually indigenous to Poland, where it was known as grodziskie. Grätz was the German name for the town Grodzisk, which was, for a little over a hundred years, part of Prussia. But the beer style both pre- and post-dated Prussia, and was in fact still brewed in Poland until the 1990s. Grodzisk was a major center of brewing, and at the end of the 18th Century, boasted 53 brewers.
One of the famous local products in that old-school Beervana was a beer made entirely of smoked wheat malt. The indispensable scholar (and Grätz enthusiast) Ron Pattinson retrieved this information for our edification:
"Grätzer Bier, a rough, bitter beer, brewed from 100% wheat malt with an intense smoke and hop flavour. The green malt undergoes smoking during virtually the whole drying process, is highly dried and has a strong aroma in addition to the smoked flavour. An infusion mash is employed. Hopping rate: for 1 Zentner (100 kg) of malt, 3 kg hops. Gravity just 7º [Plato]. Fermentation is carried out in tuns at a temperature of 15 to 20º C."
--“Bierbrauerei" by M. Krandauer, 1914, page 301. (http://beervana.blogspot.nl/2010/11/meet-gratzer-new-gose.html)
Most Polish breweries have have a half dozen or so products, for the greater part pale lagers of varying strengths from 10.5 - 14% balling or 4 - 6% alcohol. Most pale lagers are very fully attentuated, presumably with value-conscious consumers in mind. The big sellers are around the international lager standard of 5% alcohol and a density in the region of 11 -12° Plato.
As in the Czech republic, there is often no claim of a specific style, just a reference to the original gravity in degrees Plato. Some beers are labelled as Pils or Pilsener, but without much rigour or consistency. The term "Specjal" seems to mean little more than a beer with a density of more than 12° Plato. Even breweries in Silesia, which was long under German control, have not retained German nomenclature such as Helles, Export or Bock....Lower-gravity lagers (in the 9-10° Plato range) are unknown in most countries, except for Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Polish breweries usually make a couple. How to describe them in English is a bit of a problem, as the terminology doesn't really exist. The German term "Schankbier" is almost right, but doesn't usually cover beers of over 9° Plato. In my Czech Breweries page, I've stuck to the Czech designation "výčepní". This is probably the most accurate term to describe the weaker Polish lagers. They're meant to be serious beers, but are of a "session" strength.
Many breweries have multiple brands of exactly the same strength and density. In all likelihood, most of these are label beers. It's a bit frustrating that there is so little variation. It's not uncommon to find six pale lagers and nothing else in brewery's range. (www.europeanbeerguide.net/polbrew.htm)
Poland's only truly interesting indigenous beer style was Grodziskie, a top-fermented smoked wheat beer. It was the last survivor of a style called Grätzer (derived from Grätz, the German name for Grodzisk) and was once popular across northern Germany. The only brewery producing it was closed sometime in the mid-1990's. The owner, Lech, argued that continuing production there was "uneconomical". So, that's one more beer style to cross off the list.
The only top-fermented beer currently being mass-produced (that is, not by a pub brewery) is a version of the Belgian pale ale Palm. The Belgian brewery has bought into an existing Polish enterprise and helped them build a new brewery. The new company is, slightly oddly, called Browar Belgia (www.europeanbeerguide.net/polbrew.htm).
Grodziskie was the only truly ingidenous Polish beer style to survie in the second half of the 20th century. It was a top-fermented, smoked wheat beer. It was the last survivor of a style called Grätzer (derived from Grätz, the German name for Grodzisk) and was once popular across northern Germany.
This is the earliest mention I've found of the style:
"Pohlnische Biere. Pohlen liebet besonders die weißen Biere, die es auch verschieden, und sehr vortrefflich, hat; z. E. das Gräzer und Lobsenzer, vornehmlich aber das Waretsker Bier, welches leztere, wenn es alt geworden, an Klarheit und Farbe dem Weine gleichet."
"Polish beers. Poland especially likes white beers, of which it has several excellent ones, for example Gräzer and Lobsenzer, but mostly Waretsker Beer, of which the latter, when aged, resembles wine in colour and clarity."
"Oeconomischen Encyclopädie of 1773
Grodziskie (or Grätzer as it was called in German) seems to have been quite common pre WW 1, as the name crops up quite a bit. I recently found this:
"Nach den vorliegenden Angaben sind beim Verkauf in Fässern von den Brauereien abgesetzt worden: gewöhnliche obergärige Biere bis zu 12 M., bessere Sorten in der Regel zu 12 - 18 M. (Grätzer Bier 12 M.), untergärige Schankbiere zu 14-18 M., Lagerbier meist 17-25 M. für 1 hl."
Zeitschrift für das gesammte Brauwesen 1894, p.31 ...Whats interesting is:
- Grätzer is the only specific style named;
- even the weakest bottom-fermenting beer is the same price as the best top-fermenting beer. (www.europeanbeerguide.net/polbrew.htm)
This is the earliest mention I've found of the style:
"Pohlnische Biere. Pohlen liebet besonders die weißen Biere, die es auch verschieden, und sehr vortrefflich, hat; z. E. das Gräzer und Lobsenzer, vornehmlich aber das Waretsker Bier, welches leztere, wenn es alt geworden, an Klarheit und Farbe dem Weine gleichet."
"Polish beers. Poland especially likes white beers, of which it has several excellent ones, for example Gräzer and Lobsenzer, but mostly Waretsker Beer, of which the latter, when aged, resembles wine in colour and clarity."
"Oeconomischen Encyclopädie of 1773
Grodziskie (or Grätzer as it was called in German) seems to have been quite common pre WW 1, as the name crops up quite a bit. I recently found this:
"Nach den vorliegenden Angaben sind beim Verkauf in Fässern von den Brauereien abgesetzt worden: gewöhnliche obergärige Biere bis zu 12 M., bessere Sorten in der Regel zu 12 - 18 M. (Grätzer Bier 12 M.), untergärige Schankbiere zu 14-18 M., Lagerbier meist 17-25 M. für 1 hl."
Zeitschrift für das gesammte Brauwesen 1894, p.31 ...Whats interesting is:
- Grätzer is the only specific style named;
- even the weakest bottom-fermenting beer is the same price as the best top-fermenting beer. (www.europeanbeerguide.net/polbrew.htm)
Deze bierstijl zou reeds sinds de veertiende eeuw gebrouwen worden in Grodzisk Wielkopolski. De naam Grätzer komt van Grätz, de vroegere Duitse naam van deze stad. Tussen 1929 en 1993 werd de naam regionaal beschermd door de Poolse ministerraad. Vanaf 1922 werd het bier enkel gebrouwen in Zjednoczone Browary Grodziskie. Deze brouwerij werd echter in 1993 gesloten door de eigenaar Lech Browary Wielkopolski, omdat ze niet meer rendabel was. Sinds enkele jaren worden er inspanningen gedaan om het bier opnieuw te introduceren. In 2003 werd er door een Pools ondernemer Zbigniewa Drzymały, een nieuw bier Piwo Groclin Grodziskie op de markt gebracht. Dit bier werd gebrouwen in de Belgische Brouwerij Palm en vervolgens gebotteld in Browar Belgia in Kielce.
De bierstijl werd gedefinieerd in de stijlgids van de Amerikaanse Brewers Association (http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grodziskie).
I first heard of Grätzer when it was added to the Great American Beer Festival® competition style guidelines in 2013. I have recently found a few pro-examples locally—Grimm Brothers Brewhouse Sooty Brother and a New Belgium/Three Floyds collaboration—and it got me thinking about the centuries-old style that was almost lost in obscurity.
History
In the 15th century, Grätzer appeared in the Polish city of Grodzisk, at a time when the Prussian Empire was spreading across central Europe. Fast forward to the 19th century, and Grodzisk was under the Prussian Empire and more commonly referred to under its German name, Grätz. The beer style grew in popularity within the Prussian Empire, particularly in modern day Poland and Northern Germany, where it took on the alternative name Grätzer, meaning the beer from Grätz.
The last commercial Grätzer brewery closed in the 1930s, and with it came the near extinction of the Polish style. Luckily, home and commercial brewers are beginning to explore Grätzer and other ancient styles, breathing new life into styles that were nearly forgotten.
Ingredients & Profile
At its oldest and most basic point, Grätzer was simply an oak-smoked wheat beer, with a dose of noble hops and top fermenting yeast, typically weighing in at 2-6 percent ABV. Raw wheat was traditionally kilned over a oak-fed fire, creating the signature smoke aroma and flavor. The result: a deliciously golden brew, with oaky wheatiness, some apple-fruit character in the nose and a subtle noble hop bitterness , all brought to life by a high level of champagne-like carbonation from bottle conditioning (www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/gratzer-revitalizing-a-polish-ale/).
Zelf brouwen kan ook:
Traditional Grätzer
Ingredients for 5 gallons:
8.0 lb | Weizenrauchmalz*
1.5 oz | Lublin hops, 3.7% aa (60 min)
0.5 oz | Lublin hops, 3.7% aa (30 min)
Neutral Ale yeast
Specifications:
Original Gravity: 1.041
Strength: 4% ABV
Bitterness: 20 IBU
Color: 2 SRM
Directions:
Conduct the following mash schedule*: 30 minutes at 100°F; 30 minutes at 125°F; 30 minutes at 158°F; and mashout. Conduct a 90-120 minute boil, following the hop schedule as noted above. Once ready, carbonate to 3.0-3.5 volumes of CO2
*You can substitute a single infusion mash at 148-150°F for 60 minutes instead of the stepped schedule.
Brewing Process
Brewing Grätzer traditionally consists of three or four mash rests using boiling water infusions to reach each step. Mash schedules vary, but based on the last Polish commercial Grätzer, the schedule is as follows: 100°F for 30 minutes; 10-minute infusion and hold at 125°F for 30-60 minutes; 20-minute infusion and hold at 158°F for 30 minutes; and one last infusion to mash out around 167°F.
Boil time can be as long as 2-2.5 hours, with average 1.031 Original Gravity being the target. According to the same records reference for the above mash schedule, two whole hop additions are added at 45 minutes and 30 minutes from the end of the boil, with 80 percent of the target ~22 IBUs in the first addition.
Fermentation temperatures can be held on the lower side of the yeast strain’s tolerance threshold to minimize characteristics from the yeast.
After fermentation, bottle prime to reach near-champagne levels of carbonation (3.0-3.5 volumes CO2). All that’s left is to pop the cap, pour it into a glass that can accommodate the aggressive head and enjoy the deliciously smoky and sessionable wheat beer.
A history lesson has never tasted so good! Sources: Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher; Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher; “Project Grodziskie: A Polish Renaissance” by William Shawn Scott (Nov/Dec 2012 Zymurgy); Great American Beer Festival Style Guidelines.(www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/gratzer-revitalizing-a-polish-ale/).
De heren van Katjelam hebben met hun rookbier van 2,6% volgens mij de stijl goed onder de knie. Het bier smaakte en was als een echte beleving...een aanrader dus...