Malt & Grain

In Erlangen, as everywhere in Bavaria, bottom-fermented beer is made exclusively with barley malt. Sugar and other malts are excluded, as required by the Bavarian interpretation of the Reinheitsgebot. So anyone wanting to taste the Berg is really tasting the barley above all.

Malt is made by moistening barley and letting it germinate, then drying the grains on a kiln. The rule here: the longer and hotter the kilning, the darker and more toasted the malt becomes. Pale Pilsner malt lends grainy sweetness and a light color, while Munich malt adds bread-crust and caramel notes.

Strong beers mattered for the cellar. As was customary in Bavaria, Erlangen brewers made a stronger Märzen in March, since a 1553 brewing ordinance only permitted brewing between Michaelmas (September 29) and St. George's Day (April 23). The summer supply had to last through storage in the hill, and a maltier, stronger beer held up better for that.

According to the BJCP, Märzen ranges in color from 16 to 33 EBC, from rich gold to pale copper. Visitors on the Berg often see beers ranging from golden to amber. Helles falls between 6 and 10 EBC, so pale straw to gold. For both styles, the malt character should come across as mild and round, without any smoke or burnt notes.

Which maltings supply Erlangen's breweries varies by brewery and can't be stated as a blanket rule. The rule for the glass is simpler: on the Bergkirchweih, a good Kellerbier in the Maßkrug tastes of bread crust and a light sweetness, with the hops staying in the background.