Beer Styles

What do people drink at the Bergkirchweih on the Burgberg? Mostly Kellerbier, the unfiltered form of a bottom-fermented lager. Alongside it you'll find the classic Helles, golden and mild, and the stronger Märzen, originally brewed for summer storage.

Helles is the everyday style. It runs 4.7 to 5.4 percent alcohol, with low bitterness and an original gravity of 11 to 11.9 degrees Plato. Original gravity refers to the sugar content of the wort before fermentation, and it determines how strong the finished beer will be. It tastes of grain, is soft, and drinks easily.

Märzen is fuller and a bit darker, with 13.3 to 14.7 degrees Plato and 5.6 to 6.3 percent alcohol. The difference from Festbier: Festbier is paler, golden, and has for years been one of the Munich Oktoberfest beers, while Märzen has traditionally run copper to amber. Both versions can be found on the Berg, depending on the cellar.

Erlangen's brewing history also includes dark beers, and according to local sources, a dark Festbier is also served at the Bergkirchweih. Exactly how it's brewed varies by cellar. The main difference between the styles lies in the malt: Helles shows grain and honey, Märzen bread crust, and dark beer roasted notes and caramel.

Weissbier is also sometimes on tap, but it belongs to the top-fermented styles and is a different beer altogether. The comparison stays simple: Kellerbier is bottom-fermented and unfiltered, Weissbier is top-fermented and yeast-cloudy. The cellars on the Burgberg focus on the former, with Kitzmann, Entla's Keller, and the Steinbach-Keller standing as the names behind it.