Hops

Does hops grow in the Erzgebirge? No, the uplands are too rough and too high for that. The breweries source their hops from other growing regions. Wernesgrüner states that it uses noble hops from the Hallertau and the Elbe-Saale region.

The Elbe-Saale region spans Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, making it the nearest hop-growing home. The name "Elbe-Saale Hopfen" has been registered as a protected geographical indication by the EU since 2014. The Hallertau in Bavaria is Germany's largest hop-growing region.

A Pilsner demands bitterness. It comes from the alpha acids in hops, which become soluble when the wort is boiled. Wort is the sugary liquid boiled before fermentation, and the longer the hops boil in it, the more bitter the finished beer becomes.

Then there's the aroma. Noble hops are added late in the brew so their oils don't evaporate. They smell of herbs, grass, or blossoms. According to variety overviews, Magnum and Herkules—both bittering hops—are the most common in the Elbe-Saale region.

Which exact varieties go into which beer from the region is a trade secret. One thing is certain: the sharp, dry Pilsner with its clear bitterness is the region's calling card, and it's brewed with hops from far away.

This is how the Pils Legende comes to life in Steinberg-Wernesgrün, which was considered a sharply bitter specialty in the GDR. For drinkers, this means the bitterness is intentional, not a flaw—it tends to increase rather than diminish the thirst for the next sip.