Water & Soil

Thuringia sits at the heart of Germany and has no single water source that defines the beer's character. In the north, the Thuringian Basin opens up—flat land with fertile soil. In the south, the Thuringian Forest rises, its ridge traced by the Rennsteig trail. Between them, the Saale, Ilm, Gera and Weiße Elster carve their valleys.

The sources for this journey don't specify the hardness of the brewing water in Bad Köstritz, so no figure appears here. Nor is there an average hardness for the country as a whole. Which spring or well a brewery uses is something each one states for itself.

That the question still matters is shown by Schwarzbier. Dark roasted malts make the mash more acidic, and water with a bit more dissolved calcium balances that out. Modern breweries adjust their water themselves anyway, removing or adding minerals, so location sets more of a framework than a recipe these days.

The terrain once played a different role. Before refrigeration, bottom-fermented beer needed cool storage, and cellars dug into hillsides or beneath houses held just a few degrees year-round. The region's continental climate, with its cold winters, allowed ice to be cut and stored in cellars until the last barrel ran dry in summer.

Today, refrigeration has replaced nature, but the idea remains. A bottom-fermented beer is fermented cold and then lagered cold, with weeks of patience. In a dark lager like Schwarzbier, you notice this in the smooth drink, which never feels heavy despite its color.