Yeast & Fermentation

Is Tyskie top- or bottom-fermented? It's a bottom-fermented beer, a lager. Bottom-fermenting yeast works cool, at around five to ten degrees Celsius, and settles at the bottom after fermentation. The result tastes clean and crisp, without the fruity notes of top-fermented beers.

This brewing method was introduced in Tychy by brewmaster Julius Müller in the 19th century. Bavaria and Bohemia had long brewed bottom-fermented beers, but in Upper Silesia the style only took hold once the brewery was expanded under Prince Hochberg. The 1861 steam engine also made it possible to generate cold and hold it steady.

After primary fermentation comes lagering, during which the beer rests cold for several weeks. During this time it clarifies, sulfur compounds dissipate, and the flavor rounds out. The word 'lager' itself means 'storage' in German, and it gives the whole style its name.

Today the beer ferments and lagers in large, chilled stainless steel tanks rather than wooden casks or open vats. The brewery works with a pure cultured yeast strain maintained in a laboratory. Anyone wanting to trace the journey from mash to lager can do so at the brewery's Browarium museum in Tychy, which tells the house's story from its beginnings under the Promnitz family to the present day.

The difference from a Kölsch or Altbier lies in temperature and yeast. Top-fermented beers ferment warm and taste fruitier; a lager stays neutral and lets the malt and hops speak for themselves.