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THE ANALYSIS OF MUNICH BEER AND THE EXAMINATION OF THE MATERIALS USED IN ITS MANUFACTURE.
430 the opening of a tap, is allowed to pass away, hot water is poured on the grain that remains above the sieve. This water draws the extract of the grain, and forms at first a very strong wort, which soon gets weaker and weaker. It is so contrived that, when all the worts, weak and strong, are mixed together, the general average of the liquid shall contain 14 per cent. of extract. The wort, after it has been boiled with the hops and filtered, is pumped to the topmost floor of the brewery, where it spreads out in twelve large, shallow, tray-shaped tank-coolers. To further cool the wort it travels down to the cellars through double pipes. The water used for cooling of course soon gets warm, but it is cooled again by being thrown over a large quantity of pipes filled with ammonia. Also, through this sort of cascade four ventilators propel a strong current of air. The whole of the process up to this point takes about twelve hours, and when once the wort has been cooled the fermentation may be allowed to begin. The first fermentation takes place in large open vats, and lasts from ten to twelve days. It commences at a temperature of 5° R. (43° F.), and is allowed to reach a temperature of 8°R. (50° F.). At this point the heat is checked, and this is done by introducing into the vats tubes and hollow plates, inside which very cold water circulates. Also, the cellars in which the fermentation takes place are kept at a temperature that is only a degree or two above freezing point. When the fermentation is over the beer is at a temperature of 5° or 5½°R. It has then to be reduced to a temperature of 2° R. (36’F.), which is accomplished by passing it through cooling pipes. It may now be placed in casks in which the second fermentation is allowed to take place. For this purpose the bung is not inserted and the’temperature of the cellar is not allowed to exceed 1° R. (34° F.). The second fermentation lasts six or more weeks. The rate of the second fermention is modified according to whether the beer is wanted quickly or not. If the second fermentation has to be checked this is done by putting wood shavings into the cask, which collect the yeast, and, slowly sinking, carry it down to the bottom of the cask, and thus also the beer is clarified. When the second fermentation is finished care must be taken to fill the cask up to the brim so as to allow no place for the gathering of foam or air, and then the bung hole is closed. The beer must stand eight or ten days, so that enough carbonic acid may be generated to render it agreeable to the palate. But as the beer must not be closed up for longer than ten days in large casks, it is generally at this stage put into smaller casks, where it will keep from six to eight weeks in a cellar the temperature of which is not more than 70 R. (48° F.). Thus it comes to this, that the beer should be drunk within six weeks after it has gone through all these processes or put into bottles and "Pasteurised." What is known as the March beer, which is drunk in autumn, has 16 instead of 14 per cent. of extract before fermentation, and therefore keeps longer. It will be seen from all these details that the great secret of Munich beer may be summed up in the one short word "ice." At the Lowenbrau Brewery there are enormous engines occupied exclusively in compressing air so as to produce cold. In the vaults of the cellars there are tubes in which salt solution reduced by refrigerators at some degrees below zero is made to circulate. The circulation of the air of the cellar, in consequence of the method of cooling, travels in a downward current, and the aqueous vapours it contains on entering condense on these intensely cold tubes. It forms clusters of ice and snow, and the air that enters the cellar is thus at once dried, purified, and cooled. This is the all-important secret for the production of really good nutritious beer, which nevertheless contains very little alcohol. Great cleanliness and a very cold temperature are the fundamental principles. Formerly it was impossible to make beer in the summer. Indeed, even now the smaller brewers only brew in winter, for it is only by the employment of expensive machinery that a cold temperature can be artificially created. On the other hand, a temperature which is the result of mechanical action can be much more precisely regulated. Therefore, both in winter and in summer we find in the cellars of the brewery exactly the same conditions, and thus a beer of fixed quality and excellence is regularly
into
tank of water into which steam is discharged so as the heat up to about 160° F., at which temperature the germs of second fermentation are destroyed, and the beer can then be kept an indefinite time and exported It has been thought that even to the hottest climates. the peculiar flavour of Munich beer is due to a special race of yeast employed. No evidence on this head was forthcoming. Professor Louis Aubray, Director der Wissenschaftlichen Station fur Brauerei in Munchen, to whom we are indebted for much valuable information and assistance, stated that there were often several races in the yeast of One special sort of yeast might suit one single brewery. one brewery and not another, but there was apparently no connexion established between the flavour of the beer and the form of the yeast. There is, however, a great difference between yeast of high fermentation and rapid action employed in English breweries and the yeast of slow action utilised by the Bavarian brewers. Such, briefly, are the main features of the manufacture of Munich beer, as it was shown and explained to ns at the largest brewery on the Continent. to
a
bring
THE ANALYSIS OF MUNICH BEER AND THE EXAMINATION OF THE MATERIALS USED
IN ITS MANUFACTURE. We have seen what are the salient points of difference between the English and German or Bavarian mode of manufacturing beer, and we may refer to these points for an explanation of the qualities- especially in regard to flavour, alcoholic strength, and the quantity of malt and hop extractives-which sharply distinguish the one from the other. Thus the peculiar qualities-especially the flavour-of Munich beer are doubtless to be ascribed, in a large measure, first to the fermentation being very slow and carefully restricted to a low temperature. Secondly, the employment of sedimentary yeast tends to render the products of a simpler, and doubtless more wholesome, nature than those which are evolved when a more rapid fermentation is allowed to proceed, such as occurs when a comparatively high temperature and top-growing yeast are adopted. Again, the quantity of hops used in the brewing of Munich beer is much less than is employed in this country, while in Bohemia and Bavaria the hops are gathered earlier, so as to exclude much of the narcotic principles which longer growth fosters. Since, as is well known, the constituents of the hop are distinctly narcotic, this, in addition to the decreased percentage of spirit, would account for the comparative absence of drowsy symptoms when Munich beer is drunk, but which so frequently follow the consumption of English beers. A knowledge, then, of the processes which the Munich brewer employs throws considerable light upon the observation that while Munich beer serves admirably to quench thirst, yet it is devoid of those properties of English made beer which have given rise ’, to the proverbial saying that "to drink beer is to think beer." We may next turn our attention to the information derived in the laboratory upon the composition and character of the various materials employed in the preparation of Munich beer and of the finished beer itself. To this end we have obtained samples direct from the Lowenbrau Brewery at Munich of the water, yeast, and malt, as well as the beer ; they were all packed in ice in special conveyance on the journey, and were kept in ice until the precise moment of making the analysis. We may discuss these in the order in which they were examined. It is well known that variations in the mineral constituents of the water used in brewing exert an important influence on the character of the finished beer. Hard and somewhat saline water, for instance, is preferred in the brewing of pale and bitter ales in this country, since it extracts less colouring matter and-what is more important-less albuminous matter or proteid from the malt. It is the latter substances which, when present in excess, are fatal to the prime condition of English brewed ales. Thus in England hard waters are in general use, as is illustrated in the following analysis of a water drawn from the well of a well-known Burton brewery. Sodium chloride
produced.
Grains per gal.
Constituents. ..................
1012
respect to the bottled beer, the bottles, after careful Calcium, magnesium, and potassium sulphates 1 ne 56 cleansing, and after being filled with beer and corked down (permanent hardness) ............ ’by a patent air-tight porcelain and rubber stopper, are Calcium and magnesium carbonates (temporary17.21 17.21 In
’?’?
-Pasteurised."
This
means
the immersion of the bottles
hardness)
..................
431 On the other hand, the Munich brewer uses a softer and practically non-saline water, which extracts a greater and requisite amount of albuminous principles. This is confirmed by the following analysis, made in our Laboratory, of the sample of water used in the Lo wenbl iiu Brewery.
alimentary constituents of beer. On the contrary, the percentage of malt extract in Munich beer is slightly in excess ordinary "mild" English ale. The nutritive value of malt extractives is due in part to dextrine and malt sugars, but the mineral matter, owing to its richness in phosphate, must add largely to the nourishing properties of the beer. Thus the analysis of the mineral matter of L8wenbrRu beer furnished the following results (calculated on a hundred Q of the ash) :
of
pffts
Thus it will be
seen
that the Burton water is twice
as
hard
regards temporary hardness and five times as regards permanent hardness, and, in addition, contains a notable as
amount of common salt, of which the Munich water contains none. It was, further, remarkably free from organic matter and perfectly bright and clear. It has already been mentioned that a yeast that is formed by a violent or racy fermentation and at a higher temperature, as employed in English brewing, has more active qualities than yeast found at a lower temperature and by slow fermentation. The first spreads itself rapidly over the surface of the fluid and is termedsuperficial" yeast, while the second sinks to the bottom of the vessel and there continues its action; it is, therefore, termed "sedimentary " or bottom yeast, and is what is employed in the Munich Lowenbiau Brewery. The important advantage of the use of a yeast growing at a low temperature in brewing is that while the normal functions of the yeast are free to act, yet the same cold discourages the growth of disease ferments, and a healthier beer is ensured. A sample of the Lowenbiau yeast on examination presented the appearance of a firm, clean grey sponge, which, under the microscope, was seen to consist of well-developed and regularly sized cells and to be quite free from foreign matters, and, what is more important, from bacterial forms of life. An excellent fermentation was induced by its use in an experiment we tried with a solution of ordinary cane sugar. The excellence of the hops grown in Bohemia and Bavaria is well known, where they thrive under conditions eminently suited to the development of those qualities which are essential for the production of sound and wholesome beer. The samples submitted exhaled the peculiar fragrant odour of the oil of hop when gently warmed and pressed, while no evidence was obtained that the dealers in these hops have sought to preserve them by the process of "sulphuring." The agreeable smell, the sweet, characteristic taste, coupled with the crispness and friability of the malt submitted, afford evidence of its quality, while its activity was shown by the readiness with which a cold-water extract of it converted starch paste into dextrin and sugar. Lastly, the analysis of the finished product, the beer itself, gave the following percentage results. Side by side will be found the results of analysis of two average samples, mild and bitter, of English beer. Thus an interesting comparison is established.
These results are instructive in partly accounting for the differences of physiological effect between English and Munich beer. Thus, in spite of the fact that the Munich beer contains a greater proportion of nutritious malt extrac-
tives than even the strongest beer in the above analyses, yet the alcohol is reduced to almost exactly half the quantity contained in the English beer. It is, however, the influence of b3th hops and alcohol which combine to produce drowsiness and stupor, so that we have at once a complete explanation of the advantages which the consumption of Munich beer affords in this respect. Nor is the reduction of these constituents effected at the expense of the important
The ash consists, therefore, for all practical purposes, of the valuable dietetic agent, phosphate of potassium. It follows also that the nutritive matter of beer, including the nitrogenous principles, are in a soluble form, and therefore favourable for easy assimilation and digestion. The final operations of analysis were devoted to the examination of the beer for hop substitutes and objectionable preservatives. Although by law the use of substitutes is forbidden in Germany, yet we have frequently found objectionable substance-as, for example, salicylic acid in German export beer. It has already been explained, however, that the Lotvenbiau beer is preserved by the simple and effectual process of "Pasteurising, "which obviates the resort to the use of objectionable antiseptics, while it does not interfere with the taste or condition of the beer to any appreciable extent. As a matter of fact, we found the beer was entirely free from substances of this class, and our search for bitter substitutes was attended also with similarly negative results. In the light of these excellent qualities which our analyses have brought to view, we are justified in regarding the beer as not only genuine, but wholesome.
DIFFICULTIES UNDER THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE (NOTIFICATION) ACT. IV.l 5. -M
1
into
tank of water into which steam is discharged so as the heat up to about 160° F., at which temperature the germs of second fermentation are destroyed, and the beer can then be kept an indefinite time and exported It has been thought that even to the hottest climates. the peculiar flavour of Munich beer is due to a special race of yeast employed. No evidence on this head was forthcoming. Professor Louis Aubray, Director der Wissenschaftlichen Station fur Brauerei in Munchen, to whom we are indebted for much valuable information and assistance, stated that there were often several races in the yeast of One special sort of yeast might suit one single brewery. one brewery and not another, but there was apparently no connexion established between the flavour of the beer and the form of the yeast. There is, however, a great difference between yeast of high fermentation and rapid action employed in English breweries and the yeast of slow action utilised by the Bavarian brewers. Such, briefly, are the main features of the manufacture of Munich beer, as it was shown and explained to ns at the largest brewery on the Continent. to
a
bring
THE ANALYSIS OF MUNICH BEER AND THE EXAMINATION OF THE MATERIALS USED
IN ITS MANUFACTURE. We have seen what are the salient points of difference between the English and German or Bavarian mode of manufacturing beer, and we may refer to these points for an explanation of the qualities- especially in regard to flavour, alcoholic strength, and the quantity of malt and hop extractives-which sharply distinguish the one from the other. Thus the peculiar qualities-especially the flavour-of Munich beer are doubtless to be ascribed, in a large measure, first to the fermentation being very slow and carefully restricted to a low temperature. Secondly, the employment of sedimentary yeast tends to render the products of a simpler, and doubtless more wholesome, nature than those which are evolved when a more rapid fermentation is allowed to proceed, such as occurs when a comparatively high temperature and top-growing yeast are adopted. Again, the quantity of hops used in the brewing of Munich beer is much less than is employed in this country, while in Bohemia and Bavaria the hops are gathered earlier, so as to exclude much of the narcotic principles which longer growth fosters. Since, as is well known, the constituents of the hop are distinctly narcotic, this, in addition to the decreased percentage of spirit, would account for the comparative absence of drowsy symptoms when Munich beer is drunk, but which so frequently follow the consumption of English beers. A knowledge, then, of the processes which the Munich brewer employs throws considerable light upon the observation that while Munich beer serves admirably to quench thirst, yet it is devoid of those properties of English made beer which have given rise ’, to the proverbial saying that "to drink beer is to think beer." We may next turn our attention to the information derived in the laboratory upon the composition and character of the various materials employed in the preparation of Munich beer and of the finished beer itself. To this end we have obtained samples direct from the Lowenbrau Brewery at Munich of the water, yeast, and malt, as well as the beer ; they were all packed in ice in special conveyance on the journey, and were kept in ice until the precise moment of making the analysis. We may discuss these in the order in which they were examined. It is well known that variations in the mineral constituents of the water used in brewing exert an important influence on the character of the finished beer. Hard and somewhat saline water, for instance, is preferred in the brewing of pale and bitter ales in this country, since it extracts less colouring matter and-what is more important-less albuminous matter or proteid from the malt. It is the latter substances which, when present in excess, are fatal to the prime condition of English brewed ales. Thus in England hard waters are in general use, as is illustrated in the following analysis of a water drawn from the well of a well-known Burton brewery. Sodium chloride
produced.
Grains per gal.
Constituents. ..................
1012
respect to the bottled beer, the bottles, after careful Calcium, magnesium, and potassium sulphates 1 ne 56 cleansing, and after being filled with beer and corked down (permanent hardness) ............ ’by a patent air-tight porcelain and rubber stopper, are Calcium and magnesium carbonates (temporary17.21 17.21 In
’?’?
-Pasteurised."
This
means
the immersion of the bottles
hardness)
..................
431 On the other hand, the Munich brewer uses a softer and practically non-saline water, which extracts a greater and requisite amount of albuminous principles. This is confirmed by the following analysis, made in our Laboratory, of the sample of water used in the Lo wenbl iiu Brewery.
alimentary constituents of beer. On the contrary, the percentage of malt extract in Munich beer is slightly in excess ordinary "mild" English ale. The nutritive value of malt extractives is due in part to dextrine and malt sugars, but the mineral matter, owing to its richness in phosphate, must add largely to the nourishing properties of the beer. Thus the analysis of the mineral matter of L8wenbrRu beer furnished the following results (calculated on a hundred Q of the ash) :
of
pffts
Thus it will be
seen
that the Burton water is twice
as
hard
regards temporary hardness and five times as regards permanent hardness, and, in addition, contains a notable as
amount of common salt, of which the Munich water contains none. It was, further, remarkably free from organic matter and perfectly bright and clear. It has already been mentioned that a yeast that is formed by a violent or racy fermentation and at a higher temperature, as employed in English brewing, has more active qualities than yeast found at a lower temperature and by slow fermentation. The first spreads itself rapidly over the surface of the fluid and is termedsuperficial" yeast, while the second sinks to the bottom of the vessel and there continues its action; it is, therefore, termed "sedimentary " or bottom yeast, and is what is employed in the Munich Lowenbiau Brewery. The important advantage of the use of a yeast growing at a low temperature in brewing is that while the normal functions of the yeast are free to act, yet the same cold discourages the growth of disease ferments, and a healthier beer is ensured. A sample of the Lowenbiau yeast on examination presented the appearance of a firm, clean grey sponge, which, under the microscope, was seen to consist of well-developed and regularly sized cells and to be quite free from foreign matters, and, what is more important, from bacterial forms of life. An excellent fermentation was induced by its use in an experiment we tried with a solution of ordinary cane sugar. The excellence of the hops grown in Bohemia and Bavaria is well known, where they thrive under conditions eminently suited to the development of those qualities which are essential for the production of sound and wholesome beer. The samples submitted exhaled the peculiar fragrant odour of the oil of hop when gently warmed and pressed, while no evidence was obtained that the dealers in these hops have sought to preserve them by the process of "sulphuring." The agreeable smell, the sweet, characteristic taste, coupled with the crispness and friability of the malt submitted, afford evidence of its quality, while its activity was shown by the readiness with which a cold-water extract of it converted starch paste into dextrin and sugar. Lastly, the analysis of the finished product, the beer itself, gave the following percentage results. Side by side will be found the results of analysis of two average samples, mild and bitter, of English beer. Thus an interesting comparison is established.
These results are instructive in partly accounting for the differences of physiological effect between English and Munich beer. Thus, in spite of the fact that the Munich beer contains a greater proportion of nutritious malt extrac-
tives than even the strongest beer in the above analyses, yet the alcohol is reduced to almost exactly half the quantity contained in the English beer. It is, however, the influence of b3th hops and alcohol which combine to produce drowsiness and stupor, so that we have at once a complete explanation of the advantages which the consumption of Munich beer affords in this respect. Nor is the reduction of these constituents effected at the expense of the important
The ash consists, therefore, for all practical purposes, of the valuable dietetic agent, phosphate of potassium. It follows also that the nutritive matter of beer, including the nitrogenous principles, are in a soluble form, and therefore favourable for easy assimilation and digestion. The final operations of analysis were devoted to the examination of the beer for hop substitutes and objectionable preservatives. Although by law the use of substitutes is forbidden in Germany, yet we have frequently found objectionable substance-as, for example, salicylic acid in German export beer. It has already been explained, however, that the Lotvenbiau beer is preserved by the simple and effectual process of "Pasteurising, "which obviates the resort to the use of objectionable antiseptics, while it does not interfere with the taste or condition of the beer to any appreciable extent. As a matter of fact, we found the beer was entirely free from substances of this class, and our search for bitter substitutes was attended also with similarly negative results. In the light of these excellent qualities which our analyses have brought to view, we are justified in regarding the beer as not only genuine, but wholesome.
DIFFICULTIES UNDER THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE (NOTIFICATION) ACT. IV.l 5. -M
1