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Ales : German Origin

 

Guidelines to Beer Style Categories and Subcategories
By Charlie Papazian

These beer style descriptions are guidelines meant to aid in the decision of which category and subcategory to enter beer. Judges will evaluate the beers using their senses of smell, sight, taste and mouthfeel against the standards put forth in these guidelines.

ALES : GERMAN ORIGIN

22. German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style Kölsch

Kölsch (German ale or alt-style beer) is warm fermented and aged at cold temperatures. Kölsch is characterized by a golden color and a slightly dry winelike and subtly sweet palate. Caramel character should not be evident. The body is light. This beer has low hop flavor and aroma with medium bitterness. Wheat can be used in brewing this beer that is fermented using ale or lager yeasts. Fruity esters should be minimally perceived, if at all. Chill haze should be absent or minimal.

23. German-Style Brown Ale/Düsseldorf-Style Altbier

Copper to brown in color, this German ale may be highly hopped (though the 25 to 35 IBU range is more normal for the majority of altbiers from Düsseldorf) and has a medium body and malty flavor. A variety of malts, including wheat, may be used. Hop character may be evident in the flavor. The overall impression is clean, crisp and flavorful. Fruity esters should be low. No diacetyl or chill haze should be perceived.

24. Berliner-Style Weisse (Wheat)

This is the lightest of all the German wheat beers. The unique combination of a yeast and lactic acid bacteria fermentation yields a beer that is acidic, highly attenuated and very light bodied. The carbonation of a Berliner weisse is high, and hop rates are very low. Hop character should not be perceived. Fruity esters will be evident. No diacetyl should be perceived.

25. South German-Style Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier

The aroma and flavor of a weissbier are decidedly fruity and phenolic. The phenolic characteristics are often described as clove- or nutmeglike and can be smokey or even vanillalike. Bananalike esters are often present. These beers are made with at least 50 percent malted wheat, and hop rates are quite low. Hop flavor and aroma are absent. Weissbier is well attenuated and very highly carbonated, yet its relatively high starting gravity and alcohol content make it a medium- to full-bodied beer. The color is a very pale to deep golden. Because yeast is present, the beer will have yeast flavor and a characteristically fuller mouthfeel. The beer may be appropriately very cloudy. No diacetyl should be perceived.

26. South German-Style Kristal Weizen/Kristal Weissbier

The aroma and flavor of a weissbier without yeast is very similar to weissbier with yeast (hefeweizen/hefeweissbier) with the caveat that fruity and phenolic characters are not combined with the yeasty flavor and fuller-bodied mouthfeel of yeast. The phenolic characteristics are often described as clove- or nutmeglike and can be smokey or even vanillalike. Bananalike esters are often present. These beers are made with at least 50 percent malted wheat, and hop rates are quite low. Hop flavor and aroma are absent. Weissbier is well attenuated and very highly carbonated, yet its relatively high starting gravity and alcohol content make it a medium- to full-bodied beer. The color is a very pale to deep golden. Because the beer has been filtered, yeast is not present. The beer will have no yeast flavor and a cleaner, drier mouthfeel. The beer should be clear with no chill haze present. No diacetyl should be perceived.

27. South German-Style Dunkel Weizen/Dunkel Weissbier

This beer style is characterized by a distinct sweet maltiness, and roasted malt and chocolatelike character, but the estery and phenolic elements of a pale weissbier still prevail. Color can range from copper-brown to dark brown. Carbonation and hop bitterness are similar to a pale south German-style weissbier. Usually dark barley malts are used in conjunction with dark cara or color malts, and the percentage of wheat malt is at least 50 percent. No diacetyl should be perceived.

28. South German-Style Weizenbock/Weissbock

This style can be either pale or dark and, like a bottom-fermented bock, has a high starting gravity and alcohol content. The malty sweetness of a weizenbock is balanced with a clovelike, phenolic and fruity-estery banana element to produce a well-rounded aroma and flavor. As is true with all German wheat beers, hop rates are low, and carbonation is high. It has a medium to full body. If dark, a mild roasted malt character should emerge in the flavor and to a lesser degree in the aroma. No diacetyl should be perceived.

Beer Style Guidelines © Charlie Papazian 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996

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