Why does Germany = Beer?

Patrik, it is indeed true that there is a relationship between nitrogen and protein. Maybe the below write-up will be helpful to you.

“Eat your protein

Protein values in malt are related to the total nitrogen content (proteins are comprised of nitrogen-rich amino acids). Sometimes a malt analysis will list the total nitrogen (TN) value in percent. In general, brewers want minimal protein in their malt because it has little brewing value except for enzymes and foam.

One percent TN equals 6.25% protein; to convert protein to TN divide the value by 6.25. British and Continental base malts are normally below 10 percent protein (1.6% TN). All-malt beers brewed with malt having a protein value above 12% may exhibit haze problems, which is why North American six-row malt (with protein as high as 14%) is best used with adjuncts that have far less protein. (The situation is actually a little more complex as the kinds of proteins present in a malt also play a role.)

The percentage of protein (or nitrogen) that is soluble in water is expressed as a SP (soluble protein) or SN (soluble nitrogen) value. This is used to calculate the S/T (soluble/total) or SN/TN (soluble nitrogen/total nitrogen) rations, also called the Kolbach Index. The three ratios are equivalent to each other and also can be expressed as the soluble nitrogen ratio (SNR). In all cases, the value results from dividing the soluble protein (or nitrogen) value by the percent protein (or total nitrogen).

The S/T is important because it is the best indicator of malt modification, the degree to which germination was allowed to proceed during the malting process. S/T values above 35% indicate highly modified malts suitable for infusion mashing, while values above 45% can result in thin-bodied beer. Undermodified malt (with an S/T of 30–35%) requires multiple temperature rests or decoction.”

Cheers!

 

Patrik, there are three basic steps/phases to a step mash: acid rest, protein rest and starch conversion (and you could conduct a mash-out). So, there is ‘more’ to the aspects of a step mash then just the consideration of converting starch to sugars (the starch conversion step).

http://byo.com/stories/item/1497-the-science-of-step-mashing

Cheers!

Jack

 

Thanks for the link, I now got my homework cut out for me (how I managed to pass chemistry in high school is beyond me).

 

Not sure what you're trying to say here. I'd completely agree with you on cask ale: when I'm in a nice pub with a well-kept cellar, there's no place on earth I'd rather be. Same exact thing goes for a Czech tavern, Belgian cafe, or a German beer garden.

As for "ales" vs. "lagers," I don't even know what those terms mean in the context you're providing. I love settling into a brewery taproom in Cologne/Duesseldorf and drinking my fill of "top-fermenting lagered beers" such as Koelsch and Alt as much as I do into a Bamberg tavern drinking Rauchbier Maerzen/Bock/Doppelbock/Krausen/Fastenbier/or Weizen.

And if I get my fill of those, I can simply walk 300 yards through the old town to the next brewery and drink my fill of Schwarzbier/Braunbier/Maibock (with some intriguing "fruity/estery" characteristics all their own).

If I'm feeling extra thisrty, from there it's a short walk across the river to two more breweries: the first producing a hoppy unfiltered Kellerbier that, like UK cask, is served without added CO2 and has live yeast still active in it...or a Hefeweizen, Dunkel, Helles, etc. as the mood suits me. Right across the street is yet another brewery with one of Southern Germany's best pilsners, in additon to a completely different Kellerbier, as well as a delicious amber lager (gasp!)

By now I have tried 4 of the 9 breweries in a town of 70,000. Within less than an hour's radius by car, there are more than 250 more, each with their own takes on these incredibly diverse "styles."

IMHO, that combination is hard to beat. Then again, beer is not a competition, and Belgium, the Czech Republic, and the UK are just a short flight/train/car ride away if I'm ever looking for the next "no place on earth I'd rather be."

 

As per my usual point when these sort of discussions emerge, why pick one over the other? I've enjoyed beer-drinking excursions in both England and Germany and always had wonderful times.

It's not meant to be a competition, it's meant to be enjoyment and understanding of the different beers available around the world.

And for what it's worth, if you've never had a fresh Bavarian Lager poured via gravity from a keg, you can make no comparisons with cask ale.

 

For those in the US seeking German style beers, I have it on good authority this place in Denver is tits:

http://www.prostbrewing.com/

 

While I've heard good things about Prost, I've also been hearing some not so favorable reports from people who are really up on German style beer.

 

Also, their head brewer just left. I don't know if that's good or bad as I've never had their beers.

 

That pretty much sums it up. You can look at it as the maltsters does some of the work with full modification, so the brewer does not have to do those other steps.

 

They were about as good as you get over here in Sept. 2012 when I visited. The assistant was let go, then the award winning head brewer is no longer there. Domingo might know more as to how the beers are holding up,,and why the turnover in brewers.

 

I think the head brewer, Bill Eye, is still in a management roll, just not brewing.

 

Part owner as I understand it. Wonder about the turnover.

 

How the heck do we turn off auto-correct?

 

This sounds like that while he is still a part owner, he is no longer involved with Prost in any other capacity.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/beer/2014/01/27/bill-eye-resigns-brewmaster-denvers-prost-brewing/12976/

I first read about in this thread which has some other links.

http://beeradvocate.com/community/t...rost-brewings-brewmaster.148017/#post-2105584

 

German brewers began using adjuncts, mainly corn, almost immediately upon coming to America because they could not get the same varieties of hops and barley as they had used in Germany. They had to experiment with adjuncts to get the beer to taste the same as it did in the fatherland.

 

If you'd ever had Belgian beer you'd know the answer to that one.

 

Deutschland über alles?

 

a little history: http://www.mbaa.com/districts/Philadelphia/about/history/Pages/HistoryFirstLager.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewerytown,_Philadelphia

 

While excellent wine is made in both the US and Australia, their wines are in no way superior to French and German wines. While the US makes excellent beer, our beer cannot seriously be said to be "much better" in such a sweeping generalization. There may be some decent wines from England, but I would stick with the excellent beer. I speak from a 30+ year career in the wine and beer business, which included many ventures to all of these places that you mention. I think you were trying to raise some hackles; mine are firmly in place and unruffled!

 

They were importing continental hops when many of the lager breweries were growing. The adjuncts reduced the protein level in the 6 row barley to a level that haze was not an issue. That only takes about 20% adjuncts.

http://morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue3.5/renner.html