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Brewing diagram

Brewing

The German production of beer involves about 5,000 different beers. They all get their distinct taste during their brewing process, which, all modern technology notwithstanding- is still an art!

Brewing diagram
From malt to wort

The malt mill is the first stop during brewing. Here the malt is crushed. The malt is mixed with brewing liquor in the mash tun to form mash. By heating up the mash, the malt’s natural enzymes convert the water-soluble starch into soluble malt sugar, releasing the most important substances needed for brewing. In the lauter tun, the solid substances are separated from the liquid. The lauter tun includes a bottom strainer on which the spent grains settle. The liquid is recovered as the wort, containing all the malt’s soluble substances. The wort is now discharged into the brewing copper.

Brewing diagram
Hops for taste

In the brewing copper, hops are added and the wort boiled for about one hour and malt-protein precipitates. The more hops a brewer adds (ca. 100-400g/hl), the happier the beer gets. Depending upon the beer, aromatic or bitter hops are used. In the “whirlpool”, trubs, protein in particular, precipitates. Before yeast is added, the wort is cooled in the wort cooler from ca. 100°C down to ca. 8-15°C.

Brewing diagram
Yeast for carbon dioxide and alcohol

The yeast gets to work in the fermentation tank and convert the malt sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol. This takes between three and eight days. Alcohol aside, the yeast also produces up to 300 volatile substances, including other alcohols, esters, aldehydes etc. These are the aromatic substances. The yeast is removed and the young beer is ready. But before being bottled, it takes a break in the storage tank – depending upon the beer for up to three months. This storage rounds off the taste by degrading the remaining sugar almost completely and removing aromatic substances the brewer doesn’t want. It also sequesters the carbon dioxide, making the beer fizzy. And finally, the remaining yeast and proteins settle and the beer is made clear.

Brewing diagram
Filtration and bottling

Filtration makes the beer clear. Yeasts and other trubs settle. For cloudy beers, like our Hefeweizen, this is done without. In the bottling plant, the beer is filled into glass bottles, kegs and cans, and labelled, if need be. Bottles contain 0.33 or 0.5l; cans contain 0.33 or 0.5l plus 0.95l and 5.0l. And then there are kegs.

 


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History Eichbaum
Our history

Eichbaum was founded in 1679 as a small brewpub, and while the exact location changed, its domicile has always been Mannheim. Its traditional art of brewing in accordance with the German Purity Law dated 1516 guarantees Eichbaum beers’ top quality – since 1679.

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Visiting the Brewery
Visiting the brewery

Experience more than 335 years of brewing live! See how crystal-clear water and select regional ingredients are turned into prize-winning Eichbaum beer specialities. And conclude the 3h-tour with a nice little snack and two of your favourite beers from our historic cellar. Or check it out here and now on a virtual tour.

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