What’s in it – since 1634
The brewing process
Every Paulaner beer is brewed using traditional brewing methods in strict accordance with the Bavarian Purity Law.
Mashing
The first step in the brewing process is the mashing. The grist (from various types of mixed and ground malt) is mixed with the brewing water. This step is called the mashing. The water and grist mixture is called the mash. The mash now goes through a repeated process of being warmed up to certain temperatures and then so-called rests (breaks of about 20 to 30 minutes) are taken. This stimulates the action of the enzymes in the malt and the starch can be converted into malt sugar, which is needed later as yeast nutrition for the fermentation process.
When making Paulaner Hefe-Weißbier Naturtrüb, the brewing masters depend on the traditional two-mash process. A third of the mash is gently heated in a separate mash pan to 72°C, to dissolve the malt sugar. Then, the mash is cooked, the remaining mash is added, and the process is repeated. The advantage of this lengthy process is obvious: It can be geared to different malts and recipes and is the condition for a beer with a full character. The beer tastes fuller and more rounded and has a very nice head.
Lautering
Once all the starch has been converted into (malt) sugar in mashing, the next step is called the lautering process. This step separates the solid components, the spent grains (malt grain shells), from the liquid components, called the wort (brewing water with the dissolved malt sugar and other malt constituents), in the mash. The spent grains get left on the bottom of a sieve (also known as a false bottom) installed in the lauter tun (vessel in which this process takes place), while the wort collects above it. Finally, the lautering process is started. The first wort now runs through the deposited spent grains layer, the spent grains cake, as if through a natural filter, and is collected as a clear liquid in the wort kettle.
After the first wort has flowed out of the tun, the so-called after worts are made with hot water at 76–78°C. These dissolve the remaining malt sugar out of the spent grains. The spent grains are collected in silos after the lautering process and then picked up by farmers who use it as very high-quality and protein-rich animal feed.
Wort boiling
The entire wort is boiled for 60 minutes in the wort copper. The hops are added during this time. The first hop addition gives the beer its typical bitterness, the second hop addition gives the beer its taste and hop aroma. With certain types of beer there is even a third hop addition to achieve a very special taste. Depending on the type of beer, different hop varieties are used.
At the end of the boiling process, a small sample of the wort is drawn, cooled down, and spindle-worked, i.e. the density is determined. The original wort and the strength of the beer can be derived from the density and the temperature of this sample. This is crucial because the wort is concentrated through the evaporation of the water during boiling. When the measured values are correct, boiling is stopped.
Fermentation and maturation
The hot wort is then cooled to the desired “set temperature.” The set temperature is the temperature at which the yeast begins to ferment the best, i.e., the malt sugar is converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide by forming heat. This temperature varies depending on whether a top-fermenting beer, such as weissbier, or a bottom-fermenting beer, such as light beer, dark beer, or even Salvator, is brewed. The top-fermenting yeast ferments best at temperatures around 20°C, the bottom-fermenting yeast at temperatures around 10°C. Aromas can develop the best by allowing the beer plenty of time to ferment and mature.
Fermentation is followed by maturation, which lasts between three and six weeks, or even longer with Salvator. During storage, as maturation is also called, carbon dioxide, which is still produced in this post-fermentation phase, is bound as natural carbon dioxide in the beer. This is important for foam formation, sparkling, and freshness. Any residual sugars are broken down. Also, any undesirable aromas that can form during fermentation disappear as the yeast and protein settle.
Filtration and bottling
Certain kinds of beer, such as Hell (blonde Lager) or Oktoberfest Bier, are filtered before being filled into bottles or kegs. Filtration is done using a membrane filter system that gently and efficiently filters and clarifies the beer of any turbidity (yeast or proteins). Sometimes – such as with Hefe-Weißbier Naturtrüb beer – traces of the yeast are supposed to remain in the beer, i.e., the turbidity is desirable. Using a separator to separate the fine particulate from the liquid allows certain ingredients in the beer to be kept in the beer depending on the settings selected.
A finished Paulaner undergoes many different types of analysis before and after filtration. In addition to the sensory and visual inspections performed by up to 16 brewing masters, the beer undergoes microbiological, chemical, and technical testing of its composition in our own laboratory according to relevant parameters.
Only then is the beer ready for the second to last step, decanting. Up to 50,000 bottles per hour are filled at the bottling station. To fill the bottles as quickly as possible, they are put under pressure. This does not cause the foam which comes later when pouring the beer from a bottle into a glass.
Quality assurance
Our beer is watched and checked from the very beginning. First the quality of the raw materials is checked, then the brewing process and fermentation and storage are monitored, and before we filter and bottle the finished beer, we taste and check it. Once the finished beer has been bottled, it is tasted again by our master brewers and analyzed in our laboratory. Only when everything has passed muster is the beer released for sale.
Our Paulaner is bottled only in brown bottles to protect it from short-wave light and UV rays, which can have a negative effect on the taste and quality of the beer. You can notice this when you open a beer from a bright glass bottle that has been exposed to the sun for too long. The smell of such a beer is called a “light taste” by those who know.
The epitome of Bavarian hospitality
Bavarian beer gardens originated through a brewing order from 1539, which restricted brewing to only cold months of the year because of fire protection. To store the beer and keep it cool during the warmer months of the year, the breweries dug out deep cellars where chestnut trees provided shade and gravel was spread as an insulation layer. Soon, beer cellars became popular destinations for Munich residents, and breweries set up simple tables and benches for the guests – the beer garden was born.
However, when the breweries started also offering food, smaller local Munich breweries and inns complained so vehemently about losing customers that King Max I issued the Bavarian Beer Garden Ordinance in 1812 as a compromise: Apart from bread, no other food was allowed to be sold in the beer cellars. For this reason, you are allowed to bring along your own food into a true Bavarian beer garden.
Bavarian beer gardens originated through a brewing order from 1539, which restricted brewing to only cold months of the year because of fire protection. To store the beer and keep it cool during the warmer months of the year, the breweries dug out deep cellars where chestnut trees provided shade and gravel was spread as an insulation layer. Soon, beer cellars became popular destinations for Munich residents, and breweries set up simple tables and benches for the guests – the beer garden was born.
However, when the breweries started also offering food, smaller local Munich breweries and inns complained so vehemently about losing customers that King Max I issued the Bavarian Beer Garden Ordinance in 1812 as a compromise: Apart from bread, no other food was allowed to be sold in the beer cellars. For this reason, you are allowed to bring along your own food into a true Bavarian beer garden.
