GOD IS GOOD
We all know about yeast, - it's in the air,- it causes fallen fruit to
ferment, it causes bread dough to rise, and it produces alcohol from the
fermentation process. Natural yeast (in the air), is known as "Wild
Yeast," and it is totally uncontrolled. As a matter of fact, before
yeast was biologically "discovered," the beer was left in open
vats to ferment, and because this critical, yet unknown element, yeast,
appeared on the surface of the beer as it was fermenting, the British brewers
simply called it "God is Good," and brewed happily on.
Yeast, the vital ingredient to the fermentation of beer and the rising of
bread had been a baffling and elusive ingredient for many centuries. It
is a living organism, and acts to convert the natural sugars in the brew
into alcohol, a biological transformation of the sugar, thus producing alcohol.
Although to-day it is understood and fairly well controlled, cultivated,
guarded, and carefully preserved, it still has the potential to undermine
the brewing of any given batch of beer, even though the yeast is raised
under laboratory conditions.
In past centuries the beer sometimes went sour, especially in the warmth
of the summer days, and the Swiss blamed "beer witches" for the
phenomenon. The brewers in the Alps (Bavaria, Austria, and Switzerland)
found that if they could store their beer in caves, preferably packed in
natural ice, it would age slower, but would not go sour, and with this process,
the beer did not have to be carefully skimmed off the top, avoiding the
sediment on the bottom. This information was firstly documented in writings
preserved in the Munich archives, dating from 1420.
The particular strain of yeast, as the particular type of barley and hops,
as well as the water, all act to influence the flavor of the beer. Top-fermented
beers such as Weizenbier and Ales use a weaker type of yeast strain,
not strong enough to swim to the bottom of the barrel, influencing the flavor.
Weizenbier also has the additional flavoring of the wheat in the
malt, unique to this type of beer, and is one of the most difficult beers
to brew since it produces a very volatile brew.
Before the Second World War, the Germans were elated with the clear form
of Weizenbier, the beer with the yeast filtered out. They called
it "Crystal clear," as the mountain streams, or "Champagne
Gold," referring both to the clarity as well as the sparkling quality
of the beer. To-day the affluent Germans have realized that this modern
filtering process has eliminated many of the original, natural qualities
from the beer, and have reverted to the traditional form, the Weizenbier
with the yeast remaining in the beer, and in the bottle. Some breweries
even add an additional unit of yeast in each bottle, producing a secondary
fermentation to the extent that one may find a huge "gob" of yeast
in the bottom of the bottle, definitely not unhealthy, although initially
also not attractive.
A few years ago, a shipment of Edelweiss Hefetrüb (with the
yeast in the bottle) was stopped at the Italian border, and the customs
officials refused its entry into Italy because of its cloudiness; they determined
that it was "bad" beer. By the same token , many Americans are
hesitant to drink this yeasty beer, not willing to taste it, try it, and
enjoy the full body and flavor of an Edelweiss Hefetrüb, or
Edelweiss Dunkel. Well, there's still the Edelweiss Kristallklar
(crystal clear with the yeast filtered out), the modern, yet now out-dated
version for an authentic Edelweiss.
Try all three, but be careful, the Hefetrüb and the Dunkel
"grow on you," and virtually obliterate the desire
for a "normal, filtered" beer.
The home brewer often does not have the sophisicated equipment to filter
the yeast out of the beer, nor does he particularly want to. The cloudiness
of the beer and the yeast sediment adds to the flavor of the beer, and is
both wholesome and rich, a full-bodied beer with the home-brewer's potent
"kick!"
The 16.9 oz. Edelweiss, although not a home-brew, will take you back to
the traditions of beer -brewing, drinking, and enjoying. Green is not only
associated with St. Patty's day. So
Have an Edelweiss with the Green label!