The art of brewing

Official context at: http://www.mythosbrewery.gr/index.asp?c=66

BEERS FERMENTED WITH BOTTOM-FERMENTING YEAST

The development and production of beers made with bottom-fermenting yeast occurred in the 19th century as a result of certain technological discoveries:- The invention of the refrigerator (1871), made possible the maintenance of the low temperatures required for fermentation and pasteurization.- The development of methods for the manufacturing of glass bottles and glasses on a wider scale, which replaced ceramic cups and vessels.- The implementation of filtering of large volumes of liquid (1878) made possible the production of totally clear beer and, since then, this has constituted one of the main criteria for quality of beer.

Pilsner

The year 1842 saw the introduction of a new style of beer. At Pilsen, in Czechoslovakia, a brewery was established which was to produce traditional, dark, Bavarian Lager. The exceptionally soft water of the area, however, along with advances made in the process of malting that allowed for the production of malt pale in colour and rich in aroma, led the brewers at Pilsen to create a new style of beer, Pale Pilsner. The new beer enjoyed great success and was exported to Vienna, Paris, London and the United States. Later, the style was copied and began to be produced in different parts of the world without, however, managing to match that made in Pilsen.This style of beer is golden in colour, crystal clear with a host of aromas and tastes. Medium bitterness and aroma of hops, with a strong, fresh character and fine body. Some well known commercial brands are Budweiser and Pilsner Urquel , and in Greece, Kaiser.

Lager

Lager was first produced in Bavaria in the 15th century. Due to the need for extended storing at low temperatures, production was limited to wintertime when temperatures were low and ice was in plentiful supply, since industrial refrigeration was not possible at the time. Lager produced in cold climates such as Dublin, London, Munich, etc. was dark in colour for two reasons. One was the high alkalinity of water in these areas, and the other reason was that in those days, the technical know-how required to produce malt pale in colour with good aroma was not available. Later, in approximately 1850, following advances in microbiology and Pasteur's discovery of the role of yeast in fermentation, as well as the development of technology for the manufacturing of refrigeration by the Americans, the production of lager on a wider scale year-round, anywhere in the world, was made possible.This is the most widespread style of beer in the world. Pale to brown in colour, with low, soft bitterness and without strong aromatic character. A typical example of this style is Mythos.