Öl i Modern tid

Steam engine 1765

With the introduction of James Watt´s steam engine, industrialization and rationalization began to invade brewing. The first breweries to use steam power called themselves Steam Beer Breweries. Today, one brewery in German still uses the name steam beer.

Beer transportation 1835

The first German railway line was opened between Nürnberg and Fürth. The first goods transported were (otherwise we wouldn't have mentioned it here) two barrels of beer.

Industrial developments did not simply pass over the beer brewers but started to take their effect at the beginning of the 19th century. Two extremely important inventions revolutionized beer brewing. The first, as previously mentioned, was James Watt's steam engine which dramatically increased the efficiency of the breweries. The second, even more important to the brewing industry, invention was by

Carl Linde

In von Linde's time , it had already been scientifically proven that the making of good beer required certain temperatures. The brewing of bottom fermented beer (lager beer), for example, demands temperatures of 4 to 10 degrees Centigrade. Such temperatures occur only in winter, or in deep cellars with the use of large quantities of block ice. Through the invention of refrigeration by Carl von Linde, beer brewing became seasonally independent. Fittingly, the first refrigeration equipment was tested in a Munich brewery.

Louis Pasteur

Considerable scientific research took place in breweries in the 19th century. A famous work from 1876 by Louis Pasteur was "Etudes sur la Biere" (studies concerning beer). Louis Pasteur gained his knowledge of microorganisms from these studies. This basic knowledge is still indispensable today, not only in the production of beverages, but also in medicine and biology. (Everyone knows the word "pasteurized" from the milk cartons in the supermarket.) We owe our knowledge, that the beer witches were the victims of unsanitary work procedures and sloppy brewers, to Louis Pasteur. Another pioneering discovery in beer brewing was the work of

Christian Hansen.

The Danish scientist, Christian Hansen, successfully isolated a single yeast cell and induced it to reproduce on an artificial culture medium. With the ensuing yeast propagation methods, the purity of the fermenting process has been improved and beer taste perfected.

Salvator Battle 1888

Beer and its price have always been of extreme importance to German consumers. The consequences a beer price increase can bring with it were shown in 1888 in Munich when the Salvator battle took place, as citizens violently rebelled against such a price increase.

Kegs

Wooden barrels have been almost completely replaced by metal barrels for most pub trade. In 1964 metal kegs were introduced in Germany. Firstly, cleaning and filling was much simpler. Secondly, tapping and closing off was much easier for the bar personnel. This was a big hit with pub and restaurant owners. Kegs are cylindrical, made of stainless steel or aluminum and contain an extractor tube. Some compressed carbon dioxide remains in the keg after closing off to prevent the beer residue from drying out.

Although our "Beer History" has come to an end here, thousands of German brewers and millions of fans of German beer around the world write new chapters every day.


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