The City of Beer

Doppelbock has its origin in Einbeck, in the north German state of Lower Saxony, and an important link in Middle Ages European commerce. It is near Hanover and Brauschweig on the mainland, and the port cities of Hamburg and Bremen. This geographical kismet nurtured vigorous trade, and the relatively flat terrain and access to the Baltic and North Seas allowed easy establishment of commercial routes. With an eclectic assortment of tradesmen, each city had its particular specialty; Einbeck’s was brewing. These scattered merchants and guilds were willing to pool their guile and skill, forming the Hanseatic League in the 14th century, a symbiotic alliance of trade.

Membership in the League ensured Einbeck beer export via land and sea to every accessible market. England, Russia and Scandinavia where easy marks, but France, Belgium, Bavaria and the Mediterranean also were targets.

Some of Einbeck’s exported beer was made by homebrewers. In fact, the mayor himself was the chief brewer. A communal brewing kettle rotated from house to house and any excess beer that passed stringent critique by authorities was exported. This rigorous quality control, coupled with strict fermentation guidelines, guaranteed a minimally flawed, stable product. Historical accounts suggest a beer made of one-third wheat, two-thirds barley, both lightly kilned, top fermented at cool conditions, of somewhat high gravity to weather the travel, and highly hopped (Einbeck was an early hop cultivation center): essentially a hoppy weizenbock.

So what caused the rather dramatic shift that resulted in today’s dark, non-wheat, malt-accented, bottom-fermented beer that we know as doppelbock? The answer is found in a collaboration of Einbeck and Munich brewers, secular and monastic disciplines and ultimately a “Munichizing” of the legendary Einbecker bier.

The Transformation

Until her brewers got access to Einbecker artisans, Munich’s brews were considered rather pedestrian. So keen were the brewers of Munich to learn the superior northern method that King Ludwig X of Bavaria brought braumeisters from Einbeck in 1540 to teach them the ways. This led to limited success until finally, in 1612, Duke Maximilian I hired esteemed Einbeck brewer Elias Pilcher to stay and brew in Munich. This was the turning point.

The death knell of brewing in Einbeck sounded shortly thereafter, as the Thirty Years War and a massive fire ravaged the city. The torch passed to Munich, the new brewing epicenter of Germany. Though under Einbecker tutelage, Munich brewers would make use of its own brewing heritage.

Bottom fermentation and prolonged cold-conditioning methods were kept, as they had been used since around 1400. Darker kilned local barley malt made up the entire grist, and wheat was saved for royal brews. They were brown and lightly hopped, as Munich wasn’t a prolific hop-growing region and the water wasn’t conducive to brewing hoppy beers.

In general, this could be used as a description of modern bocks, virtually unchanged from the 17th century. They were known as bockbier, a corruption of “Ainpoekish Pier,” Bavarian dialect for Einbecker bier. This tidy chronology would continue with the help of an order of monks who came to settle in Munich, “the place of monks,” and the beer evolved into doppelbock.

Alternatively known as helles (pale) bock, Maibocks are brewed in winter and released in late April and May. They are rich yet not overbearing, and are enjoyed before the searing throes of summer. They are transitional, as the warming offerings of winter and early spring give way to something lighter. Skilled brewers subdue the malty overtones of dark bock, and wrap them in the subtleties of lighter German fare. Gold to light amber, Maibock is the perfect compromise. Although relatively new, stylistically speaking, Maibocks might be the closest artifact of the brews that initially made Germany a brewing capitol. The origins of bock beer are akin to the roots of German brewing.

Einbeck as Mecca

Bock may invoke visions of Bavarian castles and lederhosen, but its origin is accredited to the city of Einbeck in Northern Germany. Dubbed “Beer City,” Einbeck proudly plays on its heritage, independence and importance in brewing history. After the Roman Empire (and throughout the Middle Ages), much of Europe existed as a fluid amalgam of cities and kingdoms whose ruling parties changed frequently. Along the corridor that ran from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea, trade (and strife) was waged on both land and water from Great Britain to the Baltic countries.

The bottleneck that comprised Northern Germany and Denmark was the epicenter of this busy trade route, and home to some contentious commerce. Every city or settlement had self interests at heart, but many of these entities banded together to form the Hanseatic League, fostering cooperation and warding off the bandits and rogues that prowled the route. Commodities varied with local or regional specialization: Einbeck was famous for its unique, high quality beers. Even though beer was primarily a local or homebrewed product in the 14th century, Einbecker’s beers were so renowned that they were sent to relatively far-flung markets, such as England, Russia and the Mediterranean.

Why were Einbeck’s wares so revered? Their condition was superior to most brews, allowing them to be exported, a genuine feat for such a perishable product. Perhaps the Einbeck brewers had a knack that others lacked. Much of their success involved ingredients that were known to be softer in color and character than those used by their contemporaries, at a time when all beers were dark, turbid and either sweet or sour—or both. Einbeck’s beers were made with one-third wheat, presenting a different and lighter persona than the status quo. They were also top-fermented, and employed paler-colored malt than was available elsewhere.

Einbeck was located advantageously, at one of the earliest hop cultivation areas of Europe. Though serendipitous, Einbeck brewers had a head start in hop utilization, a significant event. Hop usage offered a balanced and easily-reproducible wort, and the antiseptic qualities of hops ensured unspoiled exported beer. Hop cultivation dates to 822 AD in Germany, but they weren’t extensively used until the 12th century. Until then, proprietary mixture of herbs and spices could be used to balance sweet beer or to mask its sometimes suspicious flavors.

Einbecker beers were ahead of the contemporary curve in refinement and stability. Martin Luther subsisted on the strong gourmet beer during his Diet of Worms and praised the brew thusly: “The best drink known to man is called Einbecker Beer.” Another notable writer described Einbecker beers as “Thin, subtle, clear, of bitter taste, has a pleasant acidity on the tongue, and many other good qualities.”