Whatever your views on Brexit, beer seems to have less politics when it comes to borders. Many London breweries have employed brewers from all over the world, influencing and adding to the wonderful mix of flavours that we can experience. But this can work the other way too! Burchard Stock spent a couple of years as the brewer for Brewhouse & Kitchen in Highgate, brewing all sorts of beer styles from the UK, USA and elsewhere. Earlier this year however, Burchard decided to return to his native Germany and we caught up with him in Munich to discuss what he was doing now and the difference in the beer scenes.
Once again, Burchard is brewing in a small brewery; this time it is Schiller Brau, a restaurant in a hotel a short walk from Munich Hauptbahnhof railway station. It’s immaculate with shiny copper vessels on show by the window and conditioning tanks visible through glass in the lower floor restaurant area. It’s clear that no expense has been spared. Although not large (they brew around 4,000 to 5,000 litres per month), they have their own malt mill to ensure that the grain is milled to exactly the right consistency to suit the kit, something many brewers would appreciate and envy. The kit is all cleaning in place (CIP) so, although Burchard brews on his own, the labour is considerably less than it was in London.
The hotel is owned by the Lindiner Group, which is a family owned engineering business. They always wanted to run hotels however, so they renovated a hotel in Mariakirchen and also included a brewery. So delighted were they with the concept, they have repeated the idea four times, along with another ten hotels (including one in London under the MK brand). The restaurant is run by two enthusiastic ladies but the brewery is ‘on the side’ said Burchard, although 95% of the beer is sold on the premises. He explained, “Due to the lagering, we don’t have enough space to sell to other outlets. Most of the beer is draught but there is a small amount in bottles, which is usually bought by regulars or hotel guests. We only give it a month as, like our draught, it is unfiltered and unpasteurised. It may well last longer but I haven’t had a chance to test it yet.”
The beers brewed are traditional for the area and thus are malt led. It appears that most people want a typical Bavarian style beer, which means Helles, Weisse and Dunkel, all of which are designed to be easy, volume drinking as reflected in the litre steins consumed in the various beer gardens and beer halls around the City. Burchard’s staple hops are Magnum for bittering and Hersbruker and Mittelfruh for aroma and flavour according to the beer. As you could probably guess, the malt store has plenty of Pils, Caramalt, Munich and Cara Pils alongside wheat. In addition to the three regular beers, there is a monthly special. As with all breweries in Munich, September means the run up to the Octoberfest and thus, unsurprisingly, the special on sale was an Octoberfest beer. Burchard observed, “These days, a lot of the festival beers are variations on Helles, whereas traditionally they were a lot darker. I have tried to reflect this in my brew and was delighted when a regular to the restaurant said it took him back to the way these beers used to be.” It was fairly clear that Burchard was chuffed with this feedback although the brewery will not be represented at the Octoberfest. As he explained, “Firstly, you have to be brewing for at least ten years in Munich itself – we only started a few years ago – and secondly, you have to have your own well. There is one brewery I know who is considering this but we are too small at the moment.”
Schiller’s attractive glassware
The other primary factor in brewing in Munich is the Reinheitsgebot, the traditional brewing laws. Although these are no longer legally enforceable, they are still adhered to. To comply, things can be taken away from a beer but not added so forget Burtonising or adjusting the pH of the water. Burchard has to buy in acidified malt as Munich’s water is hard so not ideally suited to beers such as Pils. Of course, the Reinheitsgebot is all about quality and although he may miss brewing the odd highly hopped APA, Burchard believes that this is a small price to pay, “I enjoy it here. The whole emphasis is on service and quality from the kitchen to the beer. The food is about quality rather than quantity and the beer is designed to add to the food led experience.” It is no surprise therefore that booking is essential and a lot of UK’s brewery pubs could learn a lot from this Munich restaurant.
Christine Cryne