tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686013504634661397.post4932263341615028858..comments2023-10-06T08:35:21.951-04:00Comments on The Would-be Brewmaster: Kräusening, never again! At least probably never againJason Chalifourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01294535025892543299noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686013504634661397.post-50771382025267062482020-02-07T12:23:26.707-05:002020-02-07T12:23:26.707-05:00I did say "arguably".....
It is interes...I did say "arguably".....<br /><br />It is interesting revisiting this and seeing your comment almost three years after writing this. About six months after posting I started working in the industry which has changed my perspective on a lot of things. I don't disagree with a lot of of your points. The best craft versions of traditional styles that I've found employ traditional methods and use traditional ingredients. Jason Chalifourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01294535025892543299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686013504634661397.post-410841898822721592020-02-07T10:02:22.708-05:002020-02-07T10:02:22.708-05:00Jason, you wrote: "There are also traditional...Jason, you wrote: "There are also traditional methods that were employed for various reasons that no longer make sense with modern brewing methods and ingredients. Kräusening arguably fits both". I've been home brewing since 1988 and one of my passions is the quest for the most authentic European-style lager I could possibly make. In my experience, the closest I ever come is when I employ true kraeusening methods. Regarding "modern brewing methods", the average craft brewery in America uses modern methods and equipment in an attempt to brew a wide range of beer styles. Traditional breweries in Europe aren't like this, Fuller's in England make world class English ales, not German lagers or Belgian ales. Likewise for Belgian and German breweries, each are equipped with specific "modern" equipment, designed to make a specific style of beer. I believe it is the attempt by American craft brewers to paint with a broad brush that leads to such poor examples of classic styles, including some of the worst examples of European lagers I've ever tasted. So of course kraeusening is impractical for most craft breweries that have neither the knowledge or equipment to practically employ the method (regardless of using "modern brewing methods"), but for the home brewer who can turn on a dime and adjust his or her brewery to craft any style in the world, kraeusening certainly has a place, and in my view, is vital to crafting the most authentic lagers. Modern brewing methods therefore sounds like a catch phrase for "short cut". Something that most modern craft breweries are happy to take in an attempt to make anything other than what they are equipped to make; a simple craft ale.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03862703086444225392noreply@blogger.com