Kellerbier

[eyalius]

To prime or not to prime?

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

So I've never made a kellerbier, but I love a big head and a lot of carbonation, so I vote to prime.

 

[RM-MN]

Prime but calculate the amount of sugar to get the carbonation level you want. Without priming you will have flat beer. Maybe that appeals to you.

 

[eyalius]

Reading about kellerbier I understand there is no need to prime. Strange. ..

 

[FatDragon]

A little reading shows that Kellerbier is typically served as a cask beer, meaning it would traditionally be only very lightly carbonated. If you're going for that effect in bottled homebrew, you probably want to prime pretty lightly, I'd guess maybe 30-40 grams of priming sugar for a 5-gallon batch. If you're not priming at all, you'll probably end up with flatter-than-cask beer which might be the line between a pleasant session beer and unappealing malt water. If you prime lightly and it's still a bit more than you want, you can always swirl the bottle for a minute between opening and pouring to get a bit of the carbonation out - it's supposed to be a cloudy style so a bit of swirling or bottle agitation before the pour is a good idea anyway.

 

[Hanglow]

Some Kellerbier is called "ungespundet" because Kellerbier typically undergoes fermentation in unbunged vessels. The beer is typically drunk fairly young and the yeast remains in suspension. But the bottles of kellerbier i have drunk are more carbonated and often a bit more clear, so I would prime or if you want to be closer to what they do in franconia etc I would imagine they use even younger beer that has yet to ferment out to prime with

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Some Kellerbier is called "ungespundet" because Kellerbier typically undergoes fermentation in unbunged vessels. The beer is typically drunk fairly young and the yeast remains in suspension. But the bottles of kellerbier i have drunk are more carbonated and often a bit more clear, so I would prime or if you want to be closer to what they do in franconia etc I would imagine they use even younger beer that has yet to ferment out to prime with

True statement(s). However, Kellerbier has become very popular in bottles of late, where you will find it carbonated to fairly normal beer levels (maybe just slightly less), whereas on tap it is less so, but what I have found in my travels (drinking) is that most places serving Kellerbier are serving more conventionally kegged versions than the traditional cask style.
So I think the carbonation level can be adjusted to personal preferences without being way off base for what you are likely to find in Franconia. Just keep it on the lower end of "normal".

 

[beersk]

True statement(s). However, Kellerbier has become very popular in bottles of late, where you will find it carbonated to fairly normal beer levels (maybe just slightly less), whereas on tap it is less so, but what I have found in my travels (drinking) is that most places serving Kellerbier are serving more conventionally kegged versions than the traditional cask style.
So I think the carbonation level can be adjusted to personal preferences without being way off base for what you are likely to find in Franconia. Just keep it on the lower end of "normal".

The kellerbier I think of is Weihenstephaner 1516, fantastic beer I've love to replicate. It's carbonated and hazy, but not turbid. Has that wonderful German bier flavor many of the lagers have. I'd carbonate it to normal amounts of co2, drink it pretty fresh.
As I understand it, it's 90% pils and 10% carared, hopped to 20-25 IBU, with Bavarian lager yeast.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

It's a decent version available in the States and it seems to have a fairly uncomplicated mash bill.
If you can get to norther Bavaria (Franconia), I can point to some MUCH better examples if you're willing to travel around for beer.
My long-time live-in GF is Franconian and that makes me lucky on many counts, not the least of which is that we go visit her family almost annually and when we go, her dad drives us everywhere so I can sample to my heart's content. (Plus she is a tall, leggy, Bavarian beauty).
There is GREAT stuff to be had in Coburg, Steigerwald, Würzburg, Kreuzberg...
All from breweries you've never heard of if you haven't been there.
With beer, the universal rule always applies: fresh and local is better.