New Pilsner from Clausthal: full of taste, only 2.5 % alcohol!

New Pilsner from Clausthal: full of taste, only 2.5 % alcohol!

Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Deutschland - The old marketing saying "Clausthaler - everything a beer needs!" has found a new meaning. Current beer from the research brewery of the Technical University of Clausthal inspires with full taste, but with reduced alcohol content. This is the result of intensive research led by Prof. Frank Endres, who has been working at the TU Clausthal since the end of 2018. On April 23, 2025, a symposium for the day of the beer takes place at this institution, where new developments are presented in the brewing process.

The joy of innovation of the TU Clausthal is made by its President Dr.-Ing. Sylvia Schattauer actively supported. One goal of the research was to create beers with a lower alcohol content. To this end, Prof. Endres questioned the conventional textbook knowledge about the corn process, in particular the temperature management. In the new isothermal high-temperature mash process, the mash is kept constant at 72 degrees, which reduces the activity of the enzyme β-amylase and thus reduces the alcohol content.

innovations in the brewing process

The new procedure enables the production of a Pilsner beer with a original wort of 11.5 ° P and an alcohol content of only 2.5 %. It is particularly exciting that the alcohol content can even be reduced to less than 2 % by using dark malt. In addition to the variety of flavors, this process is also valued in its efficiency: it requires less energy and shortens the entire brewing process.

The cooperation with the Altenau brewery as part of a CIM-funded project is intended to advance the production of low-alcoholic beer. Currently looking for a suitable yeast from the Harz, which through cooperations with experts like Dr.-Ing. Mathias Hutzler and Dr. Martin Zarnkow is supported. The yeast plays a central role in the brewing process, as is also essential in general beer production because it is responsible for alcoholic fermentation.

The symposium for the day of the beer

The symposium, which will take place on April 23, includes exciting lectures on Bier aroma and the history of the Harz Forest. There are a maximum of 30 available places for the participants who can find out more about the latest findings and techniques in beer production. For a century, the beer brewing was determined by traditions - for example, the purity bid enacted in 1516, which stipulates that beer can only consist of water, malt and hops.

beer is not only a popular drink, it also contains valuable nutrients such as B vitamins, phosphoric acid, potassium and magnesium and is still free of fat and cholesterol. The need to ensure a clear and germ -free state requires a sophisticated brewing process, filtration and the right carbon dioxide supply, which is currently provided by companies such as Eaton and Carbo.

The comprehensive importance of chemistry for beer production is undisputed because it not only forms the basis for the chemical reactions in the brewing process, but is also crucial for the quality of the end product. The brewing process itself, which begins with the scrap of the malt and the subsequent mash, requires precise temperature and extensive knowledge to extract the desired aroma substances.

The new developments at the TU Clausthal set new standards in beer research and show that innovation and tradition can go hand in hand. While the preparations for the day of the beer continue, it remains to be seen which further progress will come in the art of brewing from Clausthal.