The Beer

Our beer is brewed under License and Supervision of Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München.

Hofbräu Premium Lager (5.2 % Alc. by Volume)

The beer that made Hofbräu famous.

A simple, full flavor lager with a crisp finish. The beer Hofbräuhaus has been famous for since 1589.

Hofbräu Munich Weizen (5.4 % Alc. by Volume)

Speciality, born in Munich – loved by the world.

Rich, fairly sweet Old-Style wheat beer with a wonderful combination of banana and clove flavors.

Hofbräu Light (3.8 % Alc. by Volume)

Less alcohol but full in taste.

The Premium Lager has been brewed lighter in body and flavor to respond to the American taste. Similar to American light lagers, but much fresher and more flavorful.

Hofbräu Dunkel ( 5.5 % Alc. By Volume)

For centuries Munich's favourite beer.

Our dark lager. It has a light body, is easy to drink, with simple roasted malt flavor and slight caramel undertones.

Hofbräu Seasonal: “Prussian Export” (5.7 % Alc. by Volume)

Specialty in January.

A slightly bolder and more flavorful version of our Hofbräu Lager. Golden in color, crisp and clean, with just a bit more body, hops and alcohol.

Hofbräu Seasonal: “Adulterator” (Doppelbock) (8.0 % Alc. by Volume)

Specialty in February.

A rich, complex, full bodied Doppelbock with hints of chocolate, coffee, caramel and a bit of a hop presence at the end.

Hofbräu Seasonal: “Märzen” (5.8 % Alc. by Volume)

Specialty in March.

Märzen is our "March" beer. It symbolizes the beginning of Spring. This is an amber colored beer with a rich malty character. There is a hint of hops but the overall profile is smooth and very drinkable.

Hofbräu Seasonal: “Bavarian Wheat” (5.4 % Alc. by Volume)

Specialty in April.

A darker, maltier version of the Weizen beer with the same banana and clove characteristics. It's less sweet, but has a wonderful roasted flavor.

Hofbräu Seasonal: “Maibock” (7.2 % Alc. by Volume)

Specialty in May. Imported directly from the Hofbräuhaus Brewery in Munich. The Maibock was the first bock beer brewed in Munich, in 1614. It has been praised as one of the finest beers that Hofbräu Munich brews.

A rich, flavorful Bock to celebrate the coming of Spring. It's noticeably malty and sweet, with a warming alcohol note.

Hofbräu Seasonal: “German Pilsner” (5.0 % Alc. by Volume)

Specialty in June.

A lot like our Bohemian Pilsner: clean, crisp, and refreshing, but with a bit more hops added for a satisfying flavor.

Hofbräu Seasonal: “Bohemian Pilsner” (5.1 % Alc. by Volume)

Specialty in July

Golden in color, light sweet smell, crisp and refreshing with a very good hop to malt balance.

Hofbräu Seasonal: "Steelers Schwarzbier” (4.8 – 5.5% Alc. by Volume)

Specialty in August

A German dark lager with an opaque, black color, and a full, chocolaty flavor. A rich blend of caramel & chocolate malts creates a malty, sweet flavor with moderate to low hop character.

Hofbräu Seasonal: “1810 Prince Ludwig” (6.0 % Alc. by Volume)

Specialty in September

A flavorful amber lager with a slightly spicy hint of hops in flavor and finish. A little fuller with more malty character than our Hofbräu Lager. This beer was made to celebrate the wedding of Prince Ludwig in this original form.

Hofbräu Seasonal: “Oktoberfest” (6.3 % Alc. by Volume)

Specialty in October. Oktoberfest is the very same beer that Hofbräu serves at its tent in Munich. That tent holds 10,000 people. Only Munich breweries have the privilege to use the name Oktoberfestbier in Germany.

A flavorful lager with a slightly spicy hint of hops in flavor and finish. A little fuller than our Hofbräu Lager. This beer was originally made to celebrate the wedding of Prince Ludwig and changed to this more blond style.

Hofbräu Seasonal: “Weizenbock” (7.8 % Alc. by Volume)

Specialty in November

Brown in color and malty in taste. All of the full bodied rich flavors of a Doppelbock with the signature banana and clove esters of a Weizen.

Hofbräu Seasonal: “Christmasbeer” (5.5 % Alc. by Volume)

Specialty in December

A flavorful amber lager with a rich amount of hops in finish. A little fuller with more malty character than our Hofbräu Lager.

Hofbräu Seasonal: “Zwickelbeer” (5.2 % Alc. by Volume)

Specialty, if our regular Seasonal runs out

Our unfiltered lager. Smooth and richer than the Hofbräu Lager which allows the flavors to linger.

Our beers are brewed on site strictly according to the German Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) using water, hops, malt and yeast only.

[Hofbrähaus Beer Mugs]
 

How Beer is Made at the Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh

1. Malt Department

[Malt Mill]

Before malt can be used in the Brewhouse, it must be milled with a Malt Mill to form grist.

We are using Dark Malt for our Dunkel.

Our Weizen is 50 % Wheat Malt and 50% blond Barley (Pilsner) Malt.

We use 100% Barley Malt for our Lager and Light Lager. The Light Lager has 30% less malt than the Lager

 

2. Brewhouse » 3 Process Steps (in the 2 copper vessels)

[Mash Kettle]

Mashing = Mixing and Heating

Adding malt grist and water

After the malt grist is mixed with water in the Mash Kettle (in technical jargon: “mash”) it is heated in order to convert the malt's starch into sugar.

 

[Lauter Tun]

Lautering = Filtration

Adding water

In the Lauter Tun the liquid (called “wort”) is separated/ filtered from the husk of the malt (called spent grain).

 

[Wort Kettle]

Wort Boiling

Adding hops

In the Wort Kettle, the wort is boiled for 90 minutes to:

  1. Reduce protein haze,
  2. Mix in the hop oils, which adds the flavor and
  3. Sterilize the liquid (wort).
 

3. Whirlpool, Wort Cooling, Yeast Pitching

[Whirlpool]

Whirlpool = Sedimentation

The wort is then sent to the Whirlpool tun. Due to the whirlpool action, the solids from the hops and parts of the protein (called “hot trub”) are separated from the wort.

 

[Plate Heat Exchanger]

Wort Cooling

Adding yeast

As the wort is being cooled down with a Plate Heat Exchanger (Würzekühler) and filled into fermenting tanks, the yeast is added.

 

4. Fermentation, Storage, Filtration and Serving Tanks

[Fermentation]

Fermentation and Storage

During fermentation, the yeast converts the sugar in the wort into alcohol and natural carbonation (CO2).

After the fermentation is complete, lager yeast falls to the bottom of the tank (bottom fermenting yeast) Ale yeast floats to the top of the tank (top fermenting yeast).

When the beer has reached complete maturity, we filter it to make it clear. The beer is then transferred to the Bright Beer Tanks and is ready to serve.

 

Raw Materials

Water

  • The water content in beer is approx. 90% (depending on the beer type).
  • The production of 17 barrels of beer requires approx. 80 barrels of water.
  • The brewing of beer requires potable water.
  • The water's hardness describes the amount of dissolved alkaline in water.
  • Hard water is preferred for the production of dark beer and soft water is preferred for pale beer.

Malt

  • The production of 17 barrels of Lager beer at 11-12% original extract requires approx. 770 Pounds of malt.
  • The sugars derived from the malt result in the original gravity in the wort. The beer`s alcohol content amounts to approx. 1/3 of the content of original gravity in the wort.
  • During the production of malt the grain will be steeped 1 to 2 days, until it reaches a moisture content of approx. 45%. The germination period follows for the next 5 to 6 days. Finally, during the kilning (approx. 20 hours) the germinating grist will be dried carefully with warm air. The dried malt, that is now ready for use, contains aromatic characteristics, color and is also easily stored.
  • Pale malt (for pale beer) will be heated in the kilning to approx. 185°F. Dark malt (for dark and more palateful beer) will be germinated longer and needs higher temperatures during the kilning.

Hops

  • The hop plant is a vining plant that reaches the height of 20 feet.
  • One hop plant produces approx. 1pound of dry hops.
  • The hop is a special, spicy ingredient which is responsible for the bitterness and characteristic flavor of beer.
  • The hop positively influences foam, acts as a natural preservative, and has a soothing digestive effect.
  • Different types of hops are used for bittering, flavoring and aromatics. They are added using varying amounts and at different times during wort boiling in order to achieve the desired results.

Yeast

  • The yeast is responsible for fermentation, as it transforms sugar in the wort into alcohol and CO2.
  • The fermentation of 17 barrels of wort to beer requires approx. 5 gallons of yeast.
  • There are more than 500 unique yeast strains, which are used to create the many different styles of beer.
[Hofbrähaus Tanks]