For the past few years, we have seen a rise in European beer influences gaining popularity within Pennsylvania craft beer. Whether it’s the side pull tap (which eventually brought on the Milk Pour) or Kölsch Service. Overseas influences have played a major role in how Pennsylvanians are consuming locally-made craft beer.
It now would appear that we are on the cusp of the next one; the Bierstacheln. “Beer Spiking” or “Beer Poking” (as it’s commonly referred to) is the act of heating up a metal spike and then plunging it into your beer.
The tradition comes from the time of year when beer was being consumed. During the winter months, beer would be stored in outdoor storage containers and become too cold to consume. So blacksmiths came up with the idea of stirring the beer with blazing hot spikes (now commonly referred to as a bierstachel) to heat up the beer.
While the initial goal was to heat the beer to warmer drinking temperatures, the impact had a much more delicious result. The heat from the poker ends up caramelizing the sugar in the beer which provides a much richer flavor while also introducing a creamier finish with longer lasting foam.
We recently spoke with Ryan Foltz (co-owner/ head brewer at Pour Man’s Brewing) about the process to understand it a bit more. The Central PA brewery recently introduced it as a special option at their taproom in Ephrata, PA.
“We really enjoy providing authentic traditional experiences when it comes to beer,” Foltz says about the approach at Pour Man’s. “When we make a lager we try to create what is the traditional example of that style historically and sometimes during that research we stumble upon historical ways of serving styles that we think will enhance the beer and we do our best to accurately accomplish that in the taproom. When we researched for the first batch of our new Dunkel lager I discovered the Bierstacheln and was hooked!”
We also spoke to Foltz about serving the beer. Unlike other European influences beer spiking requires the use of an intense heat source to accomplish the goal. Something that can be difficult to offer in a bustling taproom full of guests. “Serving across the bar is tricky and takes preparation so we do not offer this all the time just on special occasions. I made a stainless holder to safely hold an open flame warmer that holds the stainless Bierstacheln over the flame” Foltz said about how they currently offer it.
With regards to which beers the process is currently offered, don’t expect to find it available across the tap list. Foltz went on to explain how the tradition of beer spiking still lives on to this day with which beer it is offered for. “If you look at the timeframe of when the Bierstacheln was created in Germany you would see that basically everyone would have been drinking amber lagers and bocks. This tradition works best with these beers since the Bierstacheln can magnify the already malty flavor of these styles.”
As of this writing, very few breweries in Pennsylvania are offering the service. But much like the European influences before them, don’t be surprised if you see sales of bierstachel’s start to skyrocket in PA.
