Beer Style Guide: Get to Know German Helles Exportbier with Em Sauter
One of the lesser-known German-style lagers here in America, German Helles Exportbier, also known as Dortmunder Export or sometimes simply by Export Lager is a unique, regional specialty of Germany.
The city of Dortmund in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany has very interesting water chemistry. It’s incredibly hard, meaning there are a lot of minerals in it, making it tricky to brew with. Brewing golden lagers with this kind of water used to be impossible as the rockiness of the water would make the beer taste bitter and unpalatable but thanks to technology and more knowledge about water chemistry, the city of Dortmund started to brew its trademark lager in the late 1870’s thanks to the popularity of golden lagers and pilsners. Because of its water, the flavor of the beer is a little rocky and crisp. Dortmunders also used slightly fewer hops than a pilsner and darker malts to counteract the high sulfate character of its water so the beer can be slightly darker than a German Pilsner or Munich Helles.
Is the water the only thing that separates this from being a pilsner? No, it’s also the alcohol level. Dortmunder beers are “export” strength which historically meant the beer was higher alcohol and would potentially ship better across the globe. We can see this kind of name on beers like Foreign Export Stout. Dortmunders can be up to 6% ABV, which is slightly higher than a Pilsner or Helles which are usually around 5% ABV.
The recipe for a beer like a Dortmunder is quite simple as well - pilsner malt (plus a little Vienna and Munich malt to smooth out the taste), Noble hops, hard water for crispness and fullness, lager yeast. Classic German simplicity.
While this style had a heyday after WW2, its popularity waned during the 1970s with the rise of more mass-produced international pale lagers (and more beers brewed with cheaper fermentables like corn and rice). This author has never had an authentic Dortmunder sad to say. With the popularity of lagers in America nowadays, smaller breweries are brewing this style.
Food Pairing
For food pairings, the dryness and higher alcohol make it a great party beer for foods like BBQ (especially something with lots of tangy BBQ sauce) or a really great deli sandwich.
Beers to Try
This is the one original Dortmunder Export you can find in America (although sadly not where the author is from in Connecticut). Worth seeking out if it is available in your neck of the woods.
Great Lakes Brewing Dortmunder Gold Lager
In beer circles, the most recognized American made Dortmunder lager and distributed throughout the Midwest and some parts of the East Coast as well. Great Lakes beers are excellent and this is worth seeking out if you are interested in seeing what makes a Dortmunder beer unique.
Your local brewery!
Lagers are having a moment with more craft breweries taking nods from traditional lager brewing with the result being a tasty proliferation of lager styles. Your local brewery may be in on this and if so, chances are a Dortmunder could be in your future! Do some research and you may be richly rewarded.