Kellerbier and zwickelbier: unfiltered lagers explained
Most lager you drink has been filtered bright. Kellerbier and zwickelbier skip that step, leaving yeast and haze in the glass. They come from Franconia in northern Bavaria. The difference between the two names tells a small story about German brewing.
Lager without the polish
Most lager, from mainstream brands to many craft examples, is filtered before packaging. Filtration removes yeast and haze-forming particles, giving a brilliant, clear beer that keeps longer on the shelf. Our guide to beer filtration explains how it works.
Kellerbier and zwickelbier are lagers that skip filtration. They are served hazy, with some yeast still in suspension. That changes the flavour, the texture and how long the beer stays fresh.
Long, cold lagering already clears beer a good deal on its own. Yeast settles to the bottom of the tank over weeks at near-freezing temperatures. An unfiltered lager is therefore not muddy. It usually has a soft, even haze rather than the thick cloud of a hazy IPA or a hefeweizen.
Kellerbier: beer from the cellar
Keller means cellar. The name comes from the traditional lagering cellars of Franconia, the northern part of Bavaria around Bamberg and Nuremberg, where beer was conditioned in cool caves and drunk on the spot in the beer gardens built above them. Kellerbier is an unfiltered lager, often amber or deep gold, with a soft, bready malt character.
Traditionally kellerbier was also less carbonated, because it was conditioned in vessels that were not fully sealed and lost some CO2. Many modern kellerbiers are carbonated more like normal lager, but some still pour with a gentle, soft fizz. Hop bitterness varies from soft to fairly firm, depending on the brewery.
Zwickelbier: beer from the sample tap
A Zwickel is the small sample tap on a lagering tank, the valve a brewer uses to draw a taste and check how the beer is coming along. Zwickelbier means beer as it comes out of that tap: young, unfiltered and fresh. It is usually paler than many kellerbiers, closer to a cloudy Helles, with a soft malt sweetness and gentle bitterness.
In practice the two words overlap and breweries use them loosely. As a rough guide, zwickelbier suggests a pale, young, unfiltered lager. Kellerbier suggests a fuller, often darker, more traditional unfiltered lager from Franconia. Our Helles style guide describes the pale lager that many zwickels resemble.
What they taste like
Compared with the same beer filtered, an unfiltered lager tastes rounder and fuller. The yeast adds a light bready or doughy note and a softer mouthfeel. Hop aroma often feels fresher, because filtration strips some hop compounds along with the haze. Some drinkers notice a faint sulphur note in very young lager, a normal by-product of lager yeast that fades with time.
The overall impression should still be clean. A kellerbier is not an ale. There should be no strong fruity esters, no sourness and no buttery diacetyl. Hazy does not mean sloppy.
Why freshness decides everything
Unfiltered lager does not keep as well as filtered lager. The yeast in suspension can break down over time and add off notes. The delicate malt and hop flavour fades. These beers are best drunk young and cold, ideally close to where they were brewed. In Franconia many are only served on draught at the brewery itself.
In India, the best place to find something similar is a brewpub that serves its lager unfiltered straight from the tank. Some brewpubs offer a zwickel or kellerbier as a seasonal, or serve their house lager unfiltered as standard. If you see one on the board, it is worth ordering and worth tasting next to a filtered lager if the brewpub has both.
Tasting them well
Serve them cold but not ice cold, around 6 to 8 °C, so the malt can show. Pour gently with a moderate head. Look at the haze, smell for bread and fresh hops, then taste for softness and a clean finish. A good kellerbier tastes like the cellar it came from: cool, fresh and simple. It is a reminder that some of the best beer is the least processed.
In Franconian beer gardens these beers are often served in stoneware mugs, which keep them cool and hide the haze. You lose the look but keep the temperature, a fair trade on a summer afternoon. At home a plain glass lets you see what you are drinking.
Common questions
What is the difference between kellerbier and zwickelbier?
Both are unfiltered German lagers. Zwickelbier usually means a pale, young lager drawn straight from the tank, while kellerbier often refers to a fuller, sometimes darker traditional Franconian unfiltered lager. Breweries use the terms loosely.
Why is kellerbier cloudy?
It is not filtered, so yeast and haze-forming particles stay in the beer. The cloudiness is part of the style and adds a softer texture and fresher flavour.
Does unfiltered lager go off faster?
Yes. Unfiltered lager is best drunk fresh and kept cold. Over time the yeast and the delicate flavours change, so it does not keep as long as filtered lager.
