Schöps

Overall Impression Schöps is a polish wheat-beer style fermented with ale yeast, full of fruity aroma and flavor.

Aroma

Medium-high pome fruit esters like apple, pear and stone fruit like plum, sometimes reminiscent of quince and ripe peach. Medium mou notes with hints of spicy like pepper. No hop aroma.

Appearance

Deep yellow to dark brown, straw to almost clear, with fluffy head and slow rising bubbles as beer is almost dense.

Flavor

Medium to medium-high malty sweetness, like honey, caramel, light molasses with very low bitterness. Fruity flavor in aftertaste reminiscent of stone fruit, ripe, from peach to prune to dried fruits like dried apricot and date, following the color and malts used. Not totally attenuated, medium dryness.

Mouthfeel

Chewy and thick body, never cloying, medium-high density and viscosity, still almost easy drinkable.

Comments

Different special malts may change the color, there could be light and dark versions.

History

Brewed since the mid-16th century in Wrocław, Schöps brought the city fame and prestige that went beyond the Silesia region and lasted for over two centuries. Considered the leading beer in this part of the Old Continent, Schops was mentioned for the first time in 1553 when the city council of Brzeg banned its delivery. Most probably Schöps had been brewed a few decades earlier as different sources cite the appreciation of “the beer from Wrocław” in numerous towns of Silesia in the first half of the 16th century. Today the forsaken recipe has been brought back by Browar Stu Mostow in Wroclaw.

Characteristic Ingredients

The majority of grist is wheat malts, also used over 80% of light, dark and chocolate wheat malts. to recreate the flavour of the previously brewed beer. The caramel and melanoid barley malts are added to achieve the fullness and enrich wheat malt aromas. Traditional decoction mashing based was typical on separating and boiling part of the mash. Since Schöps was considered to be a stronger beer, it could have OG around 14.5 Palto. Traditional polish hop varieties as Lomik or equivalent should be used, despite its low bitterness and aroma contribution. Low-attenuative yeast strain to leave some residual sugar to boost the body.

Style Comparison

Similar to Dunkelweizen with more body and no banana and clove aroma. The beer was known to be slightly lighter than the German Bockbier. Still, alcohol extract is quite low thanks to high fermentation yeast strain that is of low attenuation level, which accounts for the beer’s maltiness.

Vital Statistics

IBUs 15 – 30 SRM 3 – 8 OG 1.054 – 1.058 FG 1.015 – 1.020 ABV 4.0 – 5.0%

Commercial Examples

Stu Mostçw WRCLW Schöps 

Contributor

Angelo Ruggiero

Additional Sources

Schoeps Bier (website), Browar Stu Mostòw (website)