Kellerbier, Zwickel, Ungespundetes: What Is the Difference?

Kellerbier

Kellerbier is less a tightly protected beer style than a practical description. The beer is usually naturally cloudy and unfiltered. Yeast and fine particles remain in the beer, making it fuller, softer and often slightly yeastier than a bright filtered lager.

The word "Keller" refers to traditional cool cellar storage. In Franconia, Kellerbier usually means a fresh, bottom-fermented, naturally cloudy beer that fits perfectly with beer cellars, Brotzeit and long afternoons outside.

Zwickelbier

Zwickelbier comes from the Zwickelhahn, the sample tap on a lagering tank or cask. Brewers used it to taste beer before filtration. Historically, Zwickelbier was therefore beer drawn directly from tank or cask before the normal filtering or packaging process.

In practice, Zwickelbier is usually also naturally cloudy, unfiltered and fresh. It overlaps strongly with Kellerbier. The difference is mostly in emphasis: Kellerbier points to cellar storage and natural cloudiness, while Zwickel points to fresh beer drawn before filtration.

Ungespundetes

Ungespundetes is the more technical term. It is not primarily about cloudiness, but about pressure and carbonation.

During normal maturation, pressure in the tank or cask can be controlled through spunding. In ungespundetes beer, little or no additional bung pressure is built up, so carbonation is not held in the beer as strongly. The result is usually a beer with less fizz, a softer mouthfeel and a rounder, fuller body.

The best-known Franconian example is Mahr’s Bräu in Bamberg. Its "a U" is a naturally cloudy Kellerbier Ungespundet with 5.2% alcohol. According to Bamberg Tourism, Mahr’s Bräu Ungespundet is still tapped from wooden barrels in the brewery pub and, in summer, in the beer garden. [PLEASE CHECK MANUALLY: serving method and opening hours can change]

What Should I Order?

If you are in Bamberg: go to Mahr’s Bräu and order an "a U", the Ungespundetes. It is one of the best-known examples of this soft Franconian beer character.

If you are in Fränkische Schweiz: order the Kellerbier of the local brewery. It is usually the most honest choice: naturally cloudy, fresh, local and exactly what you want at a wooden table under trees.

If Zwickel appears on the menu, think of it as the especially fresh, unfiltered option. When in doubt, just ask: "Is this your Kellerbier or directly from the Zwickel?" In Franconia, that is a normal question.