Insights into Düsseldorf's brewing culture
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Brewery
In Düsseldorf since 1850
Hausbrauerei "Zum Schlüssel"
Discover how the unique Original Schlüssel beer is created from high-quality ingredients such as barley, hops and malt. Our master brewer follows strict quality criteria and monitors every step of the brewing process with the utmost care and craftsmanship.
We invite you to try Original Schlüssel, a beer which is brewed in a traditional style with open fermentation. The natural top-fermented brewing process gives our Original Schlüssel beer its mild, full-bodied flavour.
Experts have also recognised this and Original Schlüssel has twice won the gold medal for best Altbier at the international European Beer Star Award.
How our Original Schlüssel is made
Our brewing process – top-fermented
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The malt
To produce malt, malting barley is germinated and then dried on a kiln. The malt is therefore an entirely natural product that serves as a source of sugar for the yeast to ferment and gives the beer a wide variety of flavours. Altbier is a highly regarded, traditional style of beer that stands out from other beer styles due to its dark colour. This is due to the addition of roasted malt.
The grist mill
Our grist mill – a reliable employee for 80 years – breaks up the malt during the milling process so that the nutrients and starch can be extracted during the brewing process. This breakdown forms the basis for extracting from the malt the unique aromas, colours and flavours that characterise Original Schlüssel.
Mash & wort kettle
This malt – both light and dark – is mixed with water after milling. This activates the enzymes in the malt, which convert the starch into sugar. This critical process, known as mashing, produces the malt sugar which is later converted into alcohol by the Original Schlüssel yeast. Precise temperature control and know-how are crucial when it comes to achieving the desired flavour profiles and characteristics.
Lauter tun
Once the mash has reached full saccharification, it passes through the lauter tun. This is where the clear, sugary wort is separated from the solid residue that remains after the mashing process. The clear wort, now free of solid components, is returned to the wort kettle to start the boiling process. The solids that remain are known as spent grains, a high-quality animal feed that is regularly collected by local farmers.
Addition of hops
While the clear wort is being boiled, we add the Hallertau aroma hops. This is particularly valuable as it develops an extraordinary variety of aromas due to the favourable climatic conditions and the fertile soil. The exact quantity and type of Hallertau aroma hops used and the timing of their addition during boiling are carefully balanced to achieve the desired flavour profile of Original Schlüssel.
Wort kettle
The hops are dissolved and released during the boiling of the wort; an important step in the brewing process, that gives our Original Schlüssel additional characteristic aromas and its pleasant bitterness. At the same time, the evaporation of a defined amount of water leaves the original gravity at exactly 12.5%. This level of precision in the original gravity is crucial for the subsequent alcohol content of 5.0% vol.
Whirlpool & wort chiller
Once the wort has been boiled, it enters the whirlpool, making a significant contribution to the clarity and quality of Original Schlüssel. Our whirlpool uses centrifugal force to separate solid components, such as hop residues and proteins, from the wort. The clarified wort is then drawn off from above and cooled to around 16°C in the wort chiller.
Open fermentation
Traditional open fermentation is typical for Rhineland beers and a quality feature of the art of craft brewing, with which we guarantee the outstanding quality and excellent taste of Original Schlüssel. We are particularly proud of our top-fermented Original Schlüssel yeast – a unique and pure yeast that contributes significantly to the consistent quality and special aroma of Original Schlüssel. We add the top-fermenting Original Schlüssel yeast to the wort in fermentation vats specially made for us, which converts the malt sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide and develops additional flavour profiles. Another particular advantage of open fermentation is the shallow vats, which provide the yeast – a living organism – with a gentle working environment without excessive pressure. In addition, unwanted fermentation by-products are eliminated through the foaming of the vats. Open fermentation lasts 3 to 4 days.
Storage tank
After primary fermentation, the “green” beer is carefully transferred to our storage cellar; patience is required as it matures here for around 20 days at a constant temperature of 2°C. During the maturing process, further aromatic substances develop, giving Original Schlüssel its unique and unmistakable taste. At the same time, carbon dioxide is produced naturally.
Filtration
After the maturation period, our beer undergoes gentle filtration. Two sheet filters, made of compostable cellulose and with defined pore sizes, help to remove fine particles, including yeast cells and protein compounds. One important point: at our brewery, no thermal preservation processes take place, as is common in other breweries through short-term heating or pasteurisation. These processes can lead to an undesirable oxidation of oxygen molecules, impacting the flavour by accelerating aging processes – an approach that contradicts our quality principles.
Barrel filling & bar
For bottled beer, the finished beer is transported to the bottling plant in tankers. For the beer that is served at the “Schlüssel”, we fill wooden barrels with a typical capacity of 100 litres in our barrel cellar, which is located directly below the restaurant. The filled barrels are stored in cold stores at a constant temperature of 4°C. This way, you can always enjoy your Original Schlüssel at an optimum temperature of between 4°C and 6°C.Zum Wohl. Zum Schlüssel!
The art of Alt
Award-winning beers from Hausbrauerei Zum Schlüssel
The “Original Schlüssel” and “Hopfen Symphonie” beers from Hausbrauerei Zum Schlüssel have already won numerous prestigious awards, including gold medals at the “European Beer Star” and “Meininger’s International Craft Beer Award”. These competitions are known for their rigorous and detailed evaluation, with experts judging the beers on appearance, smell, taste and overall impression.
One particular aspect of the competitions is the descriptive analysis, which sees the beers evaluated in up to 21 different attributes. The awards in the “Düsseldorf-Style Altbier” category underline our ability to produce authentic and tasty beers that are popular with connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike.
These accolades demonstrate our commitment to quality and precise craftsmanship, underpinned by the use of the best ingredients and careful production processes. They confirm our commitment to brewing outstanding beers that reflect the tastes of our customers.
The history of Hausbrauerei Zum Schlüssel
The place now known as Hausbrauerei Zum Schlüssel was first mentioned in 1632 under the illustrious name of “Zu den drei Königen”, then owned by Johann von Monheim.
In 1850, more than 200 years later, Jakob Schwenger acquired the building. He opened a bakery and a brewery there, as at that time bakers were the only profession allowed to work with yeast and offer “liquid bread”. The “Zum Schlüssel” restaurant was opened in 1913. The name “Schlüssel” dates back to the medieval custom of the key to the city gate being kept in a neighbouring inn. A symbolic key can also be found in the logo of today’s brewery.
The master brewer Carl Gatzweiler, from the city of Neuss, and his wife Maria took over the pub with their two sons Simon and Jakob Gatzweiler in 1936. They renovated it at great expense, before opening it on St. Martin’s Day in 1938. The Gatzweiler family has owned the brewery ever since. Today, Karl-Heinz Gatzweiler runs the business.
