Elsbeerenbrand

Fruit spirit traditionally produced from Elsbeere (Wild Service Tree, Sorbus torminalis L.) in Lower Austria.
 
Record Number: 32
 
 
 
 
Disclosure Date
Oldest known mention of the name Elsbeere by Martin Luther (1483-1546).
 
 

Photo: Kulinari...

Title
Elsbeerenbrand
(Wild Service Tree spirit) 
 
 
 
 
    
Abstract or claim
Fruit spirit traditionally produced from Elsbeere (Wild Service Tree, Sorbus torminalis L.) in Lower Austria.
 
Name of product, Product class
Spirit drinks
 
Name of region
Lower Austria, Austria 
 
Field of search
Agriculture and Spirit drinks 
  
Name  of information provider 
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Name of applicant for title 
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Holder of knowledge or associated resources 
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Grantee(s), holder(s),
assignee(s) or owner(s) of title, if any
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Descriptors
- History:
Since time immemorial, the fruits of the Wild Service Tree have been used in traditional medicine because of their astringent effects which are due to the high tannin content.
In Austria fruits of the Wild Service Tree have been used for the distillation of specific fruit spirit for a long time.
The oldest known mention of the German term Elsbeere comes from Martin Luther’s (1483-1546) note in which he orders Elsbeere for the treatment of his wife Katharina von Bora.

- Region:
Lower Austria, mainly in the foothills of the Alps. Exceptional frequently found in the surroundings of the villages Brand, Laaben and Michelbach in the Vienna Forest.
 
- Elsbeere (Wild Service Tree):
The Wild Service Tree (Sorbus torminalis L.) belongs to the family Rosaceae, subfamily Maloideae, genus Sorbus.
The scientific name comes from the Latin word sorbere (= to slurp;  the juice pressed from berries) and torminalis which means “good for colic”.
The Elsbeere is also called Ruhrbirne (literally dysentery pear) as the berries are traditionally known as herbal remedy for colic.
Moreover, synonymes in German are Atlasbaum, Adlitzbeere, Arlsbeere, Arisbeere, Elzbeere, Schweizer Birnbaum and Wilder Sperberbaum.
 
Wild Service Trees are native in the deciduous woodlands from Central and Southern Europe to the Caucasus and are suitable for cultivation in extensive grassland-orchard management systems.
 
Wild Service Trees are deciduous trees which grow to a height of about 20 m and can live to three hundred years of age. Occasionally they are shrub-like, especially when growing on rocky shallow soils.
 
The trees prefer lime and clay-based soils. As they are thermophilic, they are sensitive to heavy frosts. Moreover, they are susceptible to fireblight.
The very hard wood of Wild Service Trees is extremely valuable.
 
Trees older than 12 years produce branched clusters of white flowers in May and June. The fruits, which are 8-10 mm in diameter, ripen in September to November. When fully ripe the edible, ginger-coloured berries turn to brown with lighter dots.
The berries are hard at the beginning, but become pasty and contain less tannins after having been exposed to frost. Therefore, harvesting should start after the first frost, if possible. Harvesting is labour-intensive as the berries are not falling off by themselves. Ladders have to be used to manually harvest the berries and their twigs, often at a height of 10 m. Twigs and their berries are kept in airy places to allow for further maturing. After that the berries are removed from the twigs (picked, Austrian “abrebeln”) and mashed.
The ripe fruits taste dryly, sandy-floury and sourly-sweet. They show a high content of vitamin C, pectin, flavonoglycosides and fruit acids. The flavour resembles that of apples and pears.
 
- Utilization:
For the production of fruit spirit the berries are mashed and fermented by adding water and yeast at a temperature of about 20^o  C. The double-distilled fruit spirit (about 60% vol. ethyl alcohol) is diluted with distilled water as the minimum alcohol content by volume of Elsbeerenbrand shall be 42% vol. After that, the fruit spirit is stored for maturing under dark and not too warm conditions for at least one year. Elsbeerenbrand has a distinct smell resembling almonds.
Elsbeerenbrand spirit is an exclusive speciality as the amount of brandy is limited by the facts that
- the trees have perennial intervals without fruits so that trees
  usually deliver a good harvest only every 7 years and as
- 100 litres of mash yields only 3 litres of fruit spirit.
 
- Protection:
-
 
Key Words 
Agriculture and Spirit drinks, Traditional Knowledge, Austria, Lower Austria, region, Elsbeere, Ruhrbirne, Atlasbaum, Adlitzbeere, Arlsbeere, Arisbeere, Elzbeere, Schweizer Birnbaum, Wilder Sperberbaum,Wild Service Tree, Wild Service Tree Spirit,fruit spirit, Elsbeere spirit,  Sorbus torminalis L.
 
Bibliography / References
- Vogelbeere & Elsbeere 
  http://www.spiritsmedia.at/index1.htm
- Elsbeere 
  http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at/aeiou.encyclop.e/e511627.htm
- Elsbeere 
  http://www.tomshardware.de/lexikon/Elsbeere
- Obstbrände 
  http://www.schnapsnase.at/lexikon/lexikonobst.html
- Die Elsbeere 
  http://www.elsbeere.at/Elsbeere/elsbeere.htm
- Elsbeere – die Königin der Obstbrände 
  http://www.landfuergeniesser.at/geniesser/default_main.asp?medium=GENIESSER&sprache=d&id=14494&tt=GENIESSER_R4
- Alternative Obstsorten 
  http://www.schreiber-baum.at/alternativ.htm 
- Elsbeere- Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz 
  http://www.seba.ethz.ch/pdfs/ebe.pdf
- Sorbus (Eberesche, Speierling, Mehlbeere, Elsbeere)     
  http://www.garteninfos.de/wildobst/Dipl2-6.html
- Elsbeere 
  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsbeere
- Wild Service Tree 
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbus_torminalis 
 
Language Code
German

Product of www.genuss-region.at
No

Regional contact 
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Authors: Eva Sommer, Dr. Erhard Höbaus
 

09.11.2011, Lebensministerium III/4