The Bitten Bullet

Allgäuer Büble Bier

2013-04-15T23:25:00.001+02:00

Allgäuer Brauhaus, another part of the behemoth Oetker Group (under the Radeberger stable) has a much larger range than I previously thought. I got to try a tiny part of their range recently, beginning with their Allgäuer Büble Bier, the Edelbräu version. I'm guessing that Büble is Allgäur dialect for a little boy, similar to the local dialect in my village calling a boy a Bub, or a girl a Merle, and the picture on the label would reinforce this. No problem with little boys carrying foaming tankards here!

A sparkling, clear gold with a frothy white head, Büble Bier struck me as having classically German hop aroma, all grass, hay and pine cones in spades. All good so far. The first sip is remarkable fruity, in a raspberry, gooseberry way, but it's just a flash, replaced swiftly by a sugary sweetness which then moves directly on to a lingering bitterness that smacks just a little too much of burnt plastic for my taste. Simple and unpleasant. Looks nice, though, doesn't it?

Badger, badger, badger

2013-04-10T11:21:00.000+02:00

For years I've been fascinated by the labels on the Dachsenfranz beers, with that photo of an old geezer, Der Dachsenfranz on the front. Originally Italian, legend has it that Francesco Regali arrived in this region in the latter half of the 19th century, after killing a man (assumed to be a superior in Garibaldi's guerrilla forces) during the Italian wars of independence, from which he fled. He settled in the area around Kraichgau, and made himself useful as a trapper there and in the Odenwald area, not too far from where I live. Kind of like a Grizzly Adams, but with badgers and stoats instead of bears. Hence his name, Badger Franz. At the outbreak of the First World War, he simply disappeared.

The folk at the Adlerbrauerei in Zuzenhausen clearly found this character interesting enough to create a whole brand and range of beers bearing his name. I've had a few of these before, but hadn't made notes till recently, when these two appeared in a mixed crate my wife bought as a pre-birthday present.

Dachsenfranz Kellerbier is a pale, greenish straw, and is, frankly, a little insipid-looking, but with an impressively creamy-looking head. Quite a strong aroma too that initially shouts, well, "beery", if you know what I mean. This resolves to a strong pine resin with a twist of lemon zest. It's pretty much the same description or the flavour, on top of a white sliced pan breadiness, and a cabolic tang amplifying a tangy zing to the finish. It;s not bad, and the zesty finish lifts up what could have been a rather standard Kellerbier. Gassy, though.

A clear, dark amber, Dachsenfranz Dunkel exudes a rather fruity aroma, with raisins, strawberries and an ever-so-gentle choclatey backdrop. Compared to some vlassic Munich Dunkels I've tried recently, this hits far more buttons in the flavour stakes. Sure, it's relatively sweet, but in a maltose rather than sucrose way, with healthy doses of berries, light chocolate, creme caramel and a small nip of cappuccino. FInishing with blackcurrent sorbet cut with caramel, sueffig would be the right German word to describe it going down. Rather good, and one I'd happily buy a crate of.

Of course, it's impossible to drink these without having this playing in my head!

The Munich Beer Hall Tour

2013-03-29T00:55:00.003+01:00

The morning after we were at Braukunst Live, TheBeerNut, Kieron and myself ventured out to the Viktualienmarkt for a spot of breakfast, which of course had to be Weisswurst, however with coffee instead of Weissbier. Joined soon after by Brian (AKA Lazarus), Mark and Jon, we were set to go visit a long list of beer halls. However, the sea of red football scarves around us in the Markt foretold trouble was ahead, as masses of Duesseldorfers descended on Munich for a match.

The calm before the storm?

We tried to get into the Schneider Weisses Brauhaus, but it was not to be, so we soldiered on to the rather upmarket-looking, and pretty empty Wirtshaus Ayingers. At least it was pretty much empty when we arrived, shortly after 11, but soon filled up. It's not so "traditional" looking as other hostelries, but still has lots of wood, in a more art deco kind of way. An apparent trainee tapping a barrel livened things up, resulting in some punters ducking behind the bar and a bollocking from the boss, and by the time we left it was well busy.

Beer-wise, I tried the Altbairishes Dunkel. Crystal clear, chestnut brown, sweet, light raisins on the nose, it had a proper malty, caramelly sweetness with a bite of burnt toffee and a huskiness bringing a snap to the finish. Raisins and a mild pepperiness lingered, but I can't say I was overly impressed. The Kellerbier, on the other hand, golden and hazy, was really refreshing. Dry, biscuity, lemon-soap. A good morning beer.

We reckoned that with the match due to begin around 3ish, it just wasn't worth trying to get into any of the popular central beer halls before then (though we did try), so we hopped on the S-Bahn out to Forschungsbrauerei, just a 15 minute ride from the city centre.

Forschungsbrauerei was well filled with locals, so they had to open the back room for the six of us to have a table. Being that time of year, they also had their St. Jakobus Blonder Bock on, and we were all encouraged to try it (narrowly avoiding a litre of the strong stuff). Served in a Krug, it seemed like a dirty, hazy thing, but smelled rather appealing, with honey to the fore and summer berries coming swiftly behind. Cream soda was my first thought on taking a mouthful, with sultanas, which works in my book. It has a gentle carbonic bite, providing a prickling finish, and a light herbal bitterness. Very nice, and masking a 7.6% ABV rather well.

Their Pilsissimus (which they said was an Exportbier), is also a fine beer. Light, grassy, herbal, with an earthy backbone, giving plenty to enjoy, and well sessionable. All very hard work, though, so a hearty meal (meat in most cases) was needed.

It's a nice spot, and at least the beers we tried were decent, so I could imagine spending a pleasant evening here. However, that was not to be, as we had a list, so back on the S-Bahn and into the central station, followed by a walk out to the Augustiner Keller.

Ideally, we should have been visiting here in high Summer, sitting out under the trees surrounded by thousands of beer drinkers. As it was, the tables were stored away, but there were people playing what looked like Eisstockschießen. The main building was of course open and comfortably filled. We grabbed a table occupied by one well-fed local, and did the only decent thing, ordering an Augustiner Edelstoff. Well, I did. I have to admit, I've had Edelstoff some years ago from the bottle, and just found it ok, if not a little boring. I had to correct my impressions after this. A pale white gold, light pine, resinous on a digestive biscuit base, I loved it. Could be as much to do with the convivial surroundings, as I'd have happily spent the rest of the day there. The Augustiner Dunkel was also rather good. Clean and malty, not at all cloying, with a lingering chocolately thing going on. Lovely.

Encouraged by Mark, next on our list was the Spaten Braustuberl, listed in the Good beer Guide to Germany as being on Marsstrasse. What we found was what looked like an Italian restaurant, with napkins neatly folded on the table, so, with much confusion (as seen in the photo below), we gave it a miss and had a forced march on to the city centre.

Our next target was Andechser am Dom, which we'd tried before heading to Forschungsbrauerei, but had to pass on as it was heaving with footie fans. Things hadn't changed when we got back, but we did find a table outside. It was pretty cold, so we had a fairly swift one, no notes, before heading to the Schneider Weisses Brauhaus for a second attempt (Mark was craving a Weisswurst).

The Weisses Brauhaus was also heaving, so we stood in the porch for a while before deciding to head up the road to the Hofbräuhaus. I have to admit, we must have been drunk, as this was the lowest on my list of Munich destinations, being the tourist hellhole that it is.

Still, on entering the cavernous, not least infamous beerhall (known in some circles as Hitler's local), it seemed like a good idea, till we realised there wasn't an inch of space free inside. We rambled about, loitered in the beer garden for a few minutes and then dived at a few seats that became free out there. We waited about 20 minutes without being served, then recognising the futility of it, at about 8:30 decided to take our chances back at the Weisses Brauhaus. We parked ourselves in the porch, endured the tongue lashing from the wicked witch of the east who was guarding the portal, before finally gaining entry.

I like the Weisses Brauhaus. The beer selection is great, if you like Weissbier, and even if you don't, the likes of Mein Hopfenweisse (Tap 5), Mein Grünes (Tap 4) or the classic Aventinus (Tap 6) mean there's plenty for all tastes, even though they are all Weizens. The food ain't half bad either, and we had a big feed of sausages, steak, sauerbraten and spaetzle. We spent the rest of the night here, sampling pretty much the whole range between us, including an Aventinus Liqueur (sweet, tasted like it was based on vodka with sugar and Aventinus, but was bloody good at the time). This, to me, is what the beer hall thing is all about. Good beer, good food and convivial company. An easy way to pass a few hours, which we did!

Kieron in full lecture mode, while Mark patiently bears it out.

It was a rather late hour by the time Kieron, Brian and I arrived back at the hotel, via a stop at the Hard Rock Cafe, the only place that seemed to be open by the time we left the Weisses Bräuhaus (don't ask). Still, they had Augustiner on tap, so there's something to be said about Munich (not a sign of Becks, Warsteiner, Bitburger etc).

Next day, we trundled over to the Augustiner Großgaststätten, which was also too busy to get into the day before, for another Weisswurst breakfast. Having been gently scolded by the overly hands-on server (I mean really, it was bordering on being groped at one stage) for drinking an Apfelsaftschorle, a Maximator had to be taken. Dark toffee, prunes, date-like sweetness and a husky backdrop closing things off. I guess it helped.

Last stop for me, the Lowenbraeu place near Viktualienmarkt, but the others struggled on after I ran for a train.

It had been a long time since I'd walked the streets of Munich proper. In my mind, I can't say it's the beer capital of Germany, at least in terms of the variety offered (with some notable exceptions), but what is there is generally of decent quality. Regardless of the beer variety, the surroundings of the beer halls and pubs, and the right company, make it a great place to eat, drink and above all, have a good time, and surely that's what the heart of beer is all about.

Braukunst Live! 2013

2013-03-22T12:59:00.000+01:00

The second Braukunst Live! and it more or less doubled in size, with about 56 stands representing 88 Breweries and over 400 beers. At least that's as much as I counted! Despite being ill the previous two days, I girded my loins and took an early Friday morning train to Munich to rendezvous with old mates Kieron, Brian and TheBeerNut, mate from Münster (well, Recklinghausen) Rüdiger and special guest appearances from Mr. Dredge and Jon, for a weekend of beer and beer hall exploration.

Here we go again! Photo: Rüdiger Gartmann

Base camp 1. Photo: Rüdiger Gartmann

I have to admit, sometimes there is such a thing as too much choice, as clutching a printed list of the beers, it was a struggle to choose what to go for in such a limited time. I opted to stay German, where possible, and try beers I've not had before. We grabbed a table beside the catering area, as sadly there was no seating out near the action of the beer booths. This might not have been such a good idea, as it didn't have the same atmosphere, but it did mean we had a meeting point to bring beers back to as each went off hunting and gathering.

First up, at booth number 2, Ale Project from Erding, and their imaginatively-named Craft Ale. Bad start. Although the bananay, bubblegum aspects might make one think of a Weizen, this was just awful, with a husky, butterscotch thing riding all over it. Cheesy, as Brian put it. Rancid as I noted. I can only hope that this was a dodgy bottle, for their sake. Their unfiltered IPA was a considerable improvement (well, the guy at the booth did say it was better) with a decent fresh hop to the fore, although sweet and unfinished-tasting.

Needing to restore my faith in the new wave of German pale ales, my old favourite Hopfenstopfer had to be next (booth 3!), and their new Comet IPA. Oily, creamy, hop-forward and loaded with pine resin, a lick of mandarin, grass and, surprisingly, berries. Now we're talking! I liked this, and I'm pleased that they keep coming out with something new to try. Nevertheless, I couldn't resist a taster of one of my old favourites, the Citra IPA, which I just realised I've never posted about despite having bought a crate of the stuff!

As per last year, Camba Bavaria had a strong presence, so I used my free token, plus one, to give their Bourbon Barrel Doppelbock a test drive. With a strong vanilla aroma, this just screams berries galore, with blackberries taking pole position. Well rounded with a gentle chocolate character bringing up the rear, this is a rather good sipper, and as a Doppelbock, I was well impressed. A candidate for my beer of the festival.

The Camba Bavaria bar. Photo: Rüdiger Gartmann

Alongside Hopfenstopfer at booth 3 was BraukunstKeller, a brewery not a million miles away from me in the heart of the Odenwald. I quite like their new branding, but hadn't tried anything from their stable till now, opting for the Laguna IPA. Brewed with Chinook, Cascade and Centennial, on paper it looked a lot like my Klosteiner Pale Ale v2, so expectations were high. With a vaguely socky aroma giving reason to pause, I quite liked it as a pale ale, having a rounded bitterness, leaning more in a fruity direction, with strawberries and cream, light pine, just a touch of citrus and a candy-like backdrop. Not what I expected given the hop listing, but a decent pale ale that that I enjoyed and makes me wonder if perhaps there is such a thing as a German IPA. I should have tried their Mandarina IPA, which uses the relatively new Mandarina Bavaria hop variety, so I'll have to seek that out elsewhere.

Pax Bräu was another small brewery that grabbed my attention on the list. They make quite an eclectic mix of beers and wanting to give a German stout a go, I chose the Black Gold. Not to my taste, unfortunately, mainly due to the addition of licorice, which I can only take so much of, but under that lay a decently oily, well roasted, caramelly stout. Their Imperial Peppermint Stout sounded intriguing but I needed a cleanser after the licorice.

And so for something completely different. I'd heard very good things about Schönramer last year, but somehow missed them in the rush. Several people had said I must try the Schönramer Grünhopfenpils, an unfiltered pils brewed with green hops.Well, yes, rather good! Light, clean, grassy, herbal, spicy and a touch of biscuit. I'll be looking for something like this in the hot summer months.

Despite intending to stay with the German breweries, a quick trip across the border to Austria was required, to retry the Engelszell Gregorious, which TheBeerNut had enjoyed recently, and which I had tried the very first version of a year ago, and by the sounds of it, they had much improved it. And indeed, Gregorius is much improved from the ripe banana mess it was a year ago, full with dried fruits, blackcurrants slightly vinous, a mildly bilious bitterness, combined with a deft roasted touch. Benno is the golden side of the two current Engelszell offerings, a sweetish, yeasty, zesty with a herbal finish. On balance, I prefer the Gregorius, for the depth and chewiness, but it's nice to see them doubling their range in the space of a year!

The brothers. Photo: Rüdiger Gartmann

Realising I had not yet fully recovered from my bout of illness, I'm afraid I could not match the number of samples I'd had last year, but managed to sneak a few more small tasters in. FritzAle's Milk Stout struck me as not being classically milk stout, not having the residual sweetness or body I expected, but was rather more dry, with a strong roasted grain element. I'll be sticking with their excellent Pale and India Pale Ales. Gerrit and Nina allowed me a slurp of their The Monarchy Son of a Batch Apple Wood Gose (mildly tart, sweet underbelly, light saltiness, touch of wood and faint apple, like applewood smoked cheese) and Klosterbrauerei Weißenohe Amrita Inwerbier (lovely freshly grated ginger on the nose, but harsh and thin on the tongue), while Mark finally helped me realise a dream, to try the Braufactum Arrique Barley Wine, a beer I've been curious about for a couple of years, but just could not bring myself to pay 18 Euro for 330ml. I'm glad I didn't, as I found it lacking. Riegele, on the other hand, had a pretty impressive Imperial Stout Riserve, a rich, chocolatey concoction for sipping by a blazing fire. Another brewery I have to try more from.

One day was definitely not enough to do Braukunst Live justice, and I can only imagine it's going to get bigger next year, so I'm already planning to dedicate more time to it in 2014. TheBeerNut did make a second foray on Sunday, while I was trundling home on the train, so expect a more extensive report from him soon.

It just remains to say congratulations to Frank Böer for pulling off another great event, gathering a broad spectrum from German brewing, with a large proportion of the smaller, more interesting breweries taking centre stage. Long may it continue!

Many thanks to Rüdiger for the photos, as my camera died from dust inhalation some weeks ago (hence the poorer quality ones taken with a BlackBerry) :|

The last day of Christmas

2013-02-03T21:47:00.002+01:00

I've been reliably informed that yesterday, Candlemas, was the last day of Christmas in some traditions, so it's just as well that on the eve of Candlemas I succumbed to the temptation of a bottle of Hopfenstopfer Christmas Strong Ale 2012 (I'll shorten that to HCSA). Well, that and it's probably a cardinal sin to drink out of season!

It's fairly festive-looking, with its red and white labelling, topped with gold foil hiding a plastic cork and cage. It had been residing in our potato cellar (you'd think I'd have left that behind when I departed Ireland) for a few weeks, so was well-cooled and clear, pouring an attractive copper-gold with a gentle carbonation. A lovely, clean aroma, highlighting light caramel with fruity notes - sultanas, a breath of pine needles, but mostly a generous orange peel. Definitely not in the tradition of most German Weihnachtsbier, which isn't bad thing in my book. Unlike many other German beers of this class of strength (9% ABV), HCSA is not at all sticky. It carries a caramel-biscuit base lightly, which in turn supports a medley of citrus, dried fruit and somewhat herbal flavours. For some reason, the body and some of the background flavours (there's an almost vinous hint way back in there) reminds me of a Trappist Tripel, but the up-front flavours shout American Imperial IPA, toned down, however, to a balance that allows everything a fair voice, by turns pithy, herbal and berry-like. The finish is bitter-sweet, a thin fudge lingering under a persistent pine nut and nutmeg, orange pith bitterness that lingers for a long, long time.

I think I'd like to try this is a little more carbonation, just to see how it behaves, but it might well detract from the soothing oiliness of the whole experience. I'm looking forward to Christmas 2013!

The Incredibles

2013-01-22T22:47:00.001+01:00

I got wind of Thomas' latest Hopfenstopfer creation via Twitter a couple of months ago, and promptly ordered a crate of the stuff: Incredible Pale Ale. I've been sharing with friends, neighbours and the postman since then, though naturally keeping the lion's share for myself. Well, the last two disappeared down my throat last week.

Hopfenstopfer Incredible Pale Ale is described as quad-hopped, but I forgot to ask what hops. It opens well, with an aroma suggesting tangerine pith, a pinch of oregano, but a faint vegetal whiff I wasn't sure about. It's an interesting mix of flavours though, being malty-sweet, herbal and fruity It has a biscuit-like base topped with, well, it's almost like the lemony part of a lemon meringue, but with added grass, hay, slices of pear, oregano and shavings of grapefruit and orange pith. The latter are brought into sharp focus in the finish, with a slight carbonic bite that perhaps sharpens them a little too much. As it warms, this eases, leaving a pleasantly tingling orange/grapefruit/herbal bitterness behind. The best part is simply swirling it around your mouth, letting all that fruity, herbal goodness wash over your tongue.

I think it's brave to name a beer "Incredible", and although I'm a fan of Thomas' work (the Citra Pale Ale is simply delicious), and I'd happily buy another full crate-load, I'd say it's a very bloody good pale ale indeed, not quite incredible - but you have to admire the balls :)

Oh, and the verdict from the postman and neighbours: "this is a good beer!" Not the type they drink normally around here, so it was pleasing that they enjoyed the new flavour experience. Long may it continue!

Triple What?

2013-01-07T23:47:00.003+01:00

In 2009, as an impulse purchase, I stuck a bottle of Samuel Adams Triple Bock into my shopping cart. Since then, it's been stored in a cellar for a year, moved 420km, lived in another cellar for 8 months and was then moved again and lived in a cardboard box till recently. Between Christmas and New Year's, I decided it was time to pop the cork. In the back of my mind, i seemed to recall mixed reviews, to say the least, but i didn't want to spoil the moment looking anything up.

Incredibly oily, staining the glass like so much Castrol GTX after an oil change, and leaving thick encrustations on the inside (on the sides, mind) of the bottle, and literally oozing an aroma like port laced with soy sauce, musovado sugar, dark cherries and pflaumenmus. Phoar! I was almost afraid to taste it,and indeed, it's a bit of a whopper, as one might expect from a c.18% beer. But It left me conflicted, with some really compelling flavours, and some not so. On the one hand, it's pleasingly greasy on the tongue, with an initial high-molasses sweetness infused with concentrated prunes, dates, cherries and a smear of Seville orange marmalade, all of which is wonderful until ten seconds later, when a huge dose of medicinal bitterness washes over everything. Being generous, I'd say really high cocoa content chocolate, which combines nicely with the darkly sweet dried fruit precursor, but in the end, it jars, leaving an empty space after the rather pleasant umami/fruit thing it had going, replacing it with band aids and campari with soda.

It's an odd beer, and a bit like finding a dead animal in the woods, desperately interesting and almost repelling at the same time, so you just can't leave it alone.

A couple of days later, I brought the rest of the bottle over to a neighbour who was having a Schlachtfest. Basically, they start at 6 in the morning with half a pig, and by mid afternoon they have rows and rows of sausages, fine cuts of meat and 100s of tins of Bratwurst, Leberwurst, Blutwurst, you name it. Of course, it's thirsty work, so that's when I pop over (and stay till 3 or 4am). I think about eight or ten people tried it, and none liked it at all. Well, with one exception, Bastian, who is studying brewing in Weihenstephan found it really interesting from a brewing perspective, but not to his taste.

In the end, I think I like it, but am still not sure, so it's probably t most confusing beer I've had.

On an aside, I brought a bottle of BrewDog Tokyo* too. That went down better with the natives, though I got the lion's share.

Edit: Forgot to mention, this was the 1997 vintage.

Christmas Spirit

2013-01-02T22:23:00.002+01:00

A while ago, I bought a stash of beers from Cologne's Freigeist Bierkultur, brewed at Braustelle. Freigeist make some interesting beers, some I had way back on 2010 at the Festival der Bierkulturen, some I tried at the Braukunst Live! festival last year, and some, like the Deutscher Porter, I have been sipping at for quite some time. I think I liked them all, very much, so during the holidays, when I had a little time to myself, I selfishly opened two that I hadn't tried before.

Freigssit Bierkultur Hoppeditz stands out as an Altbier brewed in Cologne, and named after a character from the Duesseldorfer Karneval, a jester-like character that opens the festivities, although from the label, he paints a slightly macabre figure. Hoppeditz pours a rather dirty, oily-looking, red-tinged brown with a persistent, rocky, tan foam. It has a fully-loaded toffee/caramel aroma laced with fruity overtones: baked apple and plums, marzipan and a suggestion of melting milk chocolate. Fairly promising, and it doesn't disappoint. With a soft carbonation and creamy body supporting a well-rounded but strong caramel base with burnt notes around the edges, it delights with flashes of flavours that are hard to pin down, being slightly vinous and roasty at turns, but with an underlying theme of raisins and chocolate, swiftly taken over on swallowing with a self-assured, earthy bitterness, invoking pine needles and orange pith. The whole concoction is remarkably easy to knock back, despite, or maybe because of the oily body, and 7.2% ABV, and really, it gives any Altbier from Duesseldorf I've tried a run for its money. Shame I only had the one left, but definitely one I'd buy again if I can get it.

Freigeist's R. Woodhouse is one I parked for a while, waiting to savour, as I knew it came from the same stable at their Rosmarie, which I really enjoyed back in 2010. Held to the light, it shows a dark strawberry juice red, with a thin, fine-bubbled head that doesn't hang around, R. Woodhouse delivers a distinctly medicinal aroma that may seem off-putting till you realise it is rosemary. It's sweet, like grenadine syrup, but with the added edge of dulled, fresh-crushed rosemary. The rosemary is more prominent on the taste, fresh and warming, with honey and lychee-like flavours coming right behind, while a light blackcurrent edge brings up the rear. The finish is predictably herbal, with a pine-like freshness and a lingering stickiness, without being cloying.While I really enjoyed their Rosmarie with sausages, and could have had a few in one go, a bottle of R.Woodhouse suffices, as near the end it began to overpower a tad. I suspect it might be better fresher, or at least shared, but nonetheless, it's a beer that keeps the interest, and I bet it'd be great with roast lamb or beef. Of course, the label and name is an homage to Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby, referencing Mia Farrow's character, Rosemary Woodhouse of said movie, though with added rosemary sprigs. Worth trying, but perhaps with a meal.

Right after, I opened a '97 Samuel Adams Triple Bock, but that needs a post of its own!

Aventinus Glühbier

2012-12-22T22:04:00.000+01:00

Since seeing Evan Rail's article about mulled beer a month or so ago, it was in the back of my mind to try something like this for our second annual gathering of neighbours. So, when I received a newsletter from Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn (let's just say Schneider) with a recipe for an Aventinus-based Glühbier (Aventinus ranking as one of my favourite Doppelbocks), fate was sealed.

The original recipe provided by Schneider is as follows.

Original Ingredients:

1 L Schneider Weisse TAP 6 Unser Aventinus
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cardamom
3 cloves
½ Cinnamon stick
1 pinch cinnamon
9 cl lemon juice
1 Star-Anise
A sugar cube-sized piece of ginger
½ vanilla pod (Scrape out the insides and add both pod and seeds to pot)
14 cl brown rum
250 ml cherry juice
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1½ tablespoons spoon honey

First, heat the Weizendoppelbock to about 60°C. Now put the ingredients in a spice bag. Leave everything at 60°C for 20 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the spice bag. If necessary, add more rum or cherry juice to taste.

I had to scale this up, so started with 4 litres of Aventinus, but while making it, I felt that the amount of sugar was a bit much, given that the Weizendoppelbock is already sweet enough. They specify "Esslöffel" as a spoon size for the sugar, which is a tablespoon, or 15ml volume. I dropped it from 6 per litre to 4, used lime juice instead of lemon juice, and used a tad less of both this and the rum. My adjusted and scaled-up recipe for 4 litres of beer is as follows:

My adjusted Ingredients:
4 L Schneider Weisse TAP 6 Unser Aventinus
4 pinches Nutmeg
4 pinches Cardamom
12 Cloves
2 Cinnamon sticks
4 pinches Cinnamon
200 ml Lime juice
3 Star-Anise
4 Sugar cube-sized piece of ginger
2 vanilla pods (Scrape out the insides and add both pod and seeds to pot)
500ml brown rum
1 L cherry juice
16 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons spoon honey

I put the powdered spices into a coffee filter and stapled it closed, so it acted like a big tea bag, then suspended the lot in a mesh. To be honest, I'm not sure why they should be removed after 15 minutes as, at least for the second batch I made, I just left them in and it didn't suffer any off-flavours - though perhaps the star anise came out a little more.

Everything in, waiting to hit 60C.

The fact I had to make a second batch attests to how tasty this really was! I had three litres of standard Glühwein sitting on the range (with another 4 on standby) as well as non-alcoholic punch for kids and the early risers having to work the next day, but the Glühwein was hardly touched (one bloody mug!), while everyone who tried the Glühbier pronounced it far better, less sweet, and easier on the stomach than Glühwein., A definite hit, and unlike Glühwein, it's actually not bad after it has cooled either!

A fine, pink-tinged head in the pot.

I think we've started on a new tradition. This year and last year we held it in the "wash kitchen" of the house we are renting. It's cosy, once the old range is fired up, the candles are lit, and it's crammed with bodies. Thankfully, the nineteen people (not counting the seven children) didn't all arrive at once, so there was a steady trade of Glühbier , Kinderpunch and Beef and Köstritzer stew (couldn't get Guinness). Next year, we hope to be living in our own house (assuming we finally get it to a livable standard by next Autumn), so we'll have to find a new place. Maybe the old pig sty or the barn, as long as we can get some heaters in!

Before the madness began.

Let the Wookey win

2012-12-06T00:03:00.002+01:00

Having a bunch of beers stashed in the cellar that I really should just open, I decided to reward myself after a long, but successful week of construction work, by opening the bottle of Firestone Walker Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA that Chris and Merideth brought over during the Summer.

Pretty much opaque and almost completely black, with hints of ruby highlights, the first thing to notice, just on popping the cap, is the remarkable aroma. I know it's a so-called Black IPA, but I wasn't expecting the onslaught of raspberry sorbet, candyfloss and masses of orange pith. Bang! Having never had a Black IPA, let alone a Black Rye IPA, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's a rather good marriage, with the huge hop blast of a decent American IPA (think more sorbet, orange pith and a light lick of grapefruit towards the end), but with a deft touch of roasted grains, a breath of light coffee, a slight grassiness, all on a vanilla fudge backdrop. The finish is long, with a carbonic bite sharpening the roast and citric bitterness.

I don't care what it's classified as, but it worked for me! Thanks Chris and Merideth! There's another Firestone Walker bottle waiting for me...

Bitterbier blind tasting

2012-11-25T17:14:00.000+01:00

Oh, hello blog. Yes, I know, you've been neglected, but frankly, I've had more important things to do. However, a blind tasting is always worth a write-up, even if it was as pointless as a broken pencil.

Having recently gone shopping on the Braufactum website, despite the horrendous prices, I'd acquired a few bottles of their Colonia, described as a top-fermenting bitterbier of the of "Rheinisches" type. The only bitterbier I've had the pleasure of drinking has been Hövels, a former regular beer when I lived up north in Muenster. Having figured out that Braufactum brews it's horrendously expensive Arrique barley wine in the Hövels brewpub, after seeing photos of a brewday on their facebook page, I wondered if Colonia was some sort of rebadging of Hövels, as both are part of the Radeberger Group. We'll see. Two glasses, poured by my wife, labelled A and B. I quickly realised they were not the same thing.

Beer A was a deep, burnished copper, while B was a definite rich gold. Aroma-wise, A delivered a good, strong, typical German beer-like hop aroma, with clean pine wood and a mild resinousness, as well as a slight touch of cat, or perhaps a touch of skunk, all on a vaugely fruity caramel base. B, on the other hand, was bursting with masses of fruitiness, with kiwi, manadarin orange and fresh-mown grass. Sumptuous so it was already clear what was what.

A had a solid, workman-like flavour, with a straightforward toffee-infused maltiness, juicy and easy to knock back in a few gulps, finishing on a dry, slightly husky note, and leaving a lingering peppermint bitterness. B was much as it smelled. Big fruitiness up front, sweet manadarin/tangarine flesh, backed by an orange barley-sugar base (but not overly sweet, mind), all on a soft, lightly-carbonated body. It finished with a pleasing pithiness. not like a gum-shrinking American IPA, but a definite touch of fresh-chewed orange pith.

Clearly, A was Hövels and B was Braufactum Colonia. I could have saved time by reading the ingredients list, but where's the fun in that? Colonia uses only Saphir hops, and I guess I like them.

I have to admit, as much as I like Hövels, it was pretty hard returning to that glass after the Colonia. After that sweet, orange-infused treat, Hövels was left like a sack of malt dust, so I was glad of the tasting order.

Although I moan a lot about the way Braufactum markets as "gourmet", with pricing to match, I have to admit, of the 5 or so beers of theirs I've tried, they've all been excellent, and I've a few more in the cellar to go.

Braukunst Live! 2012 - The Master Classes

2012-04-24T22:59:00.001+02:00

The inaugural Braukunst Live! 2012 festival opened it's doors on Friday the 20th of April. The brainchild of Frank Böer, who is responsible for the sister whisky festival, Finest Spirits, Frank realised there was somewhat of an opening for a large German festival focussing on variety in both the German and international beer scene. Sure, the excellent Festival der Bierkulturen (pdf) already fills a part of that large void, but on a smaller, more personal scale than something like the Great American Beer Festival, which was an inspiration for Frank. But how did it go?

Sadly, I could only make one of the three days, making my way by train to Munich in the excellent company of Thomas, the brewer at Häffner Bräu, Bad Rappenau, and the man behind the Hopfenstopfer range of beers (actually, I think he pioneered these types of beers in Germany, but better check that). We met up with Twitter-friends Gerrit and his partner Nina for a bite to eat before heading underground for the U-Bahn to Giesing, near the venue of the MVG Museum. A quick shuttle bus later, almost bang on the opening time of 2pm, and we handed over €20 for entry, getting a Teku festival glass and four beer vouchers in return, and €10 for twenty beer chips, the currency for the day.

Having seen photos from Friday's session, and hearing there was little in the way of general seating, it occured to me that this looked more like an exhibition than a festival. Bear in mind, my idea of a festival was coloured by events like the Belfast CAMRA festival, where there's basically a wall of casks and the rest is tables and seating. Braukunst Live! had over 30 breweries represented, ranging from the obscure to the rather well known, each with their own booth, and while I was ready to constructively criticise the format, actually, in hindsight, it's definitely a strength, as you really do get time to talk to the people from the brewery, if not the brewers themselves. It was a great pleasure to have a few words with the likes of Menno from De Molen, or Georg from Brauerei Rittermayer, not to mention beer evangelists with stands, like the guys at Bier-Index and author and Biersommelier, Sepp Wejwar.

Menno of De Molen fame.

Something new for me was the idea of the festival Master Classes, which were running through the whole day. These optional extras, from free open stage talks to paid tasting sessions an hour long, covered topics like malt, yeast, hops, of course, and more philosophical topics such as tradition versus innovation, presentations from brewers and an open forum to discuss the Reinheitsgebot. I'd have liked to see that one.

I'll return to the beers generally sampled in another post, but here, I'd like to take a closer look at two of the tasting sessions which we attended.

Beer and Chocolate Tasting
Run by Sebastian Sauer of Braustelle Köln, creators of some wonderful beers, this tasting session seemed like a bit of an oddity. I like chocolate, and I like beer, but if I'm pairing chocolate with an alcoholic drink, it's usually really dark chocolate and whisky. But with input from the Schokoladen Museum Köln, Sebastian came up with some really unusual pairings that literally amazed me, not to mention some chocolates that will make their way onto my shopping list!

Kicking off with a beer-chocolate combination in one glass, Sebastian presented Freigeist Bläck Bean Bätsch Schoko stout (note the use of metal umlauts! :)), which is brewed with cocoa powder. 6% ABV, with a light body and an acidic bite (strains of their Deutscher Porter) which contrasted interestingly with the clear coacoa influences. It delivers a cherry-cola-like sweetness in the mid-ground, but finishes with clean roasted grain notes and without any residual cloyingness that the cola reference might suggest. Rather enjoyable, and a fine balance.

Then comes the chocolates. The first pairing was Freigeist Bierkultur's Mac Heath's Murder Malt, specially brewed for the festival, with an orange creme-filled milk chocolate. Mac Heath's was a beer I'd had earlier in the day, 6% brewed with turf-smoked whisky malt. Turfy phenolics are to the fore on this, but it strikes a fine balance of flavour, supported by a cara-infused backdrop and a light grassy hop character. Perhaps a little thin, but eminently sinkable, which I did with little thought while chatting with Stefan and Kay from Bierzwerg earlier on (and very nice people they are too).

I have to admit, this pairing didn't appeal to my tastes. While I liked both separately, the combination was a little too competitive on my palate, but I can see what they were aiming at, and everyone else seemed to approve. Give a similar combination a try yourself, perhaps with a fuller-bodied whisky-barrel aged stout, if you can't get the Mac Heath.

FritzAle American IPA came next, presented by Fritz himself, this time paired with Mozartkugeln, those marzipan-filled balls you see in Austrian airports, but which I've never been tempted to buy. FrizAle American IPA is brewed with Citra and Simcoe hops, a variant on their, by now, classic India Pale Ale. It's loaded with big, chewy, sorbet-like citrus stylings, pillowy pithiness, generous tropical fruits and caramel sweetness. It's robust in the bitterness department too, and this is what really worked well with the marzipan and chocolate blend of the Mozartkugeln. Surprisingly good! Definitely try this. I know I'll be trying other marzipan chocolates with IPAs for the hell of it!

Freigeist Deutscher Porter is a beer I've had before (actually, I have four bottles still in the cellar) and really enjoyed, but what would the lads pair with it? My heart sank when I saw it was a white chocolate with licorice pieces. I'm not a big fan of licorice, but all in the name of science... Remarkably good was my conclusion. The sourness and saltiness of the Porter is somehow softened by the white chocolate, while the licorice complements the light roasted notes of the beer and indeed pairs stunningly well with the sourness. I reckon I could have continued with this combination for the rest of the evening! How could it get better?

Simple answer: Freigeist Caulfield - Mocha Flush with a banana-coconut-curry white chocolate. I mean, the chocolate itself is a bit of a revelation; I had no idea such a thing existed, but the combination of this rich, 10% oaky-vanilla imperial stout (made with 20% rye), blends seamlessly with the spiced curry and coconut of the chocolate. On its own the beer is full-bodied, loaded with smooth roasted coffee flavours, vanilla, dark toffee, a slight funky edge and cut with a reasonable herbal hop edge, and just a hint of peppery spiciness. The chocolate, well, it tastes like banana-coconut curry. I'd never have thought this would work, but it was an inspired taste combination. I'm half tempted to make a curry-coconut-banana stout, but I'd probably fail miserably.

And finally, they presented a FritzAle Imperial Stout with banana chocolate. Yes please. That'll do as a description :)

I don't like gushing about beer and food pairings. A large part of me things most of it is a little over the top and a tad snobby, but like I said, I was really happy with these flavour combinations, as they opened up a different experience, and that has to be welcomed. Well done, and thanks for the ideas!

The Yeast Tour
Immediately following this was the next master class (this time one I'd signed up for) "Hefe: Welche Gier schmeckt Dir?", or "Yeast: which flavour do you desire?" presented by Biersommelier, Birgit Reber. As a home brewer, of course yeast is always interesting, and this was a classic tour through the effects of yeast on the flavour of beer.

Girardin Gueuze Black Label was a palate-cleansing, almost shocking (for some) introduction to the world of yeast, and really, what better introduction to that topic than a wild yeast and bacteria-infused beer? Citrus-sour, with a wonderful barnyard character and fruity, caramel suggestions deep down, and a mildly spicy finish, showing touches of candied ginger, this is a fine, refreshing Gueuze.

Riegele Commerzienrat Privat is a beer I hadn't heard of before. While expecting some clean, bitter, pilsner type of thing as a classic example of clean bottom-fermenting beer, we got a Helles instead, and this was a lovely drop, with a sweet, honey aroma, pleasant bready flavours and a light nutty bite rounding it off.

Schneider Weisse Tap 7. What can you say? This ticks all the classic Weizen flavour boxes, with banana, light coves, a burst of bubblegum. Not much ore to say about this well-known beer, other than it proves the effect that yeast alone can have on the flavour profiles of a beer, and is a favourite summer beer of mine.

Another top-fermenting beer, the Camba Bavaria Truchtlinger Pale Ale is also a hoppy little bugger, so in all honesty, I felt the hops were the driving force here, pushing fruity, dried apricot and lemon notes to the fore, and wrapping up with a gentle pepper-infused, lightly bitter finish. Of course, some of those fruity notes could well be coming from the yeast, but in the end, it's the overall impression of the end product that counts.

Fullers Vintage Ale 2011 is one of those beers I like in small quantities. While I fully appreciate the wonders of Fullers yeast, and the rich, caramelly, fruity, figgy, floral stylings of the vintage ales, I do find them a little cloying in quantity. This one is quite boozy, to boot, and a little cloying, so probably best left in the cellar for a while.

Engelszell Gregorius Trappistenbier. See that? Trappistenbier. One that I was really looking forward to trying, the first brew from the world's 8th Trappist brewery, and one of only two not in Belgium, this one being in Austria. Engelszell Gregorius weighs in at 9.9%, and is a dark, dubbel-looking brew. It's really quite strong in the ripe banana aroma department, putting one in mind of a Weizenbock, like Aventinus, and this continued in the flavour. It's not off-putting, but it definitely dominates. Under this are are light band-aid and marzipan flavours, while thick, chewy caramel flavours abound. Sepp told me that the brewers agree the banana flavours are too strong, and it is likely the recipe or process will be adjusted. But hey, it's the first beer from a new TRAPPIST brewery, and that in itself is historic, so I can't complain. Actually, I would very much like to cellar a few bottles of this first brew to see how it develops, as this could have been a little young. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to seeing how the brewery develops, and if additional beers will be added to the range over time. Watch this space.

This was a well laid-out tasting order for exploring the effects of yeast, and some fine beers on their own, so many thanks to Birgit for running it.

So, quite a lot to fit in for just two of the three masterclasses I attended, and already blogspot is complaining about too many labels! In the next post, I'll do a quick roundup of the other beers I managed to try, or at least the ones I remembered to take notes for, as the chatting was more important.

Brauhaus Gusswerk

2012-04-10T22:48:00.001+02:00

A bit of a disclosure first. Not long after posting about some of the new pale ales from German breweries, I received a mail from Reinhold Barta, the head honcho of Salzburg's Brauhaus Gusswerk. Knowing I came from Ireland, Reinhold mentioned that he had worked in University College Cork and Beamish while finishing his thesis, an experience he clearly enjoyed. So much so, it seems, that years later, after founding an organic brewery in Austria, he was compelled to make an Austrian stout. Intriguing. When the question comes "would you like some samples?", I'm wary. After a previous not-so-pleasant experience, I never ask for samples, but if they're offered, and they were already on my shopping list, well, I couldn't say no (with the caveat that I'd write my honest opinion). A short time later, a package of 10 bottles, two each of Brauhaus Gusswerk's main beers, arrived at the door. Many thanks to Reinhold, and here's my honest opinions.

Jakobsgold, a 4.9% Zwicklbier, has won 2nd place in the 2009 Austrian State Championships for small breweries. A burnished gold with an ever-so-slight haze, and what looks like a few tiny flakes floating about. Looked like hop debris. It has a pretty strong herbal aroma, redolent of rosemary, evergreen/pine sap and a touch catty on a biscuity base. Flavourwise, it's remarkably hop forward, in an Austro-Germanic way. Big, grassy fields, pine forests and a slight citric touch, all on a well-rounded, creamy-feeling, biscuity base. The hops really do have the final say here, with those herbal notes lending a pleasantly gentle peppery finish. It's a really smooth beer, and while not a grab you by the throat, shouty beer, it turns the flavour dial up enough to take is well beyond the average Zwicklbier. A rather good start!

Edelguss came in 1st in the 2009 State Championships, so had quite a bit to live up to. A crystal clear, light gold, it gives off a light candy, subtle pine and just a hint of fruit aroma, leaning towards orange. Like it's sister, it has a remarkable creamy mouthfeel, but with an added carbon bite. Freshly opened, this dominated a bit, making it difficult to get to the underlying flavours, but as that fades, it reveals a pleasant bready base with a layer of fresh-cut grass, a squirt of orange essence and a finish that suggests tart apples (or maybe carbonic apples). Refreshing and moreish, this is a good one for a hot summer day, or in my case, a hot spring day.

One I had been most looking forward to was the Austrian Amber Ale, or "AAA", named partially with reference to Austria losing its triple A credit rating (I think that was just last January?), and thus the beer being the only Triple A needed for Austria. Definitely a copper-amber colour, with a slight haze and a head that dissipates swiftly. Interesting aroma, suggesting salty fudge, digestive biscuits and strong mandarin peel, citric overtones. Again, what appears to be a signature creamy mouthfeel, laced with light toffee, a solid, pear-like fruitiness cut with a chewy orange pith bitterness. The whole effect is simply "juicy", and it begs to be gulped. It finishes long, with that pleasant pithiness coating the gums and a carbonic bite the cleanses the tongue. Despite the low head, it's quite gassy, and I'd love to see what a less-carbonated version would be like. Nevertheless, this fits firmly into my definition of süffig (as well as fitting into the American Amber stable quite well), and is rather easy to gulp down, despite the 5.6% ABV

Black Sheep Smooth Stout is the one that I had highest hopes in, as I'm intrigued by stouts or porters coming from the German-speaking world. Reinhold's experiences in Beamish were also adding a layer of expectation here. A cola-like brown, but opaque in volume, is also has a a sweetish aroma, quite similar to Malzbier, touched with lightly roasted elements and a sliver of apple. Described as a smooth stout, it certainly fits that description (again that creaminess! How does he do it?) with soft, roasted grains, a surprising fruitiness, nodding towards strawberries, with cream, of course and a dab of burnt sugar. The finish delivers a light fudge effect, sprinkled with light roast coffee, a grenadine-like background and a vaguely vegetal edge. Black Sheep is smooth and rounded, but to be honest, a little dulled around the edges to my tastes, with that vegetal thing in the background putting me in mind of some of my own stouts where the yeast choice didn't suit my tastes. Perhaps my expectations had been set too high, nevertheless, it's an unoffensive, easy-drinking stout.

And finally, to Black Betty. This is somewhat of an oddity, as it's brewed with what looks like a whole cabinet of herbs, including Wermutkraut (Wormwood), Gundelrebe (Ground ivy), Girsch (Ground elder) and Mädesüß (Meadowsweet). Despite that list, it's quite a subtle beer at 5.4%, with a fair degree of fruity and herbal elements. Blackcurrant flavours feature strongly, with a woodruff-like sweetness, a mild pepperiness and a hint of sage, all on a base of crystal malt graininess and rye bread. Odd, but agreeable. I'm not familiar with any of the herbs used, so can't say which have added what, but it's a restrained affair, all things considered. There's another 9.6% version containing horny goat weed, appropriately named Horny Betty, but I think I'd be a little afraid of that...

There's one thing I'll say about Brauhaus Gusswerk, and that's that they do things a little different, which is welcomed. My few Austrian beer experiences have been left wanting, but with a fairly solid standard line up as listed above (Jakobsgold and AAA are definitely up there in my list) and some rather interesting-looking specials, like the Dies Iræ barley wine and a beer-wine hybrid, Cerevinum, not to mention Horny Betty, there's a little bit of Querdenken coming out of Salzburg.

Addendum: I don't know how I missed it, but at the bottom of the box was a bottle of Horny Betty and a Weizen. I'll deal with them later :)

Visiting the local brewery

2012-03-20T23:25:00.002+01:00

Strange to say, but I've been too busy to drink beer this past couple of weeks. Well, apart from visiting my local brewery, Brauerei Egolf*, for the first time last Saturday, taking a well-earned break from the house restoration. I can't really say much about it, other than the fact it was an enjoyable day from the social perspective, with 21 people signed up for a "course". I expected more brewing to be happening, but the mash was on when we arrived at 10am and the lautering seemed to be still going on when we left at around 5pm.

It's an interesting setup, apparently an own design and built in 1997, that involves what looks like a conical fermenter in cross-section, wrapped around with an insulating layer that fills with water during the mash. Oddly, this outer layer is drained and then doubles as the lautering tun, with the mash pumped into it. The inner section is then also used as the kettle and whirlpool. I've no idea how they clean it, but it might explain when they only do Naturtrübes Bier. We didn't see the fermenting vessels or any bottling plant, so the impression was of a very compact brewery! 20hl standing on a 4 square meter space as, essentially, all the brewing vessels from mash tun through kettle to whirlpool are in one. It's a fascinating idea, and we weren't sure why he hadn't patented it. Actually, one of their claims to fame is that they used to be listed in the Guinness Book of Records for being the smallest commercial brewery (I think it was 1988), but they've grown a little since then.

Mr. Egolf gave a talk about the brewing process, with a heavy slant toward the Reinheitsgebot, even going further by more or less saying coloured malts are not pure, and implying, well, stating, that foreign beer was full of chemicals and colouring, using Guinness as an example. Now, I'm not exactly a friend of the company that brews Guinness, but I'm pretty sure that colour is from roasted barley! Certaily not gebot, as that part is unmalted, but no artificial colouring.

I've enjoyed Schefflenzer Haustrunk Pilsner in the past, before I knew where Schefflenz was, or even dreamed I'd end up living here, but it's certainly a variable beer. Egolf usually have a mobile bar at local events, and I'll always grab a bottle or two, but have noticed myself it's not always matching that first bottle I tried two years ago. Some people have told me it is sometimes contract brewed elsewhere, but I don't know the truth of that. We'll have an opportunity to return in four weeks to sample the beer brewed on the day we visited, so let's see.

On the day, I found the Pilsner (at least I think it was the Pilsner!) to be quite sweet, incredibly fruity, with little classic Pils bitterness. In fact, in the blind tasting they ran, I got 4 out of 6 right, mixing up the Pils and Export, as they were quite similar. The Weizen was spot on, ticking all the classic Weizen boxes of banana, cloves and bubblegum. Put it this way, we could pour our own beers at will, and I had more Weizen than the others.

But whatever grumbles I may have had about the content of the talk, we were incredibly well fed, with a Weisswurst breakfast at 11, Hochzeitssuppe at around 1pm followed swiftly by salad, roast pork, dumplings and noodles, then a set of slides on serving and looking after beer. Most of all, I enjoyed the craic, the chats, mangling the German language (though lubrication helps) and meeting some like-minded people.

Well, seems I had something to say about the day after all!

* I just noticed their website has been totally revamped since I last saw it, and it looks good, though I am now confused as the Pilsner is described as a Helles. I thought they were two different things.

Bamberg 2011, Day 2

2012-03-14T00:41:00.004+01:00

A slightly slow start to Saturday, for some, but a walk along the Regnitz cleared heads in time for a breakfast (or brunch) beer by 11 at Klosterbräu Bamberg. Reputedly the oldest brewery in Bamberg, being established in 1533, by chance, it was right next door to our hotel. The sun had come out from behind the clouds, making the outdoor seating area a must, though a poke about inside revealed really busy rooms where there seemed to be groups booking the place solid. There certainly seemed to be a constant stream of tourist groups being led into the place, so we were happy to enjoy the relative peace outside. Klosterbräu Braun's Weisse was the first to be ordered, a fairly classic looking Weizen with loads of soft banana and pear-like undertones. Not much spiciness in the classic sense, but an easy start with a rather sumptuous creme caramel base. Their Klosterbräu Pils is quite a refresher, being tart, with a sharp, perfumey hop blast, and a long-lasting, peppery finish. I can't remember what I ate, but clearly it called for something a bit darker, so a Klosterbräu Braunbier was ordered (I think they had no Schwärzla). Roasted highlights on an otherwise fruity core, with dried fruits - think prunes. A slightly thin body followed by a metallic finish, it didn't live up to the other two.

Bamberger Dom

Loins suitably girded, it was time to get some culture in, with a visit to Michaelsberg, and the brewing museum, by way of the Bamberger Dom. If you're interested in such things, the Cathedral is an impressive Romanesque structure, built between 1002 and 1012, featuring things like the tomb of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry II, the tomb of Pope Clement - the only pope to be buried in Germany (or outside of Italy or France for that matter) - the much photographed and apparently mysterious Bamberg Reiter, relics and all sorts of ecclesiastical goodies.

Michaelsberg could be seen on the opposite hill (I believe there's seven of them) and a slow march down and up again brought us to the grounds of the former Benedictine Monastery. The Fränkisches Brauereimuseum is housed in one of the buildings on the south side of the perimeter, and has quite the collection of brewing and beer paraphernalia.There are guided tours, but we sauntered about at our leisure, ogling the huge, old mash tuns, casks, odd bottling contraptions and the old ice store down in the depths.

Following that, it was time for some sustenance, so we settled ourselves outside the Michaelsberg Cafe Restaurant, with Bamberg spread out below us. Food was wild boar goulash, with Spätzle and red cabbage. Absolutely delicious, served with a Mahr's Ungespundet and a Kapuziner Dunkel Hefeweizen. To be honest, my lazy ass would have been quite happy to stay there, stuffing my face (there's always room for cake in Germany), but it would have defeated the purpose of our visit. Next stop, Mahr's Bräu and Keesmann, about a 30 minute walk away (give or take).

That's one of the nice things about Bamberg. Many of the breweries seem to come in clusters, or at least pairs, so a bit of forward planning can make the most out of your time. Sadly, our planning didn't take into the account that Brauerei Keesmann was closed. This was a little disappointing, as I quite like their Herren Pils, but we had Mahr's Bräu just a stone's throw away to ease our pain.

Mahr's lives up to its address, Wunderburg 10; it really is a wonderful little place. Fronted by a small, cosy beer garden (empty when we arrived shortly before 4pm, and filled when we left about three hours later), the first sight upon entering the Wirtshaus is a long, wide corridor running the depth of the place. To the right is a traditional-looking tap room, all oak beams with wooden casks behind the bar. This was packed when we arrived. Just beyond the small bar is a bright, more modernly decorated room, that looked more suited to eating. That's where we had to go, and it was empty, but not for long, as parties with reservations filled it up. We had a really nice time here, and it embodied that feeling of Gemütlichkeit that so many other places just don't have. That corridor I mentioned even had it! People were standing there, drinking their beers, chatting, so it had way more than a simple connectivity function to the loos or the private party rooms.

A good sign that I loved Mahr's is the complete lack of notes in my notebook. I made some notes on the first beer, Mahr's Helles, which I think I hadn't had before. It was cleaner than most Helles, with a surprisingly sorbet-like hoppy/citrus thing on top of a bready, cream soda base, with a lick of butterscotch and a herbal bitterness bringing up the rear. I know we certainly had plenty of the Ungespundet, which is reason enough to visit the place.

We finished up with a couple of beers outside, to free up the table for those patrons who wanted to order the humongous plates of food, then finally toddled back towards the centre of town, and the brewery we managed to avoid on our first day, Brauerei Fässla, just across the road from Spezial.

I quite like Fässla beers, so hopes were high for the tap room. Sadly, it didn't quite meet the level we'd experienced till now (with the exception of the execrable Ambräusianum). The entry hall, much like Mahr's, is also a place to sit or stand and drink. As we entered,m there was a fairly loud, drunken crowd hogging one end of this area, so we popped into the main room. The decor reminded me more of a cafe, but it was bustling and welcoming. We managed to grab part of a table near the "bar". , where we began speculating on the generations of the people working there. It seemed that Grandma was overseeing from behind the bar, keeping a critical eye on everything, directing the bleach-blond young-fella pouring beers, or doing it herself when he disappeared. It seemed like her daughter and grand-daughter were working there. I like this idea of generations working the brewery/pub. sitting beside the bar areas may have been unwise at this point in time, as we began discussing the glass washing procedure, and how we felt it was sub-standard, as still-soapy glasses were filled with beer. Not exactly beer-ready. Nevertheless, I apparently enjoyed the Fässla Lagerbeer. A lovely, bready backbone, slightly buttery, but at a level that works rather than disturbs, and remarkably fruity.

The "corridor", as we left, a little quieter.

As it was our last evening, there was only one more place that we really wanted to hit, and that was Café Abseits, about a 1.5km walk from Fassla, on the other side of the main station. From the little research I'd done, Abseits had popped up several times as a bar with an interesting selection of beers, not least the Weyermann's beers (sadly, we'd arrived too late on Friday to take the Weyermann's tour). I can confirm Abseits has an impressive beer menu, and not just from a German perspective. It might be unfair to say that is it's main redeeming feature, but on the night in question, the place stank. Badly. A kind of sweaty smell, and the toilets left a lot to be desired. Nevertheless, it was well filled with locals.

I'd tried a couple of the Weyermann pilot brewery beers at a festival in the past, so was glad to get the opportunity to try a couple more, especially considering their rather limited scale.

Weyermann Schlotfegerla, 5.2%, mildly roasty, sweetish smoke, but well to the back, well balanced. That's what I wrote. I assume I enjoyed it.

What I do recall is the Weyermann Barley Wine, a heavy hitter at 11.5%. With a big sherry/port aroma, it delivered masses of vanilla and plum pudding. I summed it up as Christmas in a glass. Certainly sweet, but not overly so, almost light in residual sugars, all things considered. It exploded in a flash of liquidised raisins in sherry. That's as much of a description as I could muster, but sounds good, right?

I won't bore you with the details of the walk back to the hotel, the search for any place open for some scraps of food or the Irish black and white pudding shoved into the beer fridge in the hotel corridor, but suffice to say, I want to go back. Bamberg is a pretty town, with oodles of history, but if you're a beer tourist, it has to be one of the most compact and rewarding places to visit in Germany, if not on the planet. I'm looking forward to the next one!

Bamberg 2011, Day 1.

2012-03-09T23:10:00.001+01:00

Just before my self-imposed exile from the beer blogosphere last year, a couple of old mates and I spent a weekend in Bamberg. It's a place I'd always been eager to visit; a place that I considered almost a spiritual heart of German brewing. As we'd moved in late 2010 to a place only a couple of hours train ride away from Bamberg, my fate was sealed. Bear in mind, this was nearly a year ago, so some things may have changed, but the breweries, oh, the breweries, well, I'm quite sure they'll be around for a while longer.

Leaving home on Friday, 15th of April, I rendezvoused in Würzburg Hauptbahnhof with old mates Kieron and Brian, who had landed in Frankfurt that morning. From there, just under an hour by Regional Express to Bamberg. It seemed to be just the start of tourist season (or there was something on!), and we'd found it hard to find a hotel, but managed to get rooms in Altstadthotel Molitor, a small, slightly worn, but well-located hotel, right on the Regnitz and just on the southern edge of the old town. Of course, this meant a fair trundle from the station, providing us with a rather flimsy excuse to make a first stop at Brauerei Spezial.

Arriving at an odd hour, in a lull between lunch and the evening crowds, there were plenty of seats to choose from at the scrubbed pine tables. Drei Bier, bitte. Three Spezial Lagerbiers. €2.30 each. Lovely soft carbonation, light caramel and raisins and a waft of sweet smoke on the back. That does the job. Food. Kassler with a rather strong Sauerkraut and bread. Spot on. Spezial Märzen please. Plummy, more raisins, a nice toasty edge under the soft rauch notes. Nicer than the bottled version. Far too easy to drink. Spezial Ungespundetes, the only unsmoked beer they make? Remarkably fruity aroma, like a mix of bubblegum and pear drops. Comes across in the flavour too, like liquidised candy. Not so sure if I like it, but it's hard to follow the smoked beers. If you're there, and it's on, go for this first. Spezial is a nice place, and it seems we spent a couple of hours here, shooting the breeze, catching up and sipping delicious beer. But I bet it's a lot better in the evening with a full crowd.

Refueled, we dropped our stuff at the hotel and made a gesture towards more general tourist activities, taking in the Rathaus and the maze of streets before settling on Ambräusianum, the newest brewery/brewpub in Bamberg. Ambräusianum certainly feels more modern, and has lots of corners to hide in and greenery trailing down from the gallery where we found a seat. Regular beers included a Helles and a Dunkel, as one might expect. Ambräusianum Dunkel it is so. A reddish copper, with a light tan head and slight haze. Served super cold. Extremely malty, as in, just like chewing on a fistful of caramalz. A grainy, husky caramel, over-sweet, but with some redeeming blackcurrant fruitiness and a carbonic bite. €2.70, by the way. Not a great start. Hungry again. Can't go wrong with Spätzle mit Nürnberger Bratwurst. Or so I thought. Tasty, but incredibly salty. I needed a mouthful of beer for every bite (of either the noodles or sausages!), and eventually just could not take it. I complained to a waitress about the salt levels, which felt like the chef had tripped, spilling an entire bag into the pan. She shrugged, asked if I didn't want to eat it, and took it away. Kieron's Flammkuchen was every bit as salty, but Brian's pork medallions, wrapped in bacon, with fried potatoes and fresh vegetables were very nice. Double or nothing, let's try the Ambräusianum Hell. Like sugar water with essence of malt and lemon drops. Basically, tastes like a sweetened Radler. Kieron summed the whole experience up in one word: Brutal. No tip. Don't waste your time here.

The best thing about Ambräusianum is that it's pretty much next door to Schlenkerla. Now, this is more like it. Rooms filled with tables made to be shared, crammed with locals and tourists alike, a loud buzz of conversation, and all presided over by the commanding presence of the matronly woman carrying beers to and fro. Or at least that's how it felt. We grabbed part of a table in the Altes Lokal room. You know, I didn't make any notes. I was enjoying myself too much. There was the Märzen, of course, one of my old favourites, and being in the Lenten period, we were blessed with Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier, served into chunky handled glasses from barrels in the tiny bar area. Enough said. We spent till closing time in these convivial surroundings, and I heartily recommend you do the same if you get a chance. It has that feel that you imagine a proper German tavern should have. Next time, I'll eat here too.

We ended up in some small, late-opening bar. Crammed, loud crap music, but in a town like Bamberg, when even the dive-iest bars seem to sell the likes of Mahr's beers, it's manageable.

Three places (the fourth doesn't count) in the first half day. We'd have to step up the pace on Saturday, as there's a lot more breweries to visit.

A fistful of Faust

2012-03-06T23:24:00.003+01:00

Brauhaus Faust Zu Miltenberg, in Bavaria, is only about a 50km drive from where I live (I'm in the Dreiländereck of Hessen Bayern Baden-Württemberg, so can hop between Federal States with ease!), but I first encountered one of their beers in my former home of Münster, up in North Rhine-Westphalia. It's probably no surprise that Faust Pils is served in one of my favourite pubs in Münster, The James, as the owner's mother is from Miltenberg. At the time, Axel had just gotten in Faust Pils, and was as pleased as punch, offering me and a mate a free glass to try it. I have to admit, although we gave murmurs of approval, there was something odd, yet interesting about it. Slightly sour, with a funky aroma I wasn't sure was supposed to be there. I subconsciously crossed Faust off my list, until a couple of months ago, when Axel showed me an empty bottle of a rather interesting-looking IPA from Faust. Looking at their shop, they've quite a few specialist beers, but before diving into them, I thought I'd give their standard fare a proper run.

Faust Export is extremely well-carbonated, with a seemingly perpetual head of foam constantly fed by a stream of bubbles. It has a surprisingly strong herbal aroma, with a mild spiciness and a candy-like undertone. Quite a fruity flavour up front, with hints of pear and pineapple on a white sliced pan base. The finish is mildly spicy, a little watery, but what spoils it for me is a vaguely plasticky aftertaste, that some might call resinous. I know I'm sensitive to that particular flavour profile, so try it yourself, as the rest gives an interesting, and quite possibly welcome variation on the Export theme.

I can't really say much about the Faust Pils, and not just from my previous experience of it. Certainly, it didn't have those funky flavours I described above, so I can only assume something went wrong on the way to Muenster. However, what it does have is a catty, grassy aroma, again with a mild resinous backdrop. The flavour is a little bit grainy, a little bit fruity, a little bit lemony... a little bit... Well, suffice to say, it's relatively unoffensive, but not something I'd return to in a hurry. Unless of course I visit the tap room, in which case I'll probably be ordering a freshly-poured glass to ponder on.

Faust Kräusen, subtitled Naturtrüb, didn't pour as hazy as expected. Perhaps a hint of haze. It delivers a zesty, lemony aroma cut with a thyme-like herbal highlight. Sweet, in a honey-like way. It said so on the label, actually, but I didn't expect it to be so remarkably strong, and certainly pleasant. A juicy-fruit quality slips in to the fore, and on the back, that herbal note suggested on the aroma comes in with a nice bitterness and a twist of black pepper, finishing with a long, resinous smack. Actually, this worked for me. It's certainly süffig and moreish, and feels like a bit of a mish-mash of beers. Despite my leanings away from resin flavours, I found this a charming beer, and one I'd gladly have several of.

Faust Schwarzviertler Dunkel is the one I was most looking forward to trying, as I have a soft spot for a nice Dunkel. The origins of Brauhaus Faust began in 1654, with a brewery founded in the Schwarzviertel area of Miltenberg, hence the name. This has a softer carbonation than the others, yielding a creamier, longer-lasting head on a clear, dark chestnut body. It has a mild aroma, mostly delivering caramelly malt and toasted bread. It has a soft mouthfeel, with a gentle prickling sensation, despite the apparent low carbonation, which serves to cut what could be an otherwise one-dimensional malty sweetness (think barley sugar sweets). Light fruit flavours bring up the rear, suggesting strawberries, a touch of blackberry and a just a whisper of wet cardboard in the finish. Despite a certain wateriness, I quite like the juiciness and that carbonic bite that rounds it off.

And finally, the Faust Doppelbock Dunkel. At regulation 7% ABV, this Doppelbock is an appealing, bright, red-hued chestnut. Aroma-wise, it's a tad grainy, with vegetal (raw cabbage) overtones. Not massively appealing, but on the first few mouthfuls, it sets things right with really juicy malts carrying a vanilla-edged, strong caramel flavour, cut sharply with a carbonic edge, much like the Schwarzviertler, but this time also with, dare I say it, a trace of tartness. This is more of a fruity tartness, akin to raspberries, rather than something gone sour. It has a generally fruity backdrop throughout, redolent of raisins and green apple skins. All of this combined with a creamy mouthfeel makes this a rather moreish Doppelbock, devoid of the sticky sugariness that so often puts me off other members of this family. Served cold, it's immensely quaffable (did I just use that word?!), while a tad warmer, it's just as pleasant, but a certain huskiness appears.

Overall, I'm pleased with my Faust purchases (apart from the Pils), and at a little less than €1 a bottle why wouldn't I be? The rest of that order, though? Well, the specials are quite a bit more expensive, but we'll see if they're worth it soon...

Propeller Nachtflug Imperial Stout

2012-03-01T22:16:00.002+01:00

The box of Propeller beers I ordered a few weeks ago consisted of nine bottles of their Aufwind IPA, and nine Imperial Stouts, going by the name of Nachtflug (Night Flight). Having drank five of these by now, I suppose I'm ready to give an opinion!

Propeller Nachtflug is properly dark and oily-looking, with a rocky brown head to match. Sumptuous-looking to be sure. The aroma is subtle, with raisins, raspberries, cocoa and just a touch of roasted grains and a slight vegetal note. It had a pleasantly smooth mouthfeel, and, for a 9.1% German beer, is remarkably non-sticky, and deceptively easy to knock back. Flavours include berries (cherries even!), dark chocolate and a surprising splash of citrus. There's a vague yeastiness in the background, adding an element of fresh bread dough. Where it really comes into it's own is on the swallow, with a long finish that is redolent of peppery dark chocolate, a bite of orange rind and a decidedly vinous feel. Lovely. In the gamut of Imperial Stouts, it leans towards the lighter end of the body scale, but it ticks plenty of boxes to keep the drinker interested, and it goes great with some strong cheese and home-made bratwurst. But then I say that about most beers I like!

I feel this is definitely better off the shelf, preferably near room temperature.

Shields down!

2012-02-26T22:32:00.000+01:00

I'm generally an accidental hoarder. By that, I mean most times a beer gets hoarded by me, it's because I've forgotten about it, or it was left in a box between one of the two house moves we've made in the past 16 months. But, this little selection of Worthington's beers that I received from Kristy last year was purposefully avoided, till another of Andy and Mark's Open It weekends gave me the thin excuse I needed to clear some shelf space.

I'd been unsure about leaving something of the strength of Red Shield for over a year, but worries were generally unfounded, though it did open with a bit of a spray, which caused me to run, bottle in hand, thumb in neck, trying to make it to the sink with minimal coating of the walls. Lively, to say the least, but it looked attractive once coaxed into a glass. Delivering an aroma of doughy bread, light lime and a floral touch, the flavours were much the same story, with a tad more of a lemsip-y citrus twist, a suggestion of digestive biscuit saltiness giving way to a delicate, drying bitterness, the flavour of which, oddly, leaned in the direction of flat 7-Up. A little bland, and probably better on a hot summer day, and, I suspect, younger.

White Shield was an absolute pleasure last time I had it, and I was really looking forward to trying it with a year or so of age on it. Gone were the big, chewy caramel flavours, replaced by light fudge, a tentative sour bite, and a fuller, dried fruit backbone holding it all together. That tea-like tannic feel was still there, and with a lighter-feeling body, this made for a long, dry, puckering finish, with a little pepper and a distinct gin and tonic edge to close it all off. On reflection, I think I preferred the fluffy comfort of the younger, juicier version. With a year of aging, this felt a little more grown up, with those kinds of flavours that only adults should like, and it would certainly be nice to see how they could further develop. Incidentally, after some experimentation, I think I also prefer young Orval, despite the general consensus that it gets better (and then worse, and then better again) with age.

And so, to up the ante, Celebration Shield, a beer brewed to celebrate the opening (or should that be a reopening of sorts?) of the William Worthington's Brewery by Molson Coors in December 2010. At 8%, it should have stood the time quite nicely (although I didn't have a fresh comparison), but like the Red Shield, it was extremely gassy, and it took 5 minutes to pour a glass, such was the depth of the shaving-foam head. Despite the thick insulation, it pushed out a thick, sweet aroma which, I;m not sure I should say, reminded me of a good German Doppelbock, with big caramel cut with a fresh grassiness. The flavour loads on almonds, toasted rye bread, dried apricots and raisins. It's boozy, but in a refined, port-like way, perhaps with a shot of dark rum thrown in for good measure. The finish is juicy, fruity, with a longer, slightly toasted edge and a feeling of punchy contentment.

A new festival for the calendar?

2012-02-21T22:52:00.001+01:00

Twitter is great for finding out about these sorts of things. There's a new German beer festival to add to the calendar. Well, to be more accurate, it is billed as an International Beer Festival, inspired by the Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival and the Great American Beer Festival. Braukunst Live! 2012 will be held from April 20th to 22nd in the MVG Museum, Munich.

The website is clearly still a work in progress, which is worrying considering it's only two months away, although to be fair, they could well have been very busy with their main event, the Finest Spirits whisky festival in February. However, there is a preliminary list of the breweries attending so far (though maybe by the time you click on that it could be a proper, sorted list with links to the breweries and stuff *hint hint*).

Although based in Munich, the organisers state they don't just want just Bavarian beers, but want national and preferably international breweries to show their wares, for four reasons (and here's my bad translation from their website):

First, to you, the consumer, to discover an international diversity, as good as any wine, whiskey or brandy festival.
Second, because we want to offer the specialty brewers a place to exchange and meet in a relaxed festival atmosphere - and to bring their own beers (which is rare).
Third, because we have a distinct speciality culture - but hardly anyone knows! Other countries have us there - some are decades ahead. Therefore we must learn from others, which is why we need the others here and why we need, right in the heart of the beer capital of Munich, an international festival.
Fourth, because we are convinced that this openness will lead to to a specialty market that ALL can use: the consumers, because they can learn of beers of an unexpected (and hitherto unknown!) variety of flavors; breweries, because consumers are paying you more for a product, its diversity and speciality they come to know and learn to love.

I have to admit, I'm not so enamoured of that very last concept, about paying more, but that does seem to be the way many German breweries are marketing their new wares, making them "special through price". But that's another story.

At the time of writing, I think there's only five international breweries listed (well, outside of the German-speaking countries): Brewdog, Fuller`s, Samuel Smith, Robinson and St. Austell, but there's plenty of interesting German breweries listed that I , for one, would love to sample beer from. Having a lot of them under one roof would make that job a lot easier, even if 100ml at a time.

A proliferation of pale ales?

2012-02-18T00:16:00.001+01:00

Every few weeks I seem to hear about yet another German brewery making a pale ale, and I have to admit, I'm probably jerking the knee a little by ordering them as I hear of them at this stage. Of the three described in this post, two in are fairly recent, and the third has been waiting in my cellar for an opportune moment, which happened to be last weekend. In order of drinking so (although I'm refreshing my memory as I write)!

Crew Pale Ale comes from a new two-man operation, Crew Alewerkstatt, based in Munich who are getting their recipe brewed at an undisclosed brewery. Of course, they have plans for their own plant, and I hope they make it. Felix, over at Lieblingsbier, has a good interview with Mario Hanel and Timm Schnigula, so I'm not going to do a von Guttenberg on it. Go read it and use Google Translate :)

Having a minimum order of a box of 20, I was really hoping this would be good, and with a hop list including Hercules, Chinook, Citra, Cascade and Nelson Sauvin, well, how couldn't it be? An unfiltered, pale amber brew. The aroma in one word: fruity. In a few more: well, gooseberries, mandarin, herbal and a little catty. It doesn't really hit hard on first sip, being somewhat lemonade-y, and a tad thin, but it has hop-driven flavours enough, with hay, soft thyme, white grapes and a lingering, lemony finish. At 40 IBUs, it's tastes surprisingly mild, with most of the hops apparantly delivering that melange of fruity flavours. I can't help thinking it would benefit from a little more malty backbone, and was a little underwhelmed on my first bottle. Where it really comes into its own is direct from the bottle after a days work. The lightness of body combined with the refreshing, fruity hop profiles makes it a real thirst quencher, and I'd happily have more. I'm looking forward to seeing if the lads further develop this.

Propeller "Aufwind" Double IPA grabbed my attention in the Twitterverse, and within 30 minutes of seeing it mentioned, I'd ordered a mixed case of Propeller's Double IPA and Imperial Stout (more of that anon). See what I mean? My hop cravings continue unabated. Created by another duo, Hans-Christian Bosch, who as far as I can figure out is connected with Brauerei Bosch, and Sepp Wejwar, or "Biersepp", biersommelier and author, operating under Propeller Getränke.

There's not much technical info on their website, but a Double IPA is always music to my senses. However, not in this case. Expecting a Double IPA in what seems to be the de facto American tradition, the aromas are quite muted, and I have to admit I transferred some to a snifter to try to concentrate them. What's there is pleasant, though, with a nose full of caramel, sweet mandarin peel, a pinch of nutmeg and floral undertones. On first taste, the body is is very pleasant, presenting a soft, chewy caramel base, cut with a lime-like freshness. The middle ground flies by rather swiftly (sorry!), flashing rounded pear, a little banana, to be replaced with a mildly sorbet-like finish that is sweet with long-lingering citrus notes and an edge of butterscotch. I have to admit, I was disappointed in not getting what I expected, but it's a decently-flavoured, moreish, easy-drinking beer.

Just on the topic of "what is this beer?", those who know me know that I'm not a style nazi, especially when brewing my own beers, and I dislike the idea of brewing by numbers, as Al over at Fuggled would put it. However, there's a certain value in a descriptive beer style from the consumer perspective, and although this is a fine, enjoyable beer, it is not, to my mind, a Double IPA. To me, it's an enjoyable, strong Pale Ale at 6.5% ABV. In fact, a German who had never had a DIPA before trying this, and liking it, would get a hell of a shock from the intensity of most other DIPAs. Funnily enough, there's a new addition to the beer description on the website since I last looked. I'll translate as best I can:

"AUFWIND is a Double IPA (Double India Pale Ale). Also when many bloggers don't want it to be true. For the category of Double IPA is non-binding. For some, "Double" means to double the alcohol levels or bitterness. For us, that would be too easy. Much more difficult is to produce "more" flavors and a "sea" of fruit."

Hmm... Yes. I have to admit, I don't get the "more" or the "sea", but perhaps in comparison to normal German beers, there is a "sea change" here. But please, lets not fracture the already apparently infinitesimally divided "beer style" list by creating a "German DIPA"!

And so, finally, to FritzAle IPA, a beer that was also recommended via Twitter. FritzAle is brewed at the Helios Braustelle in Cologne, presumably by Fritz renting time at the brewery, as are other beers like the Freigeist Bierkultur stuff. Having visited in the past, and liking what Braustelle do, I had high hopes for this, despite the daunting 750ml size. The garishly-coloured bottle lists Amarillo and Simcoe as hops of choice, bittered to a respectable 59 IBUs, and a regular 5.5% ABV. I'll cut to the chase. Brilliant. Big, fresh aroma, hitting classic American hop characteristics of piles of grapefruity, citrussy goodness. The flavour is certainly hop-forward and fresh, on a creamy fudge base, bready with the added bonus of pineapple sorbet, lashed with a luscious, yet drying pithy bitterness that goes on and on. Masses of flavour, wonderful balance, and the whole thing just works! Try it if you can.

Freigeist Deutscher Porter

2011-11-30T22:17:00.001+01:00

It's been a while since I posted anything beer-related. A combination of (thankfully unfounded) health concerns and the beast of a project we've undertaken has meant little thought has been applied to tasting beer for the past half year, so it's about time the taste buds were exercised again.

And what better way to get back into the swing of things than a German porter, apparently brewed to a style previously made in the DDR (but I have to take their word on that).

Freigeist Bierkultur have an interesting range of beers, all brewed at the Helios Braustelle in Cologne, hosts of the Festival der Bierkulturen. Their Deutscher Porter is no exception, at least from the description. The ingredients include salt, and brettanomyces is involved in the fermentation process. Pouring an opaque black, with just the faintest traces of ruby highlights around the edges, this 8% ABV porter hints at soft vanilla toffee, light coffee, licks of licorice and a squeeze of soft summer fruits on the nose. All quite toned down, but there nonetheless. So it was quite a kick in the teeth when the first mouthful delivered not a rich, full-bodied, fruity, chocolatey porter, but a bite of a lemon. It's sour. Not Cantillon sour, but significantly so nonetheless. It's refreshing. The expected roasty or chocolate flavours are playing sixth fiddle somewhere, but the fruits, raspberry and green apples perhaps, creep out from under the lemon to leave a pleasing tartness on the tongue. A slight oiliness at the back of the throat may come from the salt, but it's hard to say where that comes in to play.

Freigeist's Deutscher Porter puts me in mind of De Dolle's Cosmos Porter, but sadly doesn't reach the same levels of complexity. A one-trick pony? Perhaps, but it's a lovely, surprising beer all the same, and shockingly easy to drink, the light body belying the relatively hefty alcohol content. In fact, when I think of other German beers with that level of alcohol, the drinking experience couldn't be more different, and for that, I salute them.

Blind tasting Alpirsbacher Ambrosius

2011-04-30T23:47:00.002+02:00

Two weeks ago, after a couple of days in Bamberg with two of my oldest friends from Ireland, and on the eve of my Birthday, we had an ideal opportunity to put a bottle of Alpirsbacher Ambrosius -- a new German Tripel released shortly before Christmas 2010 and the first of two German Tripels I came across since, the other being being the Franz Anton Schäffler Triple -- through its paces against a couple of Belgian Tripels and a German wildcard in a blind tasting.

After a couple of days in Bamberg, this was going to be kill or cure, but we were dedicated.

Beer A I found had a warm, sugary, toffee-apple aroma. the first taste also felt warming, with big, soft raisin flavours. Somewhat thin on the mouthfeel, sugary malts up front, a light fruitiness, suggesting raisins, cut short by a pine-like bitterness that hangs around for quite a while. In summary, sugary, fruity, with a little too much residual sugars for my liking, but with a pleasant warming effect.

Beer B had very little aroma, and what it delivered was more along the lines of alcohol, with slight marker/acetone notes. Light and alomost wine-like, with a grape skin tannic edge bringing up the rear. Slight bitter almond/marzipan traces.. Overall, fruity in a grape-like way, juicy and a crisp tannic finish that I liked.

Beer C had similarities to B in many ways, but it upped things on the fruitiness. Pears, apples, oak-like vanilla notes. Dry, almost cranberry-like in the feel, but buffered by a light candy-like middleground. Quite an assertive bitter finish, with that dryness pushing a herb-like (it had me in mind of thyme or oregano) bitterness well to the front of the tongue. Overall, crisp, dry, nice fruity, orangy notes. My favourite of the four.

Beer D reeked of corn. That boiling corn on the cob kind of aroma. Really off-putting compared to the other three. Sugary to the taste, but with a cleansing German hop character, citric?lemon and slightly herbal. A pleasant warming pepperiness to the finish. Overall, like sweetcorn with hops.

I knew what the four beers were, so was the only one able to take a guess what each was. As it turns out, I was able to name all correctly.
Beer A: Alpirsbacher Amrosius
Beer B: St. Bernardus Tripel
Beer C: Westmalle Tripel
Beer D: Andechser Bergbock Hell

The reasoning? D was clearly the odd one out. It had to be the Doppelbock. It was included on the off chance that the Ambrosius bore more resemblance to its German brother than the Belgian cousins. Definitely not! The Ambrosius stood out in that it had a malty sweetness (sorry Mark) that just made it typically German to me. It's hard to get a strong German beer that doesn't have a sugary consistancy, and this had at least hints of that. B and C felt more refined to my taste, so had to be the Belgians. C stole it for me, so I subconsciously assumed it to be the Westmalle, as I hadn't tried the Bernardus Tripel before.

In the end, the Ambrosius is a fine beer, but to my taste, it doesn't come near the surprisingly crisp and refreshing levels that the Belgians hit, even with beers at that level of alcohol. Also, it's not bottle conditioned. Not a trace of yeast in the bottle, so I'm not sure I hold much hope for my remaining bottle developing much in the cellar. Time will tell.

Braufactum Darkon, Roog and Indra.

2011-04-11T19:21:00.002+02:00

A little while ago I mentioned the very attractively packaged, own-branded beers from BraufactuM. This was in the context of exclusivity, as the presentation, and the price of these beers seems aimed at a particular type of person. But are they any good? I was lucky enough to have the chance to take three of their beers for a little taste drive.

BraufactuM Darkon is described as an "elegant Schwarzbier" at 5.4% ABV. It has a light roast and toffee aroma, with some fruitiness. The initial impression on the flavour is that of a thin malt drink with a pleasant raisin fruitiness with light coffee and chocolate notes. Remarkably floral at the back, it delivers a pronounced herbal bitterness, washed away by thin caramel flavours. It's nice that this bitterness gives a sharp contrast to the sweet and roast flavours, but it ends on a bit of a bilious sour note. Better when drinking, and not good to stop so. Interesting, but not a balance of flavours that works for me. Well, not the sick.

Their Roog Rauchweizen raises the ABV to a respectable 6.6%, and pours dark, muddy brown. It delivers a light smoke aroma, gentle, but certainly present, on top of a classic Weizen banana-like foundation, combining into a smoked-fruit effect. Rather good! If has a soft, juicyfruit/bubblegum and strawberry-like flavour, with a spritzy carbonic bite, followed by a very pleasant, sweet smokiness. Well-balanced and hitting all the classic Weizen buttons with the added dimension of smoke, I have to say, this is the best Rauchweizen I've had. Others, including the more famous ones from Schlenkerla and Spezial, just didn't get the balance right, in my mind. Lovely.

And on to the BraufactuM Indra, a 6.8% Weizen India Pale Ale. I was looking forward to this one most, to see what a German interpretation, including Cascade hops, would turn out like. With a lively carbonation and that orange hue, it looks every bit the Weißbier, but that's where it stops. I have to admit, my first impression was Wow! A huge grapefruit aroma leaps out from under that dense, fluffy head. It has an interesting mix of flavours. The hops elements are way to the fore, with grapefruit and lemon banging it out. There's a grainy middleground, somewhat mealy, but with a robust fruitiness suggesting orange, pears and a light caramel. I'm not sure what yeast was used, as it has none of the hallmark Weizen flavours that I expected, but perhaps it just makes heavy use of wheat. I have to admit, I made no other notes as it was a complete distraction of a beer.

So, are they worth it? Well, that depends. Flavour-wise, I was really impressed. The Roog, at €4.99 for 330ml was the first Rauchweizen I tried that I felt really worked, and it exceeded expectations. Similarly, I’m a big fan of the American interpretation of IPAs, and the Indra checked all of the boxes, and then some. Simply brilliant. But at €5.99 for 330ml, I simply cannot justify that as a regular purchase, especially as it is most likely made locally. Sadly, that means that while at best, they may expect an occasional purchase for curiosity, they won’t be getting regular custom from me (sad for me too!). I can’t help wondering if this kind of pricing is shooting themselves in the foot, but then there will always be someone with more money than sense.

Many thanks to my friend and whisky pimp, Rüdiger, for sharing these with me. I'm tempted to try more.

The Session #50: How do they make you buy beer?

2011-04-01T11:56:00.001+02:00

A few weeks ago, I put forward my thoughts that the general lack of variety in German beer was not so much to do with the Reinheitsgebot as with the general conservativeness of the German public at large. Basically, despite the fact that the Reinheitsgebot allows for a massive variety of beer styles, they generally don’t go too far in Germany (and I acknowledge gratefully the likes of Altbier, Kölsch, Rauchbier and other regional specialties). But when there is something clearly different to the norm, how does the Brewery or beer seller try to tempt the regular German public to make that leap beyond Pils and Helles? Exclusivity seems to be the keyword, at least when the marketers are involved.

A little while ago, I mentioned Alpirsbacher Ambrosius, a German-brewed Belgian-style Tripel which, as one regional paper put it, was the most expensive German beer available. It was described as a “gourmet” beer, and much was made of the fact that cork and cages were used, presumably adding to the desired comparisons with wine. At €8.60 for 750ml, it’s not prohibitively expensive, and certainly not the most expensive German beer I’ve seen to date, with that honour belonging to the Schorschbräu 32 or 43, retailing at about €60 for 330ml. At least in that case, production was extremely limited, and a lot of materials and man-hours went into creating a one-off, but I digress. The point is, the exclusivity and “specialness” of Ambrosius were used to try and make people buy it. Although it disregards the fact that the Trappists were doing this for some time, bear in mind that it’s pretty hard to find such beers in German stores, so yes, in a way it’s “new” 'round these parts, and this apparent uniqueness in itself is a draw to purchase. Does it taste any good? Is it worth the cash? Well, time will tell, I’ve got two bottles of Ambrosius in the cellar, waiting for an opportune moment to blind taste against a Trappist beer and a few others, so at least that trapped me!

Really pushing all the exclusivity buttons is BraufactuM. Their website features a small selection of beers form Brooklyn, Marston’s, Birrificio Italiano, Birra Baladin, and their own BraufactuM label. It’s beautifully presented, with the menu split between “courses”, sumptuous images of the beers, tasting notes and detailed information on the ingredients. Really, this is the way beer information should be given, but the work that went into this could only be possible with the small selection presented. Put it this way, it really made me want to buy them all! But! The prices!

Their own label, brewed at an unknown location, includes some really great-looking beers, Indra, a Weizen India Pale Ale, Roog, a smoked Weizen and Darkon, a Schwarzbier, all relatively reasonably priced, while still oozing exclusivity due to the classy packaging (thanks to a friend, I tried all three of these two nights ago, but I’ll return to those in a later post). But I balk at paying €17.99 for a 330ml bottle of 13% Arrique barley wine (€54 per litre)! I mean, made with local ingredients, how can it be that expensive? That’s where style and exclusivity can stay out in the cold.

A case in point, and returning to Belgian-style Tripels in Germany: as it happens, Ambrosius wasn’t the first of this Belgian Tripel styles made in Germany. Another such is F.A Schäffler Triple, from Schäffler-Bräu a 10.5% beer, fermented with Trappist yeast, and costing €14 for 750ml in an Edeke supermarket. It fits the bill for exclusivity on price, and the branding does suggest a touch of classiness, with a little booklet explaiing the finer points. According to Ratebeer, Härte 10, is the very same beer, rebadged. The label of Härte 10 says it's 10%, uses Trappist yeast, and is decidedly crap looking, with a clipart kind of feel about it. Check out that cheesy diamond! On the back, it names Idar-Obersteiner-Bierspezialitaeten*, so, an own label of a beer handler in the middle of Rheinland-Pfalz, with no indication of the brewery, so presumably Ratebeer had some other information to go by. And the price of Härte 10? About €1.80 for 500ml. How’s that for an illustration of how the brand, the label, the exclusivity is meant to draw people in, and the more it can be ratcheted up , the more they expect people to pay.

But what is it like? If you weren't being swayed by the classy label, and the most advanced corking system you've ever seen (the Zork Cork), would it taste as good? Blind tasting time! Three of us put the F.A. Schäffler Triple against the Härte 10... well, Tripel.

Beer A for me had a broad, sweet, fruity aroma, I want to say lychees, but that sounds pretentious. Bubble gum, with aged red apples. The flavour is really candy-like, with pear drops and an amplified juicyfruit chewing gum and banana. Very sweet and sticky though.

Beer B was very similar in many of the core flavours, but different enough that we all noticed it. For me, it was a bit thinner, a little sharper, and had more brown sugar than a load of candy, and a pineapple like edge.

All in all, I preferred B. Though both shared common elements, I felt B was more refined, and because of that, I declared that it was the more expensive of the two. I was wrong, and so was my colleague, Rüdiger.

If they are the same beer, and I think there was enough in common for me to believe that, I wonder what made them different. Age, storage, all of that could play a part. Maybe the batches that don't meet a standard get rebadged? The main thing is, if they are the same, how can this price differential be explained? I can only think it's the aura of exclusivity you're paying for, and that alone can be enough to make you want to buy a beer, despite being an otherwise clear-thinking human being.

And I have another bottle of each!

*Their website doesn't work, but they do list Schäffler-Bräu