Jun 30, 2014

Weissbier Probe 2 Schneider Weisse Unser Original Tap 7

Schneider Weisse Unser Original Tap 7
0,5l
5,4%

Part 2 of the series. I truly have no idea what to expect of this as I don't even know in what way it is supposed to be different from the one I  had last time. Again not a real yeasty beer fan but I do everything for you guys.

So this baby is labeled as Tap 7.. sadly I can't really understand their system of taps so I just nod at it. The white label depicts a sun painted with finger paint. Yay for kids work on beer bottles.
I went for the matching brewery tasting glass that came with the whole box and if I sound grumpy today it prolly is because I am grumpy.. have 3 days of getting up at 4:30 am coming up and yeah well meh. So off to have this beer.

Right this is a lot darker than the last one so this would be categorized as a dark yeast in German. It's light brown in color and not very opaque.
First a lot of foam but then nothing, nada, zilch. It dissolved as fast as it came. Boo!

The aroma is spicy, yeasty with lemon zest and cinnamon, maybe faint peppery notes. Altogether rather faint smell all in all. Not very intense at all.

I would like some more carbonation but it's OK. A fruity, lemony start develops into spicy tones on the palate and the back of the mouth. Yeast isn't as bad as expected and I do prefer this over the last one though I classically didn't go for dark yeast when I was still drinking it.

Ratebeer seems to like this baby as well. So yeah go for it. I liked it!

Prost!
DMW


Jun 24, 2014

Weissbier Probe 1 Schneider Weisse Meine blonde Weisse Tap1

Meine blonde Weisse
0,5l
5,2%
Like I mentioned yesterday, I'll use my week off to do a Weissbier series... now I am not the big fan of the yeasty stuff though funnily enough it was the only thing I drank when I started beer drinking.
So I bought this box from my drink dealer and it holds a lot off different brews, some coasters a tasting guide and a glass... I mentioned this yesterday. The glass actually is a bit weird for my taste, as yeast beer should be drunk in one glass so that the yeast can mix.. but well I'll use their glass for their drinks. The tasting guide says that this baby is their mildest. We shall see.

The label is pretty standard and classic. Blue white which are also the state colors of Bavaria.. yeehaw no I shall not get out my leather pants for this.

Like always it is shaking and shaking to get the yeast mixed. It always makes me want to cry out when I see a Finnish Bartender just taking out the bottle and opening it straight away... THE YEAST!
Oh well.

It pours almost like milk and has a milky light brown color with a lot of very fine foam just like it is supposed to. The color isn't super pleasing but at least it isn't filtered... which reminds me that I might have to get a Kristallweizen for this series as well.

The aroma is.... well yeast with yeast.. very light pepper and nutmeg tones, also a decent sweetness. Maybe I need to practice more for those beers..

Ratebeer seems convinced... whether I shall be, shall be seen.

Carbonation on the stronger side but not bad.
Side tones a tad bit soapy, not as yeasty as I had feared it to be, still slight yeast after taste. I can't help but notice a certain soapy-ness which I don't like much. It is nice and refreshing on a hot day.. gotta give it that much.

Very faint iron and flowery tones on the upper palate. It is a very round beer I must say and maybe the soapy parts came from the pipe I had before. I actually grow to like it and can see me choosing this over some other yeasters.  Also my mouse just survived having some of this brew accidentally poured into it... a clear sign that it must be good :P


Prost!

DMW


Jun 23, 2014

Aventinus Eisbock

Aventinus Eisbock
330ml
12%
15 IBU

I have skipped this baby for a while, mainly because of the high alcoholic content. Usually I react stronger to stronger beers, the older I get. And on some days I just don't enjoy a buzz if it is hot outside.
In any case this is the Eisbock variant of a Bock that I will drink when I get to the yeast / Weissbier series that I have scheduled for sometime soon.
Luckily it is only a small bottle as I get a headache when looking at it.
The label is metallic purple, mirroring the purple color scheme of the regular Aventinus.
Ratebeer seems to be truly impressed by it which is promising. Maybe I make this the start for my Weissbier series.. we shall see. I did purchase a nice 'samplers kit' from Schneider Weisse including a glass, beer coasters and sampling instructions. Fancy fancy but the price was OK and I have a lil weakness for nice glasses. This will also be a new thing because as some of you might know, I am not a yeast fan.. alas I figured I should give it a chance which is why the sampling set seemd like a great idea. Normally they say u need to start with the most mellow one and then go up to the more hardcore stuff, alas I am not a man for 'normally' so we start with the strongest of their stuff.

After I spent 5 minutes to try to dissolve the yeast in the bottle into the brew this beer pours nicely and not as oily as I had expected. What did amaze me, however, was the amount of yeast in it. This reminded me of some trappistes I have had. A huge amount of yeast.

It is of dark hazelnut brown color, almost black. The color of mahogany. Sun couldn't get through.

The head produced is very small but consisting of very fine bubbles a light hazelnut in color.

The aroma is very sweet, dried plums, cherries, yeast, ripe fruits, spices also alcohol. Very nice smell with the plums and banana tones dominating.

The carbonation is great and the brew transforms into an almost kind of foam on the tongue, very interesting.
It is bitter and not as sweet as I expected it to be. Something I am not decided about whether that's a good or a bad thing. The alcohol isn't noticeable while in the mouth, alas I recognize it when exhaling. The multiple tastes range from hoppish bitter to alcoholy stingy mixed with plumish sweet and malty bitter.
I can't remember whether I have had an Eisbock before but this is nice. A great dessert beer. I would love to have some rich chocolate cake now. I really dig that foamy feeling when sipping this brew.

I definitely would have that for a planned beer dinner for dessert. It is a bit heavy for an every day beer but I wager it isn't thought to be an every day beer anyways.

Try this! You won't regret!

Prost!

DMW



Jun 20, 2014

Riedenburger Ur-Helles

Riedenburger Ur-Helles
0,5l
4,8%

My after work beer today is another Riedenburger I think I have had that brewery a couple of times and I am not sure whetre I liked it or not, This bright beer is ecologically certified and has some stickers proving it. Besides that the label is rather old style with a happy, happy table full of shiny happy people. Actually 2 couples. Oh the happy family. Anyways, it is a bottom fermented baby so I made sure to mix it around to get all the yeasty goodness int my glass. Not a lot of foam. The little there is, is very fine and stays for a while. Still unusual for a German beer. Colorwise it is rather pale and unfiltered, though in the glass it gets a more orange reddish hue.

The aroma is very mild and yeasty, I can sense some iron and even white wine tones mixed with a sour baseline.

Carbonations is fine, malt is ok though it leaves a bit of a weird side tone. The maltyness lingers on the tongue and gives it a sandy, grainy feeling. There are very faint sweet, floral notes but all in all it doesn't stand out as anything special. I give this definite bonus points for the whole ecological certification and all and it is above the usual crap. All around a good beer, though there is nothing that really stands out or that I shall keep in memory.

Prost and Happy Midsummer!

DMW

Jun 14, 2014

Grüner Vollbier Hell

Grüner Vollbier Hell
0,5l
4,9%

Now this beer wins simply because of the label and the bottlecap. It looks exactly as if I could have just found it on my grannies basement where it was left in the 50s or 60s. Whether it tastes better shall be seen.

Ratebeer isn't very impressed by this Vollbier but as I said I had to buy it simply because of the label. It also is one of the few bottles left from my huge shopping trip to Maruhn. (Sniff).

It pours easy and quick with not much foam that dissipates rather fast. It reminds me of Finnish generic mehness though it is paler colorwise. Also crystal clear filtered. The color is not very appealing its like a bleached out yellow.

The aroma isn't anything spectacular either. Somehow it reminds me of raw meat.. which is weird. Very faint yeast and malt tones. Also soft cinnamon and floral notes.

The carbonation is perfect and I must say I actually like the taste. It's very umami and tasty with floral tones. A nice full taste, no noticeable bitterness, nice full mouth with soft malt aroma. I could see me buying a case of this for a party. Rather nice though I wasn't convinced at first. A good one indeed!

Prost!

DMW

Jun 12, 2014

Hopfenstopfer Incredible Pale Ale

Hopfenstopfer Incredible Pale Ale
0,33l
6,1%
55IBU

After yesterday and the Triple Hop Craft Beer I move on to today's Quad Hop Craft Beer of the same brewery, namely Häffner Bräu Gmbh www.Hopfenstopfer.de.

The label is the same as yesterdays when it comes to minimalism but instead of blue stripes it is marked with red ones. It also has a small explanation via icons on the side, explaining how it should be drunk from a glass etc. Good for beginners.

A lot of foam on this baby, so much that I needed to hold the glass under the bottle right after opening the bottle. The big and small pored head is holding up nicely so far and the beer itself is of an unfiltered yellow-brownish color. Sadly this time they do not say which 4 hops they used, unlike the one I had yesterday.

This smells a lot more like a classical IPA than the one yesterday. It comes with the fulla roma expected from an IPA, flowers, fruits, hops, a rich orange juice / grapefruit tone, mixing with spices and a warm tartness.

By now much of the head is gone (Prolly cause I almost poked my nose into it) and we can continue to the tasting.

Carbonation is almost too much, hurts my tongue a bit. After the tartness of carbonation a warm bitterness takes over only to fade away to a tad bit watery taste. The hoppish bitter tones linger afterwards. It has a lot of great attempts but fails in the end. Like yesterday this is lacking the bite I'd want out of an IPA. It is bitter and it is spicy but it fades to a weird watery sensation that I wouldn't have expected. Overall the one yesterday, namely the Triple Hopped was better imho.

Ratebeer gives it a nice high number. I am not sure I can concur. I agree that it is a high quality craft IPA sure. But I am missing a certain something in it. Still a great brew!

Prost!

DMW

Jun 11, 2014

Hopfenstopfer Comet IPA

Hopfenstopfer Comet IPA

0,33l
6,8%
55IBU


It is too hot. Still. Again. Meh! I was happy to be working some of the days as I do have that air condition but for now I am suffering. So what would be better than a nice icy cold IPA. I treasured today's and the upcoming one for a while as they are part of a small miniseries. The brewery makes more but I just bought those 2 babies last time. They are made by the Häffner Brräu Gmbh of which I have never heard before and hopefully part of a nice craft series. They call this a Triple Hop Craft Beer and list the used Hops as Hallertauer Comet, Saphir and Taurus.

Ratebeer  has a lot of points for this so I am eager.

The label is rather plain which I find nice. It holds all the needed information without fancy pictures or cool fonts. It's right up my alley.

It developed a nicehead of mixed sized bubbles. Actually more than I have seen in an IPA before. The foam lingers longer han usually as well and is still present now.

It does smell rather weird, not very appetizing I must admit. Sorta burnt fruits, coffee and orange zest. A strong part of  overripe almost fermenting fruit tones.

Its cloudy and a bit redder than usual IPA. More opaque than cloudy actually.

Now to the taste...

Carbonation is good. The bitterness is a nice mix with the fruity tones and reminds me of grapefruit the way it lingers in ones mouth while fruity goodness is pouring over it. It is very refreshing though I can taste the alcohol in the after taste. I wouldn't mind it being more bitter for the real great IPA Punch but I do like the floral and fruity tones in it. I must say this is great, though lacking a bit punch. Still it's maybe the best IPA I have had in Germany.

Prost!

DMW

Jun 8, 2014

Störtebeker Hanse-Porter

Störtebeker Hanse-Porter
0,5l
4%

Continuing yesterdays entry we shall have a look at the second bottle I got from this Störtebeker brewery people. This baby is called a Porter though it is less alcoholy than the fruity disaster I had last.

Aaaaanyways, the label is the same as the other one with simply another name and another explanation what has been used. This one at least only has added sugar and no other stuff. I am still miffed that they market their stuff as craft beers but yeah...

This is rather dark though with almost no foam. It reminds me of coke basically.

The aroma is very dark and malty. Very strong dark coffee tones. Dark chocolate and almost burned malt.

Alas, this is almost sickeningly sweet. Which is very, very sad. The dark mats could easily make a really good porter...  the overly added sugar, however, ruins this for me. The carbonation also is very good and I would _love_ to try this without the sugar. The chosen malts and the degree it was roasted is very promising. The malt produces a grand amount of really interesting aromas I haven't tasted this way ever. The sugar covers it almost totally though and makes this almost not drinkable for me. I am tempted to pour it away. A real, real pity.
Ratebeer goes low as well.

Prost

DMW


Jun 7, 2014

Störtebeker Glühbier

Störtebeker Glühbier
5%
0,5l

So during the last visit to the Beer Shop of my dreams, I stumbled across a series of beers. Nothing special.
I bought them. Nothing special. Now I saw that they are simply beer mix drinks because of the German purity law and I feel a) cheated and b) MEH.

I didn't want to write about em but then again one of them is ice cold in the fridge now and it is 32° degrees Celsius outside and I got up at 4 am and I want a beer. So yeah hooray a beer-mix-thing.
It is to hot for frail, pale me to even think about going outside so I'll lower all shutters and drink it inside. I want an air condition.

Indeed this is marketed as a 'Brewspecialty' and not as a beer. My bad. Still I can't help feeling betrayed. This Glow-Beer is marketed as 'warming and fruity'... Warming is the last I need today but hell...

The beer is mixed with elderberry juice and no I won't make Monty Python jokes here. Sigh, why can't they put the elderberries in BEFORE they brew. Damned Purity law stuff.

The bottles show a ship (The Störtebeker I guess?) and truly betrayed me for a craft beer when I went shopping. Oh the power of marketing.

It looks... well just like a beer mixed with elderberry juice would look.. red. A bit like Berliner Weisse with Raspberry. The little head is rather meh looking as the pale red cream  color mix looks well not very appetizing.

The aroma indeed reminds me of Glühwein -  the German spiced / mulled wine served at Christmas markets.

Sweet, tart, sticky. Sticky is the main thing coming into mind. Wonder how something can smell sticky.. alas it does. Just gives the image as if it is sticky if I get my fingers in it. You really can't smell the beer.

It could use a bit more carbonation and is rather sweet when eg. compared to a Kriek. There are sour tones but they are rather faint. I bet it's a nice thing for a 16 year old to get drunk on as it is sweet.. and tastes like a soft drink. So yeah well... If you want a sweet soft drink that might make you drunk after a couple...be my guest.... otherwise.... don't get fooled like I did!
Ratebeer seems to share my opinion.



Prost!

DMW


Jun 6, 2014

Kapuziner Kellerweizen

Kapuziner Kellerweizen
Kulmbacher Brewery
0,5l
5,1%

Though I am a Kellerbier fan I am not a Weizen fan as you might know and I usually tend to stay away from Weizen though funnily enough this wwas what I used to drink exclusively when I started to drink beer.

I will have a Weizen series later in the month as I bought a package of Weizens to sample.

Today's is a Kellerweizen so that should make it a young unfiltered baby.
It is one of the 2 bottles my brother brought to me and to be honest I initially thought I'd just drink it without sharing my new found information about it with you.

I love the old style / retro label though a  monastery fan I am pretty sure that they just play with the Capuchin's name and wouldn't be surprised if they never see a dime from this beer.

The bottle also has one of my beloved flip top lids yay.

It pours like a standard dark Weizen though it is brighter than the dark weizens I know. It also has less head than I am used to with a Weizen. Seriously the color isn't very appealing as it reminds me of my last NoroVirus infection... alas, I shall spare you the details. So let's call it light cloudy brown for now...
By now the foam has dissipated besides a thin layer, another thing that I am not used to when it comes to Weizen. I did chose a full pint glass as I think Weizen needs a full glass so that the yeast can fully mix.

It does smell Weizenish though, the yeast is very prominent and there are side tones of pepper and coriander in it that are new to me. Faint lemon tones can be found as well.

Carbonation is perfect and there are fruity tones noticeable as well as banana side tastes.
The yeast is there which is what I usually am not the biggest fan of, alas it does work on this baby. Maybe it is because it is hellishly hot outside and I just craved a refreshing brew.

It is a nice mixture between fruityness and yeast with spices. Maybe I will be cured from my No Weizen attitude.

Prost!

DMW




Jun 5, 2014

Köstritzer Kellerbier

Köstritzer Kellerbier
5,4%
0,5l

You know my love for Kellerbier/Zwickel by now. Apparently the calls for unfiltered young beerses have been getting louder and louder as by now many breweries started making Kellerbier.
The newest addition to this trend seems to be Köstritzer Kellerbier. The brewery is mainly or actually so far, exclusively known for their Schwarzbier .
My brother the stealthy provider for hoppish goodness brought me one of these Kellerbiers.

The label is nice and looks like a brown version of their Black beer label. The also jumped on the wagon of making their own bottles. Though I find the trend charming to have every brewery make their own bottle it is also a bit sad as I bet it makes the life of the deposit bottle system guys not exactly easier. But then again this is a beer blog and not an environmental science blog.

They get a HUGE bonus from me for including instruction on how to drink it for the baby drinkers. (Namely shake the yeast into the concoction)

Though they say it is unfiltered I am a bit skeptical so far as at least through the bottle it does look filtered.

It pours easy with not a lot of foam. The foam it does form, however, is mainly big bubbled.
The color is.... somnething. The red brown gold reminds me of newcastle brown ale though they add colors which isn't allowed in Germany. So it does look a bit caustic / artificial. It now shows that it is unfiltered though there seems  not to be too much yeast or other things in it that would make it very cloudy.

Aroma wise it seems very malty. It reminds me of Koti olut / Malzbier. It seems very malt-sweet. The hops can be found in very fine scents in the background.

It's very interesting on the tongue. The carbonation being about perfect it left me with a slight medicinal sub tone on the palate while he tongue was numbed by a dusty-bitterness. Thank God it is not malty sweet as I thought from the smell, still it can't convince me. It's a tad bit too bitter for my taste when it comes to Zwickel and isn't fresh / umami enough for me.

I guess it's a nice try but I'd prefer their Schwarzbier for now.

Prost!

DMW







Jun 3, 2014

Rittmayer Hallerndorfer Bitter 42

Bitter 42
Brewery Rittmayer
330ml
5,5%

Back to the roots seems to be an ongoing trend everywhere... this is alsoi the exact reason why I bought this beer. I simply loved the simplistic, retro design.

The small bottle with the blue label simply states Bitter 42, which wonder oh wonder is also the name of the brew and the amount of Bitter Units this baby holds. (I have no idea what a bitter unit is..).

Ratebeer does seem to like it at least a bit.

It pours easy with a looot of really nice fine pored foam, just like a good ole German Pilsener has to be.
It's a bit more red than the usual Pils color. I like the slight copper tones.

It smells like a Pilsner.. slight pepper tones and a tad of copper. Fresh yeast and decent hops. A warm, full aroma.

The carbonation is perfect, though I had it in the fridge for days it isn't as cold as I'd want it to be.
It's very full in taste but the most spectacular about it is indeed the bitter aftertaste that lingers on the whole tongue for a while after one had a sip.
This article  gave me some more insight into IBU and the Bitterness units. The bitterness is different from an IPA because it is more direct.

It's an interesting tasty Pils, alas besides the novelty of some extra bitterness this didn't blow me away.
Nice one for the collector and basically everything is better than something generic.

Prost!

DMW


Jun 1, 2014

Williams Brothers March of the Penguins

Williams Brothers March of the Penguins
500ml
4,9%

After some of the more exotic thingies I want a nice warm creamy stout to mollycoddle me as I have to get up yuckily early the next 7 days or so.... so the secret hope is that this baby will get me tired.
Ratebeer for once likes it ... I do enjoy my stout so I'm looking forward to this though I just had a good meal and still hae the taste of onions in my mouth... So don't be disturbed if I describe the taste as onionish...:P

One can see that the bottle must be English or Scottish as it has a rather typical label for that area. A metallic foil that can only be pried off the bottle if heated in an oven.
The list of Ingredients actually states the usage of coriander and orange zest... I am intrigued.

It pours heavy and oily with not much foam. The lil head that there is, is consisting of small and big bubbles.
It is very dark almost pitch black. I should have tried the trick with the flashlight again but I am on the terrace and I seriously can't be bothered to get it.

The aroma is nothing I expected from a stout as it is almost IPAish. Very mellow hops tones mixed with spices and onions.. oh wait no. Dark chocolate is present like expected. Very faint floral and lemon tones.

Sadly it doesn't grasp me. The aftertaste with very rich dark chocolate aromas is nice but the general sensaton is OKish but not mind blowing. The carbonation is a bit too much and it generally hasn't as much flavor as I would have hoped it to be. The aftertaste is very nice and lingers on the whole tongue for a while.. but that's the best I can say. Maybe the onions killed my taste or maybe the Finnish Stouts I have had were too good but this tastes a bit watery for my taste.

All in all it's a solid stout with more flavor that your around the corner Guinness, alas there are better ones out there.

Prost!

DMW