533. Freigeist Abraxxxas

Holy German revival brewing! Historical brewing is all the rage with the kids these days, and it is nice to see when American obsessiveness with extinct beer styles returns to the source, so to speak. This beer, as the label informs us, is brewed and bottled by Braustelle at Brauerei Göller in Zeil Am Main, Germany. I would have checked out the website and all to find out more, but it was verboten.

Abraxxas pours a rich hazy gold; the murky fluid is vibrant in the light, and it carries a creamy white head that offers better retention than other lactically-soured beers we’ve had. The nose is equal parts smoked malt and candy-sweet gummy lactic sourness. While there are at least two internal contradictions in the last phrase, that doesn’t change our perceptions. Imagine if you can sour candied bacon, and you’ll be headed down the correct rabbit hole. After the beer has had a chance to open up a bit, there is that slight hint of fetid decomposition that lactic beers exude underneath the bright tartness; while this description sounds horrendous, it is meant as a compliment. You will, no doubt, forgive the limitations of language when dealing with the beauty and splendor of sour beers. Flavors follow the aroma quite closely: there is the initial rush of sweet smokiness as the beer rolls across the tongue, followed by a bright lactic sourness as it hits the back of the mouth and encompasses the tongue. While the smokiness never quite disappears, the lactic twang does try to covers it, especially as the creamy mouthfeel and bite from the carbonation push the bright mineral tartness. The tartness begins retreating in the finish, leaving a lingering bacon smoked-meat flavor that blends well with the remaining tartness. There is a complex balancing of subtlety in this beer—the creamy, almost chewy mouthfeel is still light and spritzy in conjunction with the carbonation, and the layers of flavors between the smoked malt and lactic sourness roll and swirl across the palate. While some of you out there in TV land may be quick to call novelty beer, this beer is squarely in our wheelhouse. Well, at least mine—I’m not sure Elli would give it such a glowing recommendation. It is something that, were it were to remain readily available (because, sadly, I’m afraid it won’t), would hit regular rotation in the refrigerator. While sour candied bacon will undoubtedly flummox many, this beer is a beautiful marriage of smoke and sour. So give it shot before it disappears—this beer is a good part of why I love craft beer in the first place.

From the bottle: “Freigeist is the experimental offshoot of Cologne’s revolutionary small brewery, Braustelle. Here we strive to break the chains of industrial brewing by reviving and updating Germany’s unique, historical beer styles. Inspired by the eastern German tart wheat beer style once known as ‘Lichtenhainer,’ Abraxxxas is sour and complex, with a balancing smoky maltiness.”

ABV: 6.0%

(10/19/2012)

489. Weihenstephaner Festbier

What would Fall be without German beer? Let me tell you—someplace dark, strict, and terrible. Sure, the whole lack of hops thing coupled with Reinheitsgebot does create some problems, but without the larger benevolence that is the dream of Oktoberfest, we’d be relegated to some sort of creepy Amish nightmare world, shunning technology and recounting previous days of Rumspringa as the only recourse to staving off the vengeance of assaulting our fellow Amish and shaving off their beards. Oh wait, that already happened. My bad. Plus, all of us non-Amish still have to deal with the aches and pains of adult responsibility, technologically driven or no. But you know what separates us from the Amish, don’t you? That’s right, my friend. Beer. Sweet, delicious beer. Which brings me back to Germany. So thanks, Germany, from keeping us from ending up like the Amish. Or the Shakers. Or even (and more importantly) the Mormons. I wish I could lay claim to beer being the solution to all of our fundamentalist religious problems, but that might be going too far. But it would make a good start, wouldn’t it?

Weihenstephaner Festbier is our fifth beer from Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan in Freising, Germany. We already sampled the magic of Korbinian, Hefe Weissbier and Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse. Festbier pours a clear gold with a brilliant white head that slowly reduces to a ring; the nose features bread crust and dough malt aromas coupled with a light hop bitterness dancing in the background. There is also an ephemeral candy sweetness in the nose that took me most of the beer to pin down. Flavors start soft and gentle on the palate; the carbonation is there, but more as a rounding characteristic. Malt flavors include bread and a slight graininess; the hop bitterness manifests in the middle, dropping off before the finish and reappearing as a palate sensation of lingering bitterness at the conclusion of the beer. There is a slight rise in sweetness in the middle right before the carbonation strips the flavor away, leaving a graininess and huskiness that melds with the bitterness of the finish. There is a touch more malt character than some of the other Weihenstephan beers, but it still has a delightful balance—the traditional hop character of a lager beer lurks behind the malt character, asserting itself as the beer starts to warm. But the overall character of the beer is clean and crisp—it says drink me on a brisk fall afternoon with the smell of dead leaves and change in the air, and I’ll remind you that the pleasure of seeing and experiencing the closing of the year connects you to the natural rhythms of the world. And while that may seem like a lot for a beer to do, maybe you need to get the hell out of the house and drink more beer outside by a fire with the crisp bite of fall in air to understand what the hell I’m talking about. Either that, or start planning now for your mid-life crisis so that the fireworks of your lost detachment can outshine the futility consuming your life. Here’s a better plan—get out there and live.

From the Weihenstephan website: “A full rich bodied, hoppy, seasonal lager. Especially brewed for the Festbier season. This beer truly represents the Bavarian way of celebrating. Deep gold color, great mouthfeel and lots of flavor. Prost!”

ABV: 5.8%

(10/31/2011)

479. Ayinger Ur-Weisse Dunkelweizen

More German beers in the house—I’m loading up on those sweet sweet 16.9 German bottles. Homebrewers, you know the ones I’m talking about. We’d drink Pliny to get them, but for some reason they don’t distribute in Ohio. Stupid Russian River. Ayinger Ur-Weisse is brewed and bottled by Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer in Aying, Germany. Say that ten times fast after a couple of their beers. We’d like to get in on that private brewery action, if you know what I’m saying. As well, this is our first beer from Ayinger, although what with the recent spate of German beers we’re, who know when it will ever end?

Ur-Weisse pours a clear orange amber with orange highlights that splay all over my table—a very pretty beer. I did purposely pour gentle to initially leave the yeast behind; mid-bottle, the yeast clouds the beer and kills the highlights. The head is initially profuse, but quickly reduces to a white ring with very active carbonation. Aromas consist of wheat and bread along with banana and clove; it’s not so much the banana cream pie of last night’s beer—this one is closer to spiced banana bread. Flavors open with caramel and apple, followed by banana and clove. There is wheat flavor in the middle and the finish—that slight gumminess and creaminess that is gentle and soft on the palate. There is a slight carbonation bite moving into the finish as you swallow, which helps cleanse the palate and highlight the clove and banana flavors at the end. The beer is medium bodied with a soft, gentle, and almost delicate mouthfeel. While Ur-Weisse is a little light on the dunkel aspects of the Dunkelweizen, it is nonetheless a tasty and interesting beer.

According to the Ayinger website, Ur-Weisse“is a strong amber-colored, yeast cloudy wheat beer. The beer is strong with the first taste and malty in aroma. The top-fermented, yeasty taste sensation is unmistakable. This beer is rich in sparkle and has just a touch of a special bitter quality. The fruity, malty mild aroma will have you won you over immediately!”

ABV: 5.8%

(5/12/2011)

478. Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbier

We’re rolling up on that Weihenstephaner. This one is a filtered hefeweizen, and damn is is clear. I read Gordon Strong’s new book, Brewing Better Beer, through mine while I was drinking it. No, I’m just kidding. But I could have. Seriously. Although technically, I should have been reading Stan Hieronymus’s Brewing With Wheat. Get it? Because this is, like, a wheat beer, or something. I’m so tired of having to explain my jokes to you, Jeffrey. Anyway, this is our fourth beer from Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, including Korbinian, Hefe Weissbier and Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse.

Unsurprisingly, Kristall pours a crystal clear straw color, with a prodigious white head. Since the beer is so clear, the profusion of small tiny streaming bubbles is a nice treat, which gives the beer an effervescent visual quality that at least partially follows through in the mouthfeel. The nose is a creamy banana clove combination that is reminiscent of banana cream pie—it is creamier and smoother than the traditional Hefe Weisse, but very much in line with the original. Kristall opens creamy and soft on the palate—there is a bit of a carbonation bite towards the finish, but the front is gentle and delicate. Flavors are creamy banana followed by a slight wheat gumminess in the middle and finishing with clove and light vanilla flavors that linger and dance on the back of the tongue. While the carbonation is gentle, it is also bubbly and delightful—the combination of creaminess and carbonation creates a gentle soothing effect that is one of the highlights of this beer. A softer, gentler, and more delicate version of their traditional Hefe Weiss, Kristall allows the perfume-y components of the beer to parade across the palate, leaving drinkers with a different yet eminently enjoyable beer. Surprisingly complex and gentle—this beer was a pleasant surprise.

ABV: 5.4%

(5/11/2011)

477. Weihenstephaner Korbinian

Let’s start with the obvious: I love that Weihenstephaner doesn’t have the traditional “-ator” name found in most doppelbocks (like Ayinger Celebrator). Although let’s be honest—their name could well pre-date the whole “-ator” phenomenon. I’m certain there’s a story in there somewhere, but my internet skills are just too moribund to find anything that would provide appropriate justification. Plus, I might like my particular narrative a bit too much to want such a story destroyed. The truth? We’ll save that for later. Our last two beers from Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan in Freising, Germany include Hefe Weissbier and Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse, a collabo with Doemens Institute.

Korbinian pours a deep, rich, and clear chocolate; there are some nice orange and red highlights to be seen through the side of the glass, while the head is tan with some initial coverage before reducing to a thick ring around the glass. All in all, a pretty beer. I hope calling it pretty doesn’t make Korbinian feel emasculated. The nose is rich toasty malt mixed with luscious dark fruit—you can almost see the smell-lines rising up off this one (like the stink-lines coming off of Moe Syzslak). There is candy sweetness hidden away in the back as well, but it is under the main initial thrust of malt and fruit. Flavors start with a rich toasty malt before moving into dark fruit in the middle—mainly prune, raisin, grape, and fig, although there could be some craisin as well—I’ve been eating a lot of dried cranberries of late, and you’d be surprised how often that flavor shows up elsewhere. Toffee and caramel emerges in the front and middle as the beer warms, and works as a pleasant accompaniment to the fruit flavors in the middle. The finish dries out slightly; there is a touch of hop bitterness, mainly perceived as a light tackiness on the back of the tongue, and a soft gentle alcohol presence, although the malt presence is still very forward. Korbinian has a creamy, chewy mouthfeel that fits well with the medium to full body—besides being pretty looking, it is easy on the mouth. Smooth sippin’ deliciousness. But then again, they’ve had almost a millenium to perfect the whole process, so we shouldn’t be too surprised.

ABV: 7.4%

P.S. Anyone know what the bear that is carrying stuff on the label is all about? I guess that via my description, that would make it a pack-bear, but I’m pretty sure that is not a real word. Whatever. The pack-bear is awesome, and always makes me laugh. Good pack-bear.

(5/4/2011)

469. Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier

Spring is finally here! And I mean this in terms of weather in addition to merely the marking on the calendar. This is our second beer from Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan in Freising, Germany—the last one was Weihenstephan Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse, a collabo with Doemens Institute. Oh, yeah, and I forgot: world’s oldest brewery. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Clever.

Young Fresh Ferns...

Let’s just start by noting that Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier pretty much sums up the style. Bells are ringing, school is in session, and bit-players are getting handed their marks. Don’t come back knocking on that door, y’hear? Word. Now that we’ve cleared that up, Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier pours a hazy dull straw/gold with a luscious creamy white head; in addition to the excellent head retention, there is pretty substantive lacing left behind on the glass. The head was thick enough initially to leave nice ridges behind on the opposite side of the glass after the first several sips. Aromas include a soft candy wheat malt sweetness mixed with banana and clove and some additional mild fruitiness. In this particular bottle, the clove slightly trumps the banana, and this continues on into the flavor profile as well. The beer opens with sweet wheat gumminess that is quickly followed by clove and banana flavors; the middle is slightly drier, with the carbonation whisking away the sweetness and emphasizing the wheat character. In the finish, there is a slight bubblegum flavor followed by a return of sweetness and a light lingering clove citrus fruitiness. The body is medium but dry—it tastes like it should be lighter, but maybe the cloudy yeast is enhancing the body—and the mouthfeel is both creamy and crisp. In other words, this beer is god-damn delicious. It drinks easy, goes down smooth, and is simultaneously light, refreshing, and yet suitably complex. It’s like Mike Tyson versus Michael Spinks. And Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier is Mike Tyson.

ABV: 5.4%

(4/14/2011)

464. G. Schneider & Sohn Aventinus

Aventinus is from Private Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn in Kelheim, Germany. Now there’s a name, hmmm? Private and a Weissbierbrauerei? Hot damn! Described on the bottle as “Germany’s Original Wheat-Doppelbock,” otherwise known as a weizenbock, Aventinus has a rich and bready malt nose with banana esters and clove phenols—there is no vanilla in the nose, but I can taste it in the finish. The creaminess along with the raisin and dark fruit aromas make me wish that I could find some form of banana bread that smelled anything remotely like this. That would strengthen my breakfast experience. And no, there is no need for some sort of liquid bread joke here. Flavors start rich and bready with a soft gentle wheat character on the palate. The banana, clove, and dark fruit flavors are all there too, balanced with the slight candy-like sweetness found in the middle. The finish is rather clean; most flavors drop away, allowing the dark fruit and gentle creaminess to linger lightly on the palate along with a hint of vanilla and clove. Strengths are the creamy soft, rich wheat malt character; it is gentle and rounded on the palate with a slight bite from the carbonation, which helps clean and close the beer, leaving just a touch of the sweet vanilla and clove lingering. This beer is also undoubtedly German; if it were a state, it would be North Dakota: solid and stolid, no-nonsense, eminently Midwestern, practical, and very good for what it is. Certainly not Minnesota—that’s too fancy-pants. And Wisconsin? Save your cheese-heads and saunas for the Green Bay Packers. More like nothing experimental or risky or out of character. That’s it precisely.

From the bottle: “Aventinus, the world’s classic top-fermenting wheat-dopplebock, has received accolades for the perfect balance of fruity spiciness (banana, clove, vanilla) and notes of chocolate (crystal & dark malts). Unfiltered, unpasteurized, bottle-conditioned. Enjoy Aventinus, the massive twin of Schneider Weisse.”

ABV: 8.2%

(3/22/2011)

434. Dr. Fritz Briem 13th Century Grut Bier

Another beer from Dr. Fritz Briem and the Doemens Institute; our last one was Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse. Chatter on Al Gore’s invention seems a mixed bag as to whether Weihenstephan contributed to the production or not. I’ll just let that go, and focus on the beer. Grut Bier pours a hazy, dirty gold and has an herbal grapefruit and spicy ginger nose; there are also pine and other spice elements nestled in amongst the herbal and ginger notes, along with a slight metallic tang. The head is white and light, and quickly disappears. Opening with a light sweetness before transitioning into a tart herbal middle with slight wood flavors, Grut Bier also has bite from the ginger before giving way to candy sweetness in the finish coupled with rosemary pine flavors that linger along with the herbal flavors (I want to say that there is also bay leaf, but I am less able to ascertain what bay leaf tastes like by itself on my palate, unless I felt like heading over to the cupboard, pulling one out, and sucking on it for verification; for all of the obvious reasons, I am going to hold out on that). The carbonation is spritzy and bright, coupled with a light body, and the beer is light and effervescent on the palate—it literally dances on the tongue. With an interesting and complex mix of flavors, Grut Bier is a well-made and all-around well-balanced beer. The flavors, carbonation, and body all work seamlessly together to create an excellent drinking experience. This beer is certainly a Top 10 Best contender for the new year—it offers different and new palate and flavor sensations. Damn tasty stuff.

Gruit Ale is beer. And Soylent Green is people.

From the bottle: “Before the German Purity Law ‘Reinheitsgebot’ of 1516 it was common practice to use any kind of different spices, herbs, fruits and other plants to provide balance to beer. Hops was not yet well known at this time. Grut Bier has roots in many cultures and each culture had its own ‘special ingredients’: Egyptians, Native Americans, Arabian Tribes, Gaulles, Germanic Tribes and the Vikings. This interpretation of a traditional Grut Bier is spiced with Lorbeer (Bay Leaves), Ingwer (Ginger), Kummel (Caraway), Anis (Anise), Rosemarin (Rosemarie) & Enzian (Gentian). It is brewed with water, wheat & barley malt, ‘pollinated wild hops’ and fermented using top fermenting yeast.”

ABV: 4.6%

(11/27/2010)

291a. Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel

Since I was in Zanesville plying my beer judging craft, Elli was forced to go it alone this evening. Her choice was Julius Echter Hefe-Weisbbier Dunkel from Würzburger Hofbräu in Würzburg, Germany.

Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel pours a hazy murky brown with gold highlights; it has an expanding pillow-y off-white head and the classic banana-clove nose shared by most German wheat beers. The mouthfeel is slick and creamy with a soft luxurious texture. Starting with a sweet fruity front with apple accompanying the banana clove flavors, Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel moves into a rich and nutty malt flavor in the middle before finishing slightly bitter and spicy. An interesting beer, but not super exciting across the board. As with most things German, skilled craftmanship can only get you so far.

The Würzburger Hofbräu website has information on their regular wheat beer, but nothing on the dunkelweizen. Sorry, Charlie!

ABV: 4.9%

(4/17/2010)

245. Weihenstephan Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse

Our first beer from Brauerei Weihenstephan in Freising, Germany. 1809 pours a crystal clear pale gold with a crisp white head; it has a nose strongly reminiscent of low-grade apple juice, with graininess and slight sourness most prominent. 1809 opens with a light fruit apple sweetness followed quickly by a lactic sourness that continues on well into the middle of the beer, along with some of the graininess from the nose. The finish is marked by a return of the apple-flavored sweetness that opened the beer, as well as some lingering funkiness. Light, sharp, and dry on the palate, 1809 has effervescent carbonation that helps brighten the beer. There is a bit of a sour twang in the middle third and back of the tongue, and some tang in the flavor and mouthfeel that is reminiscent of the finish of a brut champagne—a combination of sourness and sharpness that strikes as bitter and tannic. An interesting and well crafted beer, although the apple/fruit flavors detract from some of the crispness and freshness of the beer—1809 is not as bright and refreshing as other Berliner Weisse beers we’ve had in the past.

There’s nothing we could find on the Weihenstephan website, and I’m tired of combing the internet looking for obscure beer information. This from RateBeer: “Created by Dr. Fritz Briem of Doemens Institute, brewed by Weihenstephan & Doemens, 1809 is a very traditional interpretation of the Berliner Style Weisse with an intense blend of lactic tartness and complex fruitiness. It is bottle-conditioned, unfiltered and unpasteurized. 1809 will age beautifully in a dark and cool location. Its complex fruitiness and tartness will most likely develop in quite astonishing ways. 1809 is fermented in traditional open fermenters and horizontal lager tanks. The applied mashing regime is a single step decoction mash with 50 % wheat malt.The total amount of hops is added to the mash so that isomerisation takes place in the decocotion part of the mash. The wort is not boiled but only heated up to boiling temperature and then transferred to the open fermenters and pitched with yeast and lactic acid bacteria (isolated from malt) at 18 °C (64°F).” Damn, I just should have started there...

ABV: 5.0%

(3/2/2010)

244. Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

This classic example of a Rauchbier comes from Brauerei Heller-Trum/Schlenkerla in Bamberg, Germany. Rauchbier Märzen pours a rich and clear deep brown with a minimal white head and some orange highlights; the nose is smoky and woody—it reminds us of breakfast and yummy bacon. This beer has a lot of smoky flavor front to back—it starts with a smooth malt sweetness mixed with smokiness, and moves into a dry smokiness mixed with rich malt flavor in the middle before finishing clean. Rauchbier Märzen is medium bodied with a dry and crisp mouthfeel; while smoke flavor dominates, it is certainly a German style beer hiding underneath it. The carbonation is soft, helping round the beer more than defining its mouthfeel, which works well, since the smoke has already dried out the beer quite a bit across the profile. As the beer warms, more sweetness emerges in the front and middle. The smokiness balances well with the Marzen style and profile—this beer is good drinking and worth trying again. And I do recall that I saw a mini-keg of this down at the Party Source in Newport, KY—that might make the basis of a good Sunday brunch party one upcoming weekend.

From the Schlenkerla website: “Bamberg’s speciality, a dark, bottom fermented smokebeer, brewed with Original Schlenkerla Smokemalt from the Schlenkerla maltings and tapped according to old tradition directly from the gravity-fed oakwood cask in the historical brewery tavern.”

And, because I know you all love historical anecdotes: “Bamberg and Smokebeer (the Germans call it ‘Rauchbier’) belong together, a liaison which was not without consequences. The greatest of which is the Schlenkerla: the most productive, most visited and most traditional Smokebeer source in Bamberg. It originates in the middle of the old town, directly underneath the mighty cathedral, from a half-timbered house on which the geraniums effusively glow in the summer. Anyone who did not come here and try the strong, unmistakable taste of Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer (in German: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier) cannot claim to have been to Bamberg. Schlenkerla has become a magic word for a long time, but many do not know where this word originated. Its roots lie within the Frankish vernacular, in which ‘schlenkern’ is an expression for walking not straight - just like a drunken person does. Allegedly one of the former brewers had a funny way of walking due to an accident, or maybe due to the beer, and so he was called the ‘Schlenkerla’ - the little dangler. The ending -la is the typical diminutive for the Frankish dialect. After a while, the residents of Bamberg also called the tavern Schlenkerla, and even though the sixth generation of brewers now taps the beer, the name has remained. Even in the phone book and the internet you can find the brewery under the name Schlenkerla. Today it stands for the tavern, the brewery and, most importantly, for the Smokebeer.”

ABV: 5.1%
IBU: 30

OG: 13.2° P

(3/1/2010)