Freigeist Abraxxxas - Gasthaus-Brauerei Braustelle

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-cloudy gold with a sticky white head

S-smoky tartness. Very odd but awesome. Green apples. Medium strength

T-comes in with a weirdly awesome flavor of sour apples and smoke. It's a great flavor with a nice matching after-taste.

M-dry medium carbonation with a watery finish

O-points for uniqueness. It is drinkable, though maybe not as much as other German sours. I recommend anyone to try this.

Serving type: on-tap

01-27-2013 02:26:26 | More by AdamBear

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed while attending Cantillon Zwanze Day 2012 at Avenue Pub as a pre-game to the event! Served from tap into a Duvel sampler. Poured a hazy pale golden yellow with a half finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, smoke, sour, and earth. The flavor was of sweet malt, sour, toasted malt, smoke, and earth. It had a light feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a fairly good brew. This brew really had quite a bit of potential. The aroma was about the only letdown here as it was rather weak. I basically had to bury my nose into the beer to pick up on anything. While this was a little bit of a buzzkill, the flavor did recover from this. The toastiness actually went decently with the sour note I picked up on. The smokiness just took it to another level on top of that. A really well done brew that I would definitely take the time to explore again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2012 13:25:15 | More by thagr81us

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Hazy, cloudy wheat beer. Nice tall head.

S - A bouquet of smokey, tangy wheat. Cured meat, salty ham, tangy yeast and grainy wheat. A nice start.

T - This beer is acidic and tangy up front with yeasty wheat twang and a smokey side. Tart and bitter with some hop dryness, and a hearty dose of yeast flavor. Berliner-rauch hybrid on the flavor.

M - Medium Bodied, effervescent, clean. A dry smokiness and finish.

O - German craft beer, thats right German craft beer. Certainly not in line with tradition but this one escaped that rule for a pretty good reason.

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2012 18:45:06 | More by BeerForMuscle

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On Tap at Blue Dog

Freigeist Abraxxxass has a bright yellow color with some slight blond trimmings, it's almost like squeezed lemon juice with the mild sediment in it. On top, a quarter inch of loose white soapy bubbles, no cling.

Big spirtz of lemon drops and some barnyard hay with old feet. I don't think any funky yeast was used, but that's what I get. It's pretty straight forward, but not to pleasant, at least for me. The smoke is not picked up in the nose. Standard Berliner fare, not very pungent.

Lemongrass with a touch of pale malt. At some points I get a small sense of barnyard hay. Not very funky, mildly tart, a small hit of smoke in the finish on this that comes and goes and does not smoke the palate, not sour. Good, but not great.

Pretty mild on the tartness and slightly acidic on the back of the tounge. The taste seems to fade out towards the end. Light bodied and boldly carbed up. If it tasted better and the ABV was lowered a bit this would make it easy for a few. Maybe the addition of peat/smoke ingredients is what upped the Alc on a session type beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2012 04:45:24 | More by onix1agr

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.63/5  rDev -31%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Draft at City Tap House in Philadelphia, PA

Pours a slightly cloudy, pale golden orange color with a one finger white foam head that quickly fades into a thin ring. Not much in the way of lacing.

Earthy aroma that's dominated by a strong lactic funk presence. Really cheesy with subtle citrus, light fruit and pale malt notes underneath. Kind of bland and I'm not picking up on the smokiness or much of anything else.

Fuller bodied than expected but even more one dimensional than the nose suggests. Only sligtly sour with an overwhelming lactic funk presence. Very funk and cheesy with an unpleasant dairy flavor that overpowers the mustiness, light fruit and other notes. Again, I'm not picking up any smokiness, wheat or citrus. Just all lactic funk.

Serving type: on-tap

09-10-2012 02:41:20 | More by corby112

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap, served in a tulip

The body is a murky, hazy light orange color with a one finger paper white cap. Some small lines of lace strewn about.

Lemons, smoked malt, damp wheat, and lactic sourness. The smoke is prominent, but doesn't overwhelm the softer points of the nose.

Upfront, lemons and wheat before a rush of smoke and a sharp finish of lactic sourness. A little too well-integrated on the palate. The smoke adds a nice layer of complexity, but the lactic sourness isn't there in the finish to give it that extra push over the edge.

Light body, with a gritty mouthfeel that I can only attribute to the smoke. Carbonation is low for the style. Finish is lightly tart with some smoke.

A unique take on the style for sure. I'd a like a bigger sour kick, but this is still a pretty good beer and a bit of a surprise to come across.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2012 13:33:26 | More by ColForbinBC

emerge077

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Draft served in a footed tulip glass, review from written notes.
A unique combination of smoked malt and light lactic tartness, not unlike the obscure Grätzer bier style.

Color is a hazy dark orange, a thin ring of white lace around the edges, and a thin skim across the surface. Aromas of light wood smoke, lactic tartness, clean yeastiness. Tastes sharply tart, light subtle smokiness, traces of fruit. Dry clean finish, pretty quenching overall.

2nd glass, different keg: Seemed a bit less funky and the tartness was in the background compared to the mild smoked grain character.

Serving type: on-tap

07-30-2012 01:55:44 | More by emerge077

MasterSki

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at West Lakeview Liquors. Served in a wine glass.

A - Generous white foam settles to a thin cap, leaving behind splotchy lace. Murky peach body.

S - An unusual combination of smoked malts, wheat, and mild lemony sourness. Well-integrated, with good balance to the various flavor components.

T - The taste has a bit more of the tartness you'd expect from a Berliner, with lactic acidity and some tart lemon citrus. A tad less overt smoke, with more unmalted wheat and lightly toasted grains instead.

M - Medium-light body, with some chaffed wheat grit to it. Lower carbonation, minimal alcohol, and low acidity. Finishes fairly clean.

D - I had multiple pours, and I found this pretty easy to quaff even at 6%. Would really like to try the original version, as I can imagine it'd be even more drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

07-30-2012 00:37:56 | More by MasterSki

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From: Binny's, Schaumburg, IL
Date: None on bottle
Glass: Weihenstephaner weizen glass

Abraxxxas is a fairly unique, easily drinkable, tart, smoked, German wheat ale. While those elements may not seem to go together well, they manage in this style, and all the elements are fairly well-balanced, none crowding another out. One to enjoy again when the mood strikes.

Pours a 2cm tall head of off-white foam, the bubbles small and densely packed, creating a smooth, meringue-like mass. Retention is excellent, the head very slowly dissipating to a cap of about 0.75cm atop the body of the beer. Lacing is also excellent, with a frosting of foam remaining around the entirety of the glass' inner walls. The body is a dark brown-orange color, with light bringing out pale yellow highlights amidst the still brown-orange base. The carbonation is visible, quite vigorous and numerous through, the opaque body.

Aroma is of somewhat faded campfire smoke, smoked malt (at least 70% of the base), though I'm unable to tell if it's beechwood-smoked barley, or oak-smoked wheat. There is a faint lactic-like tartness in the aroma as well, which cuts the smoke lightly.

The best way to describe the beer is straightforward: a mildly tart, mildly smoked, mild hefeweizen. Front of palate is sweet in a fairly straightforward way from the wheat malt, with modest campfire-like smokiness and a very light lactic tartness. Mid-palate first discovers the mild campfire smokiness, followed by a weizen-like wheat malt sweetness and baked apple-banana esters, which is then cut by a noticeable lactic tartness. Back of palate finds mild tartness; present, yet subdued smokiness; and even more subdued fruit esters and sweetness. Aftertaste is of smoky, acrid bitterness

Beer is medium-bodied, with carbonation of a medium-low intensity, resulting in a pleasantly full, slightly foamy, flowing mouthfeel. Closes very dry, as might be expected by the mild acidity of the beer, with modest stickiness remaining on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 06:37:00 | More by falloutsnow

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lightly hazed blonde colour, ring of white head, not much in the way of lace. Smell is smoked with some fruity lemony citrus, fairly acidic nose though, mix of camp fire/bbq and light peat smoke consistantly. Taste is smokey with bit of acidic-tart fruit flavour, subtle bbq flavours, lemony, more smoke in the aftertaste. Medium carbonation, medium body, acidity is felt in the cheeks as well. Pretty good stuff here, interesting stuff here too, would drink this again gladly.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 11:53:41 | More by peensteen

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.35/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Sebastian for breaking this out. Sampled on 4/10/2013 at Braustelle and described as a smoked Berliner Weisse. Pours a burnt orange hue with a 1/8th inch, loose, bright white head. Nose expresses citrus notes, primarily tangerines, yeast and candied fruit. Taste reveals slightly soured tangerines, the merest suggestion of smoked malt, apricot and a hint of lactose towards the finish. Mouthfeel is light-medium in body with a mild carbonation and a slightly milk texture. Not really spot on for the style, but amazingly drinkable; just a touch of sour and goes down extremely easy.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 00:22:01 | More by Jwale73

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Pour is dark golden orange with heavy haze and a tight white head. Nose has a lot of lemon and golden fruits and golden raisins. Notes of lacto, cream, pear with a fair bit of smoke especially as it warms. Taste has a fair bit of lacto, there are bright golden fruits, pear, mango, lemon. Body is creamy with a cream flavor and light sourness in the finish with moderate carbonation. Body is a bit full and carb a touch low. The smoke comes in towards the back, nicely balanced and more present as the beer warms. Very interesting take on a Berliner, the lacto and smoke dominate the front and back with a nice bright fruit flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 12:57:57 | More by cpetrone84

seand

California

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: Pours a hazy light amber with a fair amount of fizzy white head. The foam dissipates quickly to a fuzzy layer and a thicker rim around the glass, which leaves thin walls of lacing.

S: Bread pudding with caramel and yeasty wheat. Kinda weird at first but it grew on me after a few sips.

T: Bready sweetness with wheat and yeast. Mild hops towards the finish.

M: Medium body, medium carbonation.

Overall, nice, and has some slightly weird things going on. Worth a try, but not likely to become part of the regular rotation.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 05:13:24 | More by seand

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Pino, 330ml into a tulip.

Filtered straw yellow, light head with almost no retention. Nose has light lemon and lactic notes, with a hint of a campfire. Tastes of lemon, wheat, smoked grains/an extinguished fire. Light feel, light carbonation. Tastey as is, and is more of a subtler Hopfenstark Boson de Higgs.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 20:39:50 | More by liamt07

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Gotta give it up for the resurrection (of sorts) of a nearly-lost style. This stuff pours a hazy pale straw topped by a finger of white foam. The nose comprises mildly-tart lemon zest, light coriander, light black pepper, light cracked wheat, and a hint of beech smoke in the background. I may or may not get a hint of juniper in there as well, but it's hard to tell for sure. The taste brings in more of the same, but that smoke is a bit more intense now; not very much, frankly, it's still just a minor pall on the absolute range, but it's enough to effectively color the second half of the proceedings here. Normally, I'm all for smoke like this, often even stronger, but here it begins as a clashing partner with the lemony bits and then as a silencer, a deadener, of the same. Things just don't work all that well together on my tongue. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a drying finish. Overall, an interesting beer, for sure, but one that just doesn't quite do it for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 21:16:05 | More by TMoney2591

fdig23

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

From the bottle. Awesome labels on these guys by the way.

Appearance: Vibrant cloudy yellow with a huge perfectly fluffy white head.

Nose: Lively white grapes and pepper, artificial smoke, plenty of banana, a tiny hint of lactic sourness.

Taste: Harsh. Tons of that fake candy banana runt taste, burnt plastic artificial smoke, mushy white grapes, and just the slightest hint of sour apple. Had to force this one down a bit. Got really rough towards the end.

Mouthfeel: Actually pretty nice. Good and full carbonation, persistent head kept it from getting watery.

Overall: Well at least its interesting. You have to applaud them for trying to be experimental in a country where traditional beer rules all. The beer might not necessarily be a good one but I'm definitely interested in seeing what these guys can come up with if they keep working at it.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 04:42:12 | More by fdig23

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Freigeist Abraxxxas
16.9 oz. bottle with no apparent freshness dating.
$6.95 @ The Beer Shoppe in Ardmore, PA

The Freigeist Abraxxxas (not to be confused with their Abraxas with just one X), pours a cloudy orange-gold body beneath a full head of slightly-off white foam. The head retention is excellent, and it slowly dwindles from a very thick thumb of froth down to a more condensed pillow that's finger-thick, and then eventually to a creamy pencil-thin cap - half of that - and eventually a creamy collar and whispy surface covering as you sip at it. The lacing is equally impressive, and it initially leaves solid sheets of lace around the entire inside of the glass.

Smoke is clearly apparent in the nose, and it's reminiscent of the Beechwood that's so often used in Bamberg. Some mild tart and sweet fruit also sneaks through the foam, but there's not much more.

The flavor is tart upfront but it's not overly sharp. In fact, it's somewhat mild not unlike a fuji apple. Flavor-wise, it becomes somewhat lemony in the finish, but it doesn't have that lemony acid slap at the outset. And it's also naturally fruity from the yeast, with notes of apple, pear, and some very light fig. Some phenols enter as well, and it's got some some soft clove to it. Its sweetish malt offers some balancing support against the tart note, and it's grainy and a bit wheat-like, even becoming somewhat bready in the finish. The bitterness is firm, and just a bit more than balancing. Most important perhaps, is the smokiness. It's far from overdone, and hangs more like a delicate, thin veil across the entire flavor. It seems most solid across the middle, and as you go into the finish, but it quickly fades, leaving only a hint in the gently lingering, soft and dry finish. The missing component? Hops. Hop flavor is generally kept low in weissbiers, and it's at a very low level here. You will, however, find some mild earthy and leafy hops in the finish.

Possibly the most interesting thing about this beer is that it revives, in a way, a forgotten style; and in that way it's unique because it's so different from almost all of the other beers on the market. There are hundreds of years of German brewing history behind us, and I'd love to see more of these styles revealed. Hedonistically, the beer is also a treat. It offers both tartness and smokiness, two fairly unique characteristics these days, but at moderate, very accessible levels. It's interesting and entertaining, as well as refreshing and satiating. Absolutely worth seeking out!

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 15:45:31 | More by NeroFiddled

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

500ml bottle.

Pours cloudy gold with a one inch head of dense white. A solid skim coat with tattered lacing thoughout the glass.

Aromatics lead off with grass-rubbed lemons, smoked apples, and clove-studded bananas. Hints of wet hay and peach fuzz follow through.

Light bodied with a crisp, lush mouthfeel.

The palate starts with a tart brightness, smoke, and bananas. Apples and clovey phenols follow through.

Finishes with lingering smoke and tartness.

What a tasty, unique, and refreshing beer. The smoke and the tartness are both in check without being overdone.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 00:36:54 | More by brewandbbq

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

16.9oz bottle poured into a stange glass.

Appearance
Really cloudy golden orange with 1 finger of white head.

Nose
Banana, apricot and caramel. Hints at some peach, lactic sourness and smoke.

Taste
Extremely light (lactic) tartness with apricot, lemon and peach. Caramel, pink lady apple, banana and tangy wheat. Finishes with some light fruits and touches of beechwood smoked malt.

Mouthfeel
Light-medium bodied, clean, crisp and refreshing. This really cleanses the palate.

Overall
I really expected this to be more sour, so it was a little bit of a let down. It's still a really tasty, nicely balanced and refreshing beer, just not very sour. :(

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 01:25:24 | More by justintcoons

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz Bottle received in trade with Phyl21ca - thanks!

Appearance - Hazy gold colour with an average size fizzy white coloured head. It's hard to make out the amount of carbonation showing and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for 3-4 minutes.

Smell - Breads/grains, citric/lemons, rust/vinegar

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste bread/grains mixed with some some smokey funky flavours. There is also a bit of lemon/citric acid something along the lines of old milk. It ends with a lemony funky aftertaste.

Overall - Holy cow.. I've never had a beer with this much funk. It's got a bit of a 'it's so bad its good' thing going on.. at times I want to drainpour but then I keep going back. Can't say I'd ever drink this again, but interesting to try once.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 01:01:05 | More by spinrsx

BrewerB

California

3.69/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a cloudy medium orange color. Large white head formation with decent retention and some lacing along the glass. Noticeable smoke quality in the initial aromas along with a modest fruitiness. Initially subtle smokiness yielding to a hint of acidity in the middle and grainy malt on the back-end. This acidity picks up as the beer has a chance to warm and more sips are taken. Dry finish with a light amount of lingering smoke. Medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation.

Interesting mix of smokey, tart, and fruity flavors along with a persistent grainy malt note. Certainly not brewed to style but a solid beer none the less.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 21:10:04 | More by BrewerB

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a light hazy pale yellow color weisse with a large pure white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma consists of lactic sour notes with light subtle smoky flavour are quite interesting. Taste is a good mix between some lactic sour notes with some subtle smoky notes which are really not overpowering. Body is about average with good carbonation. Well brewed with nice light touch of wheat notes.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 18:40:06 | More by Phyl21ca

Brabander

Netherlands

2.9/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I got two of this bottles when i was at the Borefts festival in Bodegraven this year. Had them standing outside in the cold and last sunday wanted to try this beer.

Poured in my struise glass this beer looks quit ok, nothing spectacular. Smell is underwhealming. To be honest not my cup of tea. I had a few sips and then poured it in the sink. Not because the beer was bad but this somkebeer is just not my thing. I would do the same with FouFoune but that beer would go trough the toilet.

So at the end this revieuw is not for people who like rauchbeers, i just didn't!

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 21:14:41 | More by Brabander

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a super cool beer geek beer. Really enjoyable smoked berliner that does a lovely job of balancing itself squarely between the complimentary flavors of smoked malt and lemony lacto acidity. Pours lightly hazy pale gold with a smallish head and not much in the way of lacing. Body is medium light and carbonation is medium; overall feel is crisp and refreshing.

Aroma and flavor go hand in hand; there's a lot going on here, with the lemony tartness and smoke, which is certainly present but not overbearing, wheat, spice, pepper, funk all play a lesser, subtler role. A sour rauchbier that stops short of the full smoked sausage effect but should appeal to fans of both styles. Really unique and fun, I quite enjoyed this. Definitely memorable.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 14:06:59 | More by tobelerone

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy medium golden yellow in color with moderate to heavy amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a two finger tall dense white head that slowly reduces to a medium sized patch of larger bubbles, a thin film covering the entire surface of the beer, and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: The beer starts out with a fairly smokey aroma, kind of like what you get when you are outside of a BBQ joint in the South or Texas - lighter than what you would normally get in a rauchbier. There are lighter notes of tartness towards the finish of the smell.

T: The taste of the smokiness is even less than the aroma would indicate but is well integrated into the overall flavor. There is a moderate amount of tartness as I would expect for the style and the notes of wheat as well.

M: Light bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light amounts of acidic prickliness.

O: I really enjoyed this beer - the combination of the smokey flavors and smells with the tartness of the Berliner Weissbeir is quite complementary (the smokey flavors do not overpower as I had feared they might). Easy to drink even though this is an "Imperial Berliner Weissbier" and the alcohol is still well hidden. I would definitely try another of these.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 22:12:30 | More by dbrauneis