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Grätzer
Westbrook Brewing Co.
- From:
- Westbrook Brewing Co.
- South Carolina, United States
- Style:
- Smoked Beer
- ABV:
- 3.4%
- Score:
- 80
- Avg:
- 3.49 | pDev: 15.76%
- Reviews:
- 21
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- May 04, 2015
- Added:
- May 26, 2012
- Wants:
- 4
- Gots:
- 5
This is our interpretation of a Grätzer, which is a traditional German style smoked wheat brewed with lots of hops and 90% oak smoked wheat malt. The result is a spritzy, smokey and refreshing ale.
10 IBU
10 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky
2.75/5 rDev -21.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
2.75/5 rDev -21.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
The brewing world has seen tremendous advancements in the past few decades: advancements in ingredient development, brewing technique, equipment and intelligence. These developments have led us to many unique and refined flavors while relegating others to extinction. The gratzer should probably be the later.
Its hazy golden pour easily leads the eye to wheat to foster expectations of fruit, spice and bread. Instead the nose is met with strong smoky phenols to overwhelm the senses. Smoldering embers link with burning plastics for an unsettles, peaten, peppery irritation of the olfactories. Once the mindshift turns to want mesquite and savory flavors, the tongue is attacked with sourness and immediate astringency.
While the smoke lifts through the middle, there's the evocation of burnt lime, burnt lemon, burnt crabapple. Strong sourness easily infiltrates the tastebuds with the intensity nearly of white wine vinegar and margarita. Light saline qualities link up with the sourness and cracker-thin malt breadiness for faint fullness and savory effects.
Though its strong effervescence ensures a crisp and light body, it also amplifies the smoke, pepper and chemical properties of the phenolic complexes and upsets the balance as much as it assists the body. However, the mind quickly goes to tonic water and soda-like sprite. Simply put, the flavors that are known to the gratzer are not compatible with each other and even the qualified brewers of Westbrook are incapable of saving the style.
May 04, 2015Its hazy golden pour easily leads the eye to wheat to foster expectations of fruit, spice and bread. Instead the nose is met with strong smoky phenols to overwhelm the senses. Smoldering embers link with burning plastics for an unsettles, peaten, peppery irritation of the olfactories. Once the mindshift turns to want mesquite and savory flavors, the tongue is attacked with sourness and immediate astringency.
While the smoke lifts through the middle, there's the evocation of burnt lime, burnt lemon, burnt crabapple. Strong sourness easily infiltrates the tastebuds with the intensity nearly of white wine vinegar and margarita. Light saline qualities link up with the sourness and cracker-thin malt breadiness for faint fullness and savory effects.
Though its strong effervescence ensures a crisp and light body, it also amplifies the smoke, pepper and chemical properties of the phenolic complexes and upsets the balance as much as it assists the body. However, the mind quickly goes to tonic water and soda-like sprite. Simply put, the flavors that are known to the gratzer are not compatible with each other and even the qualified brewers of Westbrook are incapable of saving the style.
Rated by suckaj from Florida
1.79/5 rDev -48.7%
look: 2 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.75
1.79/5 rDev -48.7%
look: 2 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.75
Disgusting, taste like smokey bandaids aged in soda water, why do people enjoy this?!
Mar 09, 2015Reviewed by Alieniloquium from Florida
3.03/5 rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.03/5 rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
650 mL bottle poured into a plastic cup.
Appearance - Deep golden body. Huge white head.
Smell - Smoky. Bright wheat. Weird.
Taste - Bright citrus. Wheat grain. Smokey. Bitter in the back.
Mouthfeel - Very light, but quite bitter. Smokiness detracts a bit.
Overall - Well, I guess this is what it's supposed to taste like, but I don't get it.
Aug 10, 2014Appearance - Deep golden body. Huge white head.
Smell - Smoky. Bright wheat. Weird.
Taste - Bright citrus. Wheat grain. Smokey. Bitter in the back.
Mouthfeel - Very light, but quite bitter. Smokiness detracts a bit.
Overall - Well, I guess this is what it's supposed to taste like, but I don't get it.
Grätzer from Westbrook Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
80 out of
100 with
87 ratings
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