Piwo Grodziskie - Schlossbrauerei Au-Hallertau

mikeg67

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500 ml bottle. Pours hazy-orange with a long lasting, tall, white head and lively carbonation. Nose is of barnyard yeast, wheat malt hints of noble hops and smoke. Body is medium and tangy. Taste is sour, yeasty, wheat malt, smoked wood and hints of hops. Finish is long and sour. Interesting, refreshing thirst quencher.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 15:04:56 | More by mikeg67

GPHarris

Alabama

3.4/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a - poured a one finger thick bubbly light tan head into a tulip glass that left nice lacing which settled into a thin ring throughout. the body was a bright orange-amber color.
s - wheat with a light peaty aroma.
t - a light tartness such as green apples.
m - crisp and prickly.
o - good smoked beer that had a lot of complexity though i would have liked some more smoked aromas.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 15:32:34 | More by GPHarris

t0rin0

California

3/5  rDev -17.4%

01-01-2013 04:27:37 | More by t0rin0

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.8/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A thick finger of head formed on top of a clear, medium straw colored body.
It smells mildly sour and like hay.
The taste is sour at the beginning with the mild smoke flavor moving in at the latter half. The sour remains on the aftertaste. It is different and interesting. The sourness is mild enough to appreciate but not enough to ruin it. A good balance.
Lighter body and moderate carbonation.
Worth trying for it's uniqueness and it is good in its own right.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 04:14:19 | More by Fatehunter

smakawhat

Maryland

3.58/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A real nice creamy foamy head, white and meringue billows up off the pour. Four fingers deep and very whipped up, and bright eggshell white. Body is a bit hazy with a amber orange and light looking carbonation.

Nose has a light malt sense, faint wood chips, and light smoke. A yeast sweetness, and a bit of caramel as well behind this. So far so good, inviting to me.

Very light palate, quite a bit watery and fleeting. However, there's a nice light toasty grain to this with a nice smoke quality. Light warming and coating on the palate for feel, just very fleeting. Some little sweetness comes off with hints of apple like finish, and bakery freshness, and even apple tart also. Really interesting...

An interesting smokey session like beer. Not bad, I could have this again, kind of fun, really would like to have this with food.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 21:59:07 | More by smakawhat

MacStinson

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

09-26-2012 02:30:06 | More by MacStinson

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from tap into a sampler imperial pint. Poured a hazy golden light yellow with a two finger white head that subsided to a half finger slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, tart, subtle smoke, sour, wheat, and fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, wheat, smoke, and subtle fruit. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a fairly decent brew. I really don't know what this brew was trying to be if I am completely honest here. It looked like a Berliner and the smoke gave me the idea that maybe it was a smoked Berliner. However, something on the flavor was just offputting here. While there wasn't very much going on with it all of it just seemed to clash on your tongue with no regard for safety. The wheat on this one was definitely overpowering the entire thing including the smoke which I found hard to believe. Not sure if I would have this one again given other options, but worth trying at least once I suppose.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2012 14:21:21 | More by thagr81us

womencantsail

California

2.98/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The pour is a pale golden color with only a slight haze. Starts off with lots of wheat aroma and sweet malt/bread. After that, the smoke really comes through and there is a subtle lemony tartness. The flavor is just off. It’s quite smokey but also very watery. Might have a little bit of saltiness to it as well. Just a strange beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 20:18:54 | More by womencantsail

MusicaleMike

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Purchased at The Wine Source in Baltimore.
Brewed by Dr. Fritz Briem as part of the Historic Signature Series. Made with water, barley malt, smoked wheat malt, Perle and Saaz hops and yeast. Label reads:

"Grodziskie or Gratzer is a sour smoked wheat ale that was brewed in the 1900's in East Prussia and dates back to as early as the 15th century. It was named after the Polish town of Grodzisk Wielkopolski or Gratz in German. Our historic version is brewed according to the German Purity Law with air-dried barley malt and beech-smoked wheat malt and hopped with Perle and Saaz. A sour mash is created using the old and forgotton technique called 'Digerieren'. Finally a three month aging and maturation process creates a complex sour, smoky and heavily hopped wheat ale."

A hazy golden body topped by a decent sized frothy white head. Some lacing remains on the glass wall, indicating that this really is a "heavily hopped ale."

A light aroma of grassy hops and just a hint of smoke. Some suggestions of tartness/sourness in the aroma, but not much. A tad lemony...

The initial impression is of saurkraut. Light bodied, and thin mouthfeel. Carbonation is mild. Very light sourness up front, (nothing at all like a Belgian lambic-sour) followed by a mid-palate smokiness and vegetal character. The aftertaste is reminiscent of saurkraut as well. Very light aroma and flavor, which at 4% abv might be expected. Unique flavor, but certainly not overpowering, so it's not unpleasant..

As for the style, I have nothing to compare it to. It is certainly unique, since neither the sourness nor the smokiness are pronounced and so it falls far from a sour ale or a rauchbier.

My overall impression though is that I like it. The low abv and unique flavor profile is appealing and I can see this being great with food. I would put it up against any potato dumplings, or bread dumplings, saurkraut definitely and maybe some baurenwurst, smoked farmers sausage....pretty much any German dish...

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 20:41:00 | More by MusicaleMike

TGS

California

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

04-06-2012 23:31:05 | More by TGS

BDeibs

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

04-06-2012 23:30:17 | More by BDeibs

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +24%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Draft offering at Monks served in a tulip. The brew appears a light, hazed golden color. A white pillow of froth sits atop. Lacing effect completely coats the wall of the glass.

The smell is mildly oaky...sort of with a faint smoky appeal. This is mildly reminiscent of what your clothes smell like a day after sitting by a campfire. Some tart character is evident with citrus lemony notes. A mild almost incense appeal is present before the onset of funky lacto and cheese.

The taste is mildly cheesy with a bit of yogurt and lemony citrus brightness. A light smokiness fades in and out across the back which is a crazy combination of flavor but it works. The aftertaste includes a bit of spiced quality that is a blend of cedar and incense.

This is a light bodied brew that is spritzy with carbonation. It is crisp and very easy drinking. Very reminiscent of a berliner weisse but with a slight twist. I have only had a handful of gratzer offerings and man has this one opened my eyes to wanting to try more.

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2012 15:42:53 | More by stakem

BoringBunny

Russian Federation

4.25/5  rDev +17.1%

04-02-2012 02:46:52 | More by BoringBunny

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep thick yellow, with white topping foam head. Mild cheese and yeast aroma. Smooth mouthfeel. Takes getting used to, mostly getting yeast, not that smokey, pleasant and complex with some bitterness and mild sourness, something I can sip over the course of a night.Good with cheese.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 02:31:36 | More by northyorksammy

mdillon86

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -10.5%

03-14-2012 03:49:45 | More by mdillon86

Bung

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500 ml, picked up at Charkeston Beer Exchange.
Slightly orangey gold pour, finger of off white.

Aroma,  malt, grain, hay.  Little lemon/lemon zest.

Faintly sour, faintly smokey.  Lemon zest again, then tea.  A little woody charcoal.  

Light and pretty thin.  Could drink a ton of this though.  Some flavor is reminiscent of German Macro,  but it is an interesting little brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 18:43:05 | More by Bung

ThePorterSorter

New York

3.8/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not sure how to label this beer exactly...interesting smoky-sour beer from germany...technically a Grätzer Ale.

Appearance:
Hazy golden with a white head and good lacing.

Smell:
The smell is unimpressive and barely noticeable. There is a hint of sourness and smokiness, but it's quite faint.

Taste:
The taste is light, but complex. I've never tried a sour beer that presents with an equal amount of smokiness. The wheat is present also, but appears to be there more for the beer's body than to help balance the other flavors.

Mouthfeel:
This is definitely not like any belgian sour I've had, in fact this isn't like any sour I've had. It's your standard weissbier with some interesting smoke and sour flavors that do dominate, but are subtle. it's not dry or tart in any way.

Overall:
I'd say that this was an interesting, reasonably priced beer, but it's lacking in the dry/tartness that I prefer in a sour. I'd like to see more beers like this because it's really got some potential.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2012 03:27:40 | More by ThePorterSorter