Schell's FireBrick - August Schell Brewing Company

youngleo

Michigan

3.35/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured down the center of the glass that resulted in a big head. Head was offwhite in color. No lacing going on. Beer itself was cola colored. Light smelling. Just a slight sweet smell,light malt, and biscuits. Tasted light also. Had a slightly bitter aftertaste. Also notes of caramel and hops. I thought the carbonation was good. Felt good in the mouth. I enjoyed this beer. I think it would be a good session beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2011 19:13:22 | More by youngleo

burnheartsMKE

Wisconsin

3.03/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This is a party beer. I could see this in the hands of a couple cool kids rocking-up to a house party with their own “good” beers.

Golden head with a nice top.

Cheap hop with a slight sun-struck skunk on the nose with a toasted slice of bread lingering in the background.
Carmel corn flavor gives way to a familiar metallic taste; retro beers. In my mouth it reminds me of a pimped-up Schlitz; cozy, unpretentious and just easy to to drink.

Not something to search for, but not to be turned away either.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 17:53:18 | More by burnheartsMKE

lwillitz

Florida

3.95/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12-oz bottle into Samuel Smith "Tulip" pint glass

A - 2 fingers of creamy off-white head over a transparent amber/orange body; moderate bubbles of carbonation rising

S - clean malty smell; grain; floral hops

T - toasted malts are the main feature here; malty and grainy; caramel; hint of flowery hops throughout leading into a crisp hoppy finish

M - medium carbonation; thick and creamy

O - Firebrick is an excellent lager. Great malt flavor, pleasant hoppy finish, and very refreshing. Certainly worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2011 02:18:28 | More by lwillitz

PokerGod

Minnesota

3.33/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a Nonic glass.

Appearance- Dark copper color, with thick creamy head. Great retention and lacework on the glass. Beautiful

smell- Not much going on here, very subtle. Malty.

Taste- Smoother than I had anticipated, with some real solid flavor, all up front.

Overall- A very tasty brew. If I were to pick apart anything, I wish it had a stronger smell and a little more flavor on the finish. But that really is nitpicking a very tasty lager. By all means try it!

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 01:33:35 | More by PokerGod

Lauthaha

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a beer mug.

Appearance: Beer pours a copper color with very strong orange hues. Not a lot of visible carbonation, but the head froths up nicely before receding down to a thin layer of bubbly foam on the surface of the brew itself.

Smell: Lightly toasted malty beauty. Lots of spice, along with some very flowery hops.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Gentle carbonation carries a plethora of flavors across the palate. Hops are probably the most noticeable thing in this brew, being very earthy. Then, there's a touch of spice, almost like white pepper. The malt is toasty underneath, with very little sweetness, but some decent breadiness. Aftertaste is floral, with just a touch of that spice. Very lightly oily on the palate after imbibing.

Overall: Another winner from the Schell Brewing Company. I think this one would be a great winter beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 03:16:53 | More by Lauthaha

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

he pour was decent, better then I thought it would be with a nice medium amber color and a smooth even head of white across the top. Aroma is of light grains, hints of mild hops and a touch of a bready note, pretty standard here. Nice even flavor, again mostly a bready, grain malt flavor with only a touch of hops to serve to try and even and balance it out. nice carbonation though and it went down smooth and easy with a crisp, clean finish and a nice bite at the end.

Overall better then I thought it would be. This was actually fairly decent and i would not turn it down if offered.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 01:27:03 | More by mikesgroove

beachscrat

Minnesota

4.95/5  rDev +34.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a bottle into a schells mug.

Brilliant mahagony amber. Perfect but maybe needs a touch more foam.

Sweet caramel aroma with a touch of orange. Again perfect.

Balanced malt with a touch of baked caramel bread. Finishes ultra uber clean. No cloying nonsense, these guys are pros.

Cleanest purest Vienna lager your going to get. Gold standard.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 00:50:50 | More by beachscrat

tito42

Missouri

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into straight pint glass. Best by 05/08/2011 stamped on bottle.

A: Foamy copper-white head. Very active carbonation bubbles. Beer is a light copper color.

S: Malty and slightly sweet aroma. Very faint clove or pepper smell.

T: Very nice roasted malt backbone followed by a rather stout earthy hops flavor. Some roasted coffee notes flutter in and out. Possibly some adjunct sweetness later in the pour. A nice balance between the malt and hops that is somewhat bipolar but works well overall.

M: Medium-bodied beer with a good dose of dryness with the hops finish. Smoother later into the pour. Feels watery at times, but also has a nice malt character.

D: Overall an interesting beer. Very malty at times, a bit hoppy at times. Rich and malty at times, but a tad watery at others. Overall, a decent representation of the style. Not quite on par with Sam Adams, but very close.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2011 02:24:24 | More by tito42

afinepilsner

Iowa

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz brown bottle

Schell's Firebrick was orange-amber in color with good clarity. It had an off-white head with good retention and lacing. The smell was toasty malt with some floral hops. The taste was toasted malt upfront with some earthy and spicy hops and enough bitterness to balance. The finish was dry with some residual spicy hop and malt flavors. The mouthfeel was good with a medium body and medium carbonation. The drinkability was good as well. This is a tasty and refreshing lager that would pair well with grilled or smoked meat.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 23:27:18 | More by afinepilsner

ForWhatAlesYou

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle into a pint glass

A: Huge bready head whcih only falls a little bit overall. Perfectly clear amber rouge.

S: A little sweet malt with a touch of banana-nut. Clove? Adjunct grain?

T: Extreme roasted malt flavor. Hops are almost on par with the sweet nature of the malt. Nearly perfect for the style.

M: Light chalkiness is on the finish while medium carbonation and viscosity are the main.

D: I always like a lager that steps out with strong flavor profiles. I love this. Could easily session.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2011 17:33:01 | More by ForWhatAlesYou

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

My thanks to Chaz who sent this to me and has been awaiting my review since its arrival. It too is really fresh, dated 12/09/10 and I CAN't wait to get the Crack & Glug underway. Let The CANQuest (TM) resume in earnest!

From the CAN: "At 145 years of age, the August Schell Brewing Company is the second oldest family-owned brewery in the nation. While breweries and beers have come and gone, our quaint little brewery has remained here in New Ulm, MN, timelessly brewing traditional lagers and fine ales for five generations. Schell's Firebrick is a refreshing Vienna-style amber lager that carries a pleasant maltiness with a subtle sweetness and light, hoppy finish."

My pour resulted in just better than a finger of foamy eggshell-white head with decent retention. Color was a coppery-amber with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a rich caramel sweetness to it. Mouthfeel was medium with a very malty sweetness initially, but giving 'way to a slight grassy hoppiness on the tongue. Finish was incredibly smooth, very pleasant to drink, with an intermingling of the malt and hops that made me wish for more. I would certainly put this beer in my imaginary cooler that has become my basis for a "drinkability" score.

Serving type: can

12-28-2010 00:10:09 | More by woodychandler

EwaldEichstaett

Jordan

3.88/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Good orange/brown color with an alright head.

The beer smells great. It is crisp and malty. I like the contrast between the sweetness of the malts and the crisp, fresh hops.

The taste is also very pleasant. The beer has nice caramel malty character with a touch of spicyness that warms you up. The hop character is superbly balanced with the flavour of the malts. Crisp and refreshing and yet, warming, on a cold day.

The mouth-feel is a bit thick, lacking a bit of carbonation. Strangely, for a lower ABV beer,I noticed a bit of boozyness in this as I was drinking it.

Good beer for a good price. One could easily drink several of these. I'll be buying this more often.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2010 19:37:51 | More by EwaldEichstaett

brewdub17

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: A darker brass, red body with small hints of the light brass around the edges. The malty character gives it a nice white fluffy head.

Smell: Crisp, clean but watery smell that doesn't compliment the malt flavors other than dryness and slight hint a sweet/tartness.

Taste: Malty characteristics are blended well with the crispness from being bottom fermented and aged in cool areas. Slight acidic/sour tastes are notice able but are coated with the malty sweetness making for a pleasant finish.

Mouthfeel: Those acidic/sour/dry complexities are mixed well with the feel of the maltyness. A crisp/clean but full bodied feel.

Drinkability: Nice balance of flavors and not a too complex mouthfeel combined with a light ABV can make for a nice drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2010 21:30:18 | More by brewdub17

Lemke10

Wisconsin

3.7/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I bought a single bottle of this from Woodman's in Menomonee Falls, WI for about $1.50 in fall 2010.

This Vienna Lager from Schell's is a good one. It pours a dark copper color and has a slight scent of malts. As you drink the carbonation tickles your mouth but it finishes nice and smooth to the point that you don't even notice you were just drinking a beer. A nice find for a colder night.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 04:34:43 | More by Lemke10

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass. thanks to morimech.

Pours a clear cherry auburn with a light head with fades quickly, leaving very little lacing around the glass.

Smells of slightly musty caramel malt along with some sweet fruit and hops.

Bitter up front with mid-level hops and some dry malt. A bit of darker, roasted malts attempt to creep in, but further dry hoppiness continues. Finishes overly bitter and dry, with lingering abrasiveness.

Unusually dry feel, which adheres itself to the palate in an offensive fashion. The flavor profile isn't terrible, but the feel wraps itself around the tongue and refuses to leave.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 05:22:38 | More by xnicknj

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.95/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle with a best by date of 111810. Pours a very clear copper color with a thick layer of tan foam. Displays great retention and lacing. This is a fine looking beer.

Nose is highly caramelized malts with a light touch of grassy hops and cooked corn. Very pleasant smelling lager, really.

Roasty, caramel and toffee maltiness are the main show here and are pretty powerful for a lager of 5%. Light hopping combines with a bit of toast to give more than enough bittering power on the back end. Mouthfeel is decent and the carbonation is perfect. Little bit of cooked veggies and light astringency are the only complaints I have here. I would be happy to take a sixer of this to a tailgate or cookout. Good brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2010 22:11:59 | More by twiggamortis420

gatornation

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

pours a very nice copper color with a staying 1/2 finger head also some nice lacing..smell is malt and bread with citrus and hop ,,taste is malt forward with a sweetbread taste then some hops and a slight roasted caramel hit in the background..mouth feel is smooth and creamy with some good flavors ....its medium and good...its drinkable not over the top just refreshing and well made... schells is a solid brewery that makes some great brews

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2010 22:41:44 | More by gatornation

jera1350

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Crystal clear copper color with a one finger creamy tan head on top.

Very light nose of of bread and caramel. Similar to a caramel roll and even a bit of cream icing.

Lightly toasty malt with a bit of caramel sweetness and lightly bitter and earthy hops.

The feel is quite creamy on the tongue. I would say this is medium bodied. Lightly chewy as well.

It's been a long time coming and I finally had this one. Firebrick is an excellent all around beer that I really should drink more of. This would make a nice session beer and I have some friends that would really enjoy the hell out of this as well. I will be getting more of this from now on.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2010 01:47:01 | More by jera1350

dstc

Florida

3.63/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear bronze color with a big, light tan head. Head falls slow but stays. Decent lace.

Malt aroma with a bit of sweetness.

Roasted malts and a bit metallic. Slight hop bitterness in the finish.

Medium bodied and somewhat smooth. Average carbonation.

Not bad. Average beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2010 18:08:55 | More by dstc

Ottertude

Kentucky

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Firebrick poured a coppery brown into my pint glass with a thin off-white head that didn't stick around long.

The smell was of sweet malt and of caramel. The taste not surprisingly was maltcentric. Lots of caramel sweetness up front and some burnt toffee with some dry bitter hops in the back to help balance things a bit. All in all a decent Vienna lager.

The mouthfeel was not too thin. A couple of these are fine and then I would switch to something. This beer from August Schell is decent. When it comes to Vienna Lagers I do prefer Great Lakes Eliot Ness though.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2010 22:39:04 | More by Ottertude

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Poured on-tap. A rich copper almost amber in color with an off white head.

Smell: Lightly malty not a whole lot going on in the nose.

Taste: Malty, providing some caramel and roasted tones. Hop profile is scarce to none. Still not overly sweet. A nice malty brew, seems more like a brown ale than a Vienna Lager/

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and fairly smooth going down.

Drinkability: A good session beer here. Nothing extraordinary but still quite satisfying.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2010 14:44:22 | More by Stinkypuss

goblue3509

Pennsylvania

2.83/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a copper color with a thin head that disappates quickly with no lacing. The aroma is of caramel malts and maybe a hint of hoppiness, the aroma is kinda faint and hard to get to. The taste is of caramel malt backbone and a little toastiness, along with a slight hop bite. The mouthfeel is very carbonated and fizzy. Overall the drinkability is okay, you could have a couple, but there are better beers in this style out there. A little faint in the aroma and taste department.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2010 14:37:55 | More by goblue3509

bcpriess

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A Respectable Brew.

It had me at "this all malt lager." While this is not by any means a jaw droppingly awesome beer, it is a good, solid, beer that I could imagine wanting to drink from time to time. Schell's of New Ulm doesn't produce a favorite beer of mine, but I respect their work, and their commitment to lager styles, and for that alone they edge out Summit as the top Twin Cities brewery.

Although I am down on Schell's uber sweet bock, this is more of a light, malty, none too sweet brew. It seems like it might be the more forceful cousin of Grain Belt Nordeast, with a bit more of a char flavor.

A: Appearance is nothing special. This beer pours a deep amber, almost reddish color, with a thick beige large-bubbled head that rapidly dissipates. Par for the course.

S: Predominantly malt and yeast - not a generic odor - but not special either.

T: In addition to the malt and yeast (which you smell), there is an unexpected and interesting char flavor (I suppose the reason for the Firebrick name). This beer would be just the thing to drink with the pulled pork burrito at the BLB - although it is a fairly malty brew, there is no overpowering sweetness, and the char is exactly the kind of thing that would counterbalance a sweet meat. Paired correctly, this is a winner. As I mentioned before this feels like a more intense Nordeast - the key differences being that this is just slightly less sweet, and the presence of the char flavor.

M: Like many Schell's beers, a little on the dry side, but it doesn't leave any unwanted residues behind. An appropriate level of carbonation, maybe a little on the low side, but still somewhat crisp feeling.

D: Somewhat above average. This isn't an uber heavy drink that will leave you with a gutache if you approach it as a beer to drink for flavor. Would be refreshing as a hot weather beer. If you tried to down six of these, you would have a gutache, but then you wouldn't be reading BA either.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2010 00:14:55 | More by bcpriess

Tone

Missouri

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, copper color. 1/5 inch head of a white color. Slight retention and poor lacing. Smells of sweet malt, yeast, slight hop, and grain. Fits the style of a Vienna Lager. Mouth feel is smooth and crisp with an average carbonation level. Tastes of sweet malt, yeast, slight hop, and slight grain. Overall, an average blend, weak aroma, and slightly weak body.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2010 04:24:31 | More by Tone

AmberMan22

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a brazen orange color with a khaki colored head. Head transitions beautifully from huge bubbles at the bottom to microscopic at the top, and is retained throughout.

Smell is maybe a little on the weak side. Some sweet malty flavors come forward, along with maybe a touch of cream. Really just needs some more oomph.

Taste however, as I've come to find with Vienna Lagers, is quite smooth and well balanced. Just enough hops to keep the maltiness from overstepping.

Those big bubbles I referenced earlier make this initially feel like a fizzy macro. Thankfully after the initial bite, the carbonation settles down and yields to a creamy, smooth mouthfeel.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this offering from Schell BC. Had plenty of their stuff before, but never really took time to review any of it. I'll definitely be looking to do so in the future.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2010 15:46:30 | More by AmberMan22