St. Michaelsberg Kellerbier
Maisel Bräu Bamberg GmbH

St. Michaelsberg KellerbierSt. Michaelsberg Kellerbier
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From:
Maisel Bräu Bamberg GmbH
 
Germany
Style:
Kellerbier / Zwickelbier
ABV:
4.9%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.61 | pDev: 13.57%
Reviews:
30
Ratings:
30
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 13, 2009
Added:
Nov 08, 2007
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Photo of Minkybut
Reviewed by Minkybut from Virginia

3.22/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
I poured this odd beer into my tumbler at 50 degrees. The beer was an odd oragnge color. It had absolutely no head and was an ugly cloudy hue. This is one ugly beer. The smell was sour and not pleasing either. I though this was going to be a rotten beer. However though it was flat tasting. the beer had a bit of a sweet taste and was not bad to be in the shape it was in. Now I do not usually give beers much of a break, but I just have to wonder how this would taste fresh, if there is such a thing over here inthe US. I will try once more.
Feb 13, 2009
Photo of ThirstyBird
Reviewed by ThirstyBird from California

3.27/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
500ML bottle poured into 500ML mug
A - Medium amber in color a bit hazy. Minimal course head that falls away to a ring.
S - Grainy malt, sweet with some hop aroma.
T - Earthy grains, malt sweetness with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
M/F - Light/Medium in body. Low carbonation and smooth.
D - I find keller biers to be very complex for session brews. This one is middle of the road but certainly decent.
Jan 27, 2009
Photo of nick76
Reviewed by nick76 from Florida

2.5/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
The aroma is floral and perfume like with grains and a touch of basement and dust. The appearance is orange gold with no head. The flavor is like the aroma and cardboard like. The palate is watery and almost non carbonated. Overall this is a bad beer maybe even a spoiled beer.
Jan 24, 2009
Photo of hustlesworth
Reviewed by hustlesworth from Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A- intriguing look, in a odd way. off white head is small, but dense and creamy. quickly turns to a thin foamy haze but leaves alot of little spots of lace. hazy burnt orange body turning to golden near the edges with some slowly rising bubbles.

S- soft nose of caramel and toffee with a hint of acidity and mushrooms and some mushy fruity aromas that remind me of an english pale ale. earthy and aromatic wood and just a touch of butterscotch.

T- taste is the same but with an extremely smooth grassy noble hop bitterness and there is definitely the taste of an old stone basement, or a cave, or a keller, or whatever. malt and yeast seem to be what are similar to english ales, a buttery caramel and some strawberry melon esters, but with a distinct lager crispness despite whatever oddities this beer might possess. nice freshy grainy flavor and straw come out near the finish with those smooth lightly bitter hops. clean finish with a mild back-of-the-throat bitterness.

MF- slightly powdery at first but leaves a crisp and dry feeling in the finish. low carbonation enhances that old cellar feel and this one seems to be snappy and refreshing without all the effervescence thanks to lingering clean bitterness. looks to be more viscous than it feels, there's some weight on the tongue but ultimately goes down like a lighter lager.

D- i feel like this is a rarity and needs to be cherished or something but in a strange way i can't put it down. definitely a unique beer (albeit a mild mannered one), but i'm a sucker for tradition. damn when i was a kid i never thought i could appreciate the 'taste' of an old stone basement..
Jan 03, 2009
Photo of blakesell
Reviewed by blakesell from Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured from the 16oz bottle into a standard Pint glass.

Appearance- Beer pours a light golden orange with a fine 2 finger head that quickly dies down to a slight murk across the top. Lacing looks to cling thickly on the sides and as far as we can tell at this point, this looks to be a great kellerbier.

Smell- Rich light German hops, and I'm getting some Czech Saaz as well in there. Malt seems light enough yet substantial of course with German malts but a hefty base malt as well. A bit of lemon and a rich yeasty ester in there as well.

Taste- Light and fruity with just enough hops for the beer to feel German in my mouth. I'm not so sure that makes sense, but there's a certain mouthfeel perception when you're drinking Germans and it must be from the water. A bit o honey flavor on the finish and once again those rich malts. Very flavorful, very nice.

Mouthfeel- There's a certain graininess in the finish with a bit high on the Hallertau hop that does detract from the beer, but outside of that, the beer is medium light bodied, lightly drying, somewhat bitter, and pretty smooth.

Drinkability- This is a great smooth drinking beer and something I would love to order on tap in Germany or even here in the states if I were so fortunate as to see it on tap around here.
Dec 23, 2008
Photo of albern
Reviewed by albern from Massachusetts

3.19/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
I have very little experience with a keller beer, but the descriptor mentions a cloudiness, which the St. Michaelsberg did not have at all. The beer poured an orangy amber color. As with most other reviewers, my beer was very flat. Except for some bubbles along the glass, there is just no carbonation. There is no head to this beer either, or what little there is when forcibly dumping it in the glass, disappears pretty quickly. Freshness is probably an issue. That being said, the nose on the beer is a strong malted honey, sweetish caramel, similar to a bock beer.

The taste is very flat but not bad. I'm sure this beer lost its carbonation on the trip over. This beer has a strong honey presence, bready malts, a biting leafy hop taste right from the outset. It is fairly light bodied, with some bock like tastes, but too hopped up, too light, and not caramelized enough to fall into that category. This is a lager beer with substantial taste and lots more hops than is usual for the style. Not bad, I just wish that I had one with more freshness and carbonation.
Nov 26, 2008
Photo of PatrickJR
Reviewed by PatrickJR from North Carolina

3.44/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Poured from a 16.9 oz bottle into pilsner glass.

This is my first experience with keller/zwickel bier, so feel free to take this review with a grain of salt.

A - Very still looking. No head, no foam, nothing aside from a few little air bubbles from the pour. Beautiful clear orange; perhaps the first beer I've seen with such a bright, pronounced orange color.

S - Honeyed biscuits strike immediately. An earthy spiciness lurks in the background. Overall very similar to a pilsner with a more pronounced malt profile.

T - A little on the bland side. A very neutral character seems to be in competition with the beer flavors. Sweet honey prevails at first with an undertone of a darker, heartier bread than the nose would imply. Late palate the sweetness quickly drops off and yields a quick earthy bitterness. A spicy hop character struggles to fight through but is washed away before ever truly materializing. Finish is mostly clean with a slightly mineral note in the aftertaste.

M - This aspect brings the beer down more than anything. This brew is nearly devoid of carbonation, with only a few bubbles passing over the tip of the tongue. The body is something like diluted sugar-syrup, it almost feels thick, but simultaneously disappears without a trace in the mouth. Very slick, and near the end extremely watery.

D - I can enjoy the flavor and aroma of this beer; it's very mild and simple, but the mouthfeel makes this a little tougher to drink than it should be. I think that a brew like this really needs at least some carbonation to back up the sweet, bready characteristics.
Oct 28, 2008
Photo of Aichelberger
Reviewed by Aichelberger from Maryland

3.87/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Ah, the aged goodness of a Keller Bier. A hazy orange/tan in the glass with not much carbonation nor head to speak of. A bit on the thin side, with a rather caramel and fruity scent in the nose. Decent flavor profile, light caramel malt, decent hops presence, with a touch of "imported from Europe" staleness. Extremely drinkable. Very subtle taste with a nice, refreshing style. The 25 oz bottle went down quickly and easily. And with only 4.9% ABV, you could put down a few (if you could afford to do it). Keller Bier is a great, though rather rare style. This one is worth trying, thanks to the monks of Kloster Michaelsberg. (Google the place. It's beautiful!)
Sep 07, 2008
Photo of errantnight
Reviewed by errantnight from District of Columbia

3.94/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5
Pours a bit flat, unfortunately, into my L'amere a boire glass. Maybe half a finger of head, no lacing after that. So why a 3.0? A beautiful, cloudy orange-y-gold hue. Aroma is a mild blend of bready malt, Munich maybe? A slightly sweet caramel backing. The taste backs up the aroma, with a mildly sweet, medium-full middle with a nice spicy bitter note on the back end to even things out. It's just a little rich in the mouth with the lack of carbonation. Even so, I'm having to work to prevent myself from scarfing this down. Better carbonation would make this a huge winner in my house. Just a fantastic base for a beer here, in a criminally under-represented style.

Thanks, Alex @ Red Carpet, for bringing this in, and pointing it out to me.
Sep 07, 2008
Photo of dedrinker
Reviewed by dedrinker from Kansas

3.6/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Hazy dark gold/ light bronze color with a thin white head. Smells of fresh and clean barley - simple, pure, but nothing awe-inspiring - just wholesome and good. Slightly grainy malt flavor with a hint of haystack on the wooden floor of an old barn. No revelations here - I've had better kellerbiers. Soft mouth-feel. Mildly yeasty/ grainy finish. A good beer for a grilled cheese sandwich or a ham-n-cheese on rye. No big deal though.
Aug 21, 2008
Photo of timtim
Reviewed by timtim from District of Columbia

4.1/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
i found this beer to be quite enjoyable, although reading some of the other reviews scared me a bit. mine was not flat at all, and i think that freshness might be key here a bit. slightly hazy orangey amberish with a nice white head that left very good lace. a proper pilsner glass that held the entire 16.9 probably helped. bready and doughy nose with hints of fruit and a nice hop presence. taste was balanced well and had a long finish that started ever so slightly spicy and bitter, but was rounded out by malty goodness. i wish i had picked up a few because it went down way too easily. i'll do my best to ensure freshness on this one, but i for sure will be revisiting soon.
Aug 21, 2008
Photo of wschumac
Reviewed by wschumac from New York

3.87/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
First time trying kellerbier and not sure if the style results in no carbonation.

Poured into a pint glass

A - With the exception of being totally flat the beer poured a nice copper color

S - Malt present in the aroma with some yeastiness

T - Nice bodied beer with malt and hopiness blend.

M - A little dry feeling but lasting finish excellent feeling.

D - original thought was more carbonation but no sure of the style so would definitely like to try again...
Aug 18, 2008
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

3.11/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
It pours a glowing orange in the light, darker in the center, lighter on the outside. On the first pour, the forced bubbles were large and not the result of natural carbonation. Second pour yielded some foam, that faded into a ring. After swirling and pouring the yeast, it clouded up and produced a quarter inch of foam. Spotty bits of tiny lace when swirled.

Musty nose, sweet malt, slight off dishwater smell. Here goes nothing...

Little to no carbonation, mild bready notes, dusty grain, mild tea note from the hops. Dry herbal finish. This seems pretty middle of the road. It could use more CO2, what it does have is lost quickly. Overall this is pretty boring and weak on flavor. It's almost like cask mild, but bottled.

Not worth the $4 I spent to try it.
Aug 13, 2008
Photo of scottg
Reviewed by scottg from Vermont

2.73/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
16.9 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Pours a light copper color with no head or lacing. Aromas of lemon and carmelized malt. Carmelized malt is the dominant flavor with some lemon/tea hops. Very light carbonation, medium body, watery mouthfeel. Don't know if this was a bad bottle or just a bad beer but I'm not looking forward to trying it again.
Jul 26, 2008
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

2.68/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Ripe kumquat with one of the poorest quality heads that I've seen in a while. The off-white lid is more a loose collection of unsticky bubbles than foam. It deflates to a thin disk in less than a minute and is now almost gone. Needless to say, there's no lace. Definitely not a good start.

The nose is even more unimpressive. Kellers aren't known for their olfactory magnificence, but they need to bring more to the table than this. I'm reminded of a middle-of-the-road Euro pale lager... that veers dangerously close to the ditch. A whiff of musky, musty hops is about it.

Although Kellerbier makes makes something of a comback on the palate, it's still nothing to shout about. I wish the flavor was better because there's a great deal of it. A lack of ingredients is not this lager's problem. A lack of *quality* ingredients might be.

The flavor focus is on well-toasted bread with just a hint of caramel. There's also a significant amount of hop bitterness without much hop flavor. Well, good hop flavor anyway. I've now had 11 keller biers or zwickel biers and this is the worst of the lot by a fairly large margin.

The mouthfeel is no surprise given the lack of head formation on the pour. It's too thin (even for the ABV) and is inadequately bubbled. My first clue was the barely audible 'pffft' on crown cracking. Some beer is better with a low level of carbonation. This isn't one of them.

St. Michaelberg Kellerbier is an unqualified disappointment. I'm sure it's better in its native land (it would have to be or it would never sell), so maybe inproper handling before, during or after its trip across the Atlantic is to blame. If you're curious about the style, start somewhere else. Anywhere else.
Jul 22, 2008
Photo of reddomino
Reviewed by reddomino from Germany

4.05/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
The beer pours a nice amber color and forms only the slightest bit of a head, which disappears almost immediately. It gives off a doughy malt aroma. Notes of spice and the yeast are also present. The palate is hit instantly with the taste of roasted malts and fresh baked bread. The spice and hop notes bring up the rear as a prelude to the crisp finish. The medium body and light carbonation are spot on for a Kellerbier. All in all it is a fine beer to enjoy, particularly with meals.
Jun 30, 2008
Photo of Georgiabeer
Reviewed by Georgiabeer from Georgia

3.97/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
pours a hazy golden with no head or lacing. My understanding is that this is not all that unusual for the style. Just because there is no head doesn't mean there is no carbonation. It is relatively soft, but it is there and seems fine for the beer. Smells earth and a bit spicy, and crackery like a rye cracker. Very nice combo of graininess, complex bitterness that taste a bit like aged hops, and a dry crackery maltiness with some nice minerality throughout. Relly refreshing and quite interesting. This was my first Kellerbier. I look forward to exploring the style some more.
Jun 24, 2008
Photo of cvstrickland
Reviewed by cvstrickland from North Carolina

3.18/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
16.9 ounce bottle, poured into a seidel yields a hazy orange-amber body topped by a bubbly sheet that rapidly vanishes to a sparse ring of bubbles as I watch it.

Smells tangy and hoppy with a light malt backing.

Tastes malty and sweet at first; clean hop bitterness comes on confidently and balances the drink. Dry, nutty aftertaste.

Slick and some might say flat as all hell, but I suppose that's the style talking. Not necessarily my thing, but well-executed here.
May 28, 2008
Photo of mpyle
Reviewed by mpyle from Maryland

3.85/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
App - Pale amber color, good clarity. Small white head with poor retention.

Aroma - a bit malty with a bit of apple cider character. Little/no hop aroma.

Flav - Starts malty, but quickly transitions to a nice noble hop bitterness. Some hop flavor early as well. Finishes quite clean, with a nice balance of malt and hop. A bit of a dirty/smokey character to the initial maltiness.

MF - Light/medium body and moderate carbonation.

D'ability - A fairly complex, yet light drinking lager. Can honestly say I've never had anything quite like it, but really enjoy the distinctive malt and hop character.
Apr 26, 2008
Photo of Bierfreund
Reviewed by Bierfreund from Pennsylvania

3.41/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Pours orange into my Weltenburger Kloster barrel-shaped glass mug, a minimal head shows and disappears almost immediately.

Basically no lacing.

Tangy nose, quite tart.

Very low carbonation, as typical for this kind.
Taste is bitter, very hoppy.

Looks cloudy and thick, but feels actually a bit thin. Mouthfeel is tingly, dispite low carbonation. Not heavy, not thick, not smooth.

Aftertaste stays bitter.

There was a powdery solid residue left on the bottle's bottom, just like wheatbeer would typically have. But THIS is a KELLERBIER!!

After several attempts taste stayed simple, no surprises there. The bitter note is interesting, though.
Apr 21, 2008
St. Michaelsberg Kellerbier from Maisel Bräu Bamberg GmbH
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 30 ratings