Bayernbiere Bought and Drunk

Discussion in 'Germany' started by boddhitree, Dec 15, 2012.

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  1. boddhitree

    boddhitree Pooh-Bah (1,765) Apr 13, 2008 Germany
    Pooh-Bah

    Wuff Wuff, Pavlov. Now for the 4th day of Christmas, I mean Bayernbiere. I get to open my next present to myself, Lindenbräu Vollbier, which says "Fein-Würzige Bierspezialität," which I hope will mean lots more bittering hops in this one. There seem to be a plethora of Lindenbräu in Germany, one in Berlin at Postdamer Platz, one in Waldbronn (just southeast of Karlsruhe), another in Bad Kötzting (northeast of Regensburg - calling Stahlsturm!), many more, but I don't have the energy to track all of them down in Google. This one, however, is in Gräfenberg, which seems to be between Forchheim and Nürnburg and east of Erlangen.

    They also seem to malt their own malts, if the "Brauerei-Malzerie" on the label (under the tree) means what I think it means, though they mention nothing of this on their homepage.
    [​IMG]
    5.2%. Color is light amber, which is the tell-tale sign of Melanoiden malts, and aroma is very malty, Pilsner and Münchener malts. First sips are malty again, with a good deal of bittering hops, mostly Münchener, toasted bready malt flavors, but again as it warms up, the bitter noble hops balance out the malts. Not as thick as the Fürst Wallerstein Brauhaus' Winter Böckle unfortunately, but still very drinkable, a little breadier, too. On their site they say they use Herkbrücker and Spalter hops, so I wouldn't be surprised if they made into this beer as well. Overall, I wouldn't turn down this beer ever if offered but I'm not sure I would drive out of my way to drink it if there others nearby. It's very high quality, nothing great about it, but a I appreciate it for the nice balance of toasted malts and bittering hops. Both ends of the flavor spectrum are quite pronounce but don't overpower each other, which in itself it quite a feat in my opinion as a homebrewer.
     
  2. boddhitree

    boddhitree Pooh-Bah (1,765) Apr 13, 2008 Germany
    Pooh-Bah

    A two-fer today, on the Rauchbier by Brauerei Rittmayer in Hallerndorf. It won the Gold Star of the European Beer Star in 2008 and 2009, silver in 2010 and bronze in 2011 (are they slacking?) I'm usually not a Rauchbier fan, in fact, when I was in Bamberg, the only one I could drink more than one glass of was Spezial. I don't remember why I ordered it online except maybe because I had to try the beer that won gold stars.
    [​IMG]
    The initial aroma was smokey but also a hint of detergent, don't know why, but it's there. It's orangish-amber, 4.9%.
    Mmmm. Maybe I'm not so crazy about this one either after a few sips: quite smokey, breaded, Melanoiden malts present and some hop bitterness I can detect, but only in the back of the tongue. The more I drink, the smokier it becomes, and the more I like it. It's still got a good backbone of malts up front and a little sweetness in the very front of the tongue, so overall, quite more complex as it warms up. :slight_smile: In fact, as my tongue becomes more accustomed, or numb, to the smokiness, I taste more malts. It makes me wonder if Rauchbiers are like the Thai curry of beer: you need to numb your tongue from the chilis before you can really taste the underlying curry complexities? I'm a fan of Thai curry, but still not a Rauchbier fan.
     
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  3. Gutes_Bier

    Gutes_Bier Maven (1,339) Jul 31, 2011 Germany

    I think that's true, although I am a Rauchbier fan and not a curry fan. My wife loves Spezial's Rauchbier, by the way. It's her favorite as well. (not intended to be a joke or an insult)
     
  4. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I have the feeling that character may be phenols from the smokiness -- maybe sort of band-aid in character (if they're the same in Europe as they are here)? Or maybe even Hallertauer hops -- I often get a "soapiness" from them.

    I spent a long weekend in Bamberg for the express purpose of drinking Rauchber. I was afraid I would be overwhelmed, but my experience was just the opposite. The first one was so fresh and smooth that I never looked back.
     
  5. Stahlsturm

    Stahlsturm Initiate (0) Mar 21, 2005 Germany
    In Memoriam

    I'm aware of the place but it's called "Linderbräu" :slight_smile: "Linder" from the Linder Family who founded the place.
    http://www.lindner-bier.de/
     
  6. Stahlsturm

    Stahlsturm Initiate (0) Mar 21, 2005 Germany
    In Memoriam

    INTERVENTION! :grinning:
     
  7. TreinJan

    TreinJan Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2006 Netherlands

    Lindner-Bräu - have been there a few times, can recommend both beer and food.
     
  8. boddhitree

    boddhitree Pooh-Bah (1,765) Apr 13, 2008 Germany
    Pooh-Bah

    Day 5... you're probably wondering why I have so much time to do these now, well, as an English teacher for businessfolk, many have canceled their lesson due to being too busy, so on with the show... today's beer is one I've been waiting all week to write about. It's Pax Bräu's Vollbier. Let me reiterate from another thread how much I love the concept of the guy who runs this micro-brewery. Here's the Facebook page, which has his calender of beers for 2013. I really want to try his January beer, a Lakritz (licorice) Oatmeal Stout, and the April beer, Cissy IPA.
    He's a one-man show, and his resume has him working as a brewer first in Germany, then in China, Vietnam, Germany, Russia and now opening his own in a small town in upper upper Oberfranken near the Thüringen state border. Really out in the sticks if you ask me, which is for me even more daring to brew these (for Germany) innovative, unusual beers in a part of Germany I would imagine is quite conservative in many ways, especially beer-wise.

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

    Here's how he decribes the Vollbier on his website:

    Das Vollbier ist eine untergärige, kupfer- bis kastanienfarbige, unfiltrierte Bierspezialität.
    (The Vollbier is a bottom-frementing, copper to chestnut color, unfiltered beer specialty.)​
    Geschmacklich dominiert hier von Anfang bis Ende ein kernig-runder, malzaromatischer Körper, welcher im Abgang von einem intensiven Karamellaroma mit einem Hauch von Rauch abgerundet wird. Feine Geschmacksnerven wird dies etwas an Marzipan erinnern.
    (Taste-wise from here to the end a full-bodied,malt-aroma body dominates, which ends with an intensive caramel aroma with a whiff of smoke. Fine tastebuds will be reminded somewhat of marzipan.)​
    Passend darin eingebettet ist die Bittere, welche mit Ihrer Ausgewogenheit einen stets frischen Gesamteindruck des Bieres hinterlässt. Gekrönt wird dieser Genuss mit einer wahrhaft prächtigen Schaumkrone.
    (Suitably embedded is the bitterness, which in its balance always leaves a fresh taste-impression of the beer. This enjoyment is crowned with a truly glorious crown of foam.)​
    Dieses Bier eignet sich besonders in Kombination zu Speisen wie:
    (This beer is especially good for the combination of the following foods, such as:slight_smile:
    -Kalten Platten, Cremesuppen (Cold cuts, cream soup)​
    -Schmorgerichten, würzige Braten (Stews, spicy roasted/bbq-ed food)​
    -Pikant- würzige Schnittkäse, Weichkäse (nutty, aromatic cheese and soft cheese)​
    -Torten, Kuchen, Soufflés (Torte, Cakes, Souffles)​

    Die ideale Trinktemperatur liegt bei 9°C.
    (Ideal drinking temperature is around 9°C)
    Stammwürze: 12,5% Alkohol: 5,2 vol. %
    (Degrees Plato: 12,5%, ABV 5.2%)

    Now to my observations and views of what this beer tastes like.
    Aroma is very maltly, a little caramel but no smoke as stated above, but very strong and full.
    Initially, a lot of malt flavor, and I mean A LOT, which is great, but embedded inside that is a smokey flavor bursting out. However, unlike a normal Rauchbier, the smokiness is not the main aspect you taste; rather, it's a nice compliment to the Caramel or Münchener malts inside. This is a great beer, the best of the bunch in this thread, though the Fürst Wallerstein Brauhaus' Winter Böckle isn't far behind.

    I'm eating a sandwich of Kalbsleberwurst mit champignons (mushrooms) and a Leerdammer cheese, and this beer works great together. The pics below are simply to torture you.
    [​IMG][​IMG]

    Back to the beer. There are a decent amount of hops present, not overpowering, mostly noble hops in the back, probably Tettnanger and Spalter, which I saw printed on other beer labels from Pax Bräu.

    Overall, wowowow! A beer that is somewhat bitter, but not overpoweringly, malty but not overly so, and smokey, yet again, not overpoweringly. This could've been labeled a Rauchbier and been right up my alley, but it's more than the smoked malts used. It's fantastic how all three taste fronts simultaneously blend together but can also be individually tasted once you focus on them. Thank God it only comes in 1L bottles so I have enough to drink all afternoon and evening, and I have 6 bottles, this being the 2nd I've drunk, & 1 I gave as a Christmas present to one of my students/clients. It was a little expensive at over www.biershop-bayern.de at 5.50€ per 1L bottle, but I don't find it that too expensive for such a wonderful taste experience.
     
  9. Stahlsturm

    Stahlsturm Initiate (0) Mar 21, 2005 Germany
    In Memoriam

    On a vaguely related side note, the label of that beer looks like it's a 1930 recruitment poster for the German Communists :grinning:
     
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  10. boddhitree

    boddhitree Pooh-Bah (1,765) Apr 13, 2008 Germany
    Pooh-Bah

    I think that's the idea, to evoke that sentiment, but did you read the label: [​IMG]

    "Let's forge/turn swords into beer taps," and I hope y'all see the irony and symbolism of being a "workingman's beer" too, with the church steeple evoking the town where it's brewed and a rural feeling.

    Also, on the neck of the bottle, on the pic towards the right that I took, it says "ich Pax an!" which literally means "I peace on," but figuratively alludes to "ich packt's an," which means "I'll get on it!" or "I'll deal with this!"
     
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  11. Stahlsturm

    Stahlsturm Initiate (0) Mar 21, 2005 Germany
    In Memoriam

    "Schwerter zu Pflugscharen" (= "Swords To Plows") was a big thing here in the 80s during the easter marches and the public protests against the stationing of more US nuclear short range missiles here in West Germany. Pretty much everyone growing up in Western Germany in the 70s and 80s will remember that slogan. "Swords To Taps" is a pretty clever variation, hehehe.

    I didn't see the neck. "Ich pack's an" actually has a second meaning besides "I'll do this". "Packen" also means to grab and the neck is where you grab a bottle to drink from it, hahaha.
     
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  12. CwrwAmByth

    CwrwAmByth Initiate (0) Jan 24, 2011 England

    Bier und Bier are really good, I ordered a load of Ayingers for Christmas, which came to about £45 for 19 bottles and a glass, including delivery to the UK via UPS (took about 6 days including a weekend, and it being the Christmas period). They also gave me bar mats, a calender and a Schneider Weisse advent calender for free.
     
  13. boddhitree

    boddhitree Pooh-Bah (1,765) Apr 13, 2008 Germany
    Pooh-Bah

    Day 6 and we're still not done yet. The next beer is Friedenfelser Zoigle Schwarzer Ritter (Black Night). On the bottle it mentions Hop extracts as an ingredient, which tells me at least they're honest. They also list pale (or it could be Pilsner) malt, water, hops and yeast... too bad most German breweries are not specific on which ones.
    On the website, their only marketing market says Ein Bier, so eigenständig wie sein Name. (A beer as distinct [ or, that stands out] as its name.) There's not another word this beer on their entire site. Anyway, let's drink this stuff:

    [​IMG]

    4.8% and a huge mountain of foam that just won't end, even 4 minutes after pouring the beer in the glass. Bubbles are bursting from nucleation points inside the side and streaming to the top as if this were a Kristalweizen. Color is dark amber, almost fully copper, a very pretty color - roasted orangish brown, dark but but still transparent. The aroma isn't very overly strong: sweet, toasty malts with hints of bittering hops.
    The first sips through the foam gives a huge roasted malt taste, very little of the sweet, toastedness I was expecting from the aroma, but there is some light honey flavor, or is a darker caramel from a Caramunich malt? It tastes kind of like a German bauernbrot, a sourdough bread that's brown and earthy.
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    Again, I can't resist making y'all hungry as well as thirsty.
    Finally, there's quite an amount of bitterness near the end of the taste, mostly grassy, noble bittering hops, quite bitter as I drink more of the glass, though.
    Overall, quite a nice, interesting beer. Very malty, almost like soaked German bread, and bitterness combined. Is that what an amber Zoigl should taste like? I don't have any experience with Zoigls, but this is quite drinkable, quite unusual and... one more thing, I now taste slight sour notes under the bitterness, which again reminds of a bauernbrot. I'm not sure this is good or bad, but it makes this beer far more complex than I expected. It's a unique beer, worth trying for sure and drinking more of it, as it's got a lot going on.
     
  14. Gutes_Bier

    Gutes_Bier Maven (1,339) Jul 31, 2011 Germany

    This one and the Pax Vollbier so far are first and second on my list of new beers to try. Nice write-ups and thanks. One minor correction, excuse the nit-picking..."Schwarzer Ritter" is "Black Rider" or "Black Knight" (as opposed to "Black Night", which would be "Schwarze Nacht"?).
     
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  15. boddhitree

    boddhitree Pooh-Bah (1,765) Apr 13, 2008 Germany
    Pooh-Bah

    Thanks for the complements. You should try this beer, their marketing speak was dead on accurate.

    BTW, Ritter does mean knight, as dict.cc shows. The word "ride" stems from reiten it German, and der Reiter can also be a horse rider. If you translate "knight" in dict.cc, you get Reiter.

    But the Pax Vollbier beats this by a country mile. It's the difference, IMO, of a traditional brewery and a innovative "craft" brewer - Pax.
     
  16. Gutes_Bier

    Gutes_Bier Maven (1,339) Jul 31, 2011 Germany

    I'd bet that Zoigl would pair wonderfully with some bratwurst....we need a Drooling smiley-face option!
     
  17. CwrwAmByth

    CwrwAmByth Initiate (0) Jan 24, 2011 England

    Also, your pictures of food are making me hungry and jealous. I may have to seek out a German deli when I get back to my flat.

    These reviews are great to read but bad for my diet.
     
  18. boddhitree

    boddhitree Pooh-Bah (1,765) Apr 13, 2008 Germany
    Pooh-Bah

    Day 7, beer #8, and today it's Sonnenbräu Keller-Bier. On the bottle's back label it states, "classically brewed following the Reinheitsgebot of 1516 using aroma hops and Fränkishe (Franconian) brewing barley." This place is more of a Gasthof/Hotel/Restaurant, and their website gives zero info about their beers. There also seems to be plethora of Sonnenbräus in Germany, like in Mürsbach, in Lichtenberg, and Rebstein in Switzerland.
    Here's a pic of the line-up.
    [​IMG]

    Here's a pic of my bottle that I'm drinking now, cute label, eh?:
    [​IMG]

    I guess what makes it a Kellerbier is that it's Hefetrüb, or yeast-cloudy.

    Anyway, it's 5%, yellow-tinged light amber color, perfectly clear, so don't understand the "cloudy" part on the label. my usual indication of the use of either Münchner/Melanoiden malts. The aroma is both littly bread-malty & lightly hoppy, so they were right on the aroma hops, probably Tettnanger, Hersbrücker or another noble hop. The taste is both malty and lightly noble-hoppy, nothing terribly wowing, but really really easy to drink. There's no one flavor that overpowers, and they blend together very well! Also the mouthfeel is neither too thick or too thin, maybe exactly in the Goldilocks zone needed to make a very süffige (pleasant to drink, drinkable), creamy beer. Damn, I'm usually not a Pils fan, but this is maltier than a Pils and less hoppy than, too. But then again, the warmer it gets, the bitterer the aftertaste. I can really dig this beer.
    Now for the wurst-porn, a Hessische Presskopf that I'm eating with the beer.
    [​IMG]
     
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  19. Gutes_Bier

    Gutes_Bier Maven (1,339) Jul 31, 2011 Germany

    Best thread ever.
     
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  20. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    “The taste is both malty and lightly noble-hoppy, nothing terribly wowing, but really really easy to drink. There's no one flavor that overpowers, and they blend together very well! Also the mouthfeel is neither too thick or too thin, maybe exactly in the Goldilocks zone needed to make a very süffige (pleasant to drink, drinkable), creamy beer.”

    The above verbiage is my personal definition for what I call a Franconian Kellerbier. I have not had a lot of these (I presently have a bottle of Furst Wallerstein Zwickel in my basement that I hope to drink soon as part of my Holiday enjoyment).

    From my beer drinking experiences, the perfect examples of a Franconian Kellerbier are:

    · Southampton Keller Pils: 2011 version
    · Triumph Aldstadt Lager
    · Mahr's Ungespundet-hefetrüb (I really enjoyed this on cask!)

    I have enjoyed other Kellerbiers but they were more of the Pilsner style (vs. a balance of bready malt and hops):

    · Brooklyn Gold Standard Export Kellerbier
    · Southampton Keller Pils: 2010 and 2012 versions
    · Urban Chestnut Zwickel

    Prost!
     
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