 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
Beer Reviews |
||
|
German Beers |
||
|
|
|
Aventinus (G.Schneider & Sohn, Kelheim - Note that the G. Schneider web site is German only). According to an authoritative site, “Aventinus is named for Johannes Aventinus, the first historian to describe Bavaria and its people. Aventinus is traditionally bottle fermented in the methode champenoise style, unpasteurized and unfiltered with a pure top fermenting yeast.” Aventinus is truly one of the world’s great beers, and nearly the most complex of wheat beers (see notes on the Eisbock below). Aventinus is a “Sehr dunkles Weizenstarkbier,” or a “very dark strong wheat beer”. And strong it is, a high-gravity beer that is 8.2% abv. It contains the yeast (hefe) that wrought it, so you get many of the important food groups, including protein, making it a healthful brew as well. It has a splendid malty flavor, is somewhat sweet, and has a superb mouthfeel. One caution about this beer: if it’s been on a store’s shelf for a while unrefrigerated, it will deteriorate. Pick the bottle up carefully and hold it up to a light source. If you haven’t disturbed the yeast, but still see particles floating in the beer, don’t buy it. It has broken down. This is true, by the way, of most non-mass-market beers. On occasion Schneider will produce Aventinus Weizen Eisbock. Our authoritative site cited above says of it that “Aventinus, the wheat dopplebock of Bavaria, has been known to be the most intense and complex wheat beer in the world. This was the case in the past, but not any longer...Recently, Hans-Peter Drexler, brewmaster at G. Schneider & Sohn, heard tales about an extra special Aventinus resulting from partial freezing during a cold winter transport in the 1930s. He decided to recreate this classic ‘mistake’ to further concentrate Aventinus in a modern controlled facility. Thus, the Aventinus Eisbock was born.” This incredibly intense beer has few peers, in my opinion. It is 12% abv and its high maltiness (it’s specific gravity is well above 1.1) and complexity literally stuns one. The caution I stated above about beer that deteriorates applies here too. I had a bottle of this beer in my refrigerator for about a year, and by the time I opened it it was almost totally broken down. Be warned, but don’t hesitate to buy it if it’s in good shape. Ayinger Celebrator. 6.7%. Brauerei Aying, Aying, Germany
“Located in the town of Aying on the outskirts of Munich, where they malt their own locally grown barley. Not one of the recognized big Munich breweries, but they do have a beerhall downtown.” From their web site: Celebrator One of the great beers of the world. A very balanced brew across the palate. Slightly estery at the start (“astringent” one person called it), with a strong malt middle. Some hop. A nice malt follow. As they say on their web site, not at all sweet. Grade 8.5. Barbarossa BBK Lager (Bayerische Brauerei Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern). The only place in Chicagoland at which I have ever seen this beer is the Mirabell Restaurant on Addison near I-90/94. This is a very good German restaurant northwest of the city proper. Years ago a guy I worked with frequented this restaurant and thought Barbarossa BBK to be the best beer ever brewed. I remember being quite taken with it at that time. So in my visit to the restaurant this past weekend (1/14/06) I ordered this draught beer first. It wasn’t as I remembered it (not much really is, after all), having become ordinary in the face of the many great beers I’ve had since last I tasted it. Now keep in mind that an “ordinary” German ber is pretty damn good, as this one is. It is flavorful, with a medium malt palate tha I would describe as hearty, a good thing for a lager. It is, in short, a good quaffing beer, far better than any of the American mass market lagers. But in the greater scheme of things, it’s still an ordinary beer. Eggenberg Urbock Dunkel Eisbock. 9.8%. Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg, Eggenberg, Austria.
“Another Austrian brew, from the town of Eggenberg. The bottle cap indicates that this is a beer of high, but not extreme, starting gravity (23’ Plato).” This brewer is the one that took over the brewing of what used to be “the world’s strongest beer,” Samichlaus The beer is frozen to remove water, which incrases the alcohol content. It is a very sweet beer all across the palate. It has a rather odd metallic background - possibly an artifact of age. Grade 8.0 Einbecker Ur-Bock. 6.5% Einbecker Brauhaus AG, Einbeck, Germany
“The Original. Brewed in the Saxony region of Germay (in the North) in the town of Einbeck. They were known for brewing stronger beers that could travel well. They brew 2 other types of bock - Hell and Mai.” From the Einbecker web site: "The best drink known to man is called Einbecker Beer ." The great German reformer Martin Luther praised the "Ainpöcksche Bier" (old German for Einbecker Beer) with these words in front of the Worms Reichstag in 1521. [Note that the site includes a lot of very interesting history. Note also that “Ur” in German means “First” or “Original.”] The beer has no nose at all, and a very nutty, even estery, front end. It is quite malty. It’s a very balanced beer, sweet. Excellent. Grade 8.5. Link Hofbrau Maibock. 7.2%. Hofbräu München, Munich, Germany.
[Copied from North American page - Goose Island April, 2006 Beer Academy] “Munich’s first Maibock, originally brewed in 1614,” according to our Goose Island hosts. “The brewery and the beerhall are both State owned, and the Hofbrauhaus is probably the world’s most famous pub. The brewer’s web site says: By tradition, the first barrel of Maibock is tapped in the Hofbräuhaus in the last week of April, in time for the merry month of May. The success story of Munich's oldest bock beer goes back as far as 1614. This “original” has a fine malt nose with alcohol detectable off the top. Strong malt opening, sweet, with some hop background. A high-gravity beer with a lemony palate, darkish in color (despite its being called “light” by the brewer). Grade 7.5 Julius Echter Hefe Weiss (Würzburger Hofbräu, Würzburg). Back in my ute, among the first beers I got to like was Würzburger Hofbräu, then, as now, not only the name of the brewery but also one of its major products. I could get it back then (late 1950s) at the Wursthaus in Harvard Square, Cambridge (MA). So fast forwarding through these many years, I had the draught Julius Echter Würzburger Hofbräu product at the Mirabell Restaurant in Chicago this past weekend (1/14/06). After removing the lemon wedge that came perched at the top of the glass (an affectation here in the US that needs to be dispensed with - one should not EVER squeeze lemon into any beer, especially a good weissbier), I proceeded to taste a fine beer. It had a persistent head, was golden in color, hazed (by the wheat malt in the beer), and had a lovely nutty, malty flavor that was most satisfying. This is a very good German weissbier, worth seeking out. Paulaner Salvator. 7.5%. Paulaner Brauerei GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, Germany.
“The first Doppelbock. It was originally brewed by monks in the 17th century to hlep sustain them during Lent - “liquid bread.” It is ceremonially tapped by the Mayor of Munich 3 to 4 weeks before Easter each year.” It was named “Salvator” (the Savior), starting the tradition of naming doppelbocks with the suffix “-ator.” The web site says: The Paulaner Salvator with its strong,typically malty taste is the original Paulaner. The bottom-fermented Doppelbock-Bier unites the finest hops and dark barley malt. The Paulaner monks served Salvator as a replacement for food at Lent. Their most famous brewer was Brother Barnabas, who was the head of the Paulaner monastery brewery starting from 1773. Its original recipe is today almost the same as it was in Barnabas' time. In order to protect the original recipe, Paulaner had the trade mark "Salvator" patented in 1896. Additional interesting information about the beer’s history can be found here. This is a most malty beer, and very sweet across the palate and quite consistent all the way.. Some alcohol off the top. In some ways, a bit too sweet. Grade 7.5. Stieglbock. 7.2% Stieglbrauerei, Salzburg, Austria.
“Brewed in Salzburg and imported by Glunz here in Chicago. Many of us have long enjoyed their Pils.” From their web site: Original Stieglbock Zutaten Original Stieglbock: Another bock with no aroma off the top - but with a very nutty front end and a sweet middle with a dryish follow. Quite different, has great balance. Grade 8.0. Gose Original Leipziger Bier. 4.6%. Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei, Bayerischser Bahnhof, Leipzig, Germany.
A beer that semi-survived being brewed in the German Democratic Republic Here’s what the web site says: As the name implies, the Gose originates from the city of Goslar. Quickly the Gose found its home in the trade city and neither war nor customs barriers could stop the thirst for Gose in Leipzig. The label advertises “original bottle Fermentation,” and one finds at the end of the pour that the bottom of the bottle has a layer of blackish yeast on it. The beer is brewed with coriander and salt, and the coriander is discernible off the top of the pour. The first taste of this beer is not prepossessing, but it gets better in subsequent tasting. The spice is subtle but definitely there. As it warmed it improved, with much more spiciness in the nose and somewhat more in the taste. Overall, the brew is a somewhat malty, lower gravity, not particularly complex beer. It comes in a 16.9 oz bottle. Grade 6.0 |
|
|
|
|
[Ed McDevitt] [About Ed] [Kensington Road] [Ed's Pictures] [Music] [Things to Ponder] [Links . . .] [Overtones] [Ed's Writings] [Contact Ed] [Beer Reviews] |
|
|
|
Beers Discussed on This Page * = New Aventinus |