Wolnzacher Hell Naturtrüb
Wolnzacher Bürgerbraü AG

Wolnzacher Hell NaturtrübWolnzacher Hell Naturtrüb
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From:
Wolnzacher Bürgerbraü AG
 
Germany
Style:
Kellerbier / Zwickelbier
ABV:
5.1%
Score:
89
Avg:
4.02 | pDev: 9.7%
Reviews:
39
Ratings:
41
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 02, 2014
Added:
Jul 01, 2002
Wants:
  20
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4 by diegominach from Italy

Dec 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by polishkaz from Connecticut

Jun 18, 2014
Photo of OatmattStout
Reviewed by OatmattStout from Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
poured a cloudy burnt orange. tons of chunky bits of unfiltered goodness.

low carbonation that renders decent head that dissipates with nice lacing on glass.

Nose was uneventful with wow but got nice raw malt sniff

Taste was interesting but very good. It was as many stated the lager answer to real ale with rawness to the malt and hops that was enticing. Soft flavors and mildly hoped.

finish is smoth and short lived so you r ready for your next quaff pretty quickly.

My first Zwickel and I liked it alot
Nov 28, 2009
Photo of tmoneyba
Reviewed by tmoneyba from Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured hazy deep amber hue with a large frothy light brown head that lasted with good lacing.

Heavy toasted caramel malt aroma.

Medium body with a smooth texture.

Good moderate sweet toasted malt flavor with a moderate sweet finish of average duration.

Good complex brew.
Jan 28, 2009
Photo of TheSarge
Reviewed by TheSarge from Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This pours nicely to produce a good amount of sticky white head. There is a lot of carbonation noted, and the body has a hazy golden body. Head retention is pretty dang good.

The aroma is lemony, powdery, and a new mown hay characteristic.

The taste is lemon drop with a biscuit and grainy finish.

This feels very foamy and bubbly. It has a kind of dry and powdery finish.

Overall this is very well balanced and makes for a great session beer. I've always been partial to keller biers.
Aug 02, 2008
Photo of Aichelberger
Reviewed by Aichelberger from Maryland

4.6/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
I picked this up completely ignorant of its Keller Bier designation and stumbled on to one of the most incredible beers I've ever had. It looked a touch darker than a helles in the glass, with a nice head and great, clean, balanced smell of hops and malt in the nose. The taste was something altogether unexpected. It is the closest thing to "perfect" I've ever tried. The deep malty taste was balanced perfectly with hops--just enough--and the overall first impression was to grab the bottle, look at the label, and say, "Wow, I may have found my favorite beer." A bit expensive (in the larger bottle), but I savored the whole thing, right down to the last swallow. Well worth seeking out. And one more reason to be a Beer Advocate.
Dec 10, 2006
Photo of CharlesDarwin
Reviewed by CharlesDarwin from Rhode Island

3.48/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Originally reviewed on September 25, 2005. This beer impresses me right from the start. The elegant bottle, with smooth special glass and interesting label. It pours, a hazy orange-tinged golden, bubbling away with nice carbonation, and a crystal white frothy head. Sweet and dusky malt aroma, with cranberries, crackers, and brown rice. A very "whole grain" waft. Flavor is effervescent, sweet, creamy and a little tangy, with a nice dry run of hops on the background. Extremely smooth, with some lemon and yeast notes. A little chewy and bready. Palate is a slighty coppery, but isn’t really bad. This is drinkable and delicious all the way through.
Nov 27, 2006
Photo of Lupin
Reviewed by Lupin from Connecticut

3.96/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Pint bottle. $3.39 or $3.99 at New England Beverage Co. in Orange, CT. Second tasting. This is the 'wolznacher hell' without the 'naturtrÜb.' Not sure if there's much of a difference.

Pours a friendly amber with a head that will more than likely require a pause in your pour. Decent retention, had to work through a little bit of it to get to the beer in a standard pilsner glass. Eventually settles down to about 1/8" of a nice foamy layer atop the beer. Minimal lacing. Large chunks of yeast float freely at the bottom of the glass.

Smell is rather neutral. Almost undetectable hops.. Some spiciness. Nothing too profound.

I gave my dad a sip of this one because he's compared just about every beer I've given him to schneider aventinus or schneiderweisse, which is his favorite beer--even though he's moved on to mostly drinking single malts. Sure enough, 'reminds me of schneider weisse.' What doesn't? He liked it, though. I told him I wanted to get another bottle and cellar it, but this was the last one in the store. He made some comment about how drinking 'two of those would get (me) all screwed up.' At 4.7%? He understimates me.

As for the taste, there's really not much to it. I've actually been tempted to add a little lemon or lime to this beer at the end. There's no bitterness whatsoever and neither the hops nore the malt really stand out. Nevertheless, it's not watery in the least. Just a very mild citrus tart/tinge from the hops. I'm not sure why they have them on the bottle, though.

As you near the end of his brew, note the density of the yeast on the bottom of your glass. I've only had two bottles, but there was a mound about 1/4" tall at the bottom of one and nowhere near as much in the second.

This is definitely a great starter beer, and a good beer for just about anything. Very refreshing, just nothing that really smacks you in the face as being particularly memorable. I will be buying it again.
Sep 10, 2006
Photo of AlexJ
Reviewed by AlexJ from North Carolina

4.14/5  rDev +3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
This beer pours beautifully, glowing, hazed apricot amber in color with 3 fingers of fluffy froth topped by rocky peaks. Retention is epic and lace coats my Maredsous goblet.

Aroma is soft and inviting, light notes of caramel, honey, dried hay, lemon candy, spiced yeast, and herbs. Subtle, but nice.

Flavor is creamy malt sweetness upfront with soft fruity tones accentuated by dried grass, lemon custard, fruity yeast, biscuits drizzled with honey, and light hop bitterness in the form of grassy herbals and floral tones.

Body is just below medium, very creamy teaxures, with a thirst quenching and highly quaffable nature. This pairs exceptionally with the spicey Vietnamese noodle bowl I made for dinner. I could easily drink this by the bucket.
Mar 05, 2006
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.9/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Lots of permanent foamy head, creamy mouthfeel medium, easy drink. Zesty and refreshing that went with several courses over supper. A bit of hay, lots of crystal malt and some European hop bitterness, fizzy carbonation. I can drink this all weekend at its 5% a.b.v.
Mar 05, 2006
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Yeast-laden pumpkin that fades to amber at the margins. I was greeted with a rifle crack on top popping and the visible evidence of abundant carbonation is obvious during and after the pour. A massive, pillowy cap of pale gold-tinted ivory fills the pint glass, beneath which I see a few fingers of beer that is as busy with bubbles as with yeast. Several broken rings of sea foam lace are the only (minor) negative when it comes to the appearance.

The nose is exceptionally clean and is pretty evenly balanced between lightly toasted malt and noble hops. In addition to their earthy and floral characteristics, there's also a fruitiness that is nice. I haven't had enough beer of this style to know if this one fits within the guidelines or not, but I do know that I like the way it smells.

Hell Naturtrub is damn good beer. The malty side of the scales is weighted down at least as far as the hoppy side. This lager is subtle, yet is surprisingly flavorful at the same time. I can appreciate lightly toasted barley, baked almonds and herbal hops. Hallertau, while not usually one of my favorites, is utilized well here.

The mouthfeel is light and feels even lighter due to the still enthusiastic carbonation. It isn't intrusive or annoying in the least, but rather fits the beer well and keeps the mouth party hopping. Even the smallest pour generates an instant three finger head.

Wolnzacher Hell Naturtrub is my third keller bier (or maybe it's a zwickel bier, I have no idea) and is my favorite. The others were good, but this one has that 'certain something' that all really good beer possesses. It would go great with a ploughman's lunch. If you like flavorful lagers that look like a dream and don't stint on flavor, then you're sure to like, or even love, this one.
Sep 10, 2005
Photo of OldSock
Reviewed by OldSock from District of Columbia

4.27/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance – Explosive foam flows out of the bottle instantly as I pop off the top of the beer. A gigantic bubbly off white head takes up most of my mug after the rushed pour. When the head subsides to a thin off white spattering after a few minutes I am left with an amber/orange hazy brew with little particles of something. It looks completely unlike any lager I have ever had.

Smell – Yeasty esters with a spicy hop and solid sweet toasted malt aroma. Certainly more of an Ale aroma, probably because this is one of the older lager styles.

Taste – Lots of estery character with spicy and grassy hops and complex toasty malts all milling around together as the beer passes over my tongue. But there is something else in the end that is new to me; it’s sort of kind of like apples that have sat out for a few hours and then were mixed with bread dough, it’s almost reminiscent of some Hefe Weizens that I have had. I can certainly imagine people centuries ago drinking a beer like this, it really does taste both like it is nutritious and like it has been sitting in a dank cellar for years.

Mouthfeel – Exceptionally smooth, with a medium body. It just seems to slide down with only a little prickly carbonation on the tongue.

Drinkability – No off flavors, or unpleasantness. Just really interesting, and easy to drink. This is the first Keller/Zwickel for me, and I am looking forward to trying another.
May 31, 2005
Photo of horndecker
Reviewed by horndecker from New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
An orange, almost peachy look to it., with a bright off-white head. Has a fine foam with a bit of stickiness. Nice. The brew is murky and full of sediment. Pour carefully if you don't like yeasty bits.

The nose is pine, apples, grapefruit, and earthy yeastiness. Very nice, very inviting.

At first taste a mineral hoppy wash is followed by smooth solid malt underneath. Some fruit appears, perhaps a grapey character. A mineral hop bitterness heads toward a dry finish. The aftertaste is a bit orange pekoe. With it's hop prescence and decent malt it has some echoes of a pale ale. But then it's cloudy and unfiltered, with a bit of a funky yeast thing. Pretty nice. Very nice.
May 28, 2005
Photo of allengarvin
Reviewed by allengarvin from Texas

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a cloudy brown (bottle-conditioned, so no points down for that) with a small but fluffy white head. Richly floral and grassy hop aroma. Pleasant bitterness with a lot of flowery & citrusy hop flavor. Malt is light, slightly nutty. Finishes somewhat yeasty with with a little bit of residual sweetness, but bitterness keeps it mostly dry and clean. Highly carbonated, with a light, spritzy mouthfeel.

The second beer I've had from this brewery (the other was the Roggenbier). Both are highly individualistic and interesting offerings for their particular styles.
May 19, 2005
Photo of tavernjef
Reviewed by tavernjef from Minnesota

4.51/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
1 pint .9oz bottle - Tarnished brown gold color with alot of action inside brimming to the surface a large, quick-to-grow, bone white head of foam. Lacing sticks in minimal spots and strings while keeping a pretty solid skim on top. Once the bubbles settle down, upon closer view, there's a ton of floaties inside creating its brownish murk thats bending the light inside dulling its glare because of it. Quite interesting...hmmm...I wonder what that means to the taste if anything.

Aroma is clean and a touch grassy with hints of candy bar sweetenss and chocolate bread.

Taste is fantastic for the style, not that I've had many, but wow does this stuff have a wonderful flavor of chocolate malting and sweetness. I swear I was drinking a porter...but this is yellow? What gives? Yum is what gives! OK, so there's more to it then that, but I'm loving that candy bar/chocolate bread thing goin' on in this. There's some slight grassy Hallertua and/or Saaz-like hop zip, some crunchy bread crusts drizzled with honey, and some very finely cared for caramel and vanilla notes. But the chocolate, oh the chocolate is amazing. Its not thick really, its just there in a well mannered and smooth toned faction that really takes this stuff to a whole nother level of appreciation. Not sure if this was bottled wrong or something, but what ever it is or whatever they did, it needs to be done again...and again. Are those floaties tiny dustings of chocolate malts?

The overall feel is quite smooth and renders a solid medium body with a small herbal-like hoppy touch and succulant carbonation all wrapped up in a chocolate bread dough sweetness.

This is and will be a new must-have-around-all-the-time beer. And at only 5.1% its drinkability is outstandingly sessionable. Great stuff! Hope the next bottles I buy are exactly like it...please...no off bottling...please.
Mar 21, 2005
Photo of WesWes
Reviewed by WesWes from New York

3.85/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours a dark gold/amber color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a dry pale malt scent with a peppery yeast aroma. The taste is good. It has a smooth and fruity pale and light crystal malt flavor with a spicey yeast taste. It goes down easy and finishes with a tart aftertaste. The mouthfeel is good. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate/good carbonation. This is a fine beer. It has excellent flavor. I love the fruity tartness. It mixes well with the malt bill. This is a good drinker.
Mar 19, 2005
Photo of Tballz420
Reviewed by Tballz420 from Minnesota

3.2/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Huge white head on top of a murky deep orange colored brew. Lots of little carb bubbles rising up. The head leaves behind some thick lace. Sweet malt nose is pretty enticing. Maybe im unfamiliar with the style, or maybe this brewery really lots carbonation, but this beer is extrememly bubbly. If thats the style, im sorry, but i think it detracts from the beer considerably. Zesty maltiness, light bitter hops. Not my favorite.
Jan 26, 2005
Photo of cokes
Reviewed by cokes from Wisconsin

4.59/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Misty golden-orange with a patchy greying head.
Nose is a cannon blast of German hops, probably simply hallertau. It begins with a bit rubber (wait a moment or two before inhaling), then it blossoms into a pulpy orgy of orange, rosemary, mint, and thyme.
Begins bready and raw. Dry. Then into a dessicated fruitiness provided primarily by clementines. Yeast adds some further dough, but is otherwise clean. At this point, it's all hops. Like an India Pale Pils. Brittle herbs and mint leaves, then fruity again as the orange qualities switch over to hop-devired. This is a lesson in German hops.
This is a lesson in rapture.
Pushing full bodied with a streaming carbonation.
This is so enjoyable and fresh-seeming that drinking is effortless.

These guys are amazing.
Jan 05, 2005
Photo of necoadam
Reviewed by necoadam from Connecticut

3.88/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours out a murky orange/golden color with a huge head that takes a while to settle down. Almost looks like a light IPA in appearance. Smell consisted of hops, grassy aromas, hay-like aromas as well, some light malts. Taste was refreshing as well. Some bready malts with some herbal/floral hops to make it a crisp finish. Mouthfeel was light to medium. A pretty good brew. Unfiltered helles, gotta try more of these wonderful beers. Go grab this, just make sure it's nice and fresh.
Sep 27, 2004
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

3.76/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Chilled sample in a glass mug.
The brew pours a slightly hazy orange with a bleached white creamy head of about 1/2 cm foaming up and hanging around most of the sampling. A rich grainy malt aroma dominates but also allows soft floral hop notes to show through. Overall the aroma is but appealing.

The beer is average bodied and small tingly carbonation is present. Flavor is similar to nose with grainy lager malt hits mixing with a grassy hop bite at the finish. Rather clean finish after the quick bite. Nice and crisp brew, just not overly complex.
Aug 26, 2004
Wolnzacher Hell Naturtrüb from Wolnzacher Bürgerbraü AG
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 41 ratings