Farm Table: Zwickel
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
- From:
- Beau's All Natural Brewing Company
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- Kellerbier / Zwickelbier
Ranked #166 - ABV:
- 5.7%
- Score:
- 82
Ranked #35,060 - Avg:
- 3.53 | pDev: 13.6%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jun 17, 2024
- Added:
- Sep 13, 2014
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 3
SCORE
82
Good
82
Good
Formerly 'Dial "Z" For Zwickel'
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
3.81/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
600 mL bottle picked up at the LCBO as part of their 2014 Oktoberfest sampler; bottled Aug 27 2014 and served slightly chilled.
This brew pours a copper-amber colour, opaque with haze and topped with one finger of soapy white froth. Retention is decent, with the head steadily wilting over the next few minutes, leaving behind a bubbly film, wide collar and some messy lace. The aroma is full of doughy malts, with hints of biscuit, honeyed sweetness, apricot, lager yeast and green, grassy German hops. Subtle but approachable.
The flavour profile is similarly understated, yet enticing. Grainy malts, brown sugar and some breadiness are augmented with flavours of citrus pith and a grassy, mildly bitter finish that lingers on the palate into the aftertaste, along with notes of lager yeast. Has a vaguely mineral-like tone to it, akin to some English ales, but with a light-bodied, crisp mouthfeel like you'd expect from a German-style lager. Middling carbonation levels that give it a nice bite, working nicely with the grassy bitterness in the tail end.
Final Grade: 3.81, a B+. Dial "Z" for Zwickel is a tasty, straightforward brew that supplies everything I tend to expect from this style - it is both light-drinking and full-flavoured, with a pleasant bitterness at the finish, courtesy of the German hop bill. This is an enjoyable beer, but I would not pay "Wild Oats" prices (six-to-eight dollars per bottle) for this one, assuming it ever becomes available in a more convenient format. Nice to try, but when I am in the mood for this sort of beer, Creemore remains my go-to.
Oct 12, 2014This brew pours a copper-amber colour, opaque with haze and topped with one finger of soapy white froth. Retention is decent, with the head steadily wilting over the next few minutes, leaving behind a bubbly film, wide collar and some messy lace. The aroma is full of doughy malts, with hints of biscuit, honeyed sweetness, apricot, lager yeast and green, grassy German hops. Subtle but approachable.
The flavour profile is similarly understated, yet enticing. Grainy malts, brown sugar and some breadiness are augmented with flavours of citrus pith and a grassy, mildly bitter finish that lingers on the palate into the aftertaste, along with notes of lager yeast. Has a vaguely mineral-like tone to it, akin to some English ales, but with a light-bodied, crisp mouthfeel like you'd expect from a German-style lager. Middling carbonation levels that give it a nice bite, working nicely with the grassy bitterness in the tail end.
Final Grade: 3.81, a B+. Dial "Z" for Zwickel is a tasty, straightforward brew that supplies everything I tend to expect from this style - it is both light-drinking and full-flavoured, with a pleasant bitterness at the finish, courtesy of the German hop bill. This is an enjoyable beer, but I would not pay "Wild Oats" prices (six-to-eight dollars per bottle) for this one, assuming it ever becomes available in a more convenient format. Nice to try, but when I am in the mood for this sort of beer, Creemore remains my go-to.
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)
3.42/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.42/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
600 ml bottle served fairly cold into a pint glass. Picked up as part of the Oktoberfest tasters pack from Beau's. Works out to about $6 CDN for the bottle.
Appearance - clear amber color with and orange and red hue to it. Plenty of lively bubbles and topped by about two fingers of light fluffy off-white head.
Smell- a slightly spicy earthiness hits the nose first, followed by a faint whiff of orchard fruit. A general yeastiness lingers.
Taste - a palatable bitterness here, but there's not much else. Some faint bubblegum like flavor mixed in there as a contrast to the general bitterness. Earthy flavoured as well.
Mouthfeel - low carbonation and soft feel, carbonation is moderate, but rather subdued. Dry finish.
Overall - not a bad beer, but nothing spectacular either. Decent addition for the tasters pack, but the value here for great beer isn't so good.
Update - December 4, 2018. Beers seems to be back rebadged as just "Zwickel" Part of the 2018 Winter pack. Same notes, taste is less bitter and earthy than notes here. Not sure if it was a tweak or not, been 4 years since the initial review. Given the association with phones on both the old anew labels, if going with yes. Upgraded slightly on taste from 3 to 3.25 and overall from 3.25 to 3.5 after this review, presuming this is the same beer. ABV% is the same. Batch 7796 and bottled October 30, 2018.
Oct 11, 2014Appearance - clear amber color with and orange and red hue to it. Plenty of lively bubbles and topped by about two fingers of light fluffy off-white head.
Smell- a slightly spicy earthiness hits the nose first, followed by a faint whiff of orchard fruit. A general yeastiness lingers.
Taste - a palatable bitterness here, but there's not much else. Some faint bubblegum like flavor mixed in there as a contrast to the general bitterness. Earthy flavoured as well.
Mouthfeel - low carbonation and soft feel, carbonation is moderate, but rather subdued. Dry finish.
Overall - not a bad beer, but nothing spectacular either. Decent addition for the tasters pack, but the value here for great beer isn't so good.
Update - December 4, 2018. Beers seems to be back rebadged as just "Zwickel" Part of the 2018 Winter pack. Same notes, taste is less bitter and earthy than notes here. Not sure if it was a tweak or not, been 4 years since the initial review. Given the association with phones on both the old anew labels, if going with yes. Upgraded slightly on taste from 3 to 3.25 and overall from 3.25 to 3.5 after this review, presuming this is the same beer. ABV% is the same. Batch 7796 and bottled October 30, 2018.
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!