Zwickl-Bier
Brauerei Meister

This was a weird beer. The aroma was dark malts, caramel, but almost none of that was in the flavor. It had a decent bitterness in the middle/front, but a boring bitterness, as if they simply used Magnum or Herkules hops, which are all bitter and virtually no flavors. It was like they used those hops as cost saving measures. And then there wasn't any bitterness in the back. Again, weird. It had a light amount of sweetness, but just a little caramel. The color and aroma didn't match the flavor of this beer. It's really hard to describe that flavor, which felt like a hard flavor, kind of like a whisky when it hits your mouth initially. Basically, I was very disappointed, thinking that a "real" Zwickl should have more going for it

 

Review Nov.12 2020
L:
-pours a cloudy amber with a big,frothy,offwhite head
-medium to high carbonation visible
S:
-malty,spicy,caramel,yeasty
T:
-bready,spicy,caramel,malty,plum,sweet,mineral
F:
-medium carbonation
-light to medium body
O:
Fresher Example this time.Still sweet but not overtly.I liked it a lot more this time.


Review Jul. 23 2016
L:
-pours a mostly clear dark amber with a small to medium,foamy,offwhite head
-high carbonation visible
S:
-bready,earthy,spicy,mushrooms,caramel,doughy,english ale-like toffee
T:
-caramel,cinnamon,very bready,brown sugar,roasted nuts
F:
-medium carbonation
-light body
O:
Too sweet and not hoppy enough for a Zwickl.
Average.

.5L brown glass bottle with interesting label art and branded pry-off pressure cap acquired at Hopfen und Malz in Berlin, Germany, and served cold into a Berliner Kindl Weisse glass in me friend's gaff in Berlin. Reviewed live. Expectations are high given the style - which I'm definitely in the mood for. Best before: July 7th.

Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

No bubble show forms as it's poured.

HEAD: One finger wide. Off-white in colour. Decent creaminess and thickness. Leaves no lacing as it recedes. Retention is below average- about 1 minute.

BODY: Dark brown-copper. Translucent. Nontransparent. No yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible. Below average vibrance.

Not unique or special. Looks okay for a zwicklbier. I'm optimistic.

AROMA: Bready malts, caramel...and that's about it. No hop aromatics, yeast notes, alcohol, or off-notes.

A plain aroma of average strength.

TEXTURE: Smooth, wet, soft, lightly creamy, bready, and filling. Medium-bodied. Aptly thick. Decently carbonated. It's supple, and has a strange presence on the palate. Almost a hint of a light lactic smackiness - but in a bad way. It's actually a bit rough.

Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, or scratchy.

TASTE: Brown malts, breadiness, caramel, and a hint of funky almost lactic character. That's about it; it's quite simple. There isn't much going on here.

Balance is decent. There's mild subtlety here. Not a gestalt build - or even a truly cohesive one. I do like it in a general sense, but it's shallow. Average duration and intensity of flavour.

I just wish there was more to say about it. The funkiness is interesting.

OVERALL: Downable and forgettable. I wouldn't get it again, but I'm glad I tried it once. I definitely had better and wouldn't recommend this to friends, but it could be priced far worse. Not the zwickl I hoped for.

C-