Franconian Kellerbier
Port City Brewing

Random find in the Wine Loft in Pikesville, MD. Port City is well known for great craft beer and I'm always looking for craft takes on traditional German styles, so this was a winner. Beautiful, hazy dark gold in the glass with a billowy head that laced nicely. Subtle spicy notes in the nose with a rich malty base that, combined with the ample mouthfeel, created a wonderfully drinkable beer. Decently low ABV rendered it very easy indeed. And the touch of bitterness at the end, made you look forward to each sip. Until it was gone. Time find more.

Light haze on the amber body, carrying along an average size off white head that left good lacing. Enticing aroma of yeast, malts and just enough hops to add depth. Taste is toasted bread, slightly sweet maltiness and herbal hops. Finishes on a spicy note. Medium bodied, softly carbonated mouthfeel. Overall, a distinct style that deserves a wider audience.

 

16oz can, stange glass, canned 2/28/23.

The color is definitely amber with a nice billowy lager head that also makes its mark on the glass.

Pumpernickel crust, musty, mostly herbal hops with a floral hit, and a crisp edge.

Sour yeasty dark bread, full complex maltiness in the middle accompanied by noble spice. There’s a drying citric finish that incorporates moderate bitterness.

Medium body with plenty of carbonation that makes for a classic lager experience.

I really dig this sub-style of German lagers. This one is on par with, but differs slightly from, my favorite, In the Cut from Vibrissa.

 

 

 

From the can, it pours a clear strong amber color with a nice white head that slowly reduces and leaves a bit of lacing. In the nose, the hops come through, with notes of citrus going along with the malt. The taste is slightly hoppy, and then a very nice malt flavor hits. Yum!

For a person unable to get to Franken for over a year, this is a nice rendition!

Pours a clear amber color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma had bready malt and citrus hints
The taste follows the nose with a bready malt and citrus flavor
A light bodied well carbonated beer
A good Kellerbier

 

Pours golden with a slight amber hue to it. Head is off white and the retention is quite nice. Some breadiness on the nose. It's not very aromatic, but I wouldn't expect one of these to be super aromatic. Up front, there is some citrusy hop character which evolves into toasty breadiness on the finish. Another superb entry from the Port City Lager Series and now in cans!

A: The beer is clear amber yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high off white head.
S: Moderate aromas of bready and grainy malts are present in the nose along with hints of herbal hops.
T: The taste follows the smell, except that the flavors of herbal hops are a little stronger; these also contribute a light amount of bitterness. There are hints of yeast.
M: It feels nearly medium-bodied and slightly chewy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I liked the amount of hops in this kellerbier as they helped to mask some of the yeastiness that you would normally associate with this style.

Serving type: can

Really good

32oz crowler, media sample from the brewery.

Big frothy off-white head, slight haze to this deep golden hued brew. This malty lager has a slight raw edge, grassy with hints of bread crust. Ample hop character, bitterness evens out the malt and lends some herbal flavor in the finish. Clean for its style, a little bit more body compared to other German Style lagers but still very drinkable.

 

 

On tap, quick review (edited 2020 in can):
A more amber nearing light brown look; pretty clear for a Kellerbier with light head
(revisit: form the can there's a haziness with the amber which isn't the most appealing, but fits the style)

Taste follows nose: medium grain bread, lightly toasted with a very unripe peach yeast note; the hops bring a little earthy to grassy bitterness. Overall, this beer leaned just to the malty side, but not in a sweet way.
(revisit: same bread/toast influence, but I'd say a little more earthy tea-like than grassy now. Definitely malt-driven with tea, toast, and an earthy cinnamon-apple - light on both fruit and spice, but an impression nonetheless)

Overall a fairly balanced beer on the sweetness scale. Maybe a little heavier than light, with a moderate carbonation level. Quite enjoyable beer to satisfy the palate during a happy hour - fairly flavorful at a moderate ABV, though maybe leaning a little towards a medium toasted beer than other Kellerbiers I've had.
(revisit: I definitely like the "darker" notes brought presumably by toasted malt in this revisit - upped overall by a notch)