Landbier Goldbraun
Brauerei Kapsreiter GmbH

Found in a Vienna grocery store, the brown half liter bottle has a tall body, a swing top and a multi-colored label featuring a sketch of a man seated under a tree looking out at a landscape of hills, fields and a few trees. Label claims to observe the purity law, and states that the brew is fermented for 8 days and lagered for 66 days. OK. Best before 1/12/07, I opened it on 11/13/06.

Pours a clear light burgundy (definitely more "braun" than "gold") under a one finger tan head that lingers a bit before settling as thick film and collar, leaving some nice, albeit spotty, sheets of lace. Definite smell of roasted nuts in the nose, with a touch of spice but without the expected caramel. The mouth is light, clean and quite prickly. The taste lacks the sweetness I had expected, but that's OK. It is roasty without being smokey, with a definite dry bitterness coming from the malts rather than the hops. The latter add a different kind of bitter in the finish, much more flowery and very nice in contrast to the roasted nut of the malt. Too "burnt" for Globetrotterette, I'm quite enjoying it.