Grätzer
Choc Beer Co. / Pete's Place

 

 

 

Pours a light golden straw color. Big fluffy white head with good retention. Aroma is smoke, wheat and a light fruitiness. Flavor is smoky up front, almost like bacon or smoked ham. But a slight tartness from the wheat gets you on the back of the tongue. A slight mustiness, almost like a low dose of brett. More balanced than many smoke beers, but the smoke is still the focal point. Medium bodied. I can appreciate what's going on here, particularly everything that went into recreating this rare style. But it's just not something I would seek out to drink again.

I always a resurrected recipe rarity, and this is one interesting beer. a smoked light wheat beer, not wholly dissimilar to mikkellers rauchpils, but there is more going on here. this pours a burnt biscuit color, toasty and yet still light, clearly unfiltered, decent off white head with average retention. the nose is a mindscrew, it has all that oaky smoky peat stuff happening in the normal rauchbiers, but this one has a lighter, sweeter, more summery wheat malt base, very different. the malts are clearly german, and the smoke isn't as intense in some, but is exacerbated by the lighter body, it stands out more. it gives some nice meaty flavors to an otherwise pretty soft wheat beer, and the yeast adds just enough funky pep to make this beer a real oddity. the carbonation is great, and the body is nice and light, but the aftertaste and the overall hustle of this beer reminds me way too much of how you smell after grilling. its a good smell live, but when you wake up the next day its not so nice. this is a well made beer, and I appreciate it for what it is, but the style probably died for a reason. im not inspired to seek this out again, and although I really respect it, Ive had more or less enough.

 

 

 

I remember that as a kid, I first tasted pixie sticks- they were so sour, so sweet, and so fruity. Shocking to the taste but irresistible at the same time... I couldn't quite wrap my feeble mind around it. This beer is kinda like the adult version of that moment.

Bright gold to the initial pour, the beer casts the hazy shade of hefeweizens, but with the zesty carbonation that's noted in Belgian golden ales. Streaming carbonation fuels a white frothy and loosely knit head that situates on top of the beer and laces delicately along the sides of the glass.

An unexpected whiff of smoke rises from the glass well before anything else does. But eventually, the zesty wheat notes of fresh baking (or has been baked) breads/bread crust, toast, and lemons. Coupled with apples and bananas, these more finesse elements peak through the smoke on occasions.

Flavors are much more balance, and more confusing than that of the nose. With no hierarchy in place, each of the contrasting flavors of smoke, bread dough, fruit, tart sourness, and pepper rising and falling with each sip. Different combinations of smoke and apples, then lemon and pepper, then meat and bread.... the combinations are endless as these oddly compelling tastes seem to play pranks on the taste buds and the mind.

The incredible taste plays out on a highly spritzy mouthfeel of sparkling wine, creamy aridness, The prickle of peppery heat stabs at the tongue as sharp tartness also pangs at those soft tissues. A quick finish of evaporating wheat, alcohol warmth, and acidity delivers quite a vast array of textures in short order.

The culmination of rauchbier, Berlinerweiss, hefeweizen, and saison are embattled tastes that somehow come together in these classicly revisited gratzer beers.

Brought this one home from Brown's Bottle Shop in Stillwater, OK. Had not seen it before, so I had to have it.

I served tasting samples from this corked/caged bottle at a Christmas party - a perfect opportunity to expose some coworkers and their spouses to craft beer. Gratzer poured a hazed straw color with a booming white three finger top that was still a half inch thick at the bottom of my glass. A web of lace remained in the glass as thin crackled threads.

The smoke is obvious, but different from most smoked brews I've had. This is not a "campfire" type of smoke. It's more like a barbeque smoke. I got a grassy/wheat aroma as well.

Flavors are cracked wheat, grassy subdued hops, light bread dough, slight banana/bubble gum/grape, and the smoke. Very interesting.

Medium bodied and very carbonated coating the tongue with lots bubbles, but not prickly.

Enjoyable for sure, but I would probably not want to drink the whole bottle by myself. They did a great job on this beer that you don't see just every day.

12oz brown bottle with a vintage date on the label.

LOOK: Clear golden yellow, two fingers of healthy looking froth

SMELL: Clean smokiness, ashy, dried grass, faint herbal hop, crackers

TASTE: Dry, smooth, mild crispness, grassy, faint chessy hop, modest bitterness, mild but through smokiness, grainy dry finish

Extremely drinkable, smokiness is a perfect level and it is very well balanced. Not only would I quaff this back on a regular basis but I'd love to cook with it as well.

2011 Bottle. Into a snifter. Cloudy dark straw color with two fingers of head.
Smells like smoked salmon. A lighter smoke than other smoked beers. There's a bit of fruit, maybe banana in the smell too.
Smoke taste too. Soft wheat texture and taste. Low bitterness.
Moderate carbonation, the bubbles dance in the mouth.
I enjoy that fact that this is a revived beer from history. But I do not personally enjoy it enough to want more.

Poured into a snifter. Big thanks to Urbancaver for this. Brewed in 2011.

3.0 A: Murky brownish yellow color. Three fingers of foamy white head. Retention is below average and just a few whisps of lacing are left.

5.0 S: Wonderful nose! Powerful smoked malt with layers and layers of depth. Campfire smokiness is in the forefront, but underneath there is porcine galore and beyond that are BBQ briquettes. The rest of the smell is pretty simple as you can't get past the smoke and to it. Still, this is absolutely perfect. Big and powerful and as complex as you can get (given the big and powerful) and yet it's so well integrated and rounded.

3.5 T: The taste can't hold up to the nose. The smoke flavor is there, but it's not nearly as deep or complex as in the nose. Only the campfire variety manifests. You can, however, get to the base now though. Light pear fruitiness, dirty earthiness, and poplar wood. Chard and chard-like bitterness. A bit grainy and wheaty as well.

3.5 M: Medium body. A little more carbonation than I care for, but not bad. "Fluffy" creaminess. Smooth.

4.0 D: Easy drinker with a killer nose.

I had this beer a few times, but somehow am just getting around to reviewing it. As a homebrewer, trying experimental and historical beers is always educational and fun, especially when the brewer nails it like Choc has with this one. Great job sourcing the ingredients - custom oak-smoked malt and a genuine Polish yeast. Anyway, here we go. The pour looks like a healthy hefeweizen - cloudy gold with an orange hue and a big-bubbled head of white foam. The aroma is immediately smokey. Really smoky. But the oak smoke is definitely different than the beachwood or cherry wood smoked beers I've had before. Definitely reminds me of Texas oak-smoked BBQ. The palate offers a bit more than smoke - some interesting esters - subtle banana and pear. A hint of sea salt, bread dough, and herbs. Superbly dry and quenching. Nice full, wheaty body despite the low ABV. Somehow they managed to make a smoked beer refreshing. I can't believe how well they did with a first release of an off-the-wall, historical style. Definitely worth a try for the real beer geeks.

Thanks to my buddy Caleb from Tulsa for this one.

I have been a bartender for nearly a decade and opened thousands of bottles of champagne and/or corked beer bottles. This was the very first that has even gotten away from me. As soon as I twisted the cage off I saw the cork start to slip out. Unfortunately, my thumb was not enough to keep the cork from launching itself out of the bottle. Fortunately, I know enough to always keep the cork facing away from any people. It drilled my ceiling.

APPEARANCE: This is a fascinating beer in terms of its appearance. While it is a light yellowish-orange and seemingly light in color it is exceptionally hazy. This is the lightest colored beer I have ever seen that cannot possibly be seen through. Also, two-finger head that arose four minutes ago is still going strong with at least a finger left. The bubbles are big, homogenous and full of aroma.

SMELL: I have tried several beers that have claimed to smell like bacon. This beer makes no such claim, but does so more than any other I have ever tried. Wow. Bacon is the overwhelming aromatic characteristic and overpowers everything else. Fantastic.

TASTE: This is hands down the smokiest beer I have ever tasted. Up front the crispy bacon characteristics of the nose are very apparent, but on the way down it shifts into a much more smooth, ham-like flavor. As the beer warms the ham-like flavor becomes more and more predominant, but with a touch of a smoky, roasty aftertaste. Some citrus actually kicks towards the end as well. This is certainly a unique beer.

MOUTHFEEL: Again, this is a very unique beer. The first sip of the Gratzer is a little tough, but after that it quickly becomes a smooth, pleasant and easy-drinker.

OVERALL: My birthday is tomorrow and I think this may be my breakfast beer with some bacon and eggs. Wow; Truly a unique experience that is well worth trying. I cannot say that if this were regularly available I would regularly drink it, but I would reach for it a few times a year. Choc knocked the ball out of the park with this revival.

 

A - Pours a dingy golden orange, with a sudsy active head that melts slowly. Spotty lacing.

S - Aroma is smoked pork, particularly ham. Some very dusty wheat.

T - Solidly smoky, light wood, bamboo, green wheat, very earthy and organic flavors. Some subtle sweet and salt characters. Finishes with delicate smoke and dryness.

M - Moderate foamy carbonation. The carbonation turns smooth and almost takes any liquid feel.

This begs to be paired with food! The combinations are endless. Very delicate smoke works well. I'm gonna drink the 2nd half of the bottle while grilling fajitas.

 

Okay, buy this beer and save it for back yard Bar-b-ques in the heat of the summer. Just drinking it makes me think of pool parties and grilling... resonating with summers when I lived on a lake.

A: very pale yellow. Color is uninspiring, but lets you know its going to be refreshing. Pretty decent lacing.

S: smells like smoke coming off the grill. and beer.

T: refreshing white grape, apple/pear, white tea, wheat/grain, tiny hint of green melon, AND smoke right off the barbecue. Maybe a little white pepper towards the last half. It's like you get to taste a refreshing beer and barbecue at the same time. ;-)

M: very pleasant amount of effervescence, early on in the experience there is a slight creamy feeling that makes me think of a banana. Not syrupy, not watery... just right for a refreshing summer brew.

O: drink this outside in the summer. very nice. I'll buy a few more and wait for warm weather.

Cheers to Biergartenok for setting one aside for me!

Pours a semi-hazed honey color with 2+ fingers of pearl colored head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Bready notes, juicy-fruit notes

T: Subdued smokeyness, mostly beechwood with pears & grainy bread up front. More smokeyness as this warms, along with white grape & a little bit of banana peel. Finishes semi-dry with subdued smokeyness & a bit of pear & woody dryness

MF: Light/medium bodied with nice effervescence

Pretty drinkable, nice restrained used of smoked malt. Nothing to really compare this to, does make me think a little bit of Bamberg & a smoked hefe I tried from Rocky Mountain Brewing in Co Springs...