Abraxxxas - Pear
Freigeist Bierkultur

 

500ml bottle into a tall glass. No freshness dating could be found.

Looks decent in the glass. Hazy dark orange body. Good white head shrinks to a ring and covering, scattered lacing.

Light smoky aroma.

On tasting, getting the pear, but not as strong as I would like. Smokiness isn't overdone. Fairly sour.

Mouth medium, finish a light smoky sour fruit.

Overall, not as good as the apple version. Lacks a clean crispness. Pear taste could be stronger. Other aspects are decent enough.

Big foam but quite airy, reduced quickly, some stayed for a bit. Does have a pear smell and slightly smoked too. Taste fruity, and sour. The smoke is there after a few big gulps, otherwise I was not really feeling it. I'm calling this an interesting sour beer. It is good. I should try another smoked beer, with stronger smoke flavor.

Flat, yet chunky, appearance...almost no nose ... Taste is also a bit flat...wish I could taste more of the pear bits I see in the sediment ... Not bad but I uninspired

 

 

 

 

Nabbed on-sale for $1.99 USD.

"Pear Lichtenhainer." "Ale brewed with pears." 6% ABV.

APPEARANCE: Pours a head that occupies ~80% of the glass, slowly receding and indicating high carbonation. Body is a murky dull copper. Not much to look at.

AROMA: Honeyed malt, pale malt, juicy pear, biscuity earthy yeast, floral hop aromatics, tartness, and very subtle smoked malt aromatics. Equally as yeasty as it is smokey and/or sour and/or pear-redolent. Suggests a balanced and enjoyable stab at a recreation of a Lichtenhainer.

Aromatic intensity is moderate.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Acidic, tart, slightly sour, slightly smokey. Less smokey than most grodziskie I've had, for example, and less sour than most Berliner weissbiere and/or gosen as well. Biscuity yeast and floral hop notes lend additional complexity. It's certainly balanced if understated. Lets its yeasty subtlety shine through, which isn't what I'm used to in a German beer. If I tried this blind, I'd honestly probably mistake it for a Belgian farmhouse ale given its tartness, sourness, and ale yeasty subtleties.

Medium-bodied, somewhat refreshing, highly carbonated, smooth, wet. I have to wonder if traditional expressions of the intended style were as highly carbonated as this; my gut tells me probably not.

What's strangely lacking is the pear presence; this has minor hints that I notice when I look for pear but I might miss it in a blind tasting.

OVERALL: It's a nice subtly smokey and sour ale with enough subtlety to keep one's interest, but I can't help but feel like I want it to be either ramped up or toned down. It's not a delicate low alcohol sour nor is it an aggressively smokey unapologetic ale. I don't want to say it falls in the unhappy medium between those two, but it does leave something to be desired. I look forward to trying more Lichtenhainerbiere and this is interesting fare, but it wouldn't be a beer I'd crave.

Low B- / WORTHY

 

 

I recently had this interesting smoked Berliner Weissbier fermented with Pears. It was different but I like it a lot. The bottle was a bit expensive though.

Look: hazy golden yellow hue with a two-inch frothy white head.

Aroma: an interesting smokey banana and pear aroma

Taste: It’s wheat, a bit smokey, pears, banana, some lemon, a quite unusual but tasty and thirst quenching (in the Texas heat) brew.

Feel: medium body and carbonation

 

Abraxxxas Pear Lichtenhainer is hard to pronounce but easy to look at - initially, it has a clear mandarin orange colour that is illuminated by sunset-caliber highlights (the bottom few ounces of the bottle certainly cloud the complexion but don't introduce too much sediment). Its head is complete, bleach-white and stays sturdy the whole way.

Lichtenhainer is meant to be both sour and smoky - the latter element is quickly noticed in the aroma. It's a very clean, far from overwhelming smell that's reminiscent of singed beechwood or a carpenter's shop. It's not the harsh, intensely smoldering campfire or fumy barbecue notes one might find in a Rauchbier. I think it's quite inviting, especially in tonight's cold weather.

Much of the smoke character doesn't make it onto the palate. There's a slight impression of dry ashes but moderate flavours of fruit and fresh-bread are more prominent. The sourness is exceptionally mild - those hoping to have their lips turned inside out will be disappointed. There's not even a puckering sensation. Still, the bubbles are highly refreshing.

You get the impression reading the label that pear was only meant to be an auxiliary, a subtle underpinning to provide a little sweetness in contrast to the sourness and smoke. Indeed, the flavour contribution is very minor and many complain to not taste it at all. I, personally, pick up on hints of overripe orchard fruit in the finish; it plays to that tingly, citrusy acidity.

Köln (Cologne) has probably the most staunchly conservative beer culture anywhere in the world. Despite being fairly similar to other German styles, Kölsch, their traditional beer, is not only named after the town but use of the word itself is reserved for thirteen or so local breweries that are legally protected under European Union 'geographic indication' laws.

And this is what makes Freigeist so interesting and important. Brewers don't typically get the same celebrity-type attention or household recognition that winemakers do, but Sebastian Sauer is a name you should know. When this guy talks about reinventing regional styles and thinking outside the traditional mold, it's not for marketing purposes...

Abraxxxas Pear Lichtenhainer sounds like an oddball beer - and it is, a little - but unlike so many trendy, attention-grabbing releases this one isn't some kind of publicity stunt, nor is it different just for the sake of being different. It's a serious attempt at reviving classical techniques and recipes while also making them appealing and relevant to modern palates. I wasn't overly keen on this specific offering - it was OK - but I'm glad to have tried it and would encourage others to as well.

 

Hazed copper orange colour, 1.5 fingers of white head and little lace. Smell is mostly smoked malt, not much else comes through, mostly peated malt and and smoked meat, I get no pear off of this. Taste is smokey with a noticeable fruit but again nothing that grabs me as being pear specific, a bit of a tame but discernible tart flavours mid palate, apple and smoke finish. Medium-high carbonation, medium bodied. Not bad but nothing to come running back to really.

Bottle: Poured a slightly hazy pale yellow color Gose with a large white foamy head with OK retention and some lacing. Aroma of tart notes with light fruity undertones is OK. Taste is a mix of light tart notes with some subtle fruity aroma. Body is about average with good carbonation. Not bad but not really that special and pear notes are really hard to distinguish.

 

Hazy copper. Massive off-white head. Good retention. Sporadic lace. Aroma of wood smoke with a mild fruity character. Smokey flavour has a slight lactic quality to it. I wouldn't quite call it sour though. It's very subtle. Pear is nearly imperceptible, which I find disappointing. Fairly light bodied with fine carbonation. Feels light, but smooth. It's an enjoyable beer, but somehow less than the sum of its parts as well. More pear and a slightly more sourness would be appreciated.