Appenzeller Naturperle
Brauerei Locher AG

Picked up a swing top 50cl bottle at the Basel main train station before leaving town. Pretty standard light lager with a sweet malty finish yet not the most drinkable I’ve had. Pretty meh, especially for almost 4 Francs.

 

 

A: light/medium straw, slightly hazy....not overly carbonated
S: malty smell, minimal hop aroma
T: mild, malty with a slight bitter dryness...nothing special but clean tasting
M: slight carbonation, lingering acidity taste
O: Living in Switzerland for a few months and tried the Drinks of the World store (outstanding by the way) at the Basel Train station (Basel Bahnhof SBB) and just picked it randomly. Not upset but definitely not something to write home about....regular, clean tasting lager

Similar to: Feldschlösschen Regular

 

500ml bottle from Drinks of the World, Basel, Switzerland (3.00 CHF):
This was something a little different from an ordinary pale lager with a fresh & yeasty taste complimented by some nice citrus flavours & a lot of malts. Very easy to drink, more so than I'd imagined & definitely a nice change up from what I'm used to. I wouldn't mind having again but probably only if I find myself back in Switzerland at some point.

 

 

330ml bottle served in a Pilsener glass.

A: Pours a light yellow color. Absolutely clear. Forms a medium creamy and fizzy head with low retention and many lacings left. A thin white layer persists on the top for some time

S: Very grainy and biscuity. Sweet grains, bready Lager yeasts and flowery lemony hops. A bit of ashes sensation too

T: As the nose. Light sweet malts upfront. Bready Lager yeasts. Metallic. Ashes, again. In overall, a dry taste. Quite biscuity and a good citrus and skunky hoppy bitterness in the end

M: Very light and smooth body. Good carbonation. Grainy and hoppy aftertaste

O: Good drinkability. Very honest Euro Lager. Good session beer

 

87th Review
Bottle to Westvleteren 12 (small) chalice
Best by: 27.03.2012

Scored this treat at a small boutique organic shop while visiting Geneva, Switzerland...talk about random.

A: Hazy light hay color. 1.5 (bubbly white) fingernail head on medium pour.

S: Biscuit malt, bread, and more malt - no hint of hops here. Slight hint of honey. Kind of boring.

T: Sweet malt followed by toasted bread flavor. Honey. Crisp and refreshing - nice table beer. Dies quickly at back though.

M: Light body with medium carbonation.

O: A very crisp beer, but not too much else going on here. It will cleanse your palate, but I personally think there are better table beers out there. No distinct/memorable character here. Bummer because I really liked the bottle presentation.

A: Cloudy golden yellow, 1 finger head, mixed bubble size, barely any visible rising carbonation,
S: Slight nostril opening, fresh hops, mild
T: Light malt, mild floral hop sweetness, pleasant and mild, nice blend, almost perfumy quality.
M: Soft, very mild microcarbonation, slightly fluffy
O: Very nice light flavorful and easy to drink.

Reading no German, and only a smattering of French, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into with this beer. I do like Perle as a hop variety though, so I thought this might be a worthy candidate for review.

50cl brown swingtop bottle uncaps with a pleasant vzzt of carbonation. Body is clear and golden; bright and sparkling with fine carbonation. Head is fine and frothy, with a white sheen of lace across the top. Looks like a decent, German-style lager.

Nose is crisp and fine, with some clean grainy malt and a touch of noble hops. Grassy and haylike, with a touch of citrus bitting through to give a life. Fresh and bright, but classic. Pretty good, without being very exciting.

Taste is clean and grainy, with a very standard German lager character through the most part. Clean bit of hops on the back, which ensures the light sweet organic grain doesn't dominate too much. Feel is light and bright, tending towards thin, which is not unexpected.

Not a bad drop all up, but not that great either. A pretty standard German style lager with a dusting of Euro blandness. It neither shines nor disappoints, so I guess that's something.

This is a "courtesy" beer I received due to a large purchase I made. Definitely not something I would have tried on my own, but the bottle description of using "barley with an incomparably heavy aroma" has me interested.

Pours a clear and very bright yellow. 1/4 head forms and recedes to a thin cap. Also some lively carbonation, and even a bit of lacing.

Smell is lemon/lime/skunk, with a bit of bready malt.

Taste is soft bready malt upfront, with just enough noble hops. Fortunately, the skunk aroma does not really carry over to the flavour, though it is slightly detectable.

Mouthfeel is quite soft, not as crisp as I was expecting. I'm guessing decoction mash?

Drinkability is average. There is enough flavour, but the skunk ruins it. Damn green bottles...

I suppose it might be tastier if it was fresh and not slightly skunked.

Very dense and foamy head, fading very slowlly on a slightly hazy golden color. The smell is dry, wheaty, showing fruity esters. Very fresh hints of citrus.
The taste is similar to the smell: very fresh, kind of dry, dry malts, some light fruity notes, maybe more citrus. Some honey too. Hoppiness is a bit surprizingly herbal, with almost floral notes, and way more citric grapefruity aspects as expected. Maybe too much grapefruit for me, almost tart. Leaves the mouth dry. It's all organic too, and the label says it's made with a "special" fermentation. Exciting, huh?
The mouthfeel is quite convincing, being round and smooth without being either too light or excessively thick. It goes down very well: nothing exceptional, but a drinkable brew.