Wildbrau Weihnachts Bier
Brauerei Grandauer - Wildbräu Grafing vor München

Given by a local beer rep as a Christmas gift, from the tract record on here of this breweries other beers, I think he was trying to get rid of it! Unusually again, another Helles lager for the Christmas season, but as I have tried them in the cold weather, it makes sense as a light, citrus drink is perfect with the sweet, and heavy food.
Pours out a light golden tone of tan, creamy frothy head, settles quickly, but leaves nice lacing in it's descent. Light streams of bubbles, medium carbonation.
On the nose, spicy/sweet. black pepper,lots of honey, biscuit malts, citrus fruit, orange, caramel, bread, some Hallertau in there, but really subdued. Overall smells like its going to be a pretty sweet drink, but fitting for the Holidays I guess. Smells a bit like honey mead, so actually a very German Holiday beer.
Flavor is a bit one-note. Honey again, malt, bread, light spiciness, and touch of hops, but no yeastiness really to be found except in the light pepper spice in the finish . Sweetness dominates, but as I sip it, not in a bad way. The honey-malt flavor comes through, with just a bit of spice, and really recalls hot mead, which I actually just tried last week.
Not overly complex, but simply made, yet fitting. Mouthfeel is slightly sticky and sweet, but the carbonation keeps it in check. A spiced bite from the yeast adds another level of balance to the brew. Had I not tried hot mead before, I realize I would have marked this beer considerably lower, but now see it's Holiday-drink qualities realizng the tradition of such a flavor profile. A bit too sweet for normal drinking, but as with mead, good to sip on at the appropriate time.
As I try more and more German beers, I see that they really recieve less praise then they deserve. As in this case, when a beer seems "unremarkable" and simplistic, maybe it is really keeping with a long-withstanding tradition that is very important to the brewer and those drinking the beer. As in food, sometimes "no frills" is better to let the quality of product show through. Thank you beer-distributor-guy for a little holiday enlightment! (or maybe its the gluhwein)