Maxlrainer Zwickl Max
Schlossbrauerei Maxlrain GmbH & Co. KG

 

Clean and bright golden hue. Beautiful white foam.
In the smell malt, honey, some hay, not too light.
Same notes in the taste, with a dryer finish, with hay and camomile.
Hay and camomile in the aftertate finish too.
Not a masterpiece, but honest and drinkable.

Let me first say that this beer comes with a unique pull off top that I have never seen before. Hopefully the beer is as interesting as the bottle. This zwickelbier pours a slightly opaque golden color with a slight orange tint, a medium frothy head, and a high amount of carbonation. The smell is pretty mild, but is of yeast and grains. The flavor is also quite mild and is of yeast and grainy malts with a hint of citrus; lemon and orange possibly and a hint of hop spiciness at the finish. The body is somewhere between light and medium. The finish is extremely crisp and refreshing. While I can’t say that the beer is as distinctive as the bottle, it is a really nice, well-balanced beer that is quite enjoyable to drink. It would probably be excellent on a hot summer day. This is actually the first zwickelbier I have ever had as the style is very rare, so I don’t have a lot to compare it to. I have had a few kellerbiers, which are supposed to be the zwickelbier’s closest relative. If this is representative of this style I will have to drink more because I like it and I think it compares favorably to the kellerbiers that I have had. I think I would take this over most pilseners that I’ve had also as it is a little more robust and interesting in my opinion.

 

Pours a cloudy amber orange with yellow edges and a creamy, mostly tight off white head. Nose is nice with lots of zest, lemon, pepper and dusty and a touch of banana candy. Faint citrus hop in back. Taste is pretty solid, zesty lemon and white peppery spice are followed by some earthy dustiness and a fair bit of citrus hop. Light body with good carbonation and slightly dry finish.