German craft beer

“He doesn't have an own brewery, but brews in other breweries using his own stuff.” That is commonly referred to as being a Gypsy brewer. Two non-German Gypsy Brewers that I can think of are Brian Strumke (Stillwater Brewing) and Mikkel Borg Bjergsø (Mikkeller).

Are there other Gypsy Brewers in Germany besides Martin Garay?

Prost!

 

Apropos "gypsy brewers"...just saw this on Mahr's Brau's Facebook page:
Das Mahrs Aller Dinge braut im Lohnbrauverfahren nach altem Rezept das Kerwas Bier für`s Ahörnla. Die Verantwortlichen Nicole Ederer und Florian Müller haben sich mit Stephan Michel zusammen getan um altes wieder neu aufleben zu lassen. Hierfür wurden einige alte Bamberger Biergeschichtsbücher gewälzt und das mit viel Erfolg. Lasst es Euch einfach an der Kerwa schmecken

Looks like someone has decided to revive a 'lost" recipe from a former Bamberg brewery and have Mahr's brew it for them. Considering there were more than 100 breweries in Bamberg in the 19th century, this is a very promising development indeed!

 

Yes, Crew Ale from Munich does "gypsy-brewing" and FritzAle (Fritz Wülfing) does it. I think there's many more, but those 2 came to my mind first!
The FritzAle IPA is really good by the way, had it a few days ago!

Cheers!

 

Tony (boddhitree) was kind enough to give me a bottle of Duckstein Original during his recent vacation to the US. Below is a write-up I made upon drinking that beer that I sent to Tony in a beermail:

As I smelled and drank the beer all that I could think of was Munich Malt. On BA this beer is labeled as being an Altbier but to my palate it tasted like a Marzen from Munich. If somebody handed this beer (poured) to me and stated: how would you like a Paulaner/Spaten/ Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest beer I would accept it and drink it thinking that was what the beer was.

I am a big fan of Dusseldorf style Altbiers since they are a combination of malt flavors and hops. There is also a style called Northern German Altbier by the BJCP. Since this beer was brewed in Hamburg I suppose it make sense that this beer is a Northern German Altbier? I have not had many (any?) Northern German Altbiers so I don’t have much of a ‘baseline’ here. I am a fan of Dusseldorf Altbiers more so that Northern German Altbiers?

Since I made mention above that I am a fan of Dusseldorf Altbiers I figured I would expound upon that a bit. I have had bottles of Uerige Alt beers several times in the past (Uerige Altbier Classic & Uerige Dopplesticke). Every one of those bottles were mediocre. At the time I chalked that up to the beers not being fresh. I have since learned through these forums that Ueirge has a very short best by timeframe. Unfortunately in the US there are not many US craft brewed versions of Altbiers. I have had the good fortune to drink Victory Alt beers; my favorite was their Ten Year Alt (their 10th year anniversary beer) but I also like there ‘regular’ Alt which I will discuss more below. Most of the Alt beers I drink are my homebrewed versions of Dusseldorf Altbiers. I found an article in BYO that was very helpful; it was written by a US craft brewer who visited Dusseldorf and had the chance to meet with the German brewers there. Below is a link to that article. One of the most inspirational parts of that article is:

“I was fortunate enough to taste Sticke Alt straight out of the aging tank at the Uerige brewery. It was possibly the best beer I have ever tasted.”

That was it! I just had to brew one of these and I did. My first batch was in 2004 and I have been brewing Altbiers ever since; Sticke versions since 2007).

http://byo.com/stories/article/indices/11-beer-styles/1210-old-world-alt

I am able to get Victory Altbiers every once in a while. It is a limited availability draft only product. Below is what Victory describes for this beer on their website:

“Victory Altbier

North German Ale

Altbier is the pride of Dusseldorf, Germany. ‘Alt’ – which means ‘old’ in German – is a reference to this beer style’s use of ale yeast. Before lager strains and styles consumed German brewing in the 1800s, ale yeast was traditionally employed in all brewing.

Composition

ABV: 5%

Flavor

Bright and brassy hop aromas announce the firm dryness that underlies this German specialty ale. Dark malts, cool fermentation and cold aging deliver a well-integrated brew that is not unlike dark Prima Pils.

Food Pairings

Steaks and fried foods.

Availability

Occasionally available on-draft throughout the year, based on production schedule.”

In another thread Jim Busch (starkbier) made mention that this beer is made from Pilsner Malt with some Caramunich.

Prost!

 

As you probably know, Uerige is my favorite of the alts. I've never had the Dopplesticke, but my understanding is that it's made exclusively for US export, and is supposed to hold up better for aging. Can't comment on that one, but I'd be very reluctant to purchase a bottle of standard Uerige Alt stateside. It's the beer I will miss the most when I move back, no question.

This has been my experience. I went to Uerige for a Sticke Tag and had it straight from the wooden keg. It was awesome indeed. What a great time that was.

To be honest, there are not many German Alts either, at least not nationally. There are one or two "national" brands, but to me they can't hold a candle to their Düsseldorf counterparts. It's just not a beer that you see very much outside of Düsseldorf, sadly.

 

Another German IPA I had about two weeks ago. "Stefan's Indian Ale" from the Maisel Brewery in Bayreuth. Their side project for "high-end" beers is Maisel & Friends. I had the Chocolate Stout before, now this IPA and the last one (a Bavarian Ale by Jeff Maisel himself) is on my kitchen shelf waiting for consumption.



It's a bit sweet in the beginning, then you have the typical fruity aromas of oranges or grapefruits. Very nice, very flowery. A good, somewhat subtle and sour taste of yeast somewhere in the background. The finish is all hops, noble hops. A really convincing bitterness that is not too overwhelming to spoil all the other tastes. I liked this one a lot.
Though I wish they would just bring it out in regular 0,33l or 0,5l-bottles. I don't like all that pseudo-exclusive stuff going on with beers like that around here.

 

Agreed, but they're trying to justify the high price tag with a gourmet label. Here's to hoping it doesn't catch on.

 

Sounds like something going on in, oh,..... America? Time's a wasting... Tick tick tick.... Gots to get that new bier! ;-)

 

Not me. I, for one, can't wait until all the Fraenkische Bierkeller replace their Steinkruege with etched tekus, imperialize their current lineups, and install wifi so I can post to Untappd and share pics of "What Beer I'm Drinking This Minute" with the 500 other nerds seated all around me.

 

Oh, wait -- you're being sarcastic.

 

Do you really think so? To me it's the long-time good beer lover who is propelling the industry. Seems like the tickers, or chasers, tend to drop off when the fad gets old.

 

And how often do they come back for that Hype Beer X?

I see so many different beers on shelves that just don't move. Makes me think that they're the new in thing for a week, then die on the vine (so to speak).

Of course, we're talking about a comparison of buyers in California and the Midwest which could throw a big sway to the curve.

 

“Hype Beer X 22oz” How is this for irony? I will be leaving shortly to pick up my reserved 22 ounce bottle of Stone Enjoy by 09.13.13. Enjoy by was available in the Philly area back in February (02.15.13) but I missed getting bottles; I did get two glasses of this beer on draft though. It is a very, very tasty IPA I personally do not view Stone Enjoy by as a “hype” beer but I sure that some others do. When Stone Enjoy by xx.xx.14 comes around I will buy it again.

Cheers!
P.S. Maybe I will buy a canned six-pack of Stillwater Classique as well?

 

Yes, IMO there's a rock-solid foundation of long-time beer drinkers propelling craft forward. It's the tickerati who are propelling the costs skyward for all biers, like a rising tide with boats, with some heading into wine-ish territory, much to my dismay... I loved the days when you could get a pint of a nice stout or whatever at a decent price. Now its' size is cut by 25+% while the original price is jacked by the same... There area shitload of good biers out there, but I can't afford a lot of them, and going out is much rarer than in the past...

Anyhow, anyone know of a good Wies'n Bier, light on the roasty character?

 

I would highly recommend Weihenstephan Oktoberfestbier (Wiesn); it is a very tasty beer!

Cheers!

 

This was posted on Facebook on Paxbräu's page, with a link to this article. I ran it through Google Translate, which does a horrible job, and then retranslated it here into real English.

"Böschemer Oberelsbach beer for hop harvest"​

Not from the Hallertau, but from of the south facade ofLindenstraße 24: hops for a special Pils rooted in our home.​

Granted, compared to the Hallertau harvest in Bischofsheim, Christopher Sperl's home harvest in the Lindenstraße in Bischofsheim was rather puny. But on Wednesday evening, at least it was the first Rhön hops harvested that landed the next day in the brew kettle by Andreas Seufert Paxbräu.​

​

[Cutting down the plant.]​

So the 15 kg of bitter hops, picked by hand scarcely three hours before, landed in the wicker basket. Enough for 1000 liters of beer, which will flow out of the lager tank of Paxbräu five weeks from now. 10.5 kg Seufert roughly calculated should be enough. There are a few kilos of hops remaining for the so-called dry hops, which are hops used after cooling the wort in the storage tank so that the aroma are enhanced even better, says Seufert . Working name for the substance: „Böschemer Hopfenzupfer,“ or "Böschemer hops pickers."​

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[I think the case of beer was payment for the hops?]​

But how did this "brewing sensation" come about? As often happens in such cases, by accident. Christopher Sperl is a Paxbräu customer. They know each other. And as Andreas Seufert at Sperl in Linden Street was driving home one day in Bischofsheim, he saw the hops which twined up on the south side of Sperl's house. "Someone should do something with it," the idea shot through Seufert's head as he stops. From Sperl he later learned that the exploding up a steel cable that was meant only as a shade for the garden. That it is now being used for brewing, he is equally enthusiastic.​

​

The plant has already been growing for four years on south side of Sperl's house in the garden, he says. No wild hop by the way, but a plant purchased from the gardener. After it had previously been planted elsewhere, it landed for two years on the compost heap, where it was obviously fueled by so much power that it flourished magnificently at its current location.​

​

[Notice the case of beer?]​

​

To harvest and pluck off the hops brewers Andreas Seufert engaged his Uncle Franz and his brewing apprentice Sebastian Lang. Additionally "hops farmer" Christopher Sperl plucked cones with his father Wolfgang and his mother Marianne. A neighbor and the man from the newspaper also helped to bring about the resulting good beer. And when so many people are together ,When so many are working together, the hop harvesting becomes an even more entertaining experience. Almost like the blueberry picking, „ower mi konn sich gesetzt“ [even my g/f couldn't figure out what this meant… Stahl, what the hell does this mean?] said Uncle Franz. The hop harvest lasted from 5 to 8 pm.​

​

Just one night the harvest spent in the fridge. Already on Thursday morning at 6:30, Andreas Seufert and his apprentice Sebastian got down to brewing. The first hops went in at 9 am into the pot, with another dose after 11 o'clock . "It's indeed a bit risky," said the brewer. "Unlike conventional hops pellets where usually the ingredients [IBUs] are known, by fresh hops we really don't quite know." However, he trust his recipe. "You really can't go wrong. And should the hop bitterness not be sufficient, then it'll just be a good Helles." In five weeks, then we'll know that exactly.​

​

[Notice the hop bag which will then go into the pot?]​

​

​

I hope you enjoyed the article as much as I did.

 

Fun read, Boddhitree, makes me want to rent a car and go help! Thanks for translating (where possible).