German craft beer

These photos (and "Breaking Bad") inspired my German neighbor who lives upstairs from me to visit ABQ and the great southwestern US. In fact he is touring around there now.

 

Just this morning he sent me a photo of the Hofbrauhaus in San Antonio, Tejas. He was confused that such a thing existed, but I told him it was a chain - like McDonald's. We laughed.

For reference:
http://hofbraurim.com/

 

Yeah, I wanted to travel through the U.S. for some time. When I was in Florida this year I actually had plans for a trip that would encompass more of the East Coast but circumstance (and with that, lack of sufficient finances) wrecked my plans. But given how expensive such a trip is likely going to be I'm gonna have a closer look at Europe in the meantime until I have both time and money to do something like that.

Haha, I think I've seen that on. The irony being that there is a "beer palace" in Munich with almost the same name.

 

This is one of several reasons I prefer Augustiner.

 

Wait, what is one of several reasons you prefer Augustiner? (and to what?)

 

Well, not exactly like McDonald's -- they aren't nearly as numerous and the couple I've been to have direct-imported the HB beers from Munich and they've been outstandingly fresh and delish. There's a new one in the Chicago area that's brewing their own beer... that could change perceptions.

 

Just an opinion.. and we all know what those are like, ja?

 

Have found a really impressing Craft Beer from the Lake of Constance. It seems that Brauzeit Temps Liquides is really made with passion and is only rarely available. In Germany i have seen it at http://divinjo.com/exclusive-craft/brauzeit-temps-liquides.html. There you can also find some more information about it, in German language.

 

Did I read that right? €31,00 for a Pilsner? Er, no thanks. No thanks.

 

A fool and his money are soon parted.

 

Apparently you can sell beer for € 31 per bottle if you use champagne yeast.
This kind of fooling people to get their money has nothing to do with "craft beer" in my opinion. It's jumping on the bandwagon and trying to make some cash.

 

Westbrook Brewing here in SC just completed a limited release of their barrel-aged stout, Mexican Cake. The bottles were $30 each. They sold out in a matter of hours.

 

Do you see that approach flying in Deutschland, though? For a pilsner, nevertheless - a beer style which you can find great examples of literally anywhere for €0,90. I don't get it...

Heck, German Sekt doesn't even cost €10,00 for a bottle.

 

I would never have thought something like that would fly here in the U.S. until recently. Then again...ich verstehe schon seit langem die Bierwelt nicht mehr.

 

2 new creations from Braustil. Drank them yesterday afternoon, and I'm back again this afternoon (a Thursday) because a student cancel his class which had been at the time I'm now writing this, and it's in the mid-70s, which is extremely "mild" for this time of year. Considering there have been summers in Germany where, due to cold temps, I wasn't ever able to break out my shorts, this is basically like summer, but better.

First, the Erntebier, which means "harvest beer." As you can see from the info below, it's got a lot of good stuff in it.
5.1%.




Aroma: Pils malts, honey, citrus, a cross between pils & other grains. A yeasty smell is strong, too.

Flavor:
Front: citrus, lots of tartness… pils malts. A hint of strong bitterness, but only fleeting.
Mid: here you get more tartness, citrus, some Noble hop grassiness, and on sides sweet and sour.
Back: here is the caramel, almost honey, the darker roasted flavors, very sweet, almost too much, but it's saved by the astringency of rye and Dinkel, almost spicy.

Aftertaste: sweet and citrus.

Mouthfeel: quite thin. Here you can tell the other grains are present. It's ok but I wouldn't mind this beer to be thicker.

Overall: Not bad. Complex flavors, sweet, tart and other grain flavors. refreshing, but still could be thicker.

The 2nd beer is the Honey Monk. The name is due to the use of real honey and Abbey malt, which also imparts a honey flavor. 5.3%




Honey Monk
Aroma: wow. Honey, caramel, sweetness of raisins, a hint of molasses, choco, powerful.

Flavor:
Front: tartness is the first thing, nut ot quickly gives way to a roasted, burnt caramel sweetness combined with a nice bitterness that's supporting it all. Citrus is prevalent, too, combined with a heavy chutney like flavor.

Mid: again wow, the honey gives a complex flavor that is between chutney, chocolate, honey, raisins, and molasses. You also get tartness and some bitterness, both strong but well blended with the sweet flavor.

Back: more of the same but more stress on the the roast malt flavor. More honey flavor, sweet burnt sugars and tons of umami.

Aftertaste: roast malt, tartness and sweet honey.

Mouthfeel: here is where the honey comes into play- a roundness, fullness that doesn't come from malts and not thick, just a goldilocks feelings.

Overall, a WOW beer! You have such a complex amount if flavors, richness of multiple sweet flavors, bitter but also a full on chutney flavor that comes and goes. It almost is but isn’t too sweet. First impressions are really sweet honey-like flavors and tartness. But the more you drink it, it becomes more balanced with pils malt tartness and noble hop bitterness just enough to keep the other flavors from overpowering and to enhance them.

 

Did he react annoyed or did he appreciate the help in bettering his English ?

 

Here's an article in the St. Louis newspaper about German craft beer:

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainme...cle_a79624cf-01c6-564d-b0cc-2ef4c5523526.html

 

honestly... I am not sure he even noticed!