Bayernbiere Bought and Drunk

In England? Hmm... I guess anything is possible, but I don't see this terribly likely. Are you planning to re-ship back stateside? 'Cause I can lend you one or 2. Or 3.

 

No, no, to be lovingly transported back with me via suitcase Appreciate the offer, though.

Been doing a bit of research on London pubs/craft-oriented bars, and a few seem to carry a few German offerings on tap even -- Rothaus Pils, Jever, Schlenkerla, etc. Not necessarily stuff that doesn't make it to the US, but I just may have to go for what I can only hope would be the fresher kegs there. This assumes, of course, I can refrain from ordering another cask ale...which I may not be able to do!

 

Yeah, I remember taking a "cask break" with a friend at the White Horse (IIRC) and trying an Ayinger Helles -- made for a nice little detour. But they didn't offer us a Maß.

 

My buddy who studied with me in Bamberg (and with whom I brew beer now) and I went to the Great British Beer Fest in London back in 1994. After a couple half pints of some excellent cask ales, he spotted the International section -- and promptly settled in with 3 Schlenkerla Maerzen. Keep in mind we had just left Bamberg a day before. Good stuff...

 

Okay, so other than Schlenkerla Lager (which is significantly harder to find, but I know of a place with bottles on the shelf), I have finally run the gamut of regular Schlenkerla Rauchbiere.

Ranked in order of preference:
1. Eiche
2. Urbock
3. Weizen
4. Märzen

The Eiche was the king of the bunch, in my opinion. A big beer without feeling too heavy or boozy, but one that I felt the increased malt backbone really helped carry the smoke. I felt like the malts sweetened the Eiche more than my second favorite, the Urbock. Other than being regular smoked malts rather than the "oak smoke", I felt that the Urbock had a similar smoke character, but was a pinch stronger. The caramel sweetness from the Urbock didn't really really come through as strongly in this one as in the Eiche. Next comes the Weizen, which I really enjoyed more than I thought I would. I thought the banana esters from the yeasts and wheat really contrasted well with the smoke. The smoke in the beer was again akin to the other two previously mentioned, but the beer was much sweeter overall and was easily the most recognizable of the bunch (i.e. it said weizen on the side and I could tell it was a weißbier). Last came the poor Märzen, which I just found way too meaty for my taste (which I've already documented quite well).

Insgesamt, I think I'm definitely a fan of Rauchbier and it will be staple in the house, especially when I'm barbecuing and the like.

 

Hopefully their Fastenbier will make its way to your neck of the woods this year. Be on the lookout!

 

Purple border on the label...

 

I'll stay on the lookout! Any guesses on when it might make it stateside (if at all)?

 

It goes for sale in Germany on Feb. 18th, I'd look for it after then. Kegs do make their way over here as well, in fine bars everywhere!

 

Yup, Fastenbier is very, very, very tasty!!

I look forward to drinking some 2015 Fasternbiers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers!

 

Ball Square Fine Wine and Liquors in Somerville has some bottles of the Helles left that tasted fantastic about two months ago. They usually get it fresh (to my palate at least) when they have it.

Now it's my turn. Where did you find fresh Eiche and Weizen? Every bottle of Eiche in my area was almost two years old according to Schlenkerla, with plenty of crap floating around in it to prove it. The Weizen at Downtown in Davis had dust all over it as well, so I don't know if I trust it (or them).

 

I got the Eiche at a place in Iowa City when I was there with my friend, but I also saw (apparently) fresh bottles on the shelves at the Wine Celler in Kenmore Square. Wince Celler had Eiche, Weizen, Urbock, and Märzen. I didn't check the dates (oops) but the bottles looked fresh. I haven't gotten rid of the Weizen bottle yet so I can check the date when I get home this afternoon.

 

Hell yeah - I'm psyched for those Fastenbier bottles.
Personally, I think the Krausen has been the best followed by the faintly smoky helles and the Maerzen. The weizen and Eiche are next, but the bock just doesn't do it for me. That sweetness combined with the beechwood ends up giving me BBQ sauce. That's actually one thing the Eiche prevents by using oak smoke. It has as slightly milder smoke and the wood isn't as sweet either.

 

There are no dates.


I don’t have time now, but in one of the German threads I detailed my experience with Schlenkerla bottles in MA and my communication with the distributor and the brewery. Basically, they use a unique code on the back that is only relevant for that batch, so they were able to decipher when they were bottled.


I went to a few different shops and always looked at the Eiche to see if I could find a fresh one, and they all had crap floating around in them. Unfortunately the Maerzen and Urbock are too dark to tell, and the Weizen is, well a Weizen, and will be unfiltered. So this test only works for the Helles and the Eiche. If you see the Maerzen and Urbock, those should be fresh though.

 

I have a sweetish tooth so the bock is one of my favorites. Love the combo of sweet and smokey.

I'm probably one of the few on this board not caring much for the Eiche at all. It's the dry smoke that puts me off.

But definitely add me to the list of those super excited for Fastenbier bottles. Hopefully it hits either Minnesota or Wisconsin.

 

My favourite beer this winter: Staffelberg Doppelbock.
A Doppelbock that beats Andechser and all that -ator stuff.
It is pale and - believe it or not - refreshing at 7% abv

 

↑
So is wheat technically RHG approved or is it an allowed exception? I was never really clear on that.
Wheat was originally (in 1516) not explicitly allowed nor forbidden. Of course wheat beer was brewed and consumed by the royals anyway. The Vorlaeufiges Biergesetz now allows it explicitly for top-fermenting beers (but not for bottom-fermenting ones).

I know this quoted text here is a bit old, but I thought the one of the major purposes of the RHG was not only for beer quality but also to keep brewers from competing for the same ingredients used in making bread (i.e. wheat) and keep the price down.

 

So a few months ago Camba stopped production of our favorite Milk Stout. Today I found out why...

sux


http://www.camba-bavaria.de/bier/international/milk-stout/

 

Holy hell. I remember meeting @boddhitree before the Faust meet-up and having a nice conversation with him in a Miltenberg cafe. One thing he said that always stuck with me was, "Beamten sind Beamten", or, translated to common parlance, "bureaucrats gonna bureaucrat." Sometimes I really miss Germany, sometimes I really do not.

 

....but no problem with adding Dragonfruit, fake tequila flavor, guarana and other adjuncts.