Bayernbiere Bought and Drunk

Trotted out to a local bottle shop last night to kill some time, as the wife had commandeered the house for a ladies' night, and ended up with this fine assortment of beverages. The Schlenkerla had been out of stock as recently as last week, so I rolled the dice and am assuming it's fresh-ish (as fresh as we ever get Schlenkerla). The Spaten and Weihenstephaner Original are both bottled right at the end of September/start of October, so while it's not ideal, it's also not as awful as I've been prone to see. Quite excitingly, though, the Hefeweissbier is dated from the first week of December. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it and quickly snatched it up. Meanwhile, after being awed by my first bottle of 3F Oude Geuze recently, I figured it was time to give the Boon offering a shot. In this case, I was happy to find a very aged bottle indeed - 2011/12 Looking forward to working through all of these over the next week!

 

All fairly sessionable beers too. And a new Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier label?

 

I noted the difference too. Quick Google search found these. (The 2nd is apparently from Weihenstephaner themselves)


https://twitter.com/weihenstephan/status/562290643771592704

 

Alright, then -- set the Weihenstephaner Original and Spaten Premium Lager against each other this afternoon. A few thoughts from a novice lager drinker, the modifier of keen importance

Both bottles were from nearly the same week in late September/early October 2014. This puts them at 4+ months old, stored on an unchilled shelf in the local bottle shop. Both poured a lovely yellow gold, with ample though dissipating heads and fine carbonation bubbling to the surface. I was struck at how incredibly similar in color they were -- you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart. It also caused me to consider, with no shortage of bemusement, how silly the anti-"fizzy yellow beer" mantra is here in US. I suppose in one sense it's not so silly, if you're willing to consider the exact phrase more a metaphor for adjunct-ridden, watered-down macro lagers. But, that's only if you know enough to see it as metaphor. For others, I fear it really does come off as a shot specifically at fizzy yellow beer. To which all I can say is that these fizzy yellow beers were downright beautiful.

I included the "modifier of keen importance" above, because my first impression, beyond an admiring gaze, was one of surprise -- surprise at how acute the scent of DMS appeared to be, creamed corn in particular. I gather from reading the forums/Internet research that some level of DMS isn't surprising for the style, nor is it frowned upon. I can't deny, though, that to my nose it wasn't an especially pleasant first impression. Both seemed to clean up a bit as they were given time to breathe, but it never fully dissipated.

The Weihenstephaner felt slightly fuller overall -- fuller in nose (which, in some ways, amplified the DMS, but also increased the bready notes once they arrived), fuller in taste, even if only slightly. It was perhaps a touch more floral, although to be honest I had a hard time picking out much in the way of hop flavor from either. It also got closer toward the breadiness I'd read of and was looking for. The Spaten wasn't necessarily without merit -- though it was a touch less full, and a touch sharper in reply, the sharpness actually worked for it at times. It felt brigther, I suppose you could say. I also found the Spaten more to my liking as it warmed. I'd always read/assumed lagers were best served cold, but I didn't prefer the Spaten as such.

Overall, I have to admit that I struggled with both brews somewhat. I was searching hard for a rich, malt character, so well described in this forum, but I'm not sure I found it. As a novice lager drinker, though, I also wonder if I just don't know what exactly I'm looking for. And surely, it must be stated, using nearly 5-month old examples, which have undergone the ordeal of transatlantic shipping, probably isn't the best canvas for learning to pick out bready malt flavors. I do think that the side-by-side was a fun and helpful way to go about it, though, at least providing some reference point for a particular brew's flavors. I'm definitely looking forward to keeping an eye out for fresh examples of the style -- HP/Paulaner/Bitburger/König/Krombacher are all regularly on shelves, so there are many more to test -- as well as draught offerings, which perhaps may better preserve the beers. And of other styles too -- the Schlenkerla Märzen and Weihenstephaner Hefe are next up.

Appreciate this subforum and its advocacy for German beer -- really enjoying a new frontier to explore!

 

Thanks for the report. I can't say I've gotten any acute sense of DMS from either Spaten or Weihenstephaner. I have sometimes gotten a hint of sulfur -- or a kind of fresh sea-air quality -- from what are typically yeast sulfurs in very fresh versions. The (at times acute) melanoidin character can sometimes take on a biscuity, yeast-roll type aroma/flavor. Otherwise, the off flavors of dark honey or honeycomb occur in these beers as they get older, but shouldn't be present in ones 4 months old. Not sure what's going on here....

 

It could simply be that traditional German versions aren't to your general liking. I -- and others -- have noticed a developing split between devotees of "craft" vs. those of so-called traditional styles.

 

Could just be an inexperienced palate on my part Didn't get any honey/oxidation, just those DMS-y notes. I do get those hints of sulfur (not super pleasant to my nose, generally), but they weren't strong at all here. Will have to try and find some of these on draught to see if I discern a big difference.

 

Sure, but some of that is for want of trying. Some "craft" types legimately don't want to try the traditional stuff. I'd like to think that good beer is good beer, and being someone who otherwise enjoys variety (I'm the sort that loves a wide variety of cuisines and would much rather try somewhere new (and probably find something I like) than stick to one favorite food), I figure I'm bound to find some traditional styles I dig. My reviews aren't so much criticism as much as a journal of introduction. I'll be interested to see if I feel the same way in a year or two

 

I, personally, love that slight whiff of a low level of H2S in fresh lagers. Reminds me of drinking these beers ultra fresh from the wooden barrel in a German beer garden.

 

Not at all. It took me at least a year of living (and eating) there to get used to the subtle complexity of fresh German butter, bread, meat, and cheese. American food is filled with all matter of flavor enhancers, and those simply aren't there in Germany -- and to those of us who grew up with them, their absence is very noticeable at first. Wouldn't surprise me if the same were to apply to beer.

 

Welcome... hope you enjoy the ride... Have you been warned about @Stahlsturm?

Prosit!!!

 

“…surprise at how acute the scent of DMS appeared to be, creamed corn in particular.”

Hmmm, I find that observation intriguing. I am personally well versed in DMS because ‘back in the day’ I drank a lot of Rolling Rock. I could try and guess at how many barrels (31 gallons) of Rolling Rock I have consumed in the past but at the end of the day it would be just a guess. There is no beer that just ‘screams’ DMS than Rolling Rock.

I have consumed lots of Weihenstephaner Original but in comparison to Rolling Rock it is just a pittance. I have also had a fair amount of Spaten Premium Lager as well. FWIW I have never perceived any DMS in either of those beers. Maybe you just have a more perceptive palate to DMS?

What I look for in a high quality Helles is a BIG presence of Pilsner malt aroma/flavor. For my palate Weihenstephaner Original fits that bill and to a lesser extent Spaten Premium Lager as well.

It is always interesting how each individual perceives differing beers.

Oh, and your comment of “using nearly 5-month old examples” is very pertinent here. The Helles style is a delicate style from an age perspective (whether the beer is German brewed or non-German brewed) so that does indeed have an effect in beer appreciation.

Cheers!

 

All of the above on top of Pasteurization. A couple of the best beers I've ever had on this side of the Atlantic that carry the bigger malt character, more akin to fresh poured samples at the source, have been Ayinger's Jahrhundert and Weltenburger Kloster Barock-Hell (of which someone on this forum handles in your state) -- again, when very fresh.

That is actually another form of DMS. I learned it recently (well, within the last few years) in discussions with Stan Hieronymus. I'd always smelled it and just thought I was getting a watery sensation.

 

Thx for the thoughts, all. Totally possible, @JackHorzempa, that I'm either a) just sensitive to DMS or b) am picking up more than one aroma and just perceiving it as DMS. (Perhaps confusing it for a touch of sulfur, etc., as @herrburgess suggested.) Again, I'm sort of interested to see whether that perception holds as I try more examples of the style. It's not so unlike IPAs, in a sense -- what I once perceived as incredibly bitter, sharply aromatic, and quite overwhelmingly so, I now find very easy to appreciate and find nuance in, to identify specific hop varieties and the classic flavors/aroma they give off, etc. Won't be surprised if my perception changes as I go.

@steveh, true indeed and appreciate much the ideas for brews that might exhibit that bigger malt character in an easier to identify fashion.

Overall, the two lagers certainly made me reflect on just how focused on particular styles this country is. As I said before, I can drink the hell out of, and fairly confidently analyze, an IPA or stout, for example. I simply don't have a frame of reference for lagers, though, and it feels sort of like starting over with beer, like those early days when everything I drank felt, excuse the term, foreign and jarring. This might be a good place to wax philosophic about acquired taste and what a curious thing it is -- why folks choose to come back to tastes that are initially jarring and challenging (coffee, of course, coming to mind) -- but I'll save that for another thread

 

As an alternative perspective, from my 2013 review of the Weihenstephaner Original"

I haven't reviewed the Spaten Helles in a few years, but since it's a common selection in my fridge I can tell you I always get a little DMS in the nose, but nothing so distracting as to turn me off from drinking it.

I know that you mention the Weihenstephaner being more full in body than the Spaten, but I don't think you should look at this in one being better than the other -- just different takes on the style.

 

Thx for your review -- helpful to hear a seasoned veteran's take on it.

Thinking that, in addition to keeping a weather eye for fresh bottles, I also need to scurry over to a few of the local German restaurants in hopes their kegs will be relatively fresher than the bottles I typically see. Just checked and found one has Spaten as a regular draught offering, and it looked like they actually had the Ayinger Jahrhundert on as well. Time for another round of research!

 

Just as the German imports on shelves have dwindled, so have the number of German restaurants in my area. More than a little envious that you have some choices.

 

If you can get these beers on draft (assuming the kegs are fresh) that is the way to go. A beer bar local to me has Weihenstephaner Original often on tap. That is how I satisfy my Weihenstephaner Original fix; I can’t recall the last time I have had this beer from a bottle.

Cheers!

 

This is a decent analysis/explanation of various sulfur compounds in finished beer (about 2/3 of the way down in the article, with numerous references to pale lagers and pilsners). byo.com/hops/item/630-fermentation--flavor-compounds-homebrew-science

Most German brewers are using the Weihenstephan lager strain (34/70), and it is known to kick out some sulfur smells during fermentation, typically contributable to H2S. From the article: "At low concentrations, it rounds out the flavor of pale lager beers"

DMS is a byproduct of the malt and/or boil. Most German breweries employ a long boil, which typically drives off DMS. From the article: "In Pilsner lagers, it adds a fullness and roundness to the flavor, and some pale American pilsners benefit from a fresh corn-like aroma."

 

Saw this on the Bamberg local newspaper's FB page. Those Bavarians sure know how to cure an illness: