Bayernbiere Bought and Drunk

Just had their Hefe Weissbier Dunkel a few days ago. Good stuff.

 

This is one of the joys of drinking this beer, IMO, as you drink it you notice the smoke less and the base beer more. And it's still fantastic.

 

Well, it technically isn't. The RHG and the and the Lebensmittelrecht are two different pairs of shoes. It's still kinda "meh" that it basically forces breweries to jump through hoops. Not surprising though that the gypsy brewer behind "Onkel" does his brewing in Belgium, too.

Agreed. I actually think once you've "acclimated" to the taste, the Märzen is close to being süffig.


Edit: On a somewhat unrelated note, I'm stoked to try the normal Aventinus when my buddy from the army stops by. In the past I have managed to give all my bottles of Aventinus and Weihenstephan to friends as presents before trying them myself.

 

Speaking of rauchbier, here's one I'm enjoying right now on my balcony. It would seem spring has already sprung in these parts.
It's always flown under the radar for me, but is quite good with just a hint of smoke and wood flavour.
Glad I got myself a case when I ordered the fastenbier, which is going fast.

Here it is, overexposed:

 

Color me extremely jealous. 13° here right now (-10.5° C) and a(nother) snowstorm threatening for tomorrow night.

Nice pour, BTW.

 

Maybe it's my extreme jealousy that's making me pick nits, but the Helles doesn't use any smoked malts so I wouldn't call it a Rauchbier. I'm sure it picks up the subtle smoke flavor from it being brewed on the same system as their Rauchbiers and is fermented with the same yeast. Sorry, enough of me being a pedant, I'll go back to mopping up the drool from my desk.

 

13 degrees here too! Celcius. And sunny.

 

Yes, I suppose you're right. No smoked malts, but a little smokiness gets in there somehow. To me there's very little smoke in the nose, but it's noticeable in the flavor, even if subtle.

 

Definitely agree that there's smokiness in the flavor--it just doesn't get it from the use of smoked malts. Schlenkerla says it's from using the same equipment and yeast as their Rauchbiers.

 

I'd be in shorts and a t-shirt if it was 55° (13° C) here -- winter has over-stayed its welcome.

 

Yes, due to the equipment it adds a nice smoky note in the finish. A welcome addition to what is, in my eyes, a near flawless Helles. Love that beer.

 

A bit of a stupid question for a German but it's been some time. Is there much of a difference in terms of taste between the Hefe- and Kristallweizen? I can't remember the last time I've had one of the latter.

 

I've always found them very similar. On the other hand, the body changes a bit.

 

FWIW, a shop in San Diego that I tend to keep my eye on for releases in my region is now showing Schlenkerla Fastenbier in stock. (See the start of the 3rd row of beers.) Can only imagine the rest of the country, at least where Schlenkerla is sold, will be seeing it in short order.

 

Cry-ma-netley -- $6.35 for a .5 liter bottle? Is this place (or your area) usually pricey?

 

I've been paying about $5 for the other Schlenkerla stuff. The shop I linked to can, indeed, be a little pricey.

 

I asked because I usually pay between $4 and $5 for Schlenkerla. Thought maybe the Fastenbier was priced up as a specialty, or something.

 

in SC at Greens in Columbia, we've been at the $5 level for most Schlenkerla.

 

Continued the hefeweizen exploration last night with Maisel's Weisse. It had a dating code I couldn't crack on the back -- "15 K 13". It poured noticeably darker than the Weihenstephaner I had recently (and loved), and the nose wasn't quite as complex, standing more firmly in the spiced apple realm for me. Palate brought more of the same, with the phenols/esters really taking center stage over the quieter malt backing. Similar to the nose, I didn't think the palate near as complex as the Weihenstephaner, though the body of the beer didn't help its cause, as I found it a bit watery. Overall, the beer was tasty enough, but couldn't really stand up to its counterpart. I'm also left to wonder about that mysterious bottle code. It certainly wouldn't surprise me if the bottle was rather old. Until the code can be cracked, though, and on taste as well, I think I'll stick to the Weihenstephaner.

(On a somewhat related note, I'm really looking forward to exploring the Ayinger stuff, having enjoyed their Oktoberfest brew, but the lack of bottle dating is a serious concern, particularly when most of their range is only available in 500ml bottles @ ~$3.50/per.)