Bayernbiere Bought and Drunk

Good gawd -- this forum is sleepy!

Having a Paulaner Wies'n tonight because I found 12 packs on sale and thought, "Why not?"

I had some Weihenstephaner Wies'n last week and I'm pretty sure Paulaner uses a Weihenstephaner derivative yeast -- at least in their Wies'n. Very crisp and dry in mouthfeel and finish. Malty melanoidin nose, bready to graham cracker flavor with some spicy hops and that all-around dry character I always get from Paulaner beers.

The Bavarian brewers can work wonders with pale malts.

 

I love Optimator. Of the doppels from Munich proper, it's my fave by a wide margin.

 

Interesting to hear someone else have a similar experience with the Paulaner, I was surprised by how dry it was compared with the other pale variants. You didn't pick up on a paperiness in the flavor though?

 

Not sure I understand the term -- can you attempt to define "paperiness?"

I work in a printshop -- surrounded by different kinds of paper -- maybe I'm immune to any characteristics?

To @Domingo 's interest, I did get that grape character in the Weihenstephaner Wies'n. He's often mentioned picking that up in different German beers, but this was probably the first real time it stood out to me.

 

There's a certain sweetness I get in German pale lagers that I love. I've narrowed it down to a graham-cracker quality, but I could see grape notes being thrown in there as well. Guess I'll have to have another to see! More or less any beer in which pils malt is a prominent feature.

 

There are a number of descriptors that folks use to describe the aroma/flavor of Pilsner Malt. One descriptor that is used is “sweet” but to my palate and my vocabulary this is not the best word to use; a beer that features Pilsner Malt (e.g., Kolsch, German Pils, etc.) does not come off as being sweet to my personal palate/vocabulary.

I do not have an unambiguous word to universally describe Pilsner Malt aroma/flavor so for most cases I just describe the beer as having a Pilsner Malt aroma/flavor.

One German Pilsner that consistently has a cracker like quality for my palate is Neshaminy Creek Trauger Pils.

Cheers!

 

Beyond "tastes similar to paper", with me not being an expert paper taster, I don't really know how to describe it . I get a similar taste sometimes in really dry adjunct lager beers from southern Europe, say something like San Miguel, which is why I was surprised to experience it in a German lager.

 

Whenever I think of "paper-like," I know a lot of people get that note from oxidation in milder beers. To me it's almost like a dusty attic and reminds me of a honeycomb that has been sitting in a jar of old honey for too long.
For heavier beers (especially malty ones), I get more of the blood/rust/teriyaki thing.

 

What was it that made you say "paper" to begin with?

I'll probably have another over the weekend, so I'll pay some attention to see if I can I.D. what you mean. I have the feeling it has more to do with the high attenuation of the yeast than any malts.

 

Well I did get a taste of paper from the beer, that's just the association I get (which I further associate with really dry beers), hence the tasting note. I'll chalk it down to a personal tasting note, just figured I'd check if someone else could taste the same thing.

 

Papery type flavors are often caused by oxidation of beer. The oxidation created compound of 2-nonenal is frequently the offending item.

“The most notorious compound, 2-nonenal, is detectable at levels above 0.1 μg/l in water. It is responsible for cardboard or papery notes. Some people describe it as smelling like a library (decaying paper)…

Obvious papery notes develop in mid to late stages of aging, especially in light colored, light flavored, relatively weak (i.e., below 6% ABV) beers.”

Cheers!

 

Having one now and the closest I can equate to paper is the dry maltiness from the Paulaner yeast -- which is very similar to the Weihenstephaner yeast. It's a character I also get in Paulaner's Amber Märzen and H-P's Amber Märzen, but I usually don't taste in other Munich beers. I believe it's a byproduct of how the yeast ferments down, but others could have better input.

 

any of you have had the Schinner Braunbier?
Thats probably the closest a german Dunkel has ever come to tasting like a proper english brown ale.
I wonder if they use an Ale yeast.

 

More braunbiers...interesting. I was thinking the one from Klosterbrau was the only one left. I've had it twice and while good, the beer tasted totally different each time. The first time it was dry and hoppy. It tasted a lot like an altbier or at the very least an American amber lager like Brooklyn or Sam Adams. The second time it was really sweet and almost cookie-like. I can see the brown ale comparison for both...although totally different types.

 

Klosterbrau seems to be very inconsistent. I've been there two years apart and didn't like the Braunbier as much as the previous visit although I don't recall what I thought was different. My wife had the Hefebraun. The first time it was very low in esters. The last time it was full of banana clove.

 

Schneider distribution is pretty good in SC


The Porter Weisse was very good, almost a barrel aged taste - a unique wheat.

 

Yes,many many times I would be very surprised if it used a top fermenting yeast of any kind though- to me it is pretty typically franconian, meaning soft,very drinkable, touch of spicy hops,malty body, but not sweet. Comparable to Neder Braunbier, for instance.
Riegele uses an ale yeast in their Kellerbier,though. Totally different beast in my opinion.

 

Schneider doesnt brew any stuff thats less than great.

 

Here's one I found at Binny's in Champaign, IL. I had never seen it before.



Hofbräu Winter Spezial. I looked up previous reviews on this forum (including one from @steveh ) and they all mention how light yellow this beer is (and they're all 2+ years old). This must be a different beer as it's a beautiful cooper color, rich and malty, 8.4% ABV with plenty of melanoidin flavor with hints of dried fruits. The back label says "Munich Specialty/DELICATOR" which indicates to me that it's a Doppelbock. Very tasty. I stopped on the way home and picked up another sixer. If you haven't had this in while, it's worth revisiting.

 

Grrr... I can't find this anywhere near me and retailers have never heard of it!

From the Doppelbock thread:http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...s-where-is-the-love.43879/page-5#post-4267982

And yes, the rep told me this was the Delicator for this go-round. I saw that Spezial 2 years ago and never again. If you review, you should probably just review under the Delicator.