Bayernbiere Bought and Drunk

Jerry,

None of my local beer retailers carried Fastenbier this year. I was able to buy a few bottles last year (2015) since one of the beer buyers special ordered it for me. When I went to pick it up he actually tried to sell me all 12 bottles from that case but I only bought 3 (or 4?) bottles since this beer is pricey. In hindsight I suspect the wanted me to buy all 12 bottles since he probably had a difficult time selling the remaining bottles.

Cheers!

 

I think Urban Chestnut used these for their festival in January:


But it was odd to have such a big tasting glass with a one or two ounce sample in it. We do use these a lot at home when we want less than a full pour off the kegerator.

 

I think I bought about 10 bottles last year. I passed on buying the year old stuff.

 

I don't blame you. I drank my few bottles over a time period of a few months (the last bottle was about 5 months old) and I noticed that the last beer while still enjoyable was indeed noticeably different from the fresher bottles. IMO Fastenbier is best enjoyed fresh.

Cheers!

 

I am also assuming that as more jump on the retro-hypetrain that they are looking for appropriate glassware to serve their Kellerbier/Urgespundetes/Zwick'l/Naturtrüb or whatever else may emerge as next must-have style. I have the Zwick'l Krug that I received when they started here in the States about 3 years ago, it's always a head-turner to be quite honest, but I prefer to actually see my beer, so I don't use it a lot.

 

That's the whole idea behind the Zwickel Krug -- hide that murky, cloudy, gunky-looking beer so's you don't have to look at it while you're consuming it.

 

Douglas, I am exactly the same way. In the recent past I was at a local beer bar and they had Mahrs U on tap. I requested that the bartended serve it to me in a glass vs. the Mahrs Krug they normally use for this beer. The look on the bartender's face when I asked this was priceless. For a split second I actually thought he was going to ignore my request and serve it to me in the ceramic krug anyway. I did receive the beer in a glass and for me being able to see the beer added to my drinking enjoyment of this beer. A bit of haze doesn't bother me.

Cheers!

 

Kellerbier looks like most unfiltered "craft" ales or lagers...not sure what you need to see

 

Do I detect a shot at the "New England-style" IPA trend?

 

No. Considering the long history of Zwickelbier -- the NE IPAs are mere noobs.

 

I don't think the old Bavarian bierpolizei would have looked too favorably on murky beer making its way outside the cellars of a brewery .

 

Oh, but it did -- beer wasn't really clear until the early 1800s:

The clay Krug gave way to the clear glass only when the beer became "pretty."

 

I'd say that that description of Pilsener is pure bs, Pilsener lagerbier wasn't lagered for longer than Bavarian lager beer, it simply used a paler kilned malt, at a relatively lower gravity, along with a relatively higher hopping rate (by the late 1800s). Bavarian lager beer was lagered just as long as Bohemian lager beer, but it tended to be higher gravity, and darker colored due to the malt used by the late 1800s. Over time the hopping rate for Bavarian beer was reduced, which meant that Bohemian lager beer came to be more strongly hopped than Bavarian lager beer. Bavarian lager beer was darker than Bohemian lager beer, it was also heavier due to the original gravity (typically around 13-14% for Bavarian lager beer, typically around 12% for Bohemian lager beer, which was close to the Export strenght of around 13% in Bohemia, whilst the majority of the domestically produced bottom fermented beer was brewed to 10-11% plato in Bohemia, which was much lower than the standard Bavarian beer). I would like to see the author of that article support the fact that Bavarian beers were cloudy in contrast to Bohemian beers with sources, since I think that this is bullshit as well.

 

I think you aren't looking back far enough in time to before brewing was fine-tuned. And I don't think he's calling all Bohemian beers clear and golden, just the newer Pils-style.

 

So post 1842, how did pale Bohemian lager beer distinguish itself from Bavarian lager beer clarity wise?

 

I'd like to take the time to make clear that I'm not challenging you as a poster, I'm simply questioning the research behind the article which you linked to, since I think it's a flawed article. If you agree with the conclusions of the article, then we have a disagreement on our hands.

 

Will glasses be available for retail at your establishment (or for shipping via your website)? Feel free to PM me if you'd prefer to speak privately.

 

Definitely available. Best deal is to look here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fund-the-bierkeller-beer-wagon--2/x/14059253#/

But if you sign up as the originator of the Kölumbianer name, you will receive numerous benefits not listed. Least we could do...

 

I believe you've leaned into too much of the article than I was really focusing on, which was:
"...in a world that was accustomed only to dark, heavy, cloudy beers." And that was in the discussion about the use of clay Krugs to "hide" cloudy, murky beer.

Your previous rant about percentages and hopping rates was far off the track of the point I was making; that beer's clarity was once non-existent. I'll even quote Jackson from his Beer Companion: "All beers were dark or cloudy until the 1840s."

Disagreements are commonplace the world over, as are misunderstandings, but I'm not sure just what sort of fight you're trying to pick because of them. Count me out of any discussion from this point on as I'll stick with my original statement.

By the way, if you follow my linked article down to its conclusion, you'll find a long list of acknowledgements and a bibliography of sources. Whether they answer your questions or mine is up to your own research. You've proven (once again) why I've chosen not to engage in deep discussion on this web site, too many knee-jerk "experts" looking for arguments rather than discussion.

 

Would you say the details are...murky?