German craft beer

For some reason Grimbergen keeps popping up in Bamberg supermarkets lately. Real,- then Tegut. The craft beer revolution is here.. or something.

 

I recommend hiding out in Schlenkerla until it passes.

 

I'm not complaining. But I would prefer that it was at least Duvel that kept popping up.

 

In such a parallel universe, you won't see Heineken Pils everywhere in the world, but Bernard Světlý ležák. Sadly, we do not live in this timeline

 

One day a few years ago I walked into my local Rewe near Bamberg and they had installed a World Beer section with Duvel and Delirium Tremens. It was a magical moment. Sadly It also had lots of nonsense like supposedly Australian beers which simply don't exist just with a label with a picture of a crocodile or something. It tried too hard to have beers from every country. Anyway, I bought all the belgians. Nearly everything else sat there for months. It's not there anymore...

 

Grimbergen & Brooklyn Brewery recently got a Distribution Deal with Carlsberg Germany.
Grimbergen Blonde/Double & Brooklyn Lager/EC IPA are available in most bigger Supermarkets now (Sky,Real etc.) in 4 packs

 

Yeah, I've noticed this recently as well.

There are actually some Rewes here that stock Belgian beers, stuff like Duvel, Kasteel, and Achouffe.


A bit more on-topic, will be trying the Monroe SHIPA today - this might be interesting as I'm not aware that I've ever tried a beer with that hop variety in it. Also: Is anyone aware why Braukunstkeller changed their name - were there copyright issues involved again or was this just a redesign move?

 

That would explain it. No revolution then.

 

They declared Bankruptcy in January and contract brew at Hofmark Brauerei now.

http://www.hopfenhelden.de/himburgs-braukunstkeller/

 

Grimbergen is a Heineken Brand anyway

 

That was what I was hinting at with my comment earlier, Grimbergen is from Alken-Maes, owned by Heineken, Bernard belongs to Duvel. And I'd say the difference between a Grimbergen blonde and a Duvel is as striking as the difference between a proper Bernard Svetly and a Heineken Pils

 

1. Monroe hops are a new German hop that I've tried on one of my beers recently. It's from the Barth Haas Group of hop growers in Hallertau, Bavaria. Here's the marketing speak from their website.

The new hop variety Monroe established itself similarly extravagant as who it was named after. With an alpha content of only 2.5 % and an oil content of 0.95 ml/100 g, Monroe showcases itself at the beginning as mild and smooth. When
you add the hop to a beer, then she shows her true colors: exactly like everyone remembers Marilyn Monroe in a red dress. A guise full of red aromas. In the nose, there are wonderful raspberry notes supplemented with orange syrup and added to this in the taste is the sweet taste that reminds one of summer and cherries.

But when you let this variety loose on a beer, it turns into a knockout in red (aromas).
​

Actually, I read it was supposed to taste like apricot and cream (Sahne) when I bought it.

Here's a quote from Hopfenstoper Monroe, which I took from the Craft-beerShop page. Is this the SHIPA you're talking about?


Here's the blurb from that site which I've translated:

The interesting thing about the hop stopper Monroe, a single-hop Imperial Pale Ale, is the type of hops used for this. Monroe is more precisely a wild hop from the USA, which was recently grown here in the Hallertau by Hopfzüchter Josef Wittmann. The tiny crop quantity of just 160 kg in 2014 shows how rare and thus exclusive this hop is really.

The Hopfenstoper Monroe comes with a whole range of fruity aromas. In the glass, the gold-orange hue with a slight cloudiness and the white foam crown makes you want more. In the nose of the connoisseur, aromas of raspberry, strawberry, caramel and orange peel unfold. The aromas of yoghurt, cherry ice cream and apricot are noticeable in the front of the palate. The bitterness is very gentle and can only be clearly seen in the finish.​

Anyway, in my beer it had a huge whipped cream flavor and slight apricot... a very interesting beer.

2. Braukunstkeller had financial difficulties. Long story short, at least it was how Alex Himburg told it to me this last April at the FfM Craft Beer Fest, he got in bed with an investor who basically fleeced him and the company blind, and he a) couldn't use the name Braukunstkeller , and b) nor could he use the logo. Hence the name change to Himburgs Braukunstkeller, which you find at his new website. He also left his digs in Michelstadt in the Spessart south of Frankfurt and moved to München. He was able to keep the name of his great brands of IPA, the Mandarina, the Laguna, and my favorite, the Amarsi IPAs. They still taste just as good, and is are still in my top 5 of the German IPA style.
I like his new logo.


Speaking of Himburgs Braukunstkeller, during the last FfM Crafbier Fest 2 weeks ago, I had a new beer of his, a collaboration brew with Welde Bräu, which I found fantastic: Das Pepper Pils.

It uses black and red (actually, they say rosa, which is pink) peppers with slight flavors of grapefruit and mango. It was super peppery in a good way and quite refreshing... one of the best beers of the Fest.

 

No, I was talking about the SHIPA series by Kehrwieder. Which is a local brewery here in Hamburg operated by Oliver Wesseloh. Now that I've tried it, it didn't have any cream flavors or anything of the like but it was just a really fruity IPA. I liked it but I gotta admit I liked pretty much all of his SHIPAs that I've tried.
​

That's interesting, I didn't know about the whole investor thing - I just knew the company went bankrupt. I guess fleeced as you put it meant he got scammed, that sounds not so cool. It's cool that he still operates, though. I also think highly of his IPAs albeit not being a fan of his ridiculously expensive BA series.

Have you tried this one? I would definitely be interested in you doing a review of that one (I currently have the BA Bock lying around and have had this Pils recommended to me quite a few times).

I tend to be a bit wary with "super exotic" things winding up in my beer. I really didn't like the From Asia With Love by Pax Bräu (disclaimer: I loved everything else I've tried from him).

Also: Nice to see you around here again!

 

That Monroe seems pretty interesting. I was really happy with the Hopfenstopfer Himmels Weisse I got to try last year. It tasted like one of the better "new school" hoppy beers coming out of the US. I'd trust them with an unusual hop. Although the idea of yogurt on the nose doesn't sound very appealing for a beer like that!

 

Thanks for asking. I had it at the FfM Craft Bier Fest 3 weeks ago. It was exactly as advertised: a really peppery, as in black peppers, Pils. It was a little dry and very süffig. I don't remember tasting much of the Pils in the beer, at least not much Pilsner malt, and the hops were not that strong. Nonetheless, the pepperiness wasn't overpowering, just enough to tell it there and you had to take notice, but it unfortunately negated some of the subtle Pils flavors.

Apropos Pax Bräu's From Asia with Love: I loved it, both last year's and this year's version. Lemon grass, Habenero chilis, ginger, and quite a good deal of hops.

 

Mhm, sounds interesting. But I'm not sure whether that'd be my style. I did like a sour Pils I tried from To Ol on tap, though. It didn't negate the Pilsner notes though.

Speaking of which, can you tell me anything about stuff like the Bocks or IPAs made by Pax Bräu? Because, as I said, I usually really like his stuff.

 

This is the Kaufhof at the edge of Marienplatz in 1986......

 

And there is that peruvian band that seemed to be in every city in Europe in the early 1990s! Man, how many times did I hear them playing El Cóndor Pasa

 

Wow -- I don't remember the Kaufhof wearing serapes at all!