Fastenbier

I'm always (pleasantly) surprised at how dry/hoppy many Franconian beers are. Of course, that doesn't stop the (typically U.S. beer geek) calls for "German brewers" to add moar HOPS!!!

 

The Victory is another I haven't seen around here yet either, but Victory has a pretty good beer finder on its web sight and it hasn't shown the Lager anywhere near 50 miles from me since they announced it would be more available.

 

For whatever reason I never noticed the hoppiness of the Märzen or the Urbock, or at least not like I did last night with the Fastenbier. Schlenkerla's website lists the IBU's for all its beers....except the Fastenbier...

I'm looking forward to finishing them. At the pub itself these beers slid down my throat, not sure what was up with me last night.

 

At the pub they were how far from the brewery? And it wasn't Pasteurized, bottled, packaged, trucked to a port, shipped across an ocean, reloaded to a truck... just sayin'.

 

Plus served via Bayerischer Anstich from the wooden keg. Say what you will, but this makes a difference. Or, to put it another way, I have frequently refused to drink the Maerzen from the bottle after the last wooden keg of the night was drained. Yep...that big of a difference IMO.

 

The difference sure is remarkable. I don't know if they do it at the Schlenkerla tap, i bet not, but at my favorite Wirtshaus, Brauerei Heckel in Waischenfeld (they do not bottle their beatyfull juice of wonder they simply call bier) I always handeld them an empty 1,0 or 1,5 l plastic water bottle to fill up to take home and enjoy there. This works really well for short distances.

 

Snob.

 

Thought for sure you'd blame the mug!

 

Yeah, well -- mis-trademarked steins can cause a problem, but at least it's from the same country!

 

According to the information on the importer’s website (B. United International), Schlenkerla Fastenbier has 32 IBUs:

“Specifications

Alc./Vol.:

5.5 %

Plato:

14.5

IBU:

32

EBC:

52”

http://www.bunitedint.com/information/brands/description/83/

Cheers!

 

So now that I've done same country, perhaps next I'll do my Spezial Keller steinkrug (same region) and then my Schlenkerla Dopplebock tulip (same brewer), with a Fancy Pants Glass thrown in for good measure. I'll report back my results!

 

Well, the more I thought about it I remembered most of those glass Maßkrug are made in Austria, aren't they? Sort of the same region, I guess. And the speak the same language... kinda'.

This might cause some problems because they're such close rivals -- think about a Yankees fan using a Red Sox glass -- or a Packers fan drinking from a Bears mug.

Probably your best bet.

That's just showing off, but as long as it's not some English or Belgian vessel!

 

Or a shaker pint!

 

I am just overcompensating to hide the hurt of not having the actual proper mug for this beer, which is just a beautiful glass:

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152601456446594

Score! This place is local to me, and whenever they get a beer in, my regular shop closer to me gets it in that week or the next typically.

Fastenbier here I come!

 

Get some for me, would'ja?

 

Take 2

 

Nice. But the big question, of course, how'd this one taste?