Fastenbier

I would argue that due to bottle conditioning and not so much emphasis on the hops, freshness is not so much of a factor as with the Märzen, as long as it is stored properly.
One more question on this topic, because I have a weird suspicion: Is Weizen in the US less common than Eiche??
Because in its home region it sure is the other way round, at least it was when I lived there. You could get the Weizen even in some better Supermarkets, but Eiche was as rare as a hen's tooth, I only was able to get it at Cafe abseits.

 

I got to partake today as well.


Brauerei Heller Trum - Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier by imbibehour, on Flickr

I do enjoy it, I prefer the Marzen and Eiche much more, but it's supper creamy on tap and I could just drink a lot of it in a sitting.

I have seen it online to purchase, at about 6 a bottle, but I am not that desperate. I am trying to get my beer guy though to get a hold of it. I am seeing it show up in other pics in this thread and the other Heller Trum's show up regularly so I am crossing my fingers.

 

I just noticed my review is really old... still probably true to my impressions, but I'll certainly be up for bottles of this in the future for a re-review for sure.

 

Your post reminded me even in the bottle the mouthfeel was creamy in this beer. More so than any of the other Schlenkerla beers I've sampled. And your picture does a good job of displaying the head in this beer. It simply wouldn't quit, and had an almost cask look to it in my glass virtually the entire time I was drinking it.

 

I asked the owner of one of our local bars if he would be getting a keg of the Fastenbier. He said that he had ordered one, but there was recently a change in local distributors and the keg orders fell through the cracks. Maybe next year.

 

I love that the bottle is purple, which is the proper liturgical color for the season of Lent.

My local watering hole (Armsby Abbey in Worcester) has it on tap right now. I have yet to score a bottle (or two or three) but I am hoping to be able to taste them in close succession. I also brewed my own clone version this year which nearly everyone in my homebrew club thought was too smokey, so I think it was probably just about right, since none of them are fans of Rauchbieren.

Speaking of which, Armsby Abbey had a smoked beer and smoked meat dinner recently but had to cancel it because of a lack of interest. They sell out every other special event they have almost instantly, which leads me to believe that the predictions of smoked beers becoming the next big thing are probably not going to come true any time soon.

 

Based upon the number of folks that I have seen that express a negative opinion of Smoked Beer I think you are correct here.

Cheers!

 

The first time I ever had a smoked beer, I thought it was terrible. It was Kaiserdom's Rauchbier that was imported by Merchant du Vin, so maybe it was.



In June, I'll be making my third trip to Bamberg in less than 5 years, so I guess my taste has evolved.

 

Jerry, smoked beer is not for everybody.

I suppose it could be argued it could be an acquired taste but since some folks are so viscerally turned off by some of the smokey flavors in smoked beer I don't know if this is indeed the case.

Cheers!

 

Can't blame MdV -- they brought us Sam Smith and Celebrator! But yeah, I remember the Kaiserdom being pret-tee harsh.

 

Speaking of which, that label looks an awful lot like the Sam Smiths labels. I wonder if MdV had them all designed for the olde-worlde beers that they commissioned for import to the US?

 

Yeah, that was Charlie Finkel of MdV -- fancied himself a latter day Lucian Bernard.

 

Posted in Hauls thread to offset all the IPA and Lambic. Tomorrow will be a good day!

 

Let us know what you think! Have you had it before?

 

Only the Marzen and doppelbock. My understanding is that this is the first year for bottles in the US.

 

Was in bed with my mouth watering so can't wait until tomorrow. Please excuse the amateur review. It has been over a year since fresh Marzen so will not compare. I find this beer to be glorious! The smoke is subdued but aroma and taste have excellent "meaty" characteristic. Mouthful is delicious char and malt, 8 oz down in no time! I think another is in order.

 

True. It has made it here in kegs before, though, so I thought I'd ask. Enjoy!

 

And Aass!

I'm with you on the Kaiserdom- harsh is exactly how I remember it (at the Peculier Pub, in Manhattan). Then again, who knows how long those bottles sat around back in the 80s? It wasn't until Rauchenfels became available a few years later that I caught on to the style.

 

Well, my first bottle was from the MdV Midwest rep, so I hope he had the fresh stuff!

 

Yes, but you may have been to Germany!