Bayernbiere Bought and Drunk

So,whats the deal with Ayingers Pils?
Is that draft only or available bottled?

 

Their website shows a bottle, so I'd assume they package it now. I'd love to try that. The first time I was there (2009) they had only just started pushing their normal helles. Interesting that they added a pils.

 

I had the Pils on draft at Speis und Trank (in 2009 coincidentally) after going on a tour of the Paulaner/H-P brewery. For my tastes, I thought it was a good pils. Definitely a southern-style pils (with a really nice malt presence) but the Hallertau hops made for a nice floral/spicy flavor with a fairly crisp finish.

 

Cross-posting from the WBAYDN thread. Say what you will about 'evil' AB-InBev, but I'm loving the fact that they can get their beers over here this fresh. The beer was bottled November 19th. It's been on the shelves at my local Total Wine for around two weeks.

 

Not dissing on your observation, but there are a lot of folks who feel quite the opposite. All markets are local, being in MN means that your area probably consumes a lot more German imports than say for example, here in CA. Also, the people who are getting it to market are the local distributor, not necessarily the importer. Do you know if the AB house also distributes Spaten in your area??

 

I think Spaten distribution has all been switched to the AB houses -- "Import Brands Alliance" pretty much cinches that. Around my area the old distributor fought it for a while (and I heard unseemly reports from many retailers about their tactics in the meantime -- one-sided, of course), but it was a losing battle.

 

Diss away, I won't take it personally.

I'm not AB/InBev's biggest fan, but I'm also not an unabashed hater like some members of this site are. I'm just giving (partial?) credit where it's due. Nothing more. I'd also like to point out that they're now including the best-by date in a form that everyone can understand, rather than just having the Julian bottling date. Their old 12-pack packaging didn't have the bottling date printed anywhere at all, and now the new one has the month/year stamped on the bottom. So, more bonus points to AB/InBev for that as well.

I understand that given the size of this country that there will be those who have different experiences than myself. I think that it logically follows that markets that consume more of an import are likely to see more of that beer, and most likely fresher too.

I need to look into that, as I'm not sure.

So let me give a hat-tip to my local distributors for not letting the beer sit in their warehouses. It's very impressive to me that it only took about a month and a half from when the beer was bottle to when it was hitting my lips. Add that to the fact that AB/InBev has clarified the freshness date (something that many 'craft' breweries don't do at all) and yes, I'm going to give them some credit.

 

Schoenramer Gruenhopfen Pils - naturbelassen, kellertrueb, utilizing wet hops from the Halltertau region.

Purchased at Bottle Shop am Mirabellplatz, Salzburg, AT, on January 29. 0.33l bottle, best before Nov. 23, 2016.

Floral noble hops, spicy, grassy, hay, touch of hop resin, hint of citrus arrives in the middle with a dry, slightly bitter finish. Clean, cracker malts = no noticeable cereal grain character. Spritzy carbonation, slick mouthfeel. A highly-drinkable, hoppy pils. Not as hoppy as Victory Prima Pils but it's going in that direction. Prost!

 

In the light of my sparking a fire under the asses of these sleepy threads: Drinking a Hofbräu Winter Spezial. I happened on one independent retailer in the area that lucked out with a case of the stuff, so far I've snapped up 2 of the sixers -- terrific stuff. HB needs to import the Delicator Doppelbock regularly, it's right in line with Optimator.

 

Scored some rather fresh Weihenstephaner Original and Hefe -- not even 3 mos old! Hey, you take what you can get out here. Also some HB Dunkel that's about a month older. Couldn't resist. Also, looks like Ninkasi has started calling their helles, Lux, Helles Belles. Can't miss a chance for a pun, I guess. Anyway, found some freshies so grabbed it too. Will report on all soon enough.

Really wish that Winter Spezial showed up here, but no dice.

 

There is an old saying of: strike while the iron is hot. The beer analogy of this is: when you are lucky enough to find relatively fresh German brewed beer, buy it!!

Cheers to your good fortune!!

P.S. Now is also a good time of the year since it is unlikely these beers were exposed to any high temperatures during the distribution chain.

 

Same here! Not having any luck finding it in the Twin Cities or western Wisconsin.

 

Wow -- that's pretty surprising. Some member from the north side of Milwaukee was bragging about his third CASE. Don't get it.

 

Not much to report these days, other than cracking into some Weihenstephaner Original and Hefe lately. The former is nice, easy drinking, but I find it sort of delicate, and it makes me think of different it must be fresh, even though I'm finding fairly fresh (3 mos.) bottles here.

The hefe is a delight as always, and it also has me thinking about all those new-fangled hazy IPAs the Northeast (and, frankly, a lot of parts of the country) are pumping out these days. With the Weihenstephaner, you really get an appreciation for the range of aromas (and flavors) a yeast strain can produce, as well as the wheat contribution. It's not just banana esters -- it's bubble gum and that sort of high fruitiness -- saturated fruitiness -- you get in some of those hazy IPAs. Sort of makes me laugh -- folks think those hazy IPAs are so innovative and different, and yet I find in them these echoes of styles that have been around forever. I also wonder, insolent though it may be, how hard it is to brew a good hefe. Frankly, I've had some pretty darn nice American ones. In turn, it makes me think about those hazy IPAs. Get yourself a big, bold, ester-rich yeast strain, throw in some big, bold, complimentarily fruity hops, skip the filtration/lagering time, and, hey, you've got the next hyped IPA! I'm exaggerating, of course -- there's much skill to brewing good hefes, hazy IPAs, etc. Just something to chew on

 

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Swedish importer of Schlenkerla was offering their Fastenbier through the monopoly this year as well and I grabbed a few bottles. I would have liked to have compared it against the Märzen similar to last year but sadly it was removed from monopoly shelves in the last year and is only available for order by the case now, which is a real shame. Oh well.

 

On the other hand, Schlenkerla's internet shop is superb and the prices just can't be beat. The delivery times to Sweden are excellent as well. Since I'm a rauchbier fiend I buy from there all the time. No need to go through the monopoly when you can go straight to the source.

 

With shipping costs included the price is pretty much equal to the monopoly for the Märzen, but I'm betting the freshness is alot better for direct orders, and then there's the variety of course. It's something to keep in mind, thanks for the suggestion.

 

That's a nice "Best before" date you have stamped on that bottle. I wish we got that in the US. I'd buy Schlenkerla more.

 

Sure, the shipping is a forced fee, but it's also a great service since it's door delivery. I do prefer not having to carry twenty 0.5 liter bottles with me on the bus . And if you want home delivery from Systembolaget you're looking at an extra cost of around 300-500 kronor. It's all a matter of perspective, and priorities, of course.

 

I realize the difference comes down to regulations and laws (and we wont go into that), but the idea of not knowing if a beer was made within the last year or if it was made 5 years ago just strikes me as absurd. It's such a simple yet helpful piece of information.