Bayernbiere Bought and Drunk

I had my first one of the year too.
I don't find much fruit in there, but the rest is spot on.

 

I rolled into my favorite pub yesterday (this place) and discovered they now had fresh St. Georgen Kellerbier on tap. I didn't know that beer even made it to the US, but I found it to be delightful. Rich and malty that never gets old sip after sip. I've only ever had that beer in Bamberg and while not that fresh, it was still delightful.

 

I used to get it all the time back in the '90s, but I haven't seen it since.

 

It's not big fruit like you'd find in a warm-fermented ale or Imperial Stout, it's more from rich, sweet malts and it's only right in the aftertaste and finish -- not very big and imposing.

Then again -- my bottles traveled overseas and were probably Pasteurized, so who knows how different our beers might be?

 

I love St. Georgen's Kellerbier and a lot of their other Range.

 

Article about a Bamberg-area traditional brewery restarting operations:

https://www.infranken.de/regional/artikel_fuer_gemeinden/meilenstein-im-sudhaus;art154303,3351470

 

I picked up a sixer of this over the weekend and we're just trying this now. I'm not a big fan of Hefeweizens but I'm enjoying this. A nice hoppy balance and not a lot of clove/banana.

I'm on my second!

 

That typical Weizen clove and banana are there, but that balance of American hops makes it a (nicely) different take on the style.

 

Curious that you guys like it. I nearly poured the last half down the sink. The hop profile ruined it for me. Opened a "regular" Weihenstephan Hefe-Weissbier and was happy again.

 

I can understand that, but I was happy that it wasn't a complete over-hopped mess. To me they made something different than the typical Hefeweizen and didn't take it to a crazy extreme.

I also notice you said "nearly," something kept you interested.

 

For me, Braupakt isn't exactly a drain pour but I'm not much of a fan. Last weekend had a couple (good) American attempts at an authentic weissbier and enjoyed them way more.
I have 3 bottles left and I'll probably end up leaving them for my wife. She likes it more than I do.
There is just something about esters (and/or phenols) and heavy handed hopping that doesn't work for me. Maybe something like citra or galaxy might work, but nothing I've had so far.

 

Picked up two bottles of Schlenkerla Weizen today from Centrale Shop Newcastle train station. Currently chilling and I’ll attack later.

Enjoyed loads of their beers but oddly never this one so can’t wait.

 

Funny how we all have our own perception of "heavy-handed hopping." In my opinion I've had many more heavy-handed hopped beers in the name of "innovation" than the Braupakt.

 

I mainly only consider it heavy handed for the style. To me, any beers that have lots of esters and/or phenols end up smelling like grocery store perfume when lots of hops are added. Most American-style IPA's use fairly neutral yeasts, so I don't mind that. I'd rather drink something like La Cumbre Elevated (with 100+ IBU's) than any hopped up weissbier or Belgian IPA/Pale.

 

I understand completely and honestly expected to feel the way you do about Braupakt (not being a high-hop fan at all), but I was surprised and impressed with how they worked the recipe to balance the hops to the Weizen yeast -- at least to my tongue.

 

I agree, but I also really enjoyed a few nightcap half-liters of draft Schneider Hopfenweisse on my last couple trips to Munich. That said, I haven't tried the Braupakt yet and probably won't based on the various reviews in this thread, which I appreciate.

 

For what this is worth, I'd had 2 Braupakts set aside to see if the hop character faded with time. I tried one over the weekend and found it a little more mellow than it had been -- I still wouldn't call it a traditional Weizen, but it was a little more balanced on my palate.

To all that, I still enjoyed it for what it was; probably the first experimental cross of cultures I've ever really found intriguing and worth attention as I was drinking.

 

Now that i'm having it again i gotta give props to Kulmbacher Edelherb Pils.
I'm not constantly sorrounded by great franconian Beer, so having Kulmbacher always available is fantastic.
It has everything i want in a Pils, grassy,herbal,lemon, light malt base (no overbearing grain).

 

Drinking Schlenkerla Kräusen which was released as a limited release at the monopoly this month. I was excited and surprised to see it in a release since I did not realize that it was also a bottled product. So I take it this is their Hell kräusened with their Märzen in some unknown ratio, which gives it a more amber hue compared with the Hell. Aromawise it is certainly reminding me of the Märzen moreso than the Hell, with a distinct smokiness as opposed to the predominant pale maltiness of the Hell. It smells rich in flavor and the taste is quite rich as well, with a soft malt sweetness combined with hop bitterness and beechwood smoke (though the smoke is certainly less prominent, and the beer lacks the roasted note found in the Märzen). The carbonation was quite lively when poured into the glass but it's not sharp thanks to the fuller mouthfeel. I love the fact that it's 4.5% yet has such a full flavor, and it just goes to show how a lager beer can benefit from a lower degree of attenuation, especially when it is balanced by the hops as in this case. Another great beer from Schlenkerla.

 

Patrik,

My read from the Schlenkerla website is that Krausen in bottles is a very new thing:

“Schlenkerla News:

Schlenkerla Kräusen unfiltered available in the brewery tavern from June 1st onwards. NEW in 2018: Kräusen is also bottled and available in well sorted retailers and in the Schlenkerla Online Shop”

https://www.schlenkerla.de/indexe.html

Also from the website:

“Aecht Schlenkerla Kräusen is an amber-colored, unfiltered lager beer with beautiful malt flavors and a slight smokiness. It matures for months in the deep rock cellars underneath the Schlenkerla brewery and is krausened with Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier just before kegging. Quaffable and with a pleasantly moderate level of alcohol, Aecht Schlenkerla Kräusen is an ideal refreshment for the warmer months.

Data:
Original gravity: 11.5%
Alcohol: 4.5%
Bitterness: 30”

There is no specific mention that the ‘base beer’ is the Helles but the stats provided above (e.g., 4.5% ABV is pretty similar to the Helles at 4.3% ABV) indicate that it might be?

Cheers!