Von Trapp Brewing (2019)

I'll take a 4 pack please, thanks.
Is it a smoked version of Octoberfest?

 

Their smoked dark lager: a seasonal pleasure

 

Most likely in 6 packs too.

 

In honor of National Lager Day, we'd like to introduce our newest addition - This Classic German Kellerbier.

• Our Kellerbier (cellar beer) is a smooth drinking, unfiltered, German classic lager, that is naturally cloudy and vitamin-rich.
  
• Grüngeist (translation: Green Ghost) hops gives our Keller a unique combination of peach and passion fruit balanced with traditional noble hops. Dry hopping this beer lends a hint of lemon and floral essence in the aroma.
• COMING SOON:
  • #VT, #NH, #ME, #MA, #NY, #RI, #CT,#NJ , #VA, #PA

 

I feel like "Kellerbier" is the new "DDH". Not necessarily complaining, the more lagers the better, but I feel as if this is being overused a bit. But whatever, if it tastes good, that's cool with me.

Although I'm a bit skeptical about this part...

 

If any brewery in US should be making a Kellerbier, it's these guys. Not running with a trend, just making the killer lagers they make. I'm gonna grab a 6pk this weekend luckily.

 

I don't think they're being gimmicky, but just slapping "Keller" on something leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion, since it's not a style.

I like how Jack's Abby has a whole "Kellerbier Series" and then has what the beer is for the second part of the name (well vice-versa if you look at the cans).

Like "Fire in the Ham Kellerbier", ok, it's an unfiltered Rauchbier.

 

You mean from a marketing perspective?

I've been saying it's the next big thing in terms of proliferation of style for a couple years now and it really hasn't happened.

 

I'd rather drink a Kellerbier from Von Trapp or a similar brewery rather than a brewery that focuses on hazy IPAs & sours doing it because its a trend.

 

You don’t think there’s more of them now than say, a few years ago?

I don’t think they’ll be “the next big thing” like New England IPAs, but I’d argue breweries are making more Kellerbiers.

Oh, I completely agree, which is why I said, “Not necessarily complaining, the more lagers the better...”

 

There are no doubt more of them, but I thought many more breweries were going to make them because it allowed brewers to have hazy lagers and to produce them on a shorter turnaround. That's something even the IPA factories can get behind, no? There's definitely more of them, but not to the extent that I had thought there would be.

 

I wish I could think that way ... the experiences I've had over the past year or so from breweries that have no idea how to brew a proper European lager have been awful. Sadly their fans lap it up because they don't know what flaws are because they've been drinking muddy beers with hip names and labels. I'd say around half the lagers I've tried from non-lager small breweries have been flawed or worse.

 

Yikes. Is that strictly from breweries in the NE area? Or does that include your travels all around the country and/or from festivals that bring far flung places together?

 

Around 1/2 in the NE and 1/2 elsewhere in the US. Not surprising at all ... a decade or so ago when everyone was in to Saisons and Belgian style beers there was a lot of stuff brewed in the US that was sub-par ... Thankfully there was a lot that was really good as well.

 

Well said, I couldn't agree with this more. Someone has to get on properly importing proper European stuff. I'm a huge supporter of buying local everything but when it comes to lagers I have no problem buying stuff that came across the ocean. Von Trapp fills a good void though and does an awesome job.

 

Thanks. Generally speaking, do you think we're a bit spoiled in this area with Jack's Abby, Notch, and Von Trapp (just to mention the most focused and widely distributed examples) or do most regions now have a "backbone" of decent lager makers to go along with the sub-par stuff?

 

They still have to lager the beers, I don't think they can crank out a Kellerbier in two weeks.

I actually feel like US brewer's have made great strides with lagers in the last few years. And one way to look at it is, there's more lagers in general. So even if half of them are subpar, there's still more above average to great US lagers today than there were say 10 years ago.

But I do agree, there are simply some terrible lagers out there. Specifically I find myself really disappointed in local Oktoberfests. The imports still kick the crap out of US versions of Oktoberfests. I think this is the best season to compare imports vs. US too, because this is the only time of the year you're guaranteed to find fresh(er) imports.

There are some locals that make stellar lagers in my opinion. Notch specifically is amazing.

 

I'm not Jason, but in my limited travels the last two years I've found this to be the case.

In St. Louis there's Urban Chestnut, and in Austin there's Live Oak. And apparently ABGB (Austin Beer Garden Brewing) is also incredible. Fairly upset I missed going there.

 

I definitely agree with that, for me philadelphia area. I guess I was just saying as a whole. But yea, I think we're trending positive, more lagers is better. The more these places brew them the better they'll get. Heck, these European places have been doing this for decades or more. A lot of the small local places just opened up within the past 5 years or so. Notch is still one place I haven't tried that I'd love to.