Hamburg Suggestions?

I've only been there once a few years ago, so my experience is quite limited. I had one evening at the Galopper des Jahres pub, which has a decent selection of craft on tap. Also had a few pints at the Altes Mädchen, which is affiliated with the (very) local Ratsherrn brewery. There is also a bottle shop right next door. Nothing too astonishing, but worth visiting. I think the scene has a developed a bit since, so I would imagine there are a few newer options available. Hopefully someone more local will chime in. But it is a very fun city, so I doubt you will suffer for options.

 

Hey there! There are some local breweries that are woth checking out- Überquell is located next to the Fischmarkt, and has some interesting beers, and a Pilsner like I never had before. Landgang Brauerei also has some good beers, I like ther double IPA. You can also try Baby Goat, they also have a pub where you can try their beers. I also can recommend Altes Mädchen, that is for sure worth checking out. If you are rather interested in a place where you can buy beer, go to Braustättchen am Fischmarkt, they have a lot of beers, including local beers. They also offer beer tasting events. Another interesting place is Gröninger Braukeller, they are famous for the Pils.
Personally, I also like the Haifischbar, directly on the Elbe. They don´t have fancy beer, but I like that you can have a beer while observing what happens on the Elbe- like seeing container ships pass, or cruis ships. They do have a "house brand" as well, however, I think that they don´t brew it on their own, but have it brewed in some brewery.
In case you are interested in having some real Franconian beers in Hamburg, I can recommend Papenheimer Wirtschaft- I go there sometimes, as I am a "Franconian in Hamburg exile"
If you need any more information, let me know what you are interested in specifically, I live here and can maybe provide some input.

 

You have piqued my interest, what is unique/special about the Überquell Pilsner?

Prost!

 

They use Polaris hops, which I have never had before in a Pilsner. Their Pilsner thus is not too bitter, but has a nice fruity and bit minty taste. At least for me that was very unique for a Pilsner.

 

Thanks for that input.

I have been homebrewing beer for over 25 years but this is the first time I have taken note of Polaris hops. From the below linked article it appears this is a relatively new hop: “Since its release in 2012…”

It also has quite an intriguing description:

“Aroma & Sensory Description:

Polaris is an interesting combination of fruity, citrusy and spicy notes, and it blows both Cascade and Hallertau Mittelfruh out of the water on all three of these characteristics. Most often it is noted as having a spicy fruit element of citrus and pineapple, along with floral whispers. It also has a unique “fresh” menthol, minty character; varyingly described as wintergreen, ice candy, winter mints, and ice wine. Bittering can be intense but usually remains clean.”

A very interesting mix of aromas/flavors.

https://learn.kegerator.com/polaris-germanys-high-alpha-special-flavor-hop/

Kudos to Überquell for ‘thinking outside the box’ while brewing their Pilsner.

Prost!

 

Interesting perception, since that hop is supposed to have a very high alpha acid content.

Love to try it. Do the malt characters stand up and get noticed?

 

I'm not surprised by this. ÜberQuell is fairly new and beers are evolving in Germany fairly rapidly now. As long as they have customers who are willing to try new things the newer breweries, and to a certain extent the older breweries as well, will continue to move forward. One of the things that I find interesting about this beer, and it's very German, is that they spent two years developing the recipe to get it to where it is today. Most American brewers will only do one or two revisions and that's it.

 

Well...there are some popular US craft breweries (e.g., Other Half) who do zero revisions from a brand name perspective. They crank out completely new brands (from a brand name perspective) every week.

Of course some people (cynics?) might retort these beers are SBDL (Same Beer Different Label).

Cheers!

 

To buy beers to take home, I can recommend Beer Spezi Hoheluft, in Hoheluftchaussee 117. A recommended beer bar is Alles Elbe in Hein-Hoyer Strasse 63.

 

@JackHorzempa Polaris hops came out with Mandarina Bavaia and Hallertau Blanc. I used it once and didn’t care for the menthol/wintergreen thing it has. Stan Hieronimus talked about it, it is also know for huge bines and 3000 lb/acre yield along with the very high AA.

 

Jeff, yesterday I read in the latest issue of Zymurgy that Birrificio Italiano in their beer Delia: “a low-ABV Pilsner using Polaris as an aroma hop”.

Are you aware of any US craft brewed Pilsners that utilize Polaris for aroma?

Cheers!

 

No, none that i know.

I saw that too. Im not sure that is the aroma i want in a Pilsner.

 

My wife grows mint in her garden and I am a fan of mint. The only 'application' I have come up to use the mint is to make mojitos which is a cocktail I enjoy drinking.

Cheers to mojitos!!