A favorite of mine from Enegren. Maibock. 7% ABV. Lovely wheat, biscuit, lemon, ginger, malts, hops, and a bit of earthy grass.
If I find it a bit more fresh I try it again as I'm sure it's overall taste would be slightly more pronounced. I love Dunkels that release a brown bread note.
Man alive this brew is an easy drinker. All tastes are subtle individually and together they'll soothe any thirsty soul. Andechs Festbier
Another Schwartzbier… Octopus Ink - Spotted Octopus Finally took a minute to check-out this brewery. And this beer is very comfortable. Maybe not truly to the style of traditional Schwartzbier, but that’s ok. It has roasted nuts and medium roasted malt opinion the aroma followed by ground coffee. Flavor brings that forward, within a mildly bitter-roasted malt context. Very low sweetness gives it a pleasant dryness. The finish is mild and lingering. Light body, stiff denim texture. Absolutely no presence of alcohol. Modestly fizzy carbonation. Exceptionally well suited for long afternoons with some buddies. It reminds me of the English Northern Brown Ales we used to drink while playing bocce under the trees back in NJ. BTW, if anyone is wondering, that’s a dry Ricotta, and the mildness is working nicely with the beer.
Hong Hausboot - Spotted Octopus Well, honey in a Helles seems to be a non-traditional take on the style. And, spoiler alert, no, it’s just no. To be fair I am still enjoying it, just not even remotely close to expectations. At least we get to hear some more polka!
Whooo doggie! It's been too long since my last Maibock. Ayinger Maibock is pretty stiff at 7% but it is an enjoyable brew. Prost to Maibock!
I think it’s probably my favorite that gets distributed here to the States. I do have a challenger that I’ll be revisiting on Friday. Posted here, probably.
The swing-top glass bottle really makes me feel like I’m about to get on a German train instead of NJTransit out of Penn Station.
I love those swing top bottles. Something about that pop. Göller uses those too. That a tasty Dunkel too.
Vienna Lager - Frequentem Frequentem produces some fine lagers. This one is ok, however the intensity of the Brie transforms the beer, bringing out the toasted malt and calms the astringency.
Their laggers in general are consistently pretty good. Several breweries in the Rochester and north end of the Finger Lakes area are stepping up with Lagers. I particularly enjoyed their Festbier and Czech beers. edit added map for reference.
Schönramer Hell. Hoppier than the average Helles. Nice bready malt; the subtle sweetness you get with whole grain bread, particularly. Nice stuff. While still within its BBD, it’s getting a little long in the tooth. Still really good, though. You see why Germans aren’t afraid to throw one-year windows on these things. They hold up.
