New Beer Weekend #298

A blast from the past?

Today’s new beer is Gretz German Pilsner.

I once again attended the annual German Bierfest which is held at the Pennsylvania German Society at 6th & Spring Garden streets in Philadelphia (February 27th).

https://www.phillybierfest.org/

There are lots of beers at this event, both German brewed and US brewed. According to the booklet there were about 40 German brewed beers and over 70 US brewed beers. Too many brands to try them all but I got my fair share.

I wrote a ‘trip report’ for a friend who could not make it to the event and a snippet from that report:

“I had a conversation with the guy selling Gretz beer: Kyler Gretz. Gretz is an old time Philly brewery (closed in the early 1960s) and Kyler along with his father is trying to revive this beer brand.”

I had a small sample pour of Gretz beer but I was so busy chatting I neglected to ask what type of beer it was. I think it was a Helles.

But today’s beer is the Gretz German Pilsner available on draft at Local 44 beer bar/restaurant in West Philly.

Served in a shaker pint glass:

Appearance:

Straw yellow colored with a one finger white head.

Aroma:

A combination of is bready/cracker-like Pilsner Malt aroma and hops aromas of herbal/spicy.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with bready/cracker-like malt with herbal/spicy flavors from the hops. There is a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall:

I enjoyed drinking this beer, it is very good – excellent. A ‘bonus’ is that this beer was priced economically at only $4 a pint.

I hope to be able to purchase these beers in cans at my local beer retailer(s) in the near future.

Cheers!

@John_M @jonphisher @BeerCruncher

P.S. The reincarnation of Gretz Brewery is very new (opened in October 2025). You can learn more here:

https://breweriesinpa.com/generatio...-revives-a-historic-philadelphia-beer-legacy/

 

I listened to a podcast (Can you brew this I think) hosted by Augie Carton and John Holl with Kyler Gretz. It sounds like his plan is to first distribute (self distribute?) in Philly first and if that goes well expand beyond Philly. No specific mention of New Jersey.

Cheers!

 

My first review of a Malt Liquor, DKML by Founders. This beats the standard Malt Liquors i tried many years ago by a lot.



3.94/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A strong pour released two fingers of light beige soapy foam that quickly turns fizzy, a thin film lasts, no lacing. Clear dark amber body, gold-amber in sunlight.

Bold smell of alcohol (bourbon mostly, faint astringent fuel-like booze) with over caramelized brown sugar and some grainy malt.

Big taste of booze, somehow moderated and exsentuated by barrel aging. Sweet taste (almost burnt sugar) at first with high bitterness, then the booze adds heat and it becomes semi-dry dry. A "Traditional" Malt Liquor taste emerges after the hot booze and over cooked caramel subsides. The aftertaste reminds me of the high ABV.

Medium bodied with lasting carbonation, a sipper with a few gulps after i got used to it. Alcohol from the brew and the bourbon heat and flavor almost balance the burnt sugar. Much effort went into elevating this brew.

 

Not only a great selection of beer but the food there is very good to excellent as well. And reasonably priced IMO. A very good/excellent beer for 4 bucks, woohoo!!

Cheers!

 

Great open, @jonphisher - that's a brewery I see all the time and haven't really explored. They should be firmly on my radar given the styles they brew and the history.

We've been super busy with music activities the last couple weeks and I missed last week entirely - didn't even read the thread until Tuesday or Wednesday. Hand bell maintenance has started taking a lot of time - we use them a lot with different groups/skill levels, they are older bells, and wear parts are doing what they do - failing at the worst moments - so trying to get ahead on rebuilding and adjusting. It's fun and exacting, precision work. Definitely needs a dedicated work space - my lap ain't cutting it!

I'm also running low on new to me beers since we haven't been out doing and recreational shopping, but I will rummage through the collection and see what I can find - there's gotta be at least one victim! One more day of extra "performances" at church then we get a breather before the show chorus concert week... We will be off to Maine for a few days in April, so hello Barreled Souls (I made it onto the Barrel Society this year) and Tully's for restocking new brews!

Play nice, enjoneand talk about those new beers, and Happy Easter to those who celebrate.

 

Fiddlehead IPA, last of the beers I ordered from Half Time weeks ago:


Appearance: Cloudy yellow, big head.

Smell: Danky, citrus, hint of onion.

Taste: Starts bitter, and stays on the bitter side. Citrus rind, somewhat high acidity. Medium bodied. Stays bitter through the finish.

Overall: Very interesting beer, looks like your typical hazy but tastes like an old school bitter hop bomb. Not punishingly bitter but definitely more bitterness than most IPAs these days, I like it!

 

3.23/5 rDev -1.2%

look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 12 ounce can marked 26 265 (which I can only assume is a best by date of 9-22-26) into a tulip glass at 46.4 degrees F.

Appearance- Deep gold, very hazy, plentiful small visible particulate, white creamy head, average head retention and lacing.

Aroma- Candied orange, biscuit, pineapple, pine, medium strength of scent.

Flavor- Candied orange, biscuit, pine, pineapple, between weak and medium strength of flavor.

Mouthfeel- Between thin and medium body, average carbonation, highly bitter, moderately creamy, mildly mouth warming, mildly mouth coating, moderately astringent, moderately dry finish.

Overall- Deep gold and very hazy with plentiful small visible particulate and average head retention and lacing. The bouquet was a mix of candied orange, biscuit, pineapple and pine at medium strength. The flavor followed the nose but had less intensity and a watery character. The mouthfeel consisted of between thin and medium body with high bitterness, moderate astringency and a moderately dry finish. Overall, this beer had too much malt character not enough flavor intensity, too much bitterness for the style and a finish that was too dry. Also, the aromatics and flavor needed something to balance out the woody citrus/pine character.

 

Cheers to @jonphisher for the great opening.

Was in training all week at work. Much drama swirling around me. Oh, also received my first actual prescription glasses from the VA. Had been limping by on readers for almost 18 years. I got one pair for close in & another for driving. They wanted to do bi-focals. Tried those with readers damn near died walking into stuff. Will take some getting used to. I noticed the sharper details on signage & such or even looking at clouds.

Dogfish head Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager, 5.3% ABV; 3.89 overall

Pours a bright & effervescent gold with 2 fingers of eggshell colored head. Minimal head retention & lacing

S: Some lemon, gets stronger once warmer, some perfumy hops & green melon as well

T: Doughy, lemongrass, lime & lemon & a little dryness up front, some white pepper notes. Some grainy notes. makes think millet, perhaps the Fonio ( first time for me, I believe ), white grape, sweet bread & crackery notes with the citrus taking a backseat once this beer warms up, more white pepper as well. Finishes with a little melon, lemons, crackery dry notes & white pepper

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation

Great drinkability, usually rice is the kiss of death for me, but this is well put together & worthy of being in my hot weather rotation

 

Deschutes Symphonic Chronic West Coast IPA, 9% ABV; 3.87 overall

Pours an ever so slightly chill-hazed gold with a thumb of rocky ivory colored head. Doesn't quite drop bright, great head retention & better lacing

S: Some citrus, a little pine, biscuitty malt notes, nose was a bit of a letdown, not chronic at all

T: A little pine, some caramel, some grapefruit & orange plus dryness up front. Orange, caramel, pine & dryness as this beer warms up, a bit of green melon too. Fishes a bit dry with some orange, pine, breadyness & caramel

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, nice balance

Good DIPA was hoping for better from these guys though, drinks very easy, purists may find it a bit sweet. I find it a decent counter balance. Dangerous drinkability

 

Thanks for the inviting opening, @jonphisher

At the beginning of the week my boss worked on a project I was supposed to tackle but had too many other projects with tighter deadlines. Yesterday I ended up redoing that project because he didn't do a very good job on it. Ah well.

Anyway, it's Friday night, and time to move on to the first New Beer of the weekend.



Fort George Daybreak Drifters
Amber pale ale in collaboration with ForeLand Beer, McMinnville, OR

"Amber pale ale," you say? I can't recall hearing that description before. I am intrigued.

The color is a striking amber-gold. The somewhat loose head of off-white foam shows good retention and deposits bountiful lacing. The nose opens with toasty malt and a punch of resiny and citrusy hops. Flavor matches, leading with good malt flavor that's quite dry. The beer establishes its pale ale credentials early as orange peel and pine shove the malt aside pretty much immediately. Some hints of caramel and roasted malt break through in the middle. There's also a touch of black tea with a drop of honey. Bitterness keeps both hands on the wheel and a heavy foot on the gas right to the end, where a toasty malt character reminds us this is an amber pale ale. Light-medium body with eager carbonation and a quenching finish.

When I bought the beer I was wondering, "What's the difference between an "amber pale ale" and a "hoppy amber ale"? I'm not sure I can answer that question. But there's no question that this is a tasty beer. It's unbalanced on the side of bitterness and I'm good with that. I wouldn't mind an extra morsel of sweetness to tie the malt and hops together.

 

Loved your open @jonphisher and hope you have a nice weather week during your Spring Break. Need to check out Local 44 next Philly trip @JackHorzempa . That DKML was one of the strongest beers I’ve ever felt @Amendm , even though I can regularly handle stronger ABV BA offerings like the one I’m opening now, plus the other two new to me beers left in my stash.

Was going to crack this open after the Sox game, but just wanted to crash, as going to games these days between the commute, freezing cold and running around takes a lot out of me. I don’t buy many pastry stouts these days, preferring barrel only, or coffee or coconut for ones with additives. However, I love Baklava, so hoping this one works out as great as the desert.

Goose Island Beer Company Proprietor's Bourbon County Brand Stout (2025) (Bottled October 15, 2025, 9:23 AM)

4.4/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5



Full review linked above. This beer tasted very much like baklava. The bourbon emerges after 20+ minutes. It drinks much easier than expected for 13.9% offering, but I still have half of the bottle left. Cinnamon the one unexpected flavor, but pistachio, honey and walnuts the star of the show. If you like baklava, this beer is for you.

Will see where my mood is tomorrow for a home, bar or brewery selection. Cheers!