And their Pils. This was the challenger to the Rothaus I was talking about @ATL6245 A lot of gently sweet cracker malt. Almost like a dried fruit sweetness? A rush of floral hops. A basket of spicy herbs. More body than a lot of Pilsners. Almost a slick feeling on the finish. Very drinkable. To be honest, I had two in short order.
Now this is an example of a Helles style made here in the U.S. that is on par with it's German counterparts - Bierstadt Helles 4.9%. Glorious beer. Bready malt, spicy hops, and restrained bitterness. Has that nice soft mouthfeel too. Slightly sweet, yet crisp and semi-dry on the finish. Better yet, we got a fresh drop - canned 3/17/26. Even better, most of the beer heathens around me have no idea who this is nor how great the beer is, so I've got the run of the inventory! Sweet!
Amazing beer. I used to go out to Denver all the time for work before the pandemic. I remember my first session at Bierstadt vividly. Slow Pour Pils, Helles, Dunkel, seasonal Rauchbier, Slow Pour Pils. One of the better beer nights of my life.
Yeah. Ultimately, the sweet note in the Schönramer Pils is just a little too pronounced. Almost distracting. Rothaus is pretty perfect when at all fresh.
If Bierstadt was near me, I would be hard pressed to go many other places. I've had the Slow Pour and the Dunkel (and neither were quite as fresh as this Helles) and they were exceptionally good beers. Ashleigh Carter deserves a lot of credit. She is relentless in her pursuit of the best tasting beer. She did a collab German Pils with Todd DiMatteo of Good Word here in GA and it was excellent. Can't go wrong with Bierstadt.
I'm still bummed that my local bottle shop brought some in a few years ago for about six months, almost like a tease. I thought it might be a permanent fixture but once it was gone, they never ordered any more. I even begged the beer manager, but to no avail. He said it's very hard for him to get.
Good Word is great, in their own right. Threes here in NYC has brought in some of their cans and everything I’ve had has been excellent. They’ve done a couple of collabs together that have been very good, too.
Augustiner Edelstofff. I stupidly let these sit too long. Its showing its age. Still tastes fine but not as good as a month or two ago. I havr too much beer at times.
Speaking of Rothaus Pils, Cherry Street Brew Pub near me still has it on draft as a guest tap. My wife, the non-beer drinking type, asks "so what's the big deal about that beer?" Prost!
I was wondering to myself whether I actually had this beer out of this glass at Pils and Love 2024, but my memory (admittedly hazy from the 25+ Pilsners sampled that afternoon) tells me Suarez was pouring Palatine.
That's great to hear! Todd has done collabs with a number of great breweries up your way like Fox Farm, Schilling, etc. He's also a brewer who focuses on "classic" styles and is a perfectionist about it. I'm really glad to know him and his brewery is not far. We're proud of him down here. Prost!
The Goat Here is how King’s Road describes this beer on their website: “The Goat Maibock 7.3% ABV 30 IBU Meet The Goat, our 7.3% Maibock that’s here to prove it’s not just a goat, it’s the GOAT. Brewed in the traditional German style, this lager is smooth, golden, and deceptively drinkable, with a rich malt backbone and just enough hop balance to keep things in line. At 7.3% ABV, it’s got a little extra kick. So, while it may go down easy, it’s definitely not kidding around. Malty, crisp, and quietly powerful… kind of like a goat plotting its next move. Drink wisely. It climbs.” Appearance: Golden yellow with a white head. Aroma: There is notable rich malty aroma to this beer with a hint of toastiness. Taste: The flavor follows the nose with prominent flavors of rich malt, and yes some accompanying toastiness as well. There is also a hint of herbal/spicy hop flavor to provide a sense of balance to the beer. A moderate bitterness. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with an off-dry finish. Overall: For my palate this is an excellent Maibock with the rich maltiness being front and center but properly accompanied by some hop flavor and moderate hop bitterness. Perfectly balanced for a Maibock IMO. Cheers!
Following up on their Helles, here is another German style beer Bierstadt knocks out of the park - Slow Pour Pils 4.7% canned 2/26/26. Brilliantly clear light gold. Fluffy white head with good retention. Floral on the nose. Cracker-like malt and spicy hops. Has that perfect bitter bite mid to late sip that only lingers for a little while in the finish but doesn't coat the tongue. Again, it can hold it's own with imports and exceeds the ones we get that are long in the tooth. Prost!
Chuckanut Brewery in northern Washington is another one that specializes in German styles. Here is their Dortmunder Export Lager, though not one of my favorites. Inviting aroma of cider and hot malt in the brew kettle. This tastes like a diluted Bock beer to me. It’s quite sweet and has that distinctive resiny flavor. Distinct fruity taste like apples. Spritzy and mouth-filling with a light body with creamy carbonation. Rather bitter aftertaste is not so pleasant with the sugar. Still, it’s an interesting and flavorful Lager. But an excellent brewery like this should know they have nothing to gain from a collaboration with Structures.
Let’s Wander Back Wander Back Beerworks Future Proof German Pilsner. Wander Back Beerworks is in the process of opening their brewery in Vineland, NJ. While awaiting their build out to complete they are temporarily brewing out of Hidden Sands Brewing Co.'s facility in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. There are three principals involved in opening Wander Back and they all have backgrounds at Cape May Brewing: · Christopher Henke: co-founder of Cape May Brewing · Justin Vitti: Cape May Brewing Co.'s general manager of sales and distribution · Brian Hink: Brewer at Cape May Brewing I had the pleasure to get to know Brain Hink in the past when was working for Cape May via discussions on BA. Brian used to be a regular participant on BA threads. He even offered to give me and my wife a private tour of Cape May brewing a number of years ago while we were down there for a week’s vacation in Cape May. I learned a lot during that private tour, Brian patiently answered my numerous questions. I have been sorta following this new business venture with the hopes of trying one of their beers. To my great joy I saw their beers on the shelf of my local Retail Beer Distributor and I immediately picked up a four-pack. I have enjoyed the beers produced by Brian (and the Cape May brewing team) in the past so I have high hopes for this beer. Served in my Polish Pilsner glass: Appearance: Straw yellow with a BIG fluffy white head. Aroma: An enticing 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 a pleasing balance of herbal/spicy flavors from the hops. There is a notable bitterness. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, smooth mouthfeel with a dry finish. Overall: I enjoyed drinking this beer, it is very good. A tasty, well balanced German Pilsner with drinkability. Cheers! @jonphisher @Giovannilucano @brianhink P.S. On a related note, Wander Back won a gold medal at the recent World Beer Cup competition for their Helles beer. Quite an accomplishment especially since there was quite a bit of competition with 156 entries: “Category 45: Munich-Style Helles, 156 entries Gold - Wander Back Lager, Wander Back Beerworks, Vineland, NJ Silver – Lager, Noble Twist, Saugatuck, MI Bronze - Kirkland Signature Helles Lager, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR”
