Augustiner Weissbier Question

I've had it... in Berlin

 

To my knowledge, they only export helles & Maximator, both at ungodly prices and in 6pks (33 cl bottles), so it doesn't sell. Too bad, with a half an ounce of effort and a smidgen of thought, they could sell a lot more.

 

I know KEGs exist, but I've never seen it served from one, not in Munich and not elsewhere.
And I don't really see the point in kegging Weizen anyway...
Augustiner Weissbier is a very good beer though.

 

Okay, I'll bite -- why?

I mentioned in another thread that I had my first Hefeweizen vom Faß in Munich back in 1990 -- was pretty good too. There are a few taverns within my general vicinity that have import and micro-brewed Hefeweizen (Bavarian style) on tap and it's a nice change-up from the other beers. One spot even has a nice beer garden and the HB Hefeweizen fits right in.

 

Ever had bottled and kegged La Chouffe? Or Duvel? Somehow, the bottled versions seem deeper and more complex in their flavour.
Same thing with Hefeweizen for me: Bottle coniditioned beers work for me personally best when served from the bottle. Off course its debatable if KEG-conditioning is esentially that different. But I had experiences with kegged Hefeweizen where it just came out wrong, with to much yeast, yeast only in the end of the pour, not enough yeast etc...
Don't get me wrong though, in the summer, I'll even drink canned Paulaner sometimes. It's not a bad beer this way,either, just something different to bottled, properly poured Hefeweizen.

 

That's definitely a problem, but that's also when you find a good tavern that takes care of their beer... and customers. My experiences with kegged Hefeweizen have all been very good -- even at the small local spot that put it on tap out of the blue a few years ago.

 

Sure thing. For me, bottled Hefeweizen is often kind of a "last resort" in pubs with a very lackluster beer selection, because you can basically get it everywhere..Those pubs usually don't care too much about beer in general. And when such a pub has kegged Hefeweizen, it often is not pretty.

 

Ever poured a bad bottled Hefeweizen? Just as ugly.

 

Because everyone knows you're supposed to decant the bottle and leave out the yeast...

I'm definitely going to try this against a bottle with the yeast swirled and poured in the near future if I can.

 

Actually, no I have not. Badly poured, yes, but badly bottled? No. And I had, I'd say, hundreds of Hefeweizen in my live

Do this with a good Weizenbock like Schneider Aventinus and you will be surprised!

 

Speaking of keg weissbiers...sorry, I couldn't resist

 

Bad as in sitting on the shelf far too long. Back in the early 80s I used to find bottles of "wheat beer" in stores where the hot products tended more to Miller & Bud. The sediment in the Weizens had nearly solidified to alien proportions. I didn't know any better and the proprietor said, "You're supposed to swirl it up to mix it in." Good thing I didn't base my lasting impressions of Weizen on those examples.

 

Is this still a thing? I mean, in its country of origin(netherlands), in france, belgium and luxembourg, i still see those 6l kegs for the system in supermarkets, but in germany I haven't seen them in ages. I was under the assumption that the system simply failed here, because 5l "minifässer" are very popular and common. And way cheaper, plus you do not need the expensive machine to tap them.And no deposit is needed. I personally love that even some small breweries use them. They are perfect for festivals

Ok, when I started drinking beer (around the change of the millenium), Weizen was already popular all over germany, so I never got a bottle that was sitting on the shelf too long...

 

I don't know. The picture I posted was taken from Franziskaner's website.

Those 5L "minifässer" are sold in the US and something I used to buy on a semi-regular basis. But sadly they have become more scarce in my neck of the woods in the last few years.

 

I've seen Reissdorf and Kulmbacher Pils in that format as recently as last week at my local store. I never buy them (as much as I want to) because I'm not sure they move that well (I haven't checked dates either though) and I was under the impression they needed to be consumed rather quickly. If I'm just buying for myself, that would kind of suck (or not ).

 

The posts about 5l cans has gotten me thinking about @Stahlsturm.

I would be willing to bet that he would just open that can and drink the beer straight from that can!!

Cheers!

 

Not if it was from one of those big, ugly, international brewing conglomerates!!

Prosit!!!

 

Dave, you got me there.

Do any independently owned Bavarian breweries package in 5 liter cans?

Cheers!

 

Yes, they do. And yes, on some occasions I also drank directly from those...

Krug Bräu Breitenlesau, Brauerei Will, Nothelfer Trunk, Nankendorfer Schroll Bräu Landbier, yes also Schlenkerla Märzen and many more are aviable this way.
They really are all over the place...