Bayernbiere Bought and Drunk

With a few caveats and grammar rules ignored, it translates into 80% clear English. I don't think I missed out on anything.
The idea that a web service could do that almost instantly seemed crazy a few years ago.

 

Prost

 

I was just thinking the other day that we hadn't seen any pics from you lately.

 

How'd you get thattree to grow out of your Weizen glass?

 

Work is the curse of the drinkin' class...

 

Okay boys and girls, a live tasting of my last Weihenstephaner 1516 Kellerbier. Hero to some, sidekick to others. Carefully poured into my trusty Becher glass.

A beautiful, clear, deep gold with plentiful carbonation streaming from the bottom, and a very dense, off-white head that holds up well and leaves great lacing. Light breadiness in the nose with mellow, spicy hops back -- some weak sourness trying to be recognized, but not terribly successful. The flavor is mildly bready with a touch of earthy nuttiness and spicy -- lightly bitter hops in the finish along with that lightly astringent note that fights the hop bitterness (note: I poured carefully to keep out any sediment that may have remained in the bottle). The hop bitterness and light astringency carries over to the aftertaste with that nutty character also lingering. Mouthfeel is smooth and soft with a dry finish and light-medium body.

The hop bitterness and astringency seem to have mellowed a little in the month since I acquired this beer, but I'm still a little disappointed in the less-than rich maltiness I was expecting. Not sure if all of the negatives I encounter are due to Pasteurization for export, or a result of the centrifugal filtering of all the usual leftover goodies in a Kellerbier, but I can tell you that the Urban Chestnut Zwickel strikes me as a better representation of the "style." Freshness and proximity a factor? More than likely.

To counter my disappointment in this particular Weihenstephaner beer, I picked up a Korbinian on my way home. Think I don't like Weihenstephaner? I rated the Korbinian one of my few 5s back in 2012. I doubt it will disappoint.

 

I thought I might have had to eat my words after I saw the date on the bottle (I didn't look at the store because I was too trusting) -- this one is a year-and-a-half old! Crazy part is, it doesn't stray from my review from 4 years ago, except maybe a little more caramel flavor (something I often get in older, big beers) and less peppery spiciness. Otherwise, this is a great Doppelbock for anyone craving the style.

If I had a great backdrop like -N8 I'd take a picture of this beautiful beer in my SN Oktoberfest .5l Maß; deep, dark, rich and enticing.

 

I found some very fresh (for import) Spaten Helles today -- just at 4 months old. Just cracked one because it was taunting me and I have to say the first taste gave me that good ol' toasty, bready character I always love.

Of course, with the HB Helles turning into one of my favorites, I'll probably need to side-by now to see which one I really like best. The pros and cons being that I can get the Spaten in 12 packs, the HB in sixers and .5l bottles. And the HB is available in closer proximity to home. Such troubles we face here in the first world, no?

 

I just sampled a Spaten Premium and HB Original (12 and 11.5 oz. bottles) side-by-side, and while the HB was a shade deeper in gold color and held a better head (in typical brew-competition sampling glasses), they were so similar that I doubt I'd really know the difference between the 2 in a blind tasting.

That said, their "similarity" was also a great representation of Bavarian Helles. My only complaint is finding both beers often and fresh. So far, HB leads that race.

 

The issue I have run into with both Spaten and HB helles is that they're in green bottles. If I don't intercept them quickly, they tend to have at least a little bit of a skunky note. Not quite Heineken or Beck's level, but still strong enough where I don't want to drink them.
The Rhein Haus downtown in Denver luckily has both on tap. I prefer the HB slightly, but I won't complain about fresh versions of either. The Spaten tastes more crackery to me, while the HB is a little sweeter. I can see having a different preference depending on my mood.

 

The green bottles definitely make for a risky purchase. I didn't buy my 6-pack of HB Oktoberfestbier quickly enough last year and it was badly skunked. However, the Spaten Ur-Märzen that I bought right away was very enjoyable. I've really been wanting to try the HB Maibock but have been hesitant to buy it because of my bad experience with the Oktoberfestbier.

 

The Spaten I had was from a covered 12 pack, the HB was cherry-picked from the back of a dark shelf in a walk-in cooler. No skunking at all.

I have the feeling that our definitions of "crackery" are different. I have always gotten the good, bready melanoidin from (fresh) Spaten and HB -- it's the same as the malt character in HB Maibock, but subdued. I define Sierra Nevada Summerfest as "crackery," even Anchor California Lager, it's a different note on my palate, but yes -- less sweet, more grainy -- even dry.

I'll have to try the experiment again and focus closer, but I was pretty surprised at how similar they really were -- vom Faß might be a completely different outcome. I only wish I could find a place with both on tap -- I'd be happy with either!

 

Find a spot with closed cases and crack one open. It's what I did with the HB Maibock this year -- very, very nice stuff.

 

A little Friday afternoon side-by with Spaten Premium and Hofbräu Original.
Poured into 9 ounce, clear plastic tumblers as are used in home-brew competitions.

L -- Both beers are very clear golden color with the HB having a shade deeper edge to its color. Both have sudsy white heads that settle pretty quickly.

S -- The Spaten is lightly sweet and bready with little hop note. The HB is lightly sweet and bready with a touch of spicy hops up front. No skunk or DMS -- or any other off characters in either.

T -- The Spaten is lightly grainy (I can understand Domingo using crackery, but it's not as heavy as some renditions I've had) up front with mellow breadiness in-between and just the right amount of spicy to bitter hop character in the finish and aftertaste to balance out the malts. The HB has more sweet malt character up front with breadiness in-between and spicy to lightly citric hops in the finish and aftertaste.

M -- Mouthfeel on both beers is soft and smooth and both beers share a similar medium-light body. I call it medium-light because there is no big dryness in the finish of these beers to make them feel crisp and lighter.

O -- Two classic breweries giving us their take on a classic style. No easy pick for a favorite or number 1, both beers would be welcome in a Biergarten or Bierhall setting -- let alone my own backyard patio.

Fröhe Freitag alles!

 

Well, this oughtta rile up the thread...

http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine...snob-munich/YFmDkoiNTU5KsujhjvxEVM/story.html

 

Pathetic. What a clown.

 

Just had my first Keesmann Herren Pils.

 

Come on, it's not that bad

 

Whole thread started already:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...-americans-to-make-a-good-german-beer.414082/

 

I'm not one to pick up Hefeweizen unless I have a craving, but I grabbed a Hofbräu mixed 12 pack of the Original, Dunkel, and Weizen because I've been leaning toward variety lately. And I have to say that the HB Hefeweizen is one nice take on the style; all of the typical characteristics of the style without being too subtle or going overboard. Very smooth drinking beer.