I had my first BraufactuM beer this weekend; Colonia. It was listed as being a Kolsch beer. When the draft pint arrived it was a nice light, golden color as a Kolsch should be. I immediately recognized Pilsner Malt on my first sniff and it was glorious. The taste followed the nose with a very pleasant taste of Pilsner Malt. There was something else on the flavor that I had a difficult time registering. My initial thought was perfumy? Or maybe it is a white wine type flavor from the yeast (upon further reflection I thought no). I did not recall this brewery’s name and I thought to myself: is this a small brewpub from Koln? So, I did a bit of web surfing and BraufactuM is a brewery in Frankfort. On the BraufactuM website it describes this beer as: “Colonia Obergäriges Bitterbier style: This top-fermented bitter has been brewed in true Rhenish style. It boasts a characteristically pleasant hoppy aroma thanks to the flavors released in the cold-hop process and features a balanced bitter note. characteristics: With Colonia, BraufactuM brings traditional Rhenish bitters to life once more. The special hoppy aroma can be attributed to large helpings of hops in both the brew house and the storage tanks. Only the rare Hallertauer Saphir hop is used. tasting notes: Intense golden color, good head. Extremely fresh scent with floral notes and honey. Dry taste with slight froth. Versatile, with hints of pineapple, citrus aromas, and mango – highlighted by clear bitter notes wrapped in a creamy texture. The finish is tangy.” I am not familiar with the term “Bitterbier”; does this have a style meaning in Germany? So, the flavor I had a difficult time describing to myself is the hop flavor/aroma of Saphir hops. I did not perceive it so much on the nose of the beer but mostly as a taste/flavor. I personally did not pick up any of the flavors of “…with hints of pineapple, citrus aromas, and mango”. I mostly perceived a subtle floral aspect. I also took note that the photograph of Colonia on the BraufactuM website appeared to be a darker golden color. That might just be an artifact of the lighting when that picture was taken. I really enjoyed drinking this beer. Since it was not brewed in Koln and they used Saphir hops (including dry hopping) I suppose this is not a traditional Kolsch beer but that fact did not stop me from really enjoying this beer. Has anybody else had the chance to drink BraufactuM Colonia? If so, what are your impressions of this beer? I hope to get a chance to drink other beer styles from BraufactuM in the future. BraufactuM so far appears to be a quality German brewery. Prost!
From Ron P.'s blog: "Bitterbier I think is the precursor of Kölsch and Alt. I've also seen it called Rheinisch Bitterbier." This sounds right to me. Before the Koelsch Konvention, this term seems to have been used for the (looser?) array of styles that may have been being brewed in Cologne and surrounding areas. Ron's post can be found here: http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2014/08/german-top-fermentation-breweries.html As to the BraufactuM beers, I have yet to try any. I wonder if hardcore German beer geeks will decry them since they are owned by Oetker/Radeberger. Regardless, I trust that they are quality products. Prost!
Here's what a German book on chemistry from 1919 says about top fermented bitterbiere (page 363 in the book), (referencing the same Schönfeld which is referenced in Ron's blog post): "Lagerbierähnliche bittere Biere. Auf die Herstellung des Bitterbieres ist oben schon eingegangen. Das Bier ver- dankt seinen Namen dem starken Hopfengeschmack, den es der starken Hopfengabe, mit der die Würze im Sudhause gekocht wird, verdankt. Ferner wird dem Bier auf dem Lagerfaß noch gebrühter Hopfen samt dem Brühwasser zugegeben." "Lager-beer-like bitter beers. The production of the bitter beer has already been introduced above. The beer gets its name from the strong hop taste, which is produced by the strong hop addition that is boiled together with the wort in the brew house. Additional hops that have been brewed, along with the brewing water, are added to the lagering barrels." Boiling hops separately in water is something I've seen referenced in descriptions of Berliner weisse brewing, although in that case the hops and liquid are of course added to the mash rather than to a barrel. .
Most likely they chose Bitterbier because they can't brew and Alt or a Kölsch in Frankfurt and call it so.
Yep, BraufactuM is "crafty", part of the Radeberger Group, as HerrB has said. They are often sold in giant coolers in the "wine" section of department stores or beverage stores (these coolers also carry American craft and often look like some variation of this), and are quite a bit pricier than "regular" German beer. I tried a few different bottles years ago, some I remember, some I don't, and universally found them to be overpriced for similar products in Germany. Not bad, but not worth the premium, IMHO.
I wrote about it a few months ago here. I wasn't convinced. Not a Kölsch for me and they also don't claim it to be a Kölsch. But to be honest, I just don't know of any other Rheinische Bitterbiere to compare. BraufactuM is the "craft" brand of the Radeberger group. Their own beers mostly are okay to good, but nothing really outstanding to me. The more interesting part of their offerings are the beers from the US, Belgium and Italy, although very pricey. I'm not sure if their own beers are really brewed at the Binding brewery in Frankfurt, but the labels and their website give no hint at the breweries they use.
Radeberger own many breweries. I suspect one of the reasons the brewery location is not stated is so that they can make use of spare capacity wherever it is available.
Did your Colonia look like the picture? The Colonia I had was light gold in color, just like a Kolsch. I am starting the think the Colonia that you drank and the Colonia I drank are two different beers. The Colonia I drank looked like this one:
The bottle looked like that in the picture I posted, yours looks different. I don't remember the color, I didn' take a picture of it. But I remember the fruits flying out of glass. Now that was a surprise!
