Fastenbier

Maybe just me, but I find "smoother" and "hoppier" to be contradictory. I definitely noticed a spicier, slightly more bitter character in the Fastenbier than I do in the Märzen. To me the Fastenbier is lighter in body with less malt character which allows the hop character to be a little more dominant. Be interesting to see the recipe since both beers are right around the same ABV.

 

yeah, im no good with beer describing words really, i think i meant it was smoother in terms of less carbonation/creamier if that makes any sense at all

 

There was a pronounced "hop bite" to my palate, but the overall mouthfeel was the creamiest of all the Schlenkerla beers I've sampled, with an accompanying thick white head and lacing that wouldn't quit.

Just one guy's perception of the beer though, I'm far from an expert.

 

I have yet to have it, but my guess would be that the creamy mouthfeel comes from the yeast in suspension.

 

Good observation -- hadn't thought of that.

 

From the importer’s website:

“Brewing process

Different from the Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer, the Schlenkerla Lentbeer is made from a mixture of 'light' (e.g. non-smoked) malt and Schlenkerla Smoked Malt. It is brewed in classic copper kettles in a two-decoction mash with hops from Spalt (near Nuremberg) and Hallertau. One week of primary fermentation is followed by a two month period of lagering in the ancient cellars underneath Bamberg. The lentbeer is being served unfiltered with fine bottom fermenting yeast from the keg and thus preserves its full body and aroma.”

http://www.bunitedint.com/information/brands/description/83/

Considering the length of the lagering period (two months) I would expect that the vast majority of the lager yeast would have dropped out in this beer.

When I homebrew my lagers, I lager for 6-7 weeks and at that point there is little yeast left in suspension; the vast majority of yeast is on the bottom of the secondary vessel.

Hmmm, maybe Schlenkerla uses a non-flocculent lager yeast? I don’t know if there are non-flocculent lager yeast strains.

Cheers!

 

Maybe you should have bolded the next sentence instead; then you might have had your answer.

 

“The lentbeer is being served unfiltered with fine bottom fermenting yeast from the keg and thus preserves its full body and aroma.”

All of my homebrewed lagers are served unfiltered with fine bottom fermenting yeast and none of them come even close to the creamy nature of Fastenbier.

I have also had a number of commercial lagers that are unfiltered and none of those beers have the creamy mouthfeel of Fastenbier.

I suppose that Schlenkerla may have a ‘unique’ lager yeast strain but every lager yeast strain that I have brewed with (and I have brewed with over a dozen different lager yeast strains) have all been very flocculent.

Cheers!

 

You might think that Jack, but there was a great amount of yeast and yeasty floaters in the 2 bottles I poured into my Willi Becher.

 

"...with fine bottom fermenting yeast from the keg..." (for some reason you left that out from the description of your beers)

Sounds to me like it's bottle conditioned with residual yeast. Would you agree?

 

For bottle conditioned beer it is indeed possible for “yeasty floaties” to occur in a glass of beer. All of my homebrewed beers are bottle conditioned (including my lagers). If I do not carefully decant my beers there will indeed be some “yeasty floaties” in my glass of homebrewed beers. The presence of these “yeasty floaties” does not result in a creamy mouthfeel in my homebrewed beers.

I have also had numerous commercial beers that are unfiltered and bottle conditioned. I also typically decant those beers but sometimes I ‘screw up’ and obtain “yeasty floaties” in those beers. These commercial beers that are unfiltered and bottle conditioned also do not have the creamy mouthfeel that is present in Fastenbier.

Cheers!

 

So you were careful in pouring the Fastenbier not to disturb or rouse the yeast and you still got the creamy mouthfeel? When you rouse and decant the yeast in your homebrewed beers into the glass, does the mouthfeel become more creamy?

I have messaged Matthias Trum to see if he can shed some light here. Will let everyone know when I hear back.

 

Now that I think about it, the mouthfeel on the Fastenbier was akin to the mouthfeel I get from many Belgian quadrupels (and I'm typically careful when pouring these, sometimes I screw up like Jack said). I'm not sure what this means, but a light just went off in my head about what the mouthfeel reminded me of.

 

If Schlenkerla describes this as an unfiltered (naturtrüb) beer, then I don't know why anyone would consider it a "screw up" to pour it in a way that results in a cloudy/hazy beer. It's obviously meant to be that way.

 

Hmm?

Schlenkerla Fastenbier advertises as unfiltered. I had no reservations in pouring with abandon.

Edit: Good timing Mr. HerrB.

 

I should have clarified, I personally do consider it a "screw up" if I pour the yeast in for a Belgian beer. I prefer Belgian ales without the flavor profile of the yeast, and I'll only take a sip at the end to compare it.

I was also implying the mouthfeel in the Belgian ales feel creamy to me, and that is without the contribution of the yeast. Indicating to me at least, that the Fastenbier has a creamy mouthfeel for other reasons (no clue what those reasons would be though).

As did I, with both bottles. Granted this was before we started discussing it in this thread, but it certainly appears they're advertisting it as unfiltered, and intend on the yeast being poured in.

Their Weizen is the only beer from them I haven't had, I imagine the yeast in that beer is meant to be poured in, like any other hefeweizen? If so, is the mouthfeel as creamy in that beer?

 

Understood. I, too, consider it a "mistake" to pour the yeast from bottle conditioned beers into anything that is not considered -- or explicitly described as -- naturtrüb (literally "naturally cloudy"). I should have been more clear (!) about the point I was making, too.

 

"The Original Schlenkerla Lentbeer is an unfiltered smokebeer, brewed in accordance with the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. Bottom-fermenting yeast gives the reddish brown lentbeer a natural cloudiness. Its smoky aroma is already noticeable in the smell, combined with a fine hoppy note. In the drink the fullbodied, highly drinkable lentbeer shows its strong malty flavour, rounded up with the smokey taste and a light bitterness. Due to the nourishing yeast, the Original Schlenkerla Lentbeer has the "Brotzeit already included" (German word for afternoon snack)."

The above is directly from their site for the bottled beer, and the bolded parts certainly indicate to me the beer is meant to have yeast in it while consumed.

 

Was your pour cloudy? Most of the pictures I have seen here and elsewhere looked hazy/cloudy to me.

Man, I really need to find some of this stuff and see for myself....