Märican Biere Bought and Drunk...

Based on your review and others I've read/heard about this year's version, I may need to pick up it up sooner than later.

Also, they will be doing a Keller Pils as part of their 30th anniversary celebration. I wonder if you'll see it in Chicago-land--it will be packaged.

 

I wonder why they aren't using the Moravian malt? And what the heck is Barke? Nice that it's a single malt.

 

I believe it's a Weyermann Malt: https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/weyermann-barke-pilsner-25kg

 

Intriguing that they are using ‘new’ German hops for this beer: Huell Melon and Hallertau Blanc

The malt sounds interesting as well:

“Weyermann® Barke® Pilsner Malt

Weyermann® Barke® Pilsner malt is perfect for creating authentic lager style beers. It enhances body and mouthfeel substantially in the finished beer, while imparting intense malt aromas.”

Hopefully I will get a chance to drink this ‘New Wave’ German style beer!!

Cheers!

 

Trying an Abita Mardi Gras (Mai) Bock that I saw available in a local last week. I thought this might have been their Andygator bock re-packaged, but I guess not. It's a pretty nice take on the style; bready and rich up front with a nice, spicy hop finish. The deep gold color really caught my eye and the smooth maltiness is very similar to the Summit I sampled last week.

Re-discovering these old favorite micros is quite nice. Look for a full review on a cleaner palate!

 

Found my first ever Fulton & Wood Series beer from Goose Island: Rasselbock.

It's a Weizenbock brewed with wheat and rye and it's pretty tasty. Dark amber-brown with a dense, cream colored head; big nose of clove with banana back; clove flavors with light astringency (probably from the rye) and sweetness from barley malt.

A pretty nice version -- made right here in Chicago -- bottled Jan 19, 2016.

Footnote direct from Goose Island:

Bottom line: Quite good.

 

Yeah, especially since Reisch interned at Spaten.

 

If I had to guess, it might be their default glass for beers that aren't a Bourbon County or their wild ales. Their beers such as Lolita all are shown in that wine-type glass on their website, and literally every single other beer is shown in mostly a nonic, with a few in shaker pints.

I believe I've seen a mini nonic and snifter for their Bourbon County's as well.

 

Bad information to the marketing team.

 

All of the past suggestions for glassware on Goose beers has been traditional, even their Kölsch. Suggesting the nonic for this is off track.

Besides, I bet there are more places with shaker pints than nonic pints -- and why would you suggest a traditional German style be served in a traditional English glass? Just odd.

 

You guys ever run across breweries trying to put lagers on cask? Thoughts on the practice? Totally foreign territory to me, but a local joint put a pils hopped with Mandarina Bavaria on cask. Gotta say: it was pretty damn great. Probably the clearest example of those hops I've had -- nose just burst with mandarin orange. Palate, assumedly due to the cask presentation, was crazy smooth, almost rich, with a nice, richly breadly malt profile, perhaps even a touch buttery, which probably warns of diacetyl, which I suppose would be a flaw, but I can't say it really harmed the beer. In any case, interesting stuff. Same brewery has 6-8 beer engines and just put out a marzen. May have to stop in to see how that one turned out.

 

I have had lagers on cask a few times and I have enjoyed them. Some examples from memory:

· Sly Fox Maibock served via gravity pour at the annual Bock Fest/Goat Race

· Allentown Brewworks Kellerbier served via gravity pour at the Yards 7th Annual Real Ale Festiva

· Sly Fox Keller Pils served via handpump at the Sly Fox Brewpub

There are others beyond the above but these were the ones I remembered off the top of my head.

Cheers!

Edit: One more example is Mahrs Ungespundet-hefetrüb served via gravity pour at a local beer bar.

 

I'm pretty sure I've seen Schlenkerla on cask around here a couple of times. I think Schlafly has had a lager on cask, but I couldn't tell you what it was.

 

If you think about it, cask-conditioning is a process that works with any beer. It's the original form of carbonating a beer and was done with lagers all of the time before forced-carbonation... mostly on a larger scale.

Any home-brewer who carbonates with a guyle is, basically, cask-conditioning -- whether lager, ale, Porter, or Stout. Though they may not pay as close attention as a good publican, it's the same process.

 

Figured that was the case. Now let me ask this: is there any reason a cask conditioned pilsner, for example, should be any less clear than non-cask? That was my only Q w/ the one I had here - it was surprisingly cloudy, quite noticeably so. I know kellerbier is hazier, but that's part of the style. Seeing a pils so hazy was weird. I mean, I can't deny it tasted right nice, but the appearance threw me for a loop.

In any case, kinda excited about my local venturing into cask lagers!

 

If it wasn't handled well (shook up or bounced around), or if it was at the end of the volume the sediment could start getting mixed in with the beer. You see the same with cask ales all the time -- at least with the sediment toward the end of the volume.

 

I had a Helles on cask at our local cask-ale festival (NERAX) last spring, but I did not particularly like. I remember it being uninteresting, bordering on unpleasant due to how bland it was. Might have been a dry-hopped in the firkin-Helles as well, which wouldn't really fit in my opinion. I don't recall exactly.

I had a Lowenbrau Kellerbier from a gravity pour in the fall of 2014, here's what I thought of it from my forum post (it was $14, so I only had one, bummer).

"The Lowenbrau "Butterheim" Kellerbier from a gravity pour was unreal. One of the most drinkable beers I've ever had."