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BEERS #2 - Beyond the Pale

Started by Shoulders?-Stomach!, March 30, 2020, 03:56:03 PM

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Shoulders?-Stomach!



Kapuziner Kellerweizen (5.1%, Hefeweizen) - ****
Kulmbacher Brauerei, Kulmbach

A better-known brand and brewery this time, Kulmbacher must be up there as one of the more successful big breweries in Germany, churning out 1.7m hectolitres a year of beer. If not quite as loved or downright raw and weird as some of the above I've been reviewing, their operation achieves a notch above the likes of Hacker-Pschorr, Augustiner, Paulaner, etc. Anyone who has bought from Beers of Europe may have had one or several of Kulmbacher's output.

This wheatbeer is one of those darker shade ones that are neither light nor dunkelweizen, somewhere in the middle Schneider Weisse Original is the best known of the style by far. This 'kellerweizen' pours nicely with a big thick sustained head, and the beer is very cloudy.

Aroma of clove and a faint rye/molasses thing going on somewhere in there. The beer has a lovely typically wheatbeer lightness in the mouth as though its suspended above the surface almost. There's extra-oomph to the flavour. Out go the citric and banana elements usually found in these beers and in come spices, grains and herbs, with a touch of not quite burnt, lets say mildly crackly caramel.

Balancing those flavours is a tricky one but it just about manages it (Alan). This is one to give a moment to and not just chug chug in the same way as a Franziskaner or similar. It's good, but Kuchlbauer Turmweisse and Schneider Original still a tad better.




BlodwynPig

Imagine my surprise when I got the small box of beer home from the farm to find one is named after my favourite word



Apparently its named after this burn near Hexham (and literally means "hit the weasel hard")


Shoulders?-Stomach!

Shame felt for a proud North Easterner for a local beer to be importing Kentish hops (east Kent at that).

Where are the beers brewed with local bogweed, thorns and moss?

I like the burn though, that's cracking.

Shoulders?-Stomach!



Weissenohe Kloster-Sud (5.4%, Altfrankisch Landbier) - **** and a half
Klosterbrau Weissenohe, Weissenohe

Not all beers that start with 'oh......god that's good' end up that way. I've had a few that end up quite cloying or the excitement dissipates as it ends up one-note. That's a distinction that's routinely missed by beer tasters, award ceremonies etc. Right now millions of beer geeks out there will assert that they can tell how good a beer is pretty quickly after the first few sips, then place their taster aside and move on. This is just one man's opinion, but bollocks.

A beer is a live evolving thing, and judging a drink can only fairly be from first sip to last of a normal measure. From a 1/3 glass to a Maß  it changes over the course of the drink, just as your reaction changes according to mood, food, temperature, dehydration, etc. You can't make snap decisions about the stuff.

That said, I am now well through finishing this one and that first impression is remaining with me. Brown, chestnut colour and beautiful rich mixture of aromas. On a rare occasion, just by smelling it there's a sense of balance and harmony. Stronger than some, the robustness is matched by really striking hops, potentially dry-hopped (don't quote me on that) to achieve a best of both worlds of wonderful ruby sweetness and autumnal notes with big sparkling bitterness. This is a lager beating everything under the "American Red Ale" banner hands down.

phes

#754
Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on July 02, 2020, 09:08:17 PM


Weissenohe Kloster-Sud (5.4%, Altfrankisch Landbier) - **** and a half
Klosterbrau Weissenohe, Weissenohe

Not all beers that start with 'oh......god that's good' end up that way. I've had a few that end up quite cloying or the excitement dissipates as it ends up one-note. That's a distinction that's routinely missed by beer tasters, award ceremonies etc. Right now millions of beer geeks out there will assert that they can tell how good a beer is pretty quickly after the first few sips, then place their taster aside and move on. This is just one man's opinion, but bollocks.

A beer is a live evolving thing, and judging a drink can only fairly be from first sip to last of a normal measure. From a 1/3 glass to a Maß  it changes over the course of the drink, just as your reaction changes according to mood, food, temperature, dehydration, etc. You can't make snap decisions about the stuff.

100% agree with this. Buying beer from craft bars, the tasting culture, or guidance from bartenders who have superficial taste notes or have tasted each beer, always reminds me of popular comic depictions of dance music vinyl shop culture where the attendant bigs up how much you're going to love this tune and plays a 20 second clip that showcases a superficial flavour of the song. You get the bastard home and it goes nowhere or like Bill Bailey's Magic Roundabout bit, you've bought something completely unrepresentative of the whole product.

I can't see that it's a good thing for any moderately experienced craft drinker who at least knows what to expect from different styles to drink in exclusively this way. Staff are usually very quick to replace a beer that's gone or even just bad. And as you point out, it's a totally inadequate way to assess a whole drink. It's certainly something I've done often and fair play to anyone who does, but rediscovering the pleasure (or displeasure) of buying blind and finding that whole drinks change for the better just as often as tasted drinks change (or don't) for the worse was a step forward for me

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Wish you could have been there at certain crucial epoch defining conversations I have held on this topic to back me up.

Ferris

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on July 02, 2020, 08:32:48 PM
Shame felt for a proud North Easterner for a local beer to be importing Kentish hops (east Kent at that).

Where are the beers brewed with local bogweed, thorns and moss?

I like the burn though, that's cracking.

I always thought EKG was a variety of goldings rather than a geographic description of where the hops came from? I am probably wrong on that though. Can't be arsed to google it, obviously.

Lazy, lazy man.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

You may be right, tbf no point even pretending my post was anything other than jocular needling of Blodwyn.

Sheffield Wednesday

Today and this evening, I've had a Schneider Weisse 07 and 01, a lovely clean Helles, a Tonkoko stout, tastes like a Bounty. Westmalle Dubbel, Karmeliet Tripel. Havin a great night, great laugh with my wife. Just about to rip into a Barnardo Douze. Ohhhhh let's have a beer.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on July 03, 2020, 07:13:24 PM
You may be right, tbf no point even pretending my post was anything other than jocular needling of Blodwyn.

Bottle of Farne Island from Hadrian Border Brewery (brewed in Newburn Industrial Estate on the River Tyne). nice puffin design.

Ferris

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on July 03, 2020, 07:13:24 PM
You may be right, tbf no point even pretending my post was anything other than jocular needling of Blodwyn.

Jocular needling of Blodwyn is to be encouraged at all junctures. Carry on.

Sheffield Wednesday

Drinking wheat beer like its so much buttered white toast :) :( :)

I can't get enough of this foamy, hazy, tangy, creamy, bread drink

Shoulders?-Stomach!



Monschof Zoigl (5.4% Zoiglbier) - ****
Kulmbacher Brauerei Aktien-Gesellschaft, Kulmbach

Another commercial adoption of the Zoigl branding. The brewery make some good stuff considering their size, and if this was branded as a kellerbier I'd have understood. It isn't like other pale or dark Zoigl I've had though.

5.4% is fairly strong for both styles, but the effect is you have a classic thick, amber, biscuity sweet beer akin to wheatbeer, but instead backed up by a spicy hoppy aftertaste instead of wheatbeer smoothness. It's easy to imagine this being a tad better on tap too, as there is a hint of that distinct freshness that makes kellerbier (and prime condition cask ale) such an appealling prospect.

This one grew on me as it went along, and can recommend it. While it may not be as quirky as some we've seen, it would be a new flavour experience for most people who aren't acquainted with the style, and a nice robust example of it too.


Dex Sawash



Tempted to try this from Lidl (america) but not sure I want to burden myself with 12 of them.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Only 136 checkins on untapped. 2.27 rating

Most positive comments

'Not bad after a long morning of yard work'
'Better than Bud at least'


Least positive comments

'Awful of the awful.'
'Trash'


Shoulders?-Stomach!



Pressecker Drachenseidla (4.9%, Kellerbier) ****
Brauerei Schubel, Stadtsteinach

Brauerei Schubel has among the best records so far on this journey, with their Nordeck Trunk and A Frankisch kellerbiers scoring very highly for my tastes. This beer Drachenseidla, well it has a nice illustration of a dragon on it which is a nice start. I was waiting for some sort of tenuous connection explaining the name but there doesn't really seem to be one.

It poured reasonably well and is a hazy light brown colour; agricultural hues, putting it euphemistically. You'd book in for a checkup if your piss was this colour. No strong aroma.

One of the most notable elements is its hoppiness and spice which have clearly been pushed to the forefront. Yes there's a dose of sweet malt with it which gradually takes effect as the drink progresses, but the balance errs towards bitter, which itself develops into a more complex flavour and mouthfeel by the spice and tang from the unfiltered lagering. Floral bitterness remains in the aftertaste, a feature character of most kellerbier.

While it isn't as outstandingly good as the 2 I mentioned above from this brewery, it would at most other German breweries be a fine signature beer. It's raw, fresh, showing what great lager is really about.

Shoulders?-Stomach!



Wurth Zoigl-Hell (5.3% Zoiglbier) ****
Privatbrauerei Wurth, Windischeschenbach

A few weeks ago I reviewed this brewery's Zoigl-Dunkel, which was both a new style on me and a totally different flavour. The brewery is based in a town which is the heart of the Zoiglbier community in the Oberpfalz. The bottle boasts 'craft beer since 1885'. I wasn't sure what to expect with their Hell, though was prepared for something along the lines of a pale kellerbier. Once again they've served up something pretty distinct.

The appearance doesn't look like it will be hiding any secrets. Golden and unfiltered, it's an attractive colour. The aroma is where you start to go 'hang on, something interesting here'. There's a sort of leathery faint smoky aroma you wouldn't find in your average lager.

Turns out this is somewhere between a dortmunder type lager with bready, white toast flavours and a weird Franconian lager that is both slightly fruity (red berries, am I going mad?) and smokey. A really difficult one for me to describe. The balance errs towards the rich sweet and savoury elements and less on the bitterness. There's an absolutely trad unfiltered lager finish that's quite tangy and spicy. I would say that it's also well balanced. There is still enough going on in the Spalter hops to tie it all together, but it's happy doing the donkey work and not being the standout feature.

Another lager that forces a rethink about where lager sits vs ale. Seriously, can we have more lagers like this one around please?




Sheffield Wednesday


Shoulders?-Stomach!



Monschof Marzen (5.5% Marzen) ****
Kulmbacher Brauerei Aktien-Gesellschaft, Kulmbach

This beer is distinctly different to the above, though no less enjoyable. To channel Ed Miliband, let me explain why

Yes, it's a Marzen of course, so not...whatever ^ that one was above. 5.5% which is typical of the style. Strong, less hoppy and sweet tends to be the way with Marzens. They have a caramel/golden quality and are seen a treat - a few people may have tried Oktoberfest Marzens which are even sweeter and stronger (6.0% is average).

To balance the sweetness and strength it's important not to make it over-heavy, over-honeyed and becoming cloying. It's really important not to just over-do the malt so it doesn't sink the beer into a black hole of off-tasting defects (common problem with Eastern European attempts at strong pale lager). This beer has such a lovely thick floaty mouthfeel, which is part of the key to its success. Some of these strong lagers you swallow quickly to avert the malt and gloop to shortcut to their enjoyable sweet and crisp aftertaste, but this sits nicely to savour. When it's ready to 'land', the hops succinctly tie everything together with a lovely mouthfilling twang and sparkle before the lightest and easiest aftertaste of faint honeysuckle and ooh..sweet greens lingers at the back. Sugarsnaps, or something like that, somewhere in there.

You'll never have had a non-wheat beer of such strength that achieves such a floaty lightness. Most strong beers tend to go full on for either malt or hops. This one has found another way, by playing with the texture. Brilliant.

This is very similar to a high quality 'Jasne Pelne' Polish lager, which I know will put some people off immediately, but it's the Rolls-Royce of that style. It would sell by the metric fucktonne in Olsztyn and Bialystok. Perhaps Spiz's Jasne in Wroclaw could be mentioned in the same breath as this one.


Sheffield Wednesday

On a Paulaner Dunkel Weiss. Forrest DUNK. It's actually quite OK, kind of wholemeal toast just before it gets burnt. Is it as nice as non-Dunkel weisse? No.

Calistan

Having a Guldenberg for the first time. Liking it A LOT.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Ah, De Ranke! Those guys are amazing. The Kriek is the biggest fistful of fucking cherry Barnes-Wallis endwar of the style you could imagine.

Blue Jam

Ordered a random b@rgain box from Beer Hawk. Got a bottle of Wicked Weed La Bonté among them:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30581/176462/

Shouldn't work but it does. Tastes nothing like perry, very refreshing.

Also on seeing it was an unfiltered wild beer made with a Brettanomyces strain I had to chuck some of it into a Kilner jar with some flour and water so I can find out what some bread made with this yeast will taste like. Watch this space.

king_tubby



Had a bottle of this last night with a Mexican take away. Nice, very malty.

Cuntbeaks

Finally sparked one of the Hanssens beers from my last order, an Oude Kriek.

I was prepared for it to be sour, but fucking hell, this is like drinking straight Sarsons. What there is of the cherries is funky and leathery, the vinegar oveetones simply destroy any lingering finish or development of flavour profiles. It has an aggressive, oily mouthfeel that makes your teeth buckle and I'm not warming to it. Not sure what there is to enjoy, but at £4 a bottle, I'm still drinking it.

You could definitely pickle eggs with this.

Chedney Honks

Send it to my house now please.

I totally understand by the way, first few I had were like what are you fuckin on about.

That Rodenbach Grand Cru a few people recommended is basically half very malty vinegar, half red wine vinegar, but also fruity and salty and woody. Fuckkkkk. I want one.

Cuntbeaks

Quote from: Chedney Honks on July 17, 2020, 06:03:49 PM
Send it to my house now please.

I totally understand by the way, first few I had were like what are you fuckin on about.

That Rodenbach Grand Cru a few people recommended is basically half very malty vinegar, half red wine vinegar, but also fruity and salty and woody. Fuckkkkk. I want one.

I'm a big fan of the Rodenbach stuff, Grand Cru included. This however, this is in a totally different league.

Ferris

The Grand Cru is mega stuff, this oude sounds like shit

Cuntbeaks

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on July 17, 2020, 06:14:36 PM
The Grand Cru is mega stuff, this oude sounds like shit

I've got another five different beers from the same brewery, i fear they're all gonna be in this same brutal vein.

Jerzy Bondov

Absolutely smashing bottle after bottle of Augustiner Helles. Tasty.