BEERS #2 - Beyond the Pale

[king_tubby]

Friends of Ham gets something of a pass from me as one of life's pleasures is running up an extravagant tab eating and drinking in there and missing your train.

Them going in to administration, stiffing a load of small suppliers then re-opening immediately kind of took the gloss off for me. But I have had some decent afternoons shovelling pig in to my face in there. The cut that was just fat with herbs. Delicious. Went to the Ham and Friends spin off and wasn't impressed, not surprised it closed.

I remember kernel were a very good for IPAs last time I was in London. That is all I have to contribute to commentary on contemporary UK craft breweries. Oh and pressure drop brewery were similarly excellent. Ok that's everything.

Kernel still make very good IPAs.

[Ferris]

There we go I'm 2 for 2 on my hot UK brewery tips. I still got it.

[Emotional Support Peacock]

Had a gift voucher to spend at the shop down the road and just picked up this lot. Some slightly random choices maybe but the selection was so vast it was difficult to decide what to get without doing days of research.

Rather ashamed to have given in to the relentless Zoigl propaganda but at least I only bought 2.

[Ferris]

^fuckin hell that's a good selection

[phes]

Abbeydale are variable with craft beer, and that's putting it kindly. Heathen is a good'un though and that's a very tasty selection

[Emotional Support Peacock]

Abbeydale are variable with craft beer, and that's putting it kindly. Heathen is a good'un though and that's a very tasty selection

That was one of the more random selections along with the one on the far left from a brewery in Hackney. Glad to know it probably not a dud!

[thelittlemango]

That was one of the more random selections along with the one on the far left from a brewery in Hackney. Glad to know it probably not a dud!

One on the far left is pretty good (as with most Howling Hops beers), may be too hoppy for some though.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Can't believe Zoigl is now present in the UK. purlieu recently found some in his off license. While Paul Puttner Zoigl isn't my absolute fave, it's a very good example of a trad Franconian beer and it will really stand out in style and flavour.

[Chedney Honks]

Feel like pure shit Zoigl Zoigl Zoigl Zoigl Zoigl

I got a load of Verdant IPAs recently. Track and Field, Headband, some other stuff. It was actually fucking nice for an IPA, especially the T'n'F. Really quite complex, juicehhhhhh and an actual start, middle and end. I would fuck another can of that.

Currently on the Weihenstephaner. Cunt does not give a fuck about any other beer. There's a lot of amazing wheat beers out there buy this guy fucks with the best on a Thursday.

(And yep, nuff Zoigl and Keller in my local these days, I think he got em in after I dropped a few healthy notes on Krautbier. Every couple of weeks there's a a new surprise).

[Chedney Honks]

Some recent highlights:

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Yesssss. The Weissenohe Altfrankisch Kloster Sud is a magnificent beer. They are all high quality.

Tell them to get Hopf Muospacher Bockfotzen in, if possible. Top 15 beer ever.

And Mahrs aU, the beer pretty much everyone alive who has had it likes.

[Chedney Honks]

Come on, mate. You must have made them up.

(I will put the requests in, the dude will be delighted I'm sure with the suggestions, cheers! Honestly, I will always be able to offset the Covid horror with an appreciation of German beer. Thanks for the eye openers.)

[Jerzy Bondov]

Here's my birthday selection:


The German ones were a present, just a nice basic slab of hells. The Loch Lomond one I got from Lidl, it's a Black IPA and very nice. I like that style.

On Sunday I went to the local micropub that's opened up fairly recently to show a bit of support before they get fucked dead by lockdown. Had a Verdant Alternative Currency porter which I thought was absolutely delicious at first but I was ready for it to end after a bit. Also had a Firebrand West Coast Session IPA which was nice if you like that sort of thing. You know what you're getting at this point. My favourite was Atlantic Honey Ale, just a nice amber ale with a bit of sweetness from somewhere, I dunno, I guess the honey?? Fuck knows, what am I, a scientist? Nice to support some Cornish breweries anyway. Cheers

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I know some Atlantic stuff is brewed in Cornwall still but I thought a lot was brewed in Burton or something now.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Atlantic is a pretty small farm brewery. Sharps do a beer called Atlantic IPA though - I know bottled Doom Bar is made in Burton, maybe Atlantic IPA is the same. Sharps is owned by Molson Coors and does not need my support. Since they got bought I have to pretend I always preferred Tribute but that's not true.

Actually while I'm talking about the big two Cornish breweries, something about St Austell Proper Job gives me the shits. I like it but it fucks my guts.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Sorry, got confused

[Jerzy Bondov]

Apology accepted.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

A new batch just arrived from Hier-gibts-bier.de. Part of Lockdown #2 emergency planning:

_{1 x Leikem Wintertraum
1 x Weiherer Weizenbock
1 x Ott bockbier
1 x Nankendorfer Bockbier
1 x Schubel Kellerbock
1 x Mainseidla Bock
1 x Langbrau Festbier
1 x Hutten Zoigl
1 x Staffelberg Querkerla
1 x Meinel Mephisto (smoke beer)
1 x Adler Stopfelder Zwickel
1 x Huppendorfer Zwickel
1 x Mahrs Brau aU
1 x Schubel - a frankisch
1 x Leikem Steinbier
1 x Frauendorfer Naturtrub
1 x Sonne Zunft Trunk
1 x Adler Alt Frankisches Lagerbier
1 x Hutten Fichtelgold
1 x Meinel Kellermarzen
1 x Staffelberg Wienerla
1 x Aufsesser Bock Dunkel
1 x Meinel Dunkel
1 x Mahrs Pils
1 x Wagner Dunkel
1 x Puttner Basalt Dunkel
1 x Nikl Dunkel
1 x Kuchlbauer Turmweisse
4 x Gamperlbrau Forster-Pils
1 x Wagner ungespundet Lager
1 x Wurth Zoigl Dunkel
1 x Klosterbrau Kemnath Marzen
1 x Weiherer Keller Marzen}



I'm like a fucking pig in shit

[Chedney Honks]

Would you like to move in with me and my family?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Klosterbrauerei Kemnath Märzen (5.6%) Marzen
Klosterbrauerei Kemnath

Firstly, Märzen:

In the past, the last beer before summer was brewed in March because there was an increased risk of fire during beer boiling in the summer months and the beer had to be stored at temperatures below 10°C. The beer was then brewed in the summer months. In order to be able to enjoy beer in the summer, the Märzen was brewed with increased original wort and thereby increased alcohol content and with stronger hopping. The speciality is brewed all year round with a strong original gravity.

This beer from a 'monastic' type brewery (Germany's equivalent to Belgian Abbey breweries I suppose) is a little more amber coloured than the picture above suggests. This one slightly surprised me as it is pretty well-hopped. You may taste toffee and really delicate floral notes, light malt too, but the strength and sweetness is supported with a stiff persistent bitterness on the tongue. The hops are...bright, I suppose, and the whole beer is pitched on a tightrope between the classic strong malt and an adventurously (genuinely, for such a trad brewery) bitter edge. The combination gives a fairly full mouthfeel and texture while also being refreshing.

This is not far away from a Vienna Lager or Jantar style amber lager but arguably just yet another trad old recipe that's difficult to entirely define.

It takes a little bit of working out at first but I reckon this one is a pretty interesting beer, definitely more to it than I remember from other Marzens. Being so close to Zoigl country to the near south east of Framconio might explain the unconventionality.

Rating: ****

[Dex Sawash]

A new batch just arrived from Hier-gibts-bier.de. Part of Lockdown #2 emergency planning:

_{1 x Leikem Wintertraum
1 x Weiherer Weizenbock
1 x Ott bockbier
1 x Nankendorfer Bockbier
1 x Schubel Kellerbock
1 x Mainseidla Bock
1 x Langbrau Festbier
1 x Hutten Zoigl
1 x Staffelberg Querkerla
1 x Meinel Mephisto (smoke beer)
1 x Adler Stopfelder Zwickel
1 x Huppendorfer Zwickel
1 x Mahrs Brau aU
1 x Schubel - a frankisch
1 x Leikem Steinbier
1 x Frauendorfer Naturtrub
1 x Sonne Zunft Trunk
1 x Adler Alt Frankisches Lagerbier
1 x Hutten Fichtelgold
1 x Meinel Kellermarzen
1 x Staffelberg Wienerla
1 x Aufsesser Bock Dunkel
1 x Meinel Dunkel
1 x Mahrs Pils
1 x Wagner Dunkel
1 x Puttner Basalt Dunkel
1 x Nikl Dunkel
1 x Kuchlbauer Turmweisse
4 x Gamperlbrau Forster-Pils
1 x Wagner ungespundet Lager
1 x Wurth Zoigl Dunkel
1 x Klosterbrau Kemnath Marzen
1 x Weiherer Keller Marzen}



I'm like a fucking pig in shit

Fraudulent votes

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Stöpflder Zwickel (5.0%) Zwickl/Kellerbier
Adler-Brau, Stettfeld

A short way North-West of Bamberg is where this little brewery is located, not far from the river Main. They run a (very well reviewed) Gasthaus/restaurant as is common; this is my first beer of theirs.

Zwickl is usually intended as a brighter, sometimes sharper thirst-quencher, on the 'session drinking' side of the Kellerbier spectrum. The colour is straw-like, perhaps not as lemony yellow as the picture. It is fairly aromatic with lime/melon which feeds into the flavour sensation if you really huff on it. There's also an underlying agricultural/harvest fields note which often feeds into these unfiltered kellerbiers. Not big time like an English Golden Ale, just a delicate hint here and there of meadow, hedgerow, honeysuckle, light floral elements.

As for my impressions, it's direct satisfaction from the off. A tang of spice, surprisingly strident hops which you can almost feel bubbling up, rising in your mouth before swallowing disperses everything pleasantly like a wave lapping on a beach. A bit like the frothing sea, it is a little gassy too. A bit like Nikl-Brau and Schubel Kellerbier there is a fairly distinctive citric element but one that's been carefully layered in.

I champion good lager because 1) it's dying in most places 2) it's unexplored, underrated or in the case of this stuff just plain forgotten about 3) it's very tasty but 4) because it goes beyond the call of duty. Most people's expectations of a lager are low, even in Germany. They don't have to do this. They could have contracted a house pils that was totally perfunctory. But this is a personal labour of love.

This is designed to be refreshing, absolutely. Any cyclist or hiker could pop into their Gasthaus for a pint of this and it would sort them out immediately. But it also rewards lingering with it, taking each facet of each mouthful in. You can sense the additional effort put in; the understanding of the art by the brewer.

Obviously I would say this is preferable to a 'Session IPA' on account of personal taste, but I am interested in what people who like that style would think of this. Because I think this beer satisfies all the reasons people like Session IPA but adds so much more too. An underlying texture, malt character that is present but wouldn't put any hophead off. In the case of this beer anyway, a balance, a harmony that is vital whatever style you decide to brew, which is as big a commendation for a brewer as anything.

Rating: ****

[Ferris]

Here's one for you both: I took a look at the "import" section of the liquor store here in Halifax and it was fucking desolate. 3 tins of Heineken and a couple of aldi-tier weissbeers I'd never heard of. Will take a sneaky photo next time I'm in there.

The local craft stuff (particularly darker beers which I guess is a regional thing) are all decent to good so I'm doing alright but you pair would be besides yourselves.

There we go, stock is particularly poor today. Some of that "import" is "imported" from Québec for fucks sake. And it's not even good! Some QC beer is amazing (especially their abbé style stuff) but mcauslan is shite. Anyway.

[robhug]

There we go, stock is particularly poor today. Some of that "import" is "imported" from Québec for fucks sake. And it's not even good! Some QC beer is amazing (especially their abbé style stuff) but mcauslan is shite. Anyway.

how much would it cost to pick up 4 cans of Old Specklend Hen?

[Ferris]

how much would it cost to pick up 4 cans of Old Specklend Hen?

$16.50 = ~10 quid or so?

Load of shit.

[robhug]

Grim.

[Ferris]

Grim.

You're telling me.

Local hooch is cheaper and much nicer but still in the same ballpark.

Will have my brewing gear out of storage at the first opportunity so I can return to being an utter wasteman on the cheap.

[Dex Sawash]

Didn't know Tuborg still existed

[robhug]

Didn't know Tuborg still existed

Its one of the better draught lagers available in Wetherspoons, or it was pre-brexit which was the last time I went in one.

Id say Harp was the one that didn't exist from that picture.

[Dex Sawash]

Its one of the better draught lagers available in Wetherspoons, or it was pre-brexit which was the last time I went in one.

Id say Harp was the one that didn't exist from that picture.

I've only ever had one in 1987 that had probably spent 2 years getting to america