Beer Advent calendar 2018

[JimRausch]

Beer#11:Kress Bayrisch Zwickel. I am not familiar with the style and before looking it up I thought "looks and tastes like a cloudy Marzen". Sure enough that's how it's described. A young beer, cloudy with yeast, in this case in the Marzen style. I enjoyed this one.

 

[JimRausch]

#12: Publiner Dunkles Exportbier, Schloss Brauerei. On the can: Irisch im Charakter, stark im Genuss. Very nice looking beer. Pleasant flavor, but kind of nonmemorable. And then there's that weird metallic off-taste that I picked up in #6.

 

[JimRausch]

Beer#13: Alpenkonig Gold Marzen. I was looking forward to a marzen as it's a favorite. This one is in the current german festbier style- light colored, light body. Nice, but had that weird metallic after-taste I've mentioned before.
Beer#14: Blau Weisse Hallertau Craftbier, Hohenthanner Schlossbrauerei. Quite nice, I really enjoyed this one. Similar to #13, without the after-taste.

 

[JimRausch]

I wonder if the after-taste I'm picking up has something to do with the cans? I did recently read something that some staleness-compounds can present as a metallic taste. I don't see any 'born-on' dates on the cans, but they do have an EXP of 5/2020. I imagine that to ship them to the US, they probably were canned back in the Spring/early summer this year. Or maybe I'm just being overly sensitive.

 

[JimRausch]

Beer#15: Herrnbrau Tradition Bayerisches Festbier. A light, very quaffable festbier-type. This one really hit the spot after brewing my Decemberfest Marzen and then cleaning the kitchen floor (it's a bargain I made years ago with SWMBO after my 1st brewday on the kitchen stove resulted in a boilover and a sticky floor. Doesn't matter that I brew in the garage now. Some traditions must not be changed)

 

[JimRausch]

Beer #16: Schlosbrau Rheder Original Pils. This one is real good. Just a wonderful pils-light, just enough hops to make it interesting I'd buy a sixer of this!

 

[anotherbeerplease]

I did this in 2016... it was a fun idea but unfortunately all the beers sort of tasted the same to me. I ended up using them to marinade brats to bbq through the year.

 

[JimRausch]

Beer #17: Urtyp Hell Edel Bayer. Beautifully clear and light. Curiously flavorless. Still it would have made a good lawnmower beer, if there weren't so much D*mn snow on the ground.

 

[JimRausch]

#18: Kauzle Helles lager. Another light lager. Enjoyable, but I'm really looking for something with more flavor.

 

[JimRausch]

Beer#19: Wittman Landshuter Spezialitaten Brauerei, Urhell Unser original. Another in a long line of light lagers...... This one has that metallic off-taste as well. As most of the light lagers have been----not bad, but nothing special.

 

[JimRausch]

Beer#20: Holzknecht Hefe-Weisse Dunkel Altbairisch. Slightly sweet, well balanced between the subtle clove and equally subtle banana. Finally, not a light lager! Quite enjoyable.

 

[JimRausch]

Beer#21: Bergbrau Pale Ale. A little hoppier than the previous helles selections, but barely noticeable difference And a reocurrance of the metallic off-taste.

 

[JimRausch]

Beer#22: Brauerei Fullung's Kurpealz Brau Helles. Another light Helles lager, and unfortunately had the metallic after-taste. But I came to a realization: My usual 'lawnmower' beer that I brew for the summer has been either a Cream Ale, a German Pils, or a Kolsch. I could add Helles as a possibility. It serves the purpose- light, easy quick drinking, basically flavorless, refreshing without getting you too snookered, so you can have more than one. I peaked- #24 is a Dopplebock. I can hardly wait!

 

[jmcquesten]

View attachment 603592 Beer#22: Brauerei Fullung's Kurpealz Brau Helles. Another light Helles lager, and unfortunately had the metallic after-taste. But I came to a realization: My usual 'lawnmower' beer that I brew for the summer has been either a Cream Ale, a German Pils, or a Kolsch. I could add Helles as a possibility. It serves the purpose- light, easy quick drinking, basically flavorless, refreshing without getting you too snookered, so you can have more than one. I peaked- #24 is a Dopplebock. I can hardly wait!

The big German breweries' Helles's are certainly not flavorless. The few in the advent calendar are a little on the lighter (flavor) side. The Helles is a great beer to really test brewing skills because there's nothing to hide behind. Pilsner flaws can hide behind the hops (especially the bad ones when made with American hops) similar to an ipa, and the darker beers have plenty to cover up flaws. The style is considered tough to brew for those reasons. If you get a really good one, it might change your opinion.

As far the metallic taste, I've noticed an off flavor in a few of the advent beers. I've identified it to be pretty bad oxidation more so than metallic, but the can could add to the "perceived" metallic-ness.

 

[JimRausch]

The big German breweries' Helles's are certainly not flavorless. The few in the advent calendar are a little on the lighter (flavor) side. The Helles is a great beer to really test brewing skills because there's nothing to hide behind. Pilsner flaws can hide behind the hops (especially the bad ones when made with American hops) similar to an ipa, and the darker beers have plenty to cover up flaws. The style is considered tough to brew for those reasons. If you get a really good one, it might change your opinion.
QUOTE]
I agree I'm not familiar with the Helles style, so cannot tell a good one from a bad one or an exceptional one. Someday I hope to take the AHA beer tour of Germany and can experience the full spectrum of German beers the way they deserve to be experienced.

 

[JimRausch]

The penultimate beer from the German Advent Beer Calendar: Gundertshausner Schnaitl Brau. No other info on the can, although the brewery is in Eggelsberg Austria. To me this one looks and tastes like what I expect from a Marzen- malty, slightly sweet balanced by the hops. Maybe it's Vienna lager? I enjoyed it.

 

[JimRausch]

And the Final Beer from the German Beer Advent Calendar 2018: Kartauser Dopplebock Dunkel. I've been waiting for this one. It was a good dopplebock, although I have to say I like Ayinger's Celebrator better. In fact I have a couple in the beer fridge that I'll tap into tonight after church. I'll wrap up my thoughts in the next post.

 

[JimRausch]

A few final thoughts and observations:
1. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I'm really appreciative to my wife for giving this to me. I would not buy it for myself, and wouldn't suggest she get me another one. Instead I'll ask her to start saving pennies so we can go on the AHA tour of Germany. So we can experience German beers the way they should be experienced.
2. Where were the well-known German breweries? You know- Austiner, Ayinger, St. Pauli, Bitburger, Paulaner, Weihenstephaner, Warsteiner, etc.? Was this a conscious decision on the part of the distributor?
3. Too many light beers. Out of the 24, 12 were Helles, Pils, or unidentified light beers. 4 were Hefe-weizens. Only 2 festbier/Marzens and they were both in the light style. Only 2 Dunkels. Where were the Altbiers, the Stickealts, the Kolsches, the Eisbocks, the Bocks and Dopplebocks in general?
4. Are these representative of what Germans are drinking? Are these the equilavent of Budlight and Coors light?
5. They need to figure out the shipping and storage problems. The metallic off-tastes, the curiously flavorless Helles, etc.
6. I wonder, would there be a market if someone did this with American beers? What would you put in it? I might start another thread with this Q.
7. Going back and looking at my posts, I feel I must apologize for being overly negative. I'm really not like that. I really am normally not so critical. Oh well. Hopefully folks can get something constructive out of the thread. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays to all!