Paulaner - Salvator Doppel Bock

Tonight I'll be breaking out a brew from Paulaner in Germany.  This brewery has been around for centuries, with records of beer being brewed all the way back in 1634.  This particular beer, Salvator, was the first beer to be documented from Paulaner after it gained some local fame.  The Monks of the order of St. Frances of Paola that created this concoction for sustenance, because they were strict vegans and forbidden from any food from animals aka meat.  They called it "Saint Father Beer", or Salvator. 

At 7.9%ABV, this is the strongest beer brewed by Paulaner - brewed using Munich malt and other ingredients in a recipe that's been unchanged for 375 years.  The bottle states this is best before 1/11 - oops!  Completely forgot to check that before I picked it out....+1 dumbass points for me.  Hopefully that won't take away from the experience.

The beer is a deep, almost chocolate hazy amber color with a light cream layer of foam.  The aroma is heavily malty, with some raisins, caramel, and a faint sugary booze scent.  The flavor starts off with toffee-nuts and plum-raisins.  Creamy caramel is next up, with some prickly carbonation tossing it around a bit.  The second half brings on a kind of metallic, dry, herbal taste that lingers for quite a while.  The alcohol is noticeable throughout, and not in a good way.

Overall Rating:  I was a bit disappointed by this Doppelbock.  There were enough off-flavors in there to distract from the good stuff.  Keep in mind, I'm drinking this 5 months past the best-by date, so it's not a fresh example.  I'll be giving the Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock a try next, and we'll see who wins the Doppelbock-ator wars!

Ayinger - Altbairisch Dunkel

Tonight I'll be drinking an authentic Bavarian Dark Lager from Ayinger, located in Aying, Germany.  This beer, Altbairisch Dunkel, is derived from a traditional Bavarian style that's been around for centuries.  It's won bundles of awards, including Gold medal/World Champion during almost all the '90s and the first 3 years of the 2000's - lots of alecolades for this one.  The label states this beer is brewed in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot Purity Law of 1516 - keepin' it real.    

This beer is served out of a 500mL bottle - dark brown color with a big creamy head that doesn't recede....ever.  The aroma is heavily malty, with sweet toffee and candied dark fruits up front and some light, sweet caramel and toasted sour dough behind it. 

The first sip of this beer is warm and inviting.  Things start off with big toasted bread, lightly buttered and sweet.  Honey, molasses, mixed in with the grains.  The finish brings a touch...a smidgeon....of hop bitterness that presents a small tinge of spice, really gives a sense of crispness.  The finish also leaves a tad bit of metallic flavor, doesn't ruin the beer but it's definitely present.  The mouthfeel is crisp and clean, with carbonation on the heavy side. 

Overall Rating:  This is a German malt-bomb.  A simple, delicious example of a Bavarian dark lager brewed in the old style, without any extremes that tend to come into play with American brews.  If you don't head to the international beer shelf often, go find ths beer and give it a try, it's worth it.  Fantastic session brew!

Radeberger - Pilsner

First of all, my apologizes for skipping yesterdays post.  Studying got the best of me and I more or less passed the eff out shortly after getting up from my desk.  16 more days until the test... I'm almost there!

Tonights review is taking us on a trip over to Germany.  Specifically Radeberg, Germany.  Famous for Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei, this Pilsner boasts a royal history dating back to 1872.  The label informs me that it was "Born at the Royal Court of Dresden".  Digging further into Radeberger's helpful website I found that the Royal Court of Saxony and Prince Otto von Bismarck appointed the brewery as purveyor to their courts.  Now I'm no historian, but I'm pretty sure being the purveyor of anything related to beer back in the day was a good thing for the brewery doing the purveying.  It means people liked your beer!  It also means I'm excited to try a bottle of my own.

The 500ml bottle fills my mug right up to the top with crystal clear, pale yellow liquid gold.  A nice white frothy foam builds up to the rim and gives off a sweet malt and subtle earthy hop aromas.  The overall appearance is very inviting!  Smooth and sweet mouthfeel with the sweet malty/grainy flavors making another appearance.  Both the aroma and taste are very clean and crisp.  A smooth bitterness lingers as I swirl a sip through my palate.  The finish is refreshing with the carbonation and bittering hops finishing off a well rounded pilsner.

Overall - If I had to pick two adjectives to summarize this brew it would be 'smooth' and 'crisp'... and 'balanced'.  This German brew is different than most state side pilsners in that it didn't put the hops in the forefront of the beer.  Too many times us Americans get caught up in the thought that more hops are always better!  Well the Europeans are a testament to the fact that old school can still reign supreme and simple, balanced recipes brewed by knowledgeable and experience brewers are some of the best beers you will find in the world.  I'm not saying this is the best in the world of pilsners, but its certainly a refreshing example of what a delicious beer can be.   

Brauerei Hofstetten - Granitebock

Tonights review is of a Doppelbock straight out of Austria.  Granitebock, brewed by Hofstetten, is made through a very unique brewing method that utilizes hot stones, granite stones to be exact, to brew the wort!  Using Google Translator I was able to get some bits of information from their German website that gives me a description of the process.  "To come up to temperature, we start this process with glowing granite purposes.  The stones are heated over an open fire and then cooled abruptly in the wort.  The beer ingredients caramelize and the yeast receives optimum fermentation conditions".  If you read that description with a German accent it makes it sound much more authentic.

The beer is a very clear, deep ruby red when held to the light.  A creamy, caramel-colored foam persists throughout my pint.  Sweet malty aromas are immediately present after I finish pouring.  Dark fruits, caramel and a whiff of alcohol create an inviting profile.  Flavor-wise, very malt forward.  Lots of caramel, toasted bread, and an earthiness from the hops.  The caramelization characteristics are really accentuated here.  I like it!  The body itself is very chewy and not too sweet.  I also find hints of black tea as it warms.  The alcohol also becomes more present but does not have any averse affects on this bocks drinkability.

Overall - I really enjoyed this doppelbock.  I found the novelty (if you can even call it that) of having this beer brewed with searing hot granite stones make my drinking experience of this Austrian beer much more fulfilling.  The nice bonus is that the bottle holds more than a pint of beer so you are able to go back for seconds!  Its not a wallet buster either at roughly $4 a bottle.  I recommend picking a bottle up just to say you had a beer that was brewed with granite stones!  Oh, and the beer itself is pretty tasty as well.


Purchased from The Four Firkins.

G. Schneider & Sohn - Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock

Today I am drinking Schneider Aventinus.  I haven't had a doppelbock in quite some time so I was excited to pick this one up.  It was recommended to me by a guy who was filling up a full sized shopping cart with bombers of European, Asian, Australian and American craft beers.  I figured he was either somebody who knew a lot about international and domestic craft beer or was some rich dude who was on a hell-bent mission to show off his beer fridge to his friends.  In either case, I figured I'd take the chance and see what he liked.  This was the first bottle he pointed to so I went with it.

After doing a bit of research on BeerAdvocate and Rate Beer I realized that I had a solid bottle of brew on my hands.  I went to go check out their website but it is full of German words which my brain could not process.  I therefore relied on the internets to tell me more information about this beer (incase you werent aware, the internets never lie).  All I could really find were tasting notes and people saying how good this brew is.  And since Im tired I am going to say thats good enough... Lets drink!

This pours a crystal clear, deep amber.  Strong carbonation provides a nice, lingering head.  The aroma is full of caramelized fruit, yeast, wheat and malt.  Very refreshing.  Bananas and other tropical fruits are apparent.  Upon my first sip I immediately sense how smooth this brew is.  Caramel malt and roasted fruits make a nice appearance.  There is an almost spiced rum character that brings this beer together.  The yeast is what makes this beer.  You can find plenty of yeast settled in the bottom of this bottle reiterating the bottle fermentation.  The 8.2% ABV is present in the finish along with any hops added as well.

Overall 5.5/6.0 - I loved this beer.  The aroma is a nice blend of fruits and malt which does a good job backing up the overall flavor profile.  The wife was reminded of bananas foster and I agree.  The spices thrown off from the yeast can easily be confused for a spiced rum which you will find in said desert.  The beer is smooth, carbonation supports the body perfectly.  I think you would be hard pressed to find another beer in this category that would beat this.  Definitely give this doppelbock a shot.

Sam Adams - Infinium

Samuel Adams likes to say they started the craft beer revolution here in the states in 1984.  Their Boston Lager is the epitome of what non-craft beer drinkers would typically define as "craft beer".  Sam Adams embraces the value that beer should be full of flavor and brewed with the best ingredients available.  They use the slogan "stretching the definition of beer" to venture out in search of new beer recipes and styles that haven't been produced by other craft breweries before.  Today's beer review defines that slogan.

Infinium is a collaborative beer brewed with the Weihenstephan brewery in Germany, the oldest brewery in the world.  Founded in 1040 by monks, this "Vatican City of brewing" is widely considered to be the pinnacle of brewing knowledge.  The goal of this beer was to make something that has never been brewed before while also staying within the confines of the reinheitsgebot, the German purity law of 1516 saying a beer can only contain four ingredients: barley, hops, water and yeast.  After two years of collaboration a champaign styled beer emerged from these two well known breweries.  Brewed with noble German hops, American barley and water, fermented with American ale yeast and bottle conditioned with Belgian style yeast, Infinium is a beer that has a great story to tell.  I'm looking forward to this treat.

This champagne-minded brew pours with a light head of carbonation which eventually collapses and laces the side of your glass.  The color is a pale gold and crystal clear with lots of bubbles rising throughout the glass.  My first smell reminds me of champaign but not overly fruity.  Noble hops are prominent in the nose and a mild malt aroma backs up the floral characteristics.  Sipping this one is not what I expected, but thats not a bad thing.  Very smooth with lots of carbonation tickling your tongue.  Mild fruits compliment the subtle malt flavors that you may find in an american blonde ale.  As it warms the fruity esters become more prominent. The ABV is 10.3% but barely noticeable.  The alcohol helps dry out the finish in tandem with the heavy carbonation.

Overall 5.25/6.  This is an extremely well crafted beer.  You need to be a fan of champaign in order to fully enjoy this though.  It is a very delicate, light, mildly hoppy and easily drinkable bottle that will go down quickly if you are not careful.  Infinium is a treat to enjoy.  Buy a bottle of this instead of a $20 bottle of champaign this holiday season.  It will be a nice change of pace and give you the opportunity to taste something truly unique.

German Beer Tasting at the History Theater

Today certainly is a winter weather day. We are expected to get around 12-16 inches of snow with 2-5 foot snow drifts! Shoveling my way out of the front door is not going to be a good time. Although, a fire and a few beers will definitely be in order which I cant complain about. Good thing this is all hitting today since last night was The Christmas Schooner play and our German beer tasting. The play was great. Lots of excellent singers and very impressive young actors. The family in the play is of German decent which made for some pretty funny, dry humor. If you are in the area and haven't seen or heard about it you can find more information about it here. Go check it out! One of my wifes students is actually the lead kid in the play!

But, you aren't reading this blog to hear about a musical... you want to know about the beer! Or at least that is our assumption... Prior to the play Dunz and I had the opportunity to taste six beers of German origin. While we wont write a full review on each beer we were able to take some solid notes about each one while tasting it. My wife also took notes that we will include since I am almost positive she has at least three times as many taste buds as I do. That woman can taste damn near anything thats included in a beer.

Our first beer was a Pilsner brewed by Warsteiner called Premium Verum. It was very clear, clean, crisp and refreshing. Something that I would love to drink on a warm summer day. The noble hops were present but not a bold characteristic in this brew. The pils malt and lager yeast made for a very smooth and clean finish. Our first taste of Warsteiner's Pilsner seemed slightly tart but quickly went away after the malt and nobel hops hit your pallet. I could drink a number of these beers. Nice, mild, very quaffable. Overall - 5/6.

Next up, one of the few breweries in Germany who's flagship beer is a dark beer! Kostriker's Schwarzbier is a deep, opaque ruby red when held up to the light. The nose has a mild roast and a slight coffee and chocolate smell to it along with some fruit up front. The flavor was a little thin, even for a lager. The flavor profile is mild. Im now starting to think all of our American craft beers have blown up their flavor profiles so much that European brews seem dainty in comparison. However, this beer is still clean and easily drinkable. A good option for an everyday beer when you are in the mood for something with darker beer characteristics. Overall - 4/6.

Following our Schwarzbier comes an Oktoberfest from the Monks! Marzen Fest brewed by Weissenohe has been in one form of existence or another since 1050! Talk about a historic beer. This orange/amber beer seems slighly cloudy which leads me to believe its not filtered. Plenty of malt in the nose with some caramel and hop aroma coming in at the end. The flavor is nice, not bitter at all. Malt is what makes this brew. Very smooth, low carbonation allows you to drink a lot of this beer without feeling full. Thats what an Oktoberfest brew is supposed to do, right?! One more taste brings some bready characteristics to this 5% abv fest bier. Overall - 5/6.

Our fourth beer in this seemingly fantastic German lineup is Hacker-Pschorr's Munich Gold. A Helles style beer (apparently made to compete with the already dominant Pilsner style in Germany). Pours golden with a very slight haze to it. A sweeter aroma is present in this brew along with a bit more body than the pils we tasted earlier and slightly more bitter. Seems to be a beer for people who want more malt characteristic and want to avoid the sometimes "skunky" flavor you get from Pilsner malt. (Want to know why some pilsners smell that way? Find more information here. Warning, geeky beer stuff following that link!). Good beer, better suited for your fall or spring climates as far as I'm concerned. Still a well brewed beer. Overall 4.5/6.

Second to last we have an Eisbock brewed by Kulmbacher. An Eisbock, style wise, is left to sit at sub 32 degree temperatures after fermentation is finished. This forms water crystals in the beer which are then scooped out and set aside leaving a more potent brew for consumption. Our example was a potent 9.2% abv but you wouldnt know it without reading the label. The aroma was a complex raisin, fig, caramel mix that melded together very nicely. The first step emphasized those aromas on your tastebuds and gave an extra sweet and alcoholic warmth to the finish. This deep mahogany colored brew is very nicely done. My favorite for the session. We were able to purchase any of the beers we drank during this session half off during intermission of the play and we both chose this Eisbock to drink. Overall - 5/6.

Finally, we finish with Paulaner's Hefe-Weizen. A nice, cloudy orange which is to be expected with unfiltered wheat beers. A fruity, citrusy aroma is prominent upon first whiff. The taste easily backs this up. A well composed beer that will have Blue Moon fans immediately won over. A quality beer for anyone looking to diversify from American attempts at the style. Also, my wifes favorite of the night. Overall - 5/6

The History Theater is having another beer tasting similar to this one on March 25th, 2011 where they will taste beers of the Twin Cities. Expect local brews from the smaller guys in the area. Sorry Summit, I think you have reached "big craft brewery" status around the area since you were not mentioned in the line up.

Thanks for reading our German beer tasting experience. Let us know what you think in the comments and feel free to pass our blog along to others! More followers means more comments which also means better reviews because you are telling us what you want!

Prosit!