A tickle of zwickl

Since they arrived almost two years ago, the Stiegl beers haven't exactly been making waves in local beer geek circles. Importer Carlow Brewing has carved out a mainstream niche for Goldbräu lager, and the excellent Radler was a welcome feature on rotation taps last summer, but other than that it's been quite quiet. I paid attention, then, when Paracelsus appeared out of the blue at UnderDog last year.

It's described as a "bio-zwickl", so an organic unfiltered lager, then. The ABV is 5.2% and it's a hazy shade of orange. I got a surprising amount of juice from the aroma; a zesty hit of freshly-squeezed orange. The more typical grain husk is also there, and that's what leads the flavour: dry biscuit at first, building in sweetness to the level of golden syrup, reminding me a little of Budvar. The juice has vanished, strangely, and in its place stands a noble hop bitterness: raw green veg; assertive, verging on harsh to my sensitive palate. The texture is noteworthy too: deliciously soft and chewy.

Overall this is very good at what it does. It's a wholesome and flavourful Mitteleuropa lager of the sort we don't see much of in these parts. I know from the launch event that Stiegl has some very interesting items in its repertoire. It would be great to see more of them around.