We've had a gradual trickle of beers from the Saxon Einsiedler brewery, all in resolutely typical German styles. So far there's been a Helles, Weissbier, Schwarzbier and Böhmisch, and now they've sent us their Zwickelbier, presumably an unfiltered version of the Helles, at the same 5.2% ABV.It looks significantly darker, however: a deep amber colour which I'm not convinced comes entirely from the haze. The flavour is nicely wholesome, consisting mostly of rough granary bread with a marmalade-shred bitterness and a sharper tang of metal on the very end. That finish is quick, however, so while it's not as crisp and clean as a clarified lager would be, it still has enough of its attributes to pass muster. There's a little bit of heat, too, suggesting some potentially headachey esters, but for me this was all part of the unvarnished charm of it.
A bit like the Böhmisch, this is more challenging than your typical factory-brewed German lager. It doesn't follow the usual Zwickel pattern of being a very slightly rougher Helles; it goes all-in with its lack of polish, and may be a little divisive as a result. I enjoyed it for all that.
I drank a lot of different German beers when we stayed over there a few years back, and it was really hard to find any significant differences. (They weren't even all alike in a good way, like Czech lagers.) Nice to see something a bit off-piste.
ReplyDeleteI think there's something quite charming about a beer scene which doesn't cater so much to the tickers. There are lots of other places you can go if you want 300 samey IPAs.
DeleteFor sure, but 300 samey supermarket lagers wasn't that big an improvement.
ReplyDeleteTouché!
DeleteRothaus Pils, Flensberger, Augustiner Edelstoff, Weihenstephaner are kind of similar but all totally awesome.
ReplyDeleteThough a couple of quid more expensive here.
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