Amber gambles

The German brewing establishment haven't lasted as long as they have by being innovative, or at least what passes as innovative here in the craft age. So it's always interesting to see them doing something even slightly out of the ordinary.

Weihenstephaner, for instance, has tried its hand at a Pale Ale, which has been around for a few years now and showed up on tap at UnderDog not long after its most recent re-opening. It's a bit of an odd fish. Zingy American hop flavours aren't difficult to build into a recipe, but that's not how they've gone here. It opens on cereal and strawberry, with only a mild citrus zest towards the finish. I found it quite English in its understatedness, lacking both zing and resins, but including some dry tannin. It's a smidge on the strong side for a bitter, however, at 5.2% ABV. While it's not bad, there's not a whole of of interest, beyond the basic notion of Weihenstephaner making a pale ale. Maybe it's more fun to brew than to drink.

While I'm sure research and experimentation is all part of the set-up at academically-minded Weihenstephan, the same can't be said of Bitburger. I'm guessing that plain old commerce is the reasoning behind its previous collaborations with Sierra Nevada. Now it's gone one up and produced a beer with another west coast icon, Deschutes. This is Dry Hop'd Zwickl, so a cloudy lager, though a surprisingly dark amber one. The aroma is a surprise too, no crisp grain but warm and spicy clove. That becomes more herbal on tasting, adding eucalyptus, lemon verbena and sarsaparilla. While there's a certain amount of crispness it's mostly quite dense, chewy and un-lager-like. I enjoyed the sheer unexpected weirdness of it, and was only a little miffed I didn't get the dry and grainy pale beer I was in the mood for.

They're a strange pair, for sure: neither being quite what I expected. That's innovation, I guess. While it's heartening to see Bitburger do something other than basic commodity beer, I'm happier when Weihenstephaner sticks to the traditional German styles at which it excels.