Hopfen Weisse (Brauerie G. Schneider & Sohn)

This a beer that combines the brewing prowess of two great beer countries. The old and the new. The big and bold with the practical and the genuine. The Schneider and Brooklyner version of the Hopfen-Weisse uses German hops and is brewed at the world famous and historic Schneider Weissbier Brewery in Kelheim. Below is a great description of this joint venture that I found on the importer's site: Schneider & Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse is a collaboration between brewmasters Hans-Peter Drexler of the Schneider Weissbier Brewery and Garrett Oliver of The Brooklyn Brewery. Now, once again, together they bring you a small batch of their joint creation, a pale weissbock robustly dry-hopped with the Hallertauer Saphir variety grown in the fields near the Schneider brewery. Hoppy, zesty and supremely refreshing, Schneider & Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse is a delicious blend of Bavarian craftsmanship and American ingenuity. Pours a glowing orange color that is cloudy with yeast and a big, fluffy head. The bubbles show a nice steady stream of carbonation. This beer looks amazing in a tall glass. I can't wait. At first the smell is spicy, clovey with some of that familiar banana smell that can be attributed to the yeast. The bitter and slightly citrusy hop aromas follow the strong spicy smells. This is quite a unique smelling brew.  That uniqueness continues with the first sip. That spicy, clovey taste is present but the nice floral and citrusy hoppiness quickly joins in. What a great blend of wheat, yeast and hops. I'm so used to hoppy beers like pale ales, IPAs and porters that this is a pleasant surprise. Its not super hoppy but the presence of the precious bittering flower is much more so in this beer than in any other wheat beer I've ever had. I can't wait to try the Brooklyner version of this one brewed with American hops.  One small thing that I do note about this beer is that it is pretty heavily carbonated compared to the other beers I've had from Schneider. I don't think that really takes away too much from this beer, but its definitely noticeable. Prosit! BEER FACTS Name: Schneider & Brooklyner Hopfen Weisse Style: Pale Weissbock Brewery: Brauerei G. Schneider & Sohn Location: Kelheim, Germany Container: 500 ml. bottle Malts: Pale Wheat & Barley Hops: Hallertauer Saphir ABV: 8.2% IBUs: 40

Schneider Weisse (Brauerei G. Schneider & Sohn)

Georg I. Schneider created the original Schneider Weisse recipe back in 1872. Little did he know that the beer he brewed would one day be the benchmark for the style. Fast forward 136 years later and Georg's great-great-great grandson Georg VI. Schneider is overseeing a brewery that still produces beer brewed with that original recipe along with an array of other wheat beers such as Aventinus and Edel-Weisse. 

Pours a beautiful, rich, dark peach color with a huge, thick fluffy head. Its probably darker than some would expect since a lot of the American hefeweizens tend to be lighter in color. As the remaining yeast drips into the head of this beer it plunges into the beer and leaves a milky trail. Looks very appealing. Smells of cloves, cinnamon and spice, yeast and a bit of apple and banana. Tastes of spice and cloves at first with a nice refreshing follow through. Its a very refreshing beer with some juicy fruit qualities that make it ridiculous drinkable on a warm day. Nothing too overpowering, just a great clean, crisp beer. Beers like this are part of the lore that is the German beer tradition. There's a reason why this beer is still being brewed after all these years, its high quality and delicious. BEER FACTS Name: The Original Schneider Weisse Hefe-Weizen Style: Hefeweizen Brewery: Brauerei G. Schneider & Sohn Location: Kelheim, Germany Container: 500 ml. bottle Malts: Wheat & Barley Hops: ? ABV: 5.4% IBUs: ?

Aventinus 2002 (Brauerei G. Schneider & Sohn)

A lot of things happened back in 2002. According to the nice little gift wrapping around this aged bottle of Aventinus (and history as well), it was the year the Euro came into existence and the year Jimmy Carter was awarded a Nobel Peace prize. It was also the year the final piece of debris was removed from the World Trade Center and Brazil beat Germany to win the World Cup. It also happens to be the year that this particular beer was brewed and put away to be enjoyed on this night six years after its slumber.

According to the tag that hung around the neck of the bottle:

Aventinus, the world's oldest top fermenting wheat-doppelbock, has received accolades for the perfect balance of fruity spiciness (banana, clove, vanilla) and notes of chocolate (crystal and dark malts).

In addition, the beer has demonstrated wonderful aging potential with aromas and flavors of softer chocolate, clay and sherry when aged for three years or more.

Therefore in 1999, the Schneider brewery decided to age 240 cases of Aventinus each year in their historical ice cellar in Kelheim with each batch held for a minimum of three years.

Pretty interesting stuff. Anything aged in an ice cave sounds pretty sweet and this particular beer is so great that I am excited to see what age can do and how it compares to a fresh bottle.

Pours a murky, muddy ruby red to brown color. Carbonation levels are surprisingly active and the head fluffs up to a few fingers in thickness before slinking away. Its definitely not a head as big and fluffy as that of the fresh Aventinus. 

The smell is prunes, raisins, some alcohol and a bit of chocolate and caramel. There are also hints of raspberry, burnt sugars and some sour notes. There are so many smells to try and sort out. Every time you stick your face in the glass you'll get a different smell. 

Taste is very smooth and a lot more mellowed out. The fresh apple juiciness that the fresh Aventinus has is not anywhere near as apparent with this aged bottle. Its more subdued and like caramel coated granny smith apples. Lots of sweet sugar, some bitter fruits, raisins and dates. Its a very complex beer with lots of layers of taste that seem to have developed with age. As this glass warms the adjectives start to pile up.

I'd be interested to see what a vertical tasting of this beer would yield. I also wonder if the three year old bottles boast some flavors that have since dissipated with the bottles that are six years old. I guess, I'll be on the look out for other vintages. 

If you've had an Aventinus than you've had an experience thats hard to match. The aged version is an even more special experience as those great tastes have evolved and changed. Its a great way to form a comparison. The 2002 vintage Aventinus is just one more reason I love beer.

BEER FACTS

Name: Aventinus (2002 Vintage)

Style: Weizenbock

Brewery: Brauerei G. Schneider & Sohn

Location: Kelheim, Germany

Container: 500 ml. bottle

Malts: Crystal & Dark

Hops: ?

ABV: 8%

IBUs: ?

who doesn't like to open presents?

Wiesen Edel~Weisse (Brauerei G. Schneider & Sohn)

There are quite a few European beers that carry the USDA Organic stamp these days. I'm sure its a selling point on both sides of the Atlantic, but my guess is that the organic beer market is much more hyped here at present. That being said, the Schneider Weisen Edel~Weisse is made with both organic malt AND organic hops. Some organic American brews labeled as organic are not brewed with organic hops. This is because organic hops are expensive and hard to source and a beer does NOT need to be brewed with organic hops to be labeled as organic. Because hops constitute less than 5% (dry weight) of the total product, they do not need to be organic. Currently there is quite a bit of action to get this overturned and require all organic beer to be 100% organic. 

This 100% organic hefeweizen pours a dark yellow to orange color. Its hazy and it looks thick since its unfiltered. This is not some pale yellow hefeweizen to be served with a fruit wedge. This is a serious looking German wheat beer. Be prepared. The head is big and fluffy white. It sticks around for quite awhile before slowly but surely sinking back into the beer.

Smell is sweet fruit, cinnamon, cloves, a bit of holiday potpourri and some nice yeastiness. Quite a pleasant smelling beer. Another one I'd like to make into an air freshener. If this beer is half as tasty as it smells I am in for a treat.

Tastes spicy and sweet. A couple sips and I can make it some green apples, cloves and some wheat. I was surprised that this beer was brewed with cascade hops since I really don't taste any of the citrus that they usually provide. Its definitely not a big, juicy fruity beer like Aventinus. Instead its a little more thin in mouthfeel and very easy drinking. This is pretty much perfect on a warm/hot day. Its very thirst quenching and refreshing. 

For a great article about organic beers go HERE!

BEER FACTS

Name: Wiesen Edel~Weisse

Style: Hefeweizen

Brewery: Brauerei G. Schneider & Sohn

Location: Kelheim, Germany

Container: 500 ml. bottle

Malts: Organic Wheat & Barley 

Hops: Organic Cascade & Hallertauer

ABV: 6.2%

IBUs: ?

Aventinus (Brauerei G. Schneider & Sohn)

Oh, Aventinus! My purple-labeled friend. You're deep, dark, unfiltered goodness always makes me happy. Man do I love me some Aventinus. The label calls it the "massive twin of Schneider-Weisse." I'd have to agree.

From the Schneider-Weisse site:

"Dark-ruby, almost black-colored and streaked with fine top-fermenting yeast, this beer has a compact and persistent head. This is a very intense wheat doppelbock with a complex spicy chocolate-like arome with a hint of banana and raisins. On the palate, you experience a soft touch and on the tongue it is very rich and complex, though fresh with a hint of caramel. It finishes in a rich soft and lightly bitter impression."

Pours dark and murky. Its definitely a very dark reddish/ruby color, as stated above. It reminds me of fresh, unfiltered apple cider. The head is huge, white and very, very fluffy. It takes awhile for it to settle to a level in which I can take a sip without getting foam on my forehead.

Smell reminds me of canned bartlett pears. That is the first thing that comes to mind. There is a lot of fresh, ripe fruit in the nose of this beer. The smell is very sweet and rich and some of the clove and banana from the yeast is also present. Very, very inviting.

Taste is juicy. Very juicy. LOTS of ripe apple, pear and figs. As the glass drains a bit I can get hints of alcohol that weren't apparent at first. Its an amazingly easy drinking and thirst quenching beer. It really is amazing that this beverage is made from such simple ingredients since there is quite a bit of complexity going on with all of the tastes you get. Aventinus is the type of beer that once you have a glass its unlikely that you'll ever forget it. You'll keep going back to that familiar purple-labeled bottle to get your deep, dark fix.

BEER FACTS

Name: Aventinus

Style: Weizenbock

Brewery: Brauerei G. Schneider & Sohn

Location: Kelheim, Germany

Container: 500 ml. bottle

Malts: Crystal & Dark

Hops: ?

ABV: 8.2%

IBUs: ?

Urbock Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier

If you've ever drank any of the Schlenkerla smoke beers then you know that they are all beyond unique. Each is an experience unlike anything you could imagine when it comes to beer. When they say "smoke" they mean "SMOKE"!

I grabbed a bottle of the Urbock since it was one I hadn't had before. But, unless you are from Bamberg and drink LOTS of rauchbiers it can be a little tough to get past the smokiness of these beers and taste the styles hiding deep within.

From the Schlenkerla site:

"A smoked bock beer for Bamberg's strong beer season (October through December). Matured for months in ancient rock-cellars underneath Bamberg and tapped freshly from the oakwood cask. Similar to, but much bigger than the classic Maerzen style."

The Urbock pours a very dark brown or ruby color with a thin wispy head. It looks like a nice dark beer with nothing to hide. 

Once the glass gets within 6 inches of my nose I can smell that famous smokiness that comes from the smoking of the malts with beechwood logs. Check out their site for more on that, its pretty interesting. Anyways, this stuff smells smokier than any other beer you've ever smelled (except others from Schlenkerla of course!). It instantly reminds me of smoked meats and even beer jerky. 

The taste is very, very good. Its also very, very smoky! Its intense but you get over that and can really enjoy the uniqueness of this style of beer. There is malt sweetness that goes very well with the smoke taste. The finish is very smooth and its quite drinkable. I'll have to give the other styles a chance and see what other flavors stand out that make them different. 

Don't be intimidated by these rauchbiers. They are quite amazing and should be given a chance as they represent a lot of brewing history and a truly unique style.

BEER FACTS

Name: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Urbock)

Style: Rauchbier (smoked ale)

Brewery: Schlenkerla - Brauerei Heller

Location: Bamberg, Germany

Container: 16.09 oz. bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: ?

ABV: 6.5%

IBUs: 40

Reichelbräu Eisbock (Kulmbacher Brauerei)

"The Original German Ice Beer"

Don't let the fancy, shiny label fool you. This is one serious beer. Kulmbacher Eisbock weighs in at 9.2% ABV and should not be mistaken for anything akin to those ice beers you drank in college!

Eisbocks are traditionally made by brewing a big, malty doppelbock and freezing off some of the water thus leaving a more concentrated liquid and a higher alcohol percentage (since the alcohol doesn't freeze). It is said that an apprentice at the Kulmbacher brewery back around the turn of the 20th century "forgot on a cold winter day to carry two barrels of bock beer into the brewery cellar. The barrels stayed outside, were covered by ice and snow and weren't discovered until the following spring. The barrels had burst and the apprentice was reprimanded. But the carelessness was a stroke of luck because under the thick ice coat, a bock beer extract remained, strong tasting and high in alcoholic content."

Kulmbacher's Eisbock is very dark brown in color almost like maple syrup and has a very sweet smell of cooked apples and raisins. The taste is very smooth for such a strong beer and the warming from the high alcohol comes quickly after an initial taste of sweet, heavy malt and fruit. A 12oz bottle should be poured and enjoyed slowly. Its best to let this warm a little after opening, that will bring out more of the flavor.

You can get 6-packs of Kulmbacher Eisbock for about $10-12 in Maine at most good beer stores. 

For more about Kulmbacher's other beers go HERE!

Beer Facts:

Name: Reichelbräu Eisbock

Style: German Eisbock (original)

Brewery: Kulmbacher Brauerei 

Location: Kulmbach, Bayern, Germany 

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: ?

ABV: 9.2%

IBU’s: ?

this is no Natty Ice