Blog Tracker
03-05-2022, 09:00
Visit The Beer Nut site (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/05/here-comes-new-challenger.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm15X7JrK4SERNUsbZEA_BsOTbPodADVyT8KyrhebGLa 4TkcA-F9r9V3yO4vnCi7r4jh7ythakSWl6QIn4fIoRN_kjdgF2e3x6ol 7ouvP0-uedU3zd3k8j91FJYw9saPhpyn1yNMsex-RKKhPHXbdPTw4ncJVopNpc1VxRa_8jcNi-IXseZVc/s320/kris_emmerling_hopfgarten.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm15X7JrK4SERNUsbZEA_BsOTbPodADVyT8KyrhebGLa 4TkcA-F9r9V3yO4vnCi7r4jh7ythakSWl6QIn4fIoRN_kjdgF2e3x6ol 7ouvP0-uedU3zd3k8j91FJYw9saPhpyn1yNMsex-RKKhPHXbdPTw4ncJVopNpc1VxRa_8jcNi-IXseZVc/s1806/kris_emmerling_hopfgarten.jpg)Bamberg, capital city of beer culture in Germany, is not known for a here-today, gone-tomorrow approach to breweries. The establishments that put it on the map for the beer tourists of recent decades are, well, established: all with at least a century under their belts and some famous far beyond Bamberg. I idly assumed that that's how it works: with the exception of the 2004-vintage Ambräusianum, the list of breweries is pretty much fixed. I was wrong though. Perhaps because of the city's reputation, new players have been setting up their kettles and fermenters in recent years, hoping to get a piece of Bamberg's beer action. Attracting pilgrims has been Bamberg's core business since the beginning.
Apart from beer, the other thing Bamberg is famous for, at least locally, is market gardening. Zollnerstraße runs up behind the railway station, and from the street side seems perfectly normal, urban and commercial, but behind the buildings is a lot of green space and greenhouses. Kris Emmerling's family owned one of these gardens and when he inherited the site he was determined to continue growing produce there. He added Bamberg's smallest brewery -- Hopfgarten -- to the premises and in 2021 converted the former flower shop at the front into a taproom. Hopfgarten specialises in exotic recipes using botanicals grown onsite, and you get a hefty portion of horticultural education as a side order.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFfBHhF6lGfGcY0y5O-67biV0jxJuAG3mxVNxsGFvrpFMqGq3W5Xuluzr3MHVM_b-qPg18N7iGOFnWPV-amPM81I7TLnQfuoz36JKFZmS03vewipSzbqDCGA8bxpCqX3Ty2 iBwtm-rNx9-mVTxkEXnvGnafwhAjgzn-2WKSpnT4raOb3O_QU/w140-h200/hopfgarten_koala.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFfBHhF6lGfGcY0y5O-67biV0jxJuAG3mxVNxsGFvrpFMqGq3W5Xuluzr3MHVM_b-qPg18N7iGOFnWPV-amPM81I7TLnQfuoz36JKFZmS03vewipSzbqDCGA8bxpCqX3Ty2 iBwtm-rNx9-mVTxkEXnvGnafwhAjgzn-2WKSpnT4raOb3O_QU/s2860/hopfgarten_koala.jpg)He introduced us to Hopfgarten's beers with Koala, a sweet and clean kellerbier-style lager at its base, but with added eucalyptus for an extra sweet and herbal complexity. Without knowing what it was I guessed rosemary as the interloper: while it has the wintery oily quality it didn't taste as full-on herbal as I would expect from eucalyptus. There's a subtle lightness of touch here, suggesting that they're not out to make gimmicks. Bamberg's reputation still counts for something.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09mxYfh3sQ0aHa836VknP_nITEDYIEw3QOWYTrt3XnB uei2jU3vatb5BsCZmqW5kP19aaXs32nsUCWnfK0N_lpT1hGciw 3guRl_6TjUh0JcCgn41RYpREVJw2FC1v10rOc16ABF-iavaYGO1UeJ-HE7r16yO9hOUugmD9xbK6l1-uptW9JP0/w200-h198/hopfgarten_rauch_hopfen.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09mxYfh3sQ0aHa836VknP_nITEDYIEw3QOWYTrt3XnB uei2jU3vatb5BsCZmqW5kP19aaXs32nsUCWnfK0N_lpT1hGciw 3guRl_6TjUh0JcCgn41RYpREVJw2FC1v10rOc16ABF-iavaYGO1UeJ-HE7r16yO9hOUugmD9xbK6l1-uptW9JP0/s1955/hopfgarten_rauch_hopfen.jpg)Rauchbier is part of that reputation. I mentioned yesterday (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/05/on-familiar-ground.html) that Klosterbräu seems to have decided that adding one to their roster is essential. At Hopfengarten they have too, though given it their own twist. Where everyone else uses smoked malt, Hopfengarten smokes the hops. Rauch Hopfen is broadly a Märzen, I think: 5.8% ABV and amber coloured. The smoke is mild but present and there's a dominant savoury aspect, tasting a little like tomato seeds to me. Again, it's decent lager and not just a gimmick or a joke recipe.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSBPQfUZBZJewegMLOlQj5zZxbCzFW67Tnl2cfr1eV5 sHXjaNUKohSauj7s_0vop235_h6MZ-zFXAcc089EJZxf2qMP0PUhJ_cx2rmmUicCh31MVMGQWjtH1FtS 7wuU7JU8luLwBay2DxxPR3JsrvItxXWfNrmPSDqygeF53SUIDy 9-jDbuA/w183-h200/hopfgarten_chilibock.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSBPQfUZBZJewegMLOlQj5zZxbCzFW67Tnl2cfr1eV5 sHXjaNUKohSauj7s_0vop235_h6MZ-zFXAcc089EJZxf2qMP0PUhJ_cx2rmmUicCh31MVMGQWjtH1FtS 7wuU7JU8luLwBay2DxxPR3JsrvItxXWfNrmPSDqygeF53SUIDy 9-jDbuA/s2470/hopfgarten_chilibock.jpg)For gimmickry, we finish on their Chilibock. They grow chillis out back and fifty different varieties go into this dark red-brown doppelbock of 8% ABV. It smells quite innocent, all smooth with sweet caramel and biscuit. Stylistic concerns, and indeed sanity, leave the equation from the first sip, and sip is all you can do. There's a ferocious chilli heat which drowns any beer character it may have had, while I also get a strong kick of acidic vinegar, suggesting the peppers have been pickled rather than boiled. They sell this by the big bottle, but not to me.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4W7hZiyVEu1SO5LQ1rPJqFDV_N8P8pU_m0bGwokMSYl iZIzh0mzZLrEoLvhh3Ton1M60xTt43AeiuZ46otsFSZaTITXFm QLzDDCS6KLj2NwyKFzvW4RG4cCQJwJ9fz37xAclc62GnkDuSpl JU8Pb8RAitCZuj3y2rtZaB3rNMDRaPcpDqI28/w129-h200/sternla_marzen.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4W7hZiyVEu1SO5LQ1rPJqFDV_N8P8pU_m0bGwokMSYl iZIzh0mzZLrEoLvhh3Ton1M60xTt43AeiuZ46otsFSZaTITXFm QLzDDCS6KLj2NwyKFzvW4RG4cCQJwJ9fz37xAclc62GnkDuSpl JU8Pb8RAitCZuj3y2rtZaB3rNMDRaPcpDqI28/s3375/sternla_marzen.jpg)Down in the city centre, you would be forgiven for thinking that the brewery/inn Gasthus Zum Sternla had been operating for centuries: it fits the model of the rambling restaurant with onsite brewery perfectly. But while the site is historic it only took its current form in 2019 and the brewhouse out back is very high-tech and shiny. Despite having this small batch production set-up, they're not constantly producing new recipes the way a brewery like this at home would. Instead there were two permanent beers and a seasonal, all of them pale lagers.
Sternla Märzen is a bit of a lightweight at 5% ABV though is a healthy amber colour and sports a heavy bitterness. I get a rye-like grassy pinch and some cardamom or poppyseed spicing. Märzen isn't meant to be quaff-and-go easy drinking, but I found this one demanded my time more than most. While hard work to drink, it's fun and rewarding too.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFENFObVFF8UFmYHSldMcgQrwWEgMBdNZXk6o4sMV9o m42vQrbY8pLN62ma-7qpw9-FTfGiKEZNTAmXBsMfAIHT012Jj3_zDJx6yMwkKHT9hUfzA8t6g g2OgX-h0YzIHprb07K2uwMgqUw1kSJvRyhk0dsdaQd_Q3BvO7dHzZUm6 s6dTz3-w/w121-h200/sternla_export.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFENFObVFF8UFmYHSldMcgQrwWEgMBdNZXk6o4sMV9o m42vQrbY8pLN62ma-7qpw9-FTfGiKEZNTAmXBsMfAIHT012Jj3_zDJx6yMwkKHT9hUfzA8t6g g2OgX-h0YzIHprb07K2uwMgqUw1kSJvRyhk0dsdaQd_Q3BvO7dHzZUm6 s6dTz3-w/s3495/sternla_export.jpg)A different hefty lager style is on the other permanent tap: Sternla Export. Although a much paler yellow colour it's just as dense, and slightly stronger too: 5.1% ABV being perfectly acceptable for Export. That said, it's generally a malt-forward beer, and this one really lays on the hops, with bags of celery and fresh spinach. That makes it a little busy, though it gets away with it by being super clean, allowing each flavour to play its part separately and distinctly, not all smushed in together. There's a poise and precision here that's very unusual for something produced onsite at a large German restaurant.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMT1u2wNYNLRPOUhtXAkmSLkaNIFVENvjmSyE925ZKe PPtwZJ602t02dDp2k-i5o30dDukohmg_jTJYjscNwB_mW1JQ4tHTmwCNpau6hBErBhHb UsQzuPegMHzG-wcvIloJ5srwHdIRaNIjKJSwqH1yAwsoX_4tz3tHcYgzynroN-KPfn6vs/w123-h200/sternla_helles.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMT1u2wNYNLRPOUhtXAkmSLkaNIFVENvjmSyE925ZKe PPtwZJ602t02dDp2k-i5o30dDukohmg_jTJYjscNwB_mW1JQ4tHTmwCNpau6hBErBhHb UsQzuPegMHzG-wcvIloJ5srwHdIRaNIjKJSwqH1yAwsoX_4tz3tHcYgzynroN-KPfn6vs/s3330/sternla_helles.jpg)It seems quite topsy-turvy that Sternla Helles -- an accessible 4.7% ABV -- would be the special-edition seasonal, but here we are. It's almost completely clear and supremely smooth. There's a dry and husky aspect to the flavour, as well as a soft candyfloss malt middle. That doesn't leave much space for hopping, and I would have liked a little more green, even given that it's a Helles and an especially light one at that. More than anything, however, this was drinkable, and I could easily have opted for a second and third Seidla. That's the whole point of Helles so I can't say this one didn't achieve its goals.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VAmeutdWaKCVPCulkOY5_rHRIjyS2LiBlIFYXI9SxZ kiJFPlir3Ll3TvYb3CxBHM7lXxGfvpJKj9DRJdY_zLaLWNJjrW 824VgfDKXXLWuviRGehzTsaTeVN7uOX6bBVQwBQLuKZThXXb30 Ab_QGyQ-n2KQQsovrf8KK6m0-w8irJuRqTPz0/w320-h227/ahornla_brau.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VAmeutdWaKCVPCulkOY5_rHRIjyS2LiBlIFYXI9SxZ kiJFPlir3Ll3TvYb3CxBHM7lXxGfvpJKj9DRJdY_zLaLWNJjrW 824VgfDKXXLWuviRGehzTsaTeVN7uOX6bBVQwBQLuKZThXXb30 Ab_QGyQ-n2KQQsovrf8KK6m0-w8irJuRqTPz0/s3174/ahornla_brau.jpg)The Sandbank Prison is one of Bamberg's landmarks, and with closure and repurposing imminent, the area around it is ripe for redevelopment. The Ahörnla brewery has stolen a march on this, with their brewkit installed and operational in a tower above their Ahörnla im Sand pub, and a sister hotel on the way nearby.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21KPMD-3-h_fsrugLowEV7rdV1ziW2WxtHgFXAvdtvgWTRidAAR1Iiia_sz rlM-NzzIc6UsYT-QDEt9J6jmCzjweH_8Ejg62m1r0jzFb3lzPEFRptXTOU63etjQJ yaeLtLFqOxCPTDV__lj_c-zxK6sWy3muGQvZVfiuXRHR7nwa89wkgUNM/w131-h200/ahornla_sand_hell.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21KPMD-3-h_fsrugLowEV7rdV1ziW2WxtHgFXAvdtvgWTRidAAR1Iiia_sz rlM-NzzIc6UsYT-QDEt9J6jmCzjweH_8Ejg62m1r0jzFb3lzPEFRptXTOU63etjQJ yaeLtLFqOxCPTDV__lj_c-zxK6sWy3muGQvZVfiuXRHR7nwa89wkgUNM/s3350/ahornla_sand_hell.jpg)There are two flagship beers in production, and I'm starting with Sand Hell. This also seemed low-strength for the style, at 4.8% ABV. It was also much less polished than the Sternla fare, tasting of sweet caramel with added strawberry and raspberry. "There'll be butterscotch too" I thought, and sure enough the telltale diacetyl arrived a second or two later. Despite being unlikely to win any homebrew competitions, it does manage to stay enjoyable. I think there's merit to the fruity complexity, even if it's quite untypical.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGCNSqIW_tVQOrqxdVD8Jt5QG0-pu838u03HuxtHWugJ5Px7GEasYRBC9ZFztkcroiE86bF1Fi192 KbczV4faJmVIR7CbEkZ4XOusA_4nE4grNQFzzsh_VOGV6zZc9i D_bjlel5Nl0Etp8qlGQEE44OcD3HKplRDtkJbmZYnd5cNE4CQi pVw/w127-h200/ahornla_rot.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGCNSqIW_tVQOrqxdVD8Jt5QG0-pu838u03HuxtHWugJ5Px7GEasYRBC9ZFztkcroiE86bF1Fi192 KbczV4faJmVIR7CbEkZ4XOusA_4nE4grNQFzzsh_VOGV6zZc9i D_bjlel5Nl0Etp8qlGQEE44OcD3HKplRDtkJbmZYnd5cNE4CQi pVw/s3475/ahornla_rot.jpg)Ahörnla Rot is quite a different proposition. This is 5% ABV and a clear red. Burnt caramel is the first impression I got from it, but exploring further gave me fruitcake, and tea brack in particular, with a sprinkling of coconut complexity. The overall impression was of a wholesome and old-fashioned teatime treat. Again, this is perhaps not how lager should be brewed by-the-book, but again it's enjoyable and drinkable.
One more brewpub finishes this whistlestop tour, and it's as different again as the others. Like Hopfgarten, Landwinkl stakes a claim to be Bamberg's smallest, crammed into a side room beside the poky corner pub that's been serving the beer since 2019.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4tZfXRkYtEOEGaKE2j-Z0umHA6nRZd1bxfiAKu1roiLr5SL2hDxQKnySQWdI_dPr8A0zn KRFL3GiTCxuj42b6UEa59vuN0PEE_5dCWAUu14W1WV3bcp8CWi y25HfGkgNpftHvcH0CN0_STwNkxXxEeIIpH9oCACYeybd5jnAy ArTN1qRITY/w168-h200/landwinkl_a_rauchigs.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4tZfXRkYtEOEGaKE2j-Z0umHA6nRZd1bxfiAKu1roiLr5SL2hDxQKnySQWdI_dPr8A0zn KRFL3GiTCxuj42b6UEa59vuN0PEE_5dCWAUu14W1WV3bcp8CWi y25HfGkgNpftHvcH0CN0_STwNkxXxEeIIpH9oCACYeybd5jnAy ArTN1qRITY/s2690/landwinkl_a_rauchigs.jpg)There's a rauchbier in the set here, called A Rauchigs. This is a garnet red-brown and 5.4% ABV but packs in a lot of flavour to that package. Tar, salty fish, brown sugar and cola all feature, and I was reminded of Schlenkerla's delicious but slightly extreme Ur-Bock. Like it, the smoke is smoothly integrated into the weighty dark-malt-driven body and it makes the beer incredibly satisfying to drink. This is the kind of beer that one might expect to find on every street corner in Bamberg but which is sadly rare.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuj-mGOdKWXjZSMyBJteE0z1jSgs52cdhu6NfkL_Drxawb96x0TXGK 34E-Z-4UdLQWNpHKlpqu1HGJZbi3OOqfN9jw3GHfsgKoF76t3Pvzz2s0 OAoKSUwUvciwqriBX6bp39xZIwO3fk4Hf5vTIgZK-rVk_cAiXA5k1NPToh2hUs0sZqk6PA/w117-h200/landwinkl_a_hells.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuj-mGOdKWXjZSMyBJteE0z1jSgs52cdhu6NfkL_Drxawb96x0TXGK 34E-Z-4UdLQWNpHKlpqu1HGJZbi3OOqfN9jw3GHfsgKoF76t3Pvzz2s0 OAoKSUwUvciwqriBX6bp39xZIwO3fk4Hf5vTIgZK-rVk_cAiXA5k1NPToh2hUs0sZqk6PA/s3715/landwinkl_a_hells.jpg)With time for just one more, I thought I'd go for a cleansing Helles. Landwinkl's is called A Hells. I give up kvetching about relative strengths, because this one is only 4.7% ABV too. Though dry and chalky at first, the flavour evolves into a beautiful summer-meadow floral quality before bringing a balancing spinach bitterness in the finish. As at Sternla, there's none of the roughness of what is essentially a kellerbier, and it's completely clear to boot. I loved how it adheres to the strictures of Bavarian pale lager while also showing superb creativity in its complexity. Very nicely done.
After four nights and a lot of legwork, time was up in Bamberg. Phase two began with a train journey westwards.
More... (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/05/here-comes-new-challenger.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm15X7JrK4SERNUsbZEA_BsOTbPodADVyT8KyrhebGLa 4TkcA-F9r9V3yO4vnCi7r4jh7ythakSWl6QIn4fIoRN_kjdgF2e3x6ol 7ouvP0-uedU3zd3k8j91FJYw9saPhpyn1yNMsex-RKKhPHXbdPTw4ncJVopNpc1VxRa_8jcNi-IXseZVc/s320/kris_emmerling_hopfgarten.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm15X7JrK4SERNUsbZEA_BsOTbPodADVyT8KyrhebGLa 4TkcA-F9r9V3yO4vnCi7r4jh7ythakSWl6QIn4fIoRN_kjdgF2e3x6ol 7ouvP0-uedU3zd3k8j91FJYw9saPhpyn1yNMsex-RKKhPHXbdPTw4ncJVopNpc1VxRa_8jcNi-IXseZVc/s1806/kris_emmerling_hopfgarten.jpg)Bamberg, capital city of beer culture in Germany, is not known for a here-today, gone-tomorrow approach to breweries. The establishments that put it on the map for the beer tourists of recent decades are, well, established: all with at least a century under their belts and some famous far beyond Bamberg. I idly assumed that that's how it works: with the exception of the 2004-vintage Ambräusianum, the list of breweries is pretty much fixed. I was wrong though. Perhaps because of the city's reputation, new players have been setting up their kettles and fermenters in recent years, hoping to get a piece of Bamberg's beer action. Attracting pilgrims has been Bamberg's core business since the beginning.
Apart from beer, the other thing Bamberg is famous for, at least locally, is market gardening. Zollnerstraße runs up behind the railway station, and from the street side seems perfectly normal, urban and commercial, but behind the buildings is a lot of green space and greenhouses. Kris Emmerling's family owned one of these gardens and when he inherited the site he was determined to continue growing produce there. He added Bamberg's smallest brewery -- Hopfgarten -- to the premises and in 2021 converted the former flower shop at the front into a taproom. Hopfgarten specialises in exotic recipes using botanicals grown onsite, and you get a hefty portion of horticultural education as a side order.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFfBHhF6lGfGcY0y5O-67biV0jxJuAG3mxVNxsGFvrpFMqGq3W5Xuluzr3MHVM_b-qPg18N7iGOFnWPV-amPM81I7TLnQfuoz36JKFZmS03vewipSzbqDCGA8bxpCqX3Ty2 iBwtm-rNx9-mVTxkEXnvGnafwhAjgzn-2WKSpnT4raOb3O_QU/w140-h200/hopfgarten_koala.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFfBHhF6lGfGcY0y5O-67biV0jxJuAG3mxVNxsGFvrpFMqGq3W5Xuluzr3MHVM_b-qPg18N7iGOFnWPV-amPM81I7TLnQfuoz36JKFZmS03vewipSzbqDCGA8bxpCqX3Ty2 iBwtm-rNx9-mVTxkEXnvGnafwhAjgzn-2WKSpnT4raOb3O_QU/s2860/hopfgarten_koala.jpg)He introduced us to Hopfgarten's beers with Koala, a sweet and clean kellerbier-style lager at its base, but with added eucalyptus for an extra sweet and herbal complexity. Without knowing what it was I guessed rosemary as the interloper: while it has the wintery oily quality it didn't taste as full-on herbal as I would expect from eucalyptus. There's a subtle lightness of touch here, suggesting that they're not out to make gimmicks. Bamberg's reputation still counts for something.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09mxYfh3sQ0aHa836VknP_nITEDYIEw3QOWYTrt3XnB uei2jU3vatb5BsCZmqW5kP19aaXs32nsUCWnfK0N_lpT1hGciw 3guRl_6TjUh0JcCgn41RYpREVJw2FC1v10rOc16ABF-iavaYGO1UeJ-HE7r16yO9hOUugmD9xbK6l1-uptW9JP0/w200-h198/hopfgarten_rauch_hopfen.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09mxYfh3sQ0aHa836VknP_nITEDYIEw3QOWYTrt3XnB uei2jU3vatb5BsCZmqW5kP19aaXs32nsUCWnfK0N_lpT1hGciw 3guRl_6TjUh0JcCgn41RYpREVJw2FC1v10rOc16ABF-iavaYGO1UeJ-HE7r16yO9hOUugmD9xbK6l1-uptW9JP0/s1955/hopfgarten_rauch_hopfen.jpg)Rauchbier is part of that reputation. I mentioned yesterday (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/05/on-familiar-ground.html) that Klosterbräu seems to have decided that adding one to their roster is essential. At Hopfengarten they have too, though given it their own twist. Where everyone else uses smoked malt, Hopfengarten smokes the hops. Rauch Hopfen is broadly a Märzen, I think: 5.8% ABV and amber coloured. The smoke is mild but present and there's a dominant savoury aspect, tasting a little like tomato seeds to me. Again, it's decent lager and not just a gimmick or a joke recipe.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSBPQfUZBZJewegMLOlQj5zZxbCzFW67Tnl2cfr1eV5 sHXjaNUKohSauj7s_0vop235_h6MZ-zFXAcc089EJZxf2qMP0PUhJ_cx2rmmUicCh31MVMGQWjtH1FtS 7wuU7JU8luLwBay2DxxPR3JsrvItxXWfNrmPSDqygeF53SUIDy 9-jDbuA/w183-h200/hopfgarten_chilibock.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSBPQfUZBZJewegMLOlQj5zZxbCzFW67Tnl2cfr1eV5 sHXjaNUKohSauj7s_0vop235_h6MZ-zFXAcc089EJZxf2qMP0PUhJ_cx2rmmUicCh31MVMGQWjtH1FtS 7wuU7JU8luLwBay2DxxPR3JsrvItxXWfNrmPSDqygeF53SUIDy 9-jDbuA/s2470/hopfgarten_chilibock.jpg)For gimmickry, we finish on their Chilibock. They grow chillis out back and fifty different varieties go into this dark red-brown doppelbock of 8% ABV. It smells quite innocent, all smooth with sweet caramel and biscuit. Stylistic concerns, and indeed sanity, leave the equation from the first sip, and sip is all you can do. There's a ferocious chilli heat which drowns any beer character it may have had, while I also get a strong kick of acidic vinegar, suggesting the peppers have been pickled rather than boiled. They sell this by the big bottle, but not to me.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4W7hZiyVEu1SO5LQ1rPJqFDV_N8P8pU_m0bGwokMSYl iZIzh0mzZLrEoLvhh3Ton1M60xTt43AeiuZ46otsFSZaTITXFm QLzDDCS6KLj2NwyKFzvW4RG4cCQJwJ9fz37xAclc62GnkDuSpl JU8Pb8RAitCZuj3y2rtZaB3rNMDRaPcpDqI28/w129-h200/sternla_marzen.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4W7hZiyVEu1SO5LQ1rPJqFDV_N8P8pU_m0bGwokMSYl iZIzh0mzZLrEoLvhh3Ton1M60xTt43AeiuZ46otsFSZaTITXFm QLzDDCS6KLj2NwyKFzvW4RG4cCQJwJ9fz37xAclc62GnkDuSpl JU8Pb8RAitCZuj3y2rtZaB3rNMDRaPcpDqI28/s3375/sternla_marzen.jpg)Down in the city centre, you would be forgiven for thinking that the brewery/inn Gasthus Zum Sternla had been operating for centuries: it fits the model of the rambling restaurant with onsite brewery perfectly. But while the site is historic it only took its current form in 2019 and the brewhouse out back is very high-tech and shiny. Despite having this small batch production set-up, they're not constantly producing new recipes the way a brewery like this at home would. Instead there were two permanent beers and a seasonal, all of them pale lagers.
Sternla Märzen is a bit of a lightweight at 5% ABV though is a healthy amber colour and sports a heavy bitterness. I get a rye-like grassy pinch and some cardamom or poppyseed spicing. Märzen isn't meant to be quaff-and-go easy drinking, but I found this one demanded my time more than most. While hard work to drink, it's fun and rewarding too.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFENFObVFF8UFmYHSldMcgQrwWEgMBdNZXk6o4sMV9o m42vQrbY8pLN62ma-7qpw9-FTfGiKEZNTAmXBsMfAIHT012Jj3_zDJx6yMwkKHT9hUfzA8t6g g2OgX-h0YzIHprb07K2uwMgqUw1kSJvRyhk0dsdaQd_Q3BvO7dHzZUm6 s6dTz3-w/w121-h200/sternla_export.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFENFObVFF8UFmYHSldMcgQrwWEgMBdNZXk6o4sMV9o m42vQrbY8pLN62ma-7qpw9-FTfGiKEZNTAmXBsMfAIHT012Jj3_zDJx6yMwkKHT9hUfzA8t6g g2OgX-h0YzIHprb07K2uwMgqUw1kSJvRyhk0dsdaQd_Q3BvO7dHzZUm6 s6dTz3-w/s3495/sternla_export.jpg)A different hefty lager style is on the other permanent tap: Sternla Export. Although a much paler yellow colour it's just as dense, and slightly stronger too: 5.1% ABV being perfectly acceptable for Export. That said, it's generally a malt-forward beer, and this one really lays on the hops, with bags of celery and fresh spinach. That makes it a little busy, though it gets away with it by being super clean, allowing each flavour to play its part separately and distinctly, not all smushed in together. There's a poise and precision here that's very unusual for something produced onsite at a large German restaurant.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMT1u2wNYNLRPOUhtXAkmSLkaNIFVENvjmSyE925ZKe PPtwZJ602t02dDp2k-i5o30dDukohmg_jTJYjscNwB_mW1JQ4tHTmwCNpau6hBErBhHb UsQzuPegMHzG-wcvIloJ5srwHdIRaNIjKJSwqH1yAwsoX_4tz3tHcYgzynroN-KPfn6vs/w123-h200/sternla_helles.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMT1u2wNYNLRPOUhtXAkmSLkaNIFVENvjmSyE925ZKe PPtwZJ602t02dDp2k-i5o30dDukohmg_jTJYjscNwB_mW1JQ4tHTmwCNpau6hBErBhHb UsQzuPegMHzG-wcvIloJ5srwHdIRaNIjKJSwqH1yAwsoX_4tz3tHcYgzynroN-KPfn6vs/s3330/sternla_helles.jpg)It seems quite topsy-turvy that Sternla Helles -- an accessible 4.7% ABV -- would be the special-edition seasonal, but here we are. It's almost completely clear and supremely smooth. There's a dry and husky aspect to the flavour, as well as a soft candyfloss malt middle. That doesn't leave much space for hopping, and I would have liked a little more green, even given that it's a Helles and an especially light one at that. More than anything, however, this was drinkable, and I could easily have opted for a second and third Seidla. That's the whole point of Helles so I can't say this one didn't achieve its goals.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VAmeutdWaKCVPCulkOY5_rHRIjyS2LiBlIFYXI9SxZ kiJFPlir3Ll3TvYb3CxBHM7lXxGfvpJKj9DRJdY_zLaLWNJjrW 824VgfDKXXLWuviRGehzTsaTeVN7uOX6bBVQwBQLuKZThXXb30 Ab_QGyQ-n2KQQsovrf8KK6m0-w8irJuRqTPz0/w320-h227/ahornla_brau.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VAmeutdWaKCVPCulkOY5_rHRIjyS2LiBlIFYXI9SxZ kiJFPlir3Ll3TvYb3CxBHM7lXxGfvpJKj9DRJdY_zLaLWNJjrW 824VgfDKXXLWuviRGehzTsaTeVN7uOX6bBVQwBQLuKZThXXb30 Ab_QGyQ-n2KQQsovrf8KK6m0-w8irJuRqTPz0/s3174/ahornla_brau.jpg)The Sandbank Prison is one of Bamberg's landmarks, and with closure and repurposing imminent, the area around it is ripe for redevelopment. The Ahörnla brewery has stolen a march on this, with their brewkit installed and operational in a tower above their Ahörnla im Sand pub, and a sister hotel on the way nearby.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21KPMD-3-h_fsrugLowEV7rdV1ziW2WxtHgFXAvdtvgWTRidAAR1Iiia_sz rlM-NzzIc6UsYT-QDEt9J6jmCzjweH_8Ejg62m1r0jzFb3lzPEFRptXTOU63etjQJ yaeLtLFqOxCPTDV__lj_c-zxK6sWy3muGQvZVfiuXRHR7nwa89wkgUNM/w131-h200/ahornla_sand_hell.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21KPMD-3-h_fsrugLowEV7rdV1ziW2WxtHgFXAvdtvgWTRidAAR1Iiia_sz rlM-NzzIc6UsYT-QDEt9J6jmCzjweH_8Ejg62m1r0jzFb3lzPEFRptXTOU63etjQJ yaeLtLFqOxCPTDV__lj_c-zxK6sWy3muGQvZVfiuXRHR7nwa89wkgUNM/s3350/ahornla_sand_hell.jpg)There are two flagship beers in production, and I'm starting with Sand Hell. This also seemed low-strength for the style, at 4.8% ABV. It was also much less polished than the Sternla fare, tasting of sweet caramel with added strawberry and raspberry. "There'll be butterscotch too" I thought, and sure enough the telltale diacetyl arrived a second or two later. Despite being unlikely to win any homebrew competitions, it does manage to stay enjoyable. I think there's merit to the fruity complexity, even if it's quite untypical.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGCNSqIW_tVQOrqxdVD8Jt5QG0-pu838u03HuxtHWugJ5Px7GEasYRBC9ZFztkcroiE86bF1Fi192 KbczV4faJmVIR7CbEkZ4XOusA_4nE4grNQFzzsh_VOGV6zZc9i D_bjlel5Nl0Etp8qlGQEE44OcD3HKplRDtkJbmZYnd5cNE4CQi pVw/w127-h200/ahornla_rot.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGCNSqIW_tVQOrqxdVD8Jt5QG0-pu838u03HuxtHWugJ5Px7GEasYRBC9ZFztkcroiE86bF1Fi192 KbczV4faJmVIR7CbEkZ4XOusA_4nE4grNQFzzsh_VOGV6zZc9i D_bjlel5Nl0Etp8qlGQEE44OcD3HKplRDtkJbmZYnd5cNE4CQi pVw/s3475/ahornla_rot.jpg)Ahörnla Rot is quite a different proposition. This is 5% ABV and a clear red. Burnt caramel is the first impression I got from it, but exploring further gave me fruitcake, and tea brack in particular, with a sprinkling of coconut complexity. The overall impression was of a wholesome and old-fashioned teatime treat. Again, this is perhaps not how lager should be brewed by-the-book, but again it's enjoyable and drinkable.
One more brewpub finishes this whistlestop tour, and it's as different again as the others. Like Hopfgarten, Landwinkl stakes a claim to be Bamberg's smallest, crammed into a side room beside the poky corner pub that's been serving the beer since 2019.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4tZfXRkYtEOEGaKE2j-Z0umHA6nRZd1bxfiAKu1roiLr5SL2hDxQKnySQWdI_dPr8A0zn KRFL3GiTCxuj42b6UEa59vuN0PEE_5dCWAUu14W1WV3bcp8CWi y25HfGkgNpftHvcH0CN0_STwNkxXxEeIIpH9oCACYeybd5jnAy ArTN1qRITY/w168-h200/landwinkl_a_rauchigs.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4tZfXRkYtEOEGaKE2j-Z0umHA6nRZd1bxfiAKu1roiLr5SL2hDxQKnySQWdI_dPr8A0zn KRFL3GiTCxuj42b6UEa59vuN0PEE_5dCWAUu14W1WV3bcp8CWi y25HfGkgNpftHvcH0CN0_STwNkxXxEeIIpH9oCACYeybd5jnAy ArTN1qRITY/s2690/landwinkl_a_rauchigs.jpg)There's a rauchbier in the set here, called A Rauchigs. This is a garnet red-brown and 5.4% ABV but packs in a lot of flavour to that package. Tar, salty fish, brown sugar and cola all feature, and I was reminded of Schlenkerla's delicious but slightly extreme Ur-Bock. Like it, the smoke is smoothly integrated into the weighty dark-malt-driven body and it makes the beer incredibly satisfying to drink. This is the kind of beer that one might expect to find on every street corner in Bamberg but which is sadly rare.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuj-mGOdKWXjZSMyBJteE0z1jSgs52cdhu6NfkL_Drxawb96x0TXGK 34E-Z-4UdLQWNpHKlpqu1HGJZbi3OOqfN9jw3GHfsgKoF76t3Pvzz2s0 OAoKSUwUvciwqriBX6bp39xZIwO3fk4Hf5vTIgZK-rVk_cAiXA5k1NPToh2hUs0sZqk6PA/w117-h200/landwinkl_a_hells.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuj-mGOdKWXjZSMyBJteE0z1jSgs52cdhu6NfkL_Drxawb96x0TXGK 34E-Z-4UdLQWNpHKlpqu1HGJZbi3OOqfN9jw3GHfsgKoF76t3Pvzz2s0 OAoKSUwUvciwqriBX6bp39xZIwO3fk4Hf5vTIgZK-rVk_cAiXA5k1NPToh2hUs0sZqk6PA/s3715/landwinkl_a_hells.jpg)With time for just one more, I thought I'd go for a cleansing Helles. Landwinkl's is called A Hells. I give up kvetching about relative strengths, because this one is only 4.7% ABV too. Though dry and chalky at first, the flavour evolves into a beautiful summer-meadow floral quality before bringing a balancing spinach bitterness in the finish. As at Sternla, there's none of the roughness of what is essentially a kellerbier, and it's completely clear to boot. I loved how it adheres to the strictures of Bavarian pale lager while also showing superb creativity in its complexity. Very nicely done.
After four nights and a lot of legwork, time was up in Bamberg. Phase two began with a train journey westwards.
More... (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2022/05/here-comes-new-challenger.html)