Tags
Advent Calendar, Austria, Beer, Beer Review, Germany, Holidays, Winter
Happy Monday folks! Time to take a look back at the past week and see what beers my KALEA Advent Calendar had to offer.
Day Seven: Schloßbrauerei Rheder – Jubiläumsbier 333 (Rheder, Germany)
ABV: 5.3%
Overall: It poured true to style with a clear copper body beneath a bubbly, off-white head. It had a smooth, full body featuring doughy malt and a slightly resinous sweetness at the edges. I found it to be a very fine brew, though not necessarily one to get particularly excited about.
Day Eight: Hehenthanner Schlossbrauerei – Tannen Hell (Hohenthann, Germany)
ABV: 5.0%
Overall: It arrived in my glass with a clear yellow body with lots of lively carbonation feeding a thick foam head. The beer had a bubbly, light body and a finish that was perhaps a bit grainy. Not my favorite beer in the set.
Day Nine: Privatbrauerei H. Egerer – Perlenzauber (Grobkollnbach, Germany)
ABV: 5.4%
Overall: Pouring to a light copper body topped by a thin foam lacing, this was somewhat similar to a lightly hopped version of some of the helles style beers encountered on previous days. A solid brew, I enjoyed this one.
Day Ten: Herrnbrau – Festbier (Ingolstadt, Germany)
ABV: 5.5%
Overall: I was initially somewhat skeptical about whether I needed a second marzen this week, but then this beer went out and impressed me! It poured to a clean light copper body with a creamy, slightly off-white foam head. The tastes were smooth and subtle, with a pleasing blend of bready malt and caramel sweetness. I really enjoyed this in ways that I was not expecting to, hopefully I can find some of these in my area next fall.
Day Eleven: Ankerbrau Nordlingen – Grandl (Nordlingen, Germany)
ABV: 5.0%
Overall: Similar in appearance to all the other helles brews reviewed thus far, it had a grainy/slightly yeasty finish that wasn’t for me. Moving on,
Day Twelve: Privatbrauerei Loncium – Vienna Style Lager (Kotschach-Mauthen, Austria)
ABV: 5.5%
Overall: It poured to a yellowish-copper/amber body and featured a nice hint of hops around the edges. It was a good beer, but I’m definitely ready for something a bit different at this point.
And there you have it. I would still rate the experience as so far so good, though I do wish the collection of brews so far was a bit more diverse. Personal preferences aside, the beers have all been solid but unfortunately very similar. I think the occasional heavier dark brew (thinking something along the lines of a bock, dunkelweizen, or stout) would increase the excitement level a bit and give the collection a more seasonal feeling. See you again next Monday to find out if my holiday wish gets fulfilled.
Cheers!