Beer Advent Calendar 2022, Day 3:
Furst Carl Pils Unfiltered from Schlossbrauerei Ellingen, 4.9% ABV
First off, best can so far: blue can with a gold circle that has a white silhouette of a guy with a q-tip hat pointing while on a horse.
Ok, it's a pilsner. Another very light beer, not a lot too it. Nice grassy smell to it. Unfiltered so it's a bit cloudy. Pretty low ABV, so this would be a good one to have a bunch of watching a game. I could see it going well with Buffalo wings. Just looking for something to say, I tried a breathing trick I heard about for whisky and found a roasted note I hadn't gotten before. That was good, I'd like more of that please.
4/10 'cause I don't have any wings ready.
+1
MichaelLCIn what furnace was thy brain?ChicagoRegistered Userregular
Second and third beer brought me back to backpacking through Germany.
We met so many great people, connecting though drink and food, un-hampered by our languages as we sampled fresh beer from local brewers. The dryness of the pils made me think of the dry summer when we sought refuge from the heat in local brewpubs.
Making some stops along historic sites reminded us that history has a way of repeating itself when you haven't learned its lesson.
Beer Advent Calendar 2022, Day 4:
Kurpfalz Brau Brauerei Fullung Kellerbier, 5% ABV
BREWED ACCORDING TO THE GERMAN PURITY LAW OF 1516
I think it's a Keller Beer (???). I think the name is Kurpfalz Brau, but I wouldn't put money on it.
First taste of this, I had just eaten a bit of summer sausage, and tasted nothing on this beer, absolutely nothing. Slightly carbonated water. I was entirely prepared to give this beer a 0/10 right then and there. I gave it a few minutes, took a drink of water, let my pallet clear a little, and ok, there's an identifiable beer taste to it. It's not strong, it's not robust, it's not hearty. I say this as we're getting our first snow of the season, when hearty would be appreciated.
Honestly, at this point, I think Costco just said Hey, here's some German beer. Give us money and have an Advent Calendar. I don't think any thought went into appropriate beers for the time.
Anyway, yeah. It was beer. Nothing, and I mean nothing, special about it.
2 (and I'm being generous in case of something really awful on the horizon)/10
That was the beer that made me stop last year as well. I have no desire to drink 20 more average pilsners/lagers instead of getting beers I will enjoy more.
That was the beer that made me stop last year as well. I have no desire to drink 20 more average pilsners/lagers instead of getting beers I will enjoy more.
I don't know how west coast/californian this makes me, but seeing the glaring lack of IPAs is what kept me from purchasing that pack
That was the beer that made me stop last year as well. I have no desire to drink 20 more average pilsners/lagers instead of getting beers I will enjoy more.
I don't know how west coast/californian this makes me, but seeing the glaring lack of IPAs is what kept me from purchasing that pack
This is essentially my feeling on that calendar. A good German beer reaches above average for me, but that's about the limit of their highs for me. Now if it was some Belgian beers we could have a conversation.
My GF's brother bought a beer advent calendar and picked up one for me as well so I'm a few days behind, but I'm going to start on drinking those soon. They look to be craft style beers, but I don't know if they're outsourced or what, but I'm excited to try them.
That was the beer that made me stop last year as well. I have no desire to drink 20 more average pilsners/lagers instead of getting beers I will enjoy more.
I don't know how west coast/californian this makes me, but seeing the glaring lack of IPAs is what kept me from purchasing that pack
I think for a lot of people Craft Beer is synonymous with IPAs.
+1
MichaelLCIn what furnace was thy brain?ChicagoRegistered Userregular
That was the beer that made me stop last year as well. I have no desire to drink 20 more average pilsners/lagers instead of getting beers I will enjoy more.
I don't know how west coast/californian this makes me, but seeing the glaring lack of IPAs is what kept me from purchasing that pack
I think for a lot of people Craft Beer is synonymous with IPAs.
IPAs are Tired.
Flavor-blasted beers with adjuncts are Wired.
That was the beer that made me stop last year as well. I have no desire to drink 20 more average pilsners/lagers instead of getting beers I will enjoy more.
I don't know how west coast/californian this makes me, but seeing the glaring lack of IPAs is what kept me from purchasing that pack
I think for a lot of people Craft Beer is synonymous with IPAs.
IPAs are Tired.
Flavor-blasted beers with adjuncts are Wired.
I'm so adjunct'd out I've come back to Pilsners and Mexican Lagers.
Allllllthoooough it was cold enough the other night to have a breakfast stout and that was Chief kiss.
The football game is pretty boring, so you get a beer review instead. Finally, a dark beer!
Crack it open, take a sip.... It's better? But still missing something. Fortunately, I could tell it was missing something and suspected letting the beer warm up a little from fridge temp would help. So I poured it in a glass and waited a bit.
Take another sip... oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about. That coffee aroma and taste, just a tiny hint of chocolate. Coats the tongue, really luxurious in comparison to the lighter beers I've been having. No particular burn or spike of alcohol, the slight sweetness covers the 6.2% really well.
As I sit here and let the beer come up in temp a little more, I'm getting even more chocolate and less coffee.
After my complaints of the last few beers, this one is really welcome. I don't know if it's good enough to redeem the Advent Calendar, but it sure hits the spot tonight!
We were out of town so I'm playing catchup a little but last night I drank Costco Advent Beers #3 and #4, the pilsner and the kellerbier, and I'd mostly echo what's already been said. I thought the pilsner was really tasty, it went well with food, and if it's something that they sold locally I'd put it in the rotation for a nice general purpose beer. The kellerbier was pretty underwhelming but it did lead me to google what a kellerbier even is and it turns out it's got an interesting history!
TBH last night I had the first IPA I've drank in weeks. Was drinking stouts, ambers and dark ales to get in the holiday mood.
Fremont Brewing Disco Wolf is fantastic.
Marzen is one of my favorite styles, and this is a perfectly fine example of it. I'm used to darker ones, but this one was moderately light. Nice and malty, but not the most exciting beer I've ever had.
I drank Costco Beer #5, the stout, last night and it was fine? It wasn't my favorite stout but I didn't hate it, I guess it might have benefited from warming up more but honestly who has time for that, it's Drinkmas out here.
0
MichaelLCIn what furnace was thy brain?ChicagoRegistered Userregular
Days 5 and 6 advent beers brought to mind my many trips to Naw'lins - most of them solo - not through the beer but the powerful imagrey of the cans.
No other city in North America some so quickly to mind when thinking of Devilry than New Orleans. Though just like the lighter image of drinking and merriment, both are deserved and also completely wrong impressions brought to the city by tourists; a reputation encouraged locally to booster sales of strong drink and entertainments, reminding us that the Devil and Delights are frequent partners.
Of course much ink has been spilled on and in Naw'lins, both about her people and the inky blackness of the too-close swamps hiding nature that cares not for your beads or your bone charms.
Beer Advent Calendar 2022, Day 7:
Helle Aufredgung by Lnadgang Brauerei, a 5% ABV Helles
This is closer to what a Helles should be. This is light and crisp and tasty. It does have a slight beerurine (urinebeer?) aroma, but it's faint and not too off-putting. Maybe I'm just in a better mood than the last Helles they served up, but this seems much, much better.
The LEGO Star Wars advent calendar has been on point this year. Lots of Clone Wars stuff, and while the prequels were ehhhhhh the visual design of the ships, etc., was fantastic.
EDIT: HAH! The beer advent calendar above threw me off; I thought this was the Advent Calendar Thread. I will leave my shame here, and repost it there.
I had the Peanut Butter Stout from the Calendar yesterday and that was the first real miss for me. The peanut butter was too dominant in the flavor profile and gave it too much sweetness.
Beer Advent Calendar 2022, Day 8:
Zwonitzer (I think is the brewery) Steinbier Dark Spezial
I've never heard of this before. I don't know if Steinbier is the name or the type, and Dark Special is the other of those choices...? I have no idea what it's trying to be. It's good though! I like drinking it. As you may guess, it's a little darker, kind of a carmel dark amber. When I first picked it up, I didn't get any kind of aroma, but now that it's been a few minutes, I get... berries? Something sweet. Whatever it is is pretty mild.
Carmel, lotta carmel maltiness when I drink it. Not too heavily hopped. I went ahead and looked it up because I was so unfamiliar with it, and this is a smoked beer! Wow, fancy! As soon as I read that, I thought 'I don't get any smoke off of this' and had a sip. Sure enough, smoke! The power of suggestion? It probably started off as a Marzen, seems very similar.
Really enjoyable. We're a third of the way through, and this is the best one so far.
8.5/10
Oh, and I understand other people doing the Advent calendar are getting different beers on different days.
I am once again a few days behind but I'm excited to get to that one! I do love a smoked beer, we went to a place over the weekend that claimed to have a smoked lager but it was the most timid excuse for a smoked beer I'd ever had, why even call it that if you can't really taste the smoke?!
It took me a moment to realize you're probably not from Portland. I mean, they want you to pay for it first, and they'll chill it down (the quick chill machines are really cool!) for you, so it's really in your best interest, but as long as you're not ripping the bottle shop off, yeah, go for it.
chromdom on
0
MichaelLCIn what furnace was thy brain?ChicagoRegistered Userregular
It took me a moment to realize you're probably not from Portland. I mean, they want you to pay for it first, and they'll chill it down (the quick chill machines are really cool!) for you, so it's really in your best interest, but as long as you're not ripping the bottle shop off, yeah, go for it.
Oh no, I was definitely advocating the criminal route.
Beer Advent Calendar 2022, Day 9:
Hallertauer Hopfen Cuvee from Schloss Brauerei in Herrngiersdorf. I think.
A pilsner with just a buttload of Hallertau hops. Extra Hallertau. Double Hallertau with extra Hallertau, and Hallertau on the side. McHallertau Grande meal please, to go.
Ok, it was just a pilsner, it's light and crisp and refreshing. Unlike some pilsners I've had, it had a full taste (of Hallertau). Didn't have a pissy aftertaste, which is common in pilsners, in my opinion.
Also, now that I've specifically identified it, I really like Hallertau!
If you think I'm gonna get bored of this, you are vastly over-estimating the entertainment in my life.
Alpen Stoff from Alpenbrauerei Burgerbrau, 5.6% ABV
The can was confusing for me, not a whole lot of easily accessible info. I wondered if this was a new type of beer for me, Bavarian Beer, since that was on the label. Well, it is a new type, but Bavarian Beer is not the name for the style. It is a Dortmander, which is apparently a lagered Helles -- light enough to quench the thirst of coal miners, body and flavor enough to be hearty for German beer lovers.
I really liked it -- dry and crisp that still has depth and flavor. All day, any day kind of beer, good for anyone who may like beer. Like I say, this was a brand new style for me, so I don't know how representative this is, but it's one I'm making a note of to be on the lookout for.
This is the same pack my sister just subjected everyone to this evening. The first five were all awful and tasted damn near identical that everyone was joking they'd just put different labels on the cans since it's all made by the same brewery. The only one we got to so far that I'd rate even as average was the #7 peanut butter porter.
Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
This is the same pack my sister just subjected everyone to this evening. The first five were all awful and tasted damn near identical that everyone was joking they'd just put different labels on the cans since it's all made by the same brewery. The only one we got to so far that I'd rate even as average was the #7 peanut butter porter.
That was the one I didn't like so far as it was too much peanut butter, but the IPAs were pretty similar with some slight bitterness difference.
Looks there's more variety in style than the German on, but yeah, they definitely went a little funky. Peanut butter, hazelnut, and pumpkin spice, all for a December Advent Calendar? A little weird.
Tannern-Hell Lagerbier from Schlossbrauerei Hohenthann (L. Rauchenecker), 5% ABV
Another Helles, a style so mild it never really activates my concrete slab of a palette. It's light, it's bright, it's (it's LiteBrite!) clear and crisp. I get a vague flowery beer taste off it, but really don't have too much to say about it. No aroma that I can specifically pull off. It's just too light to permeate my insensate senses.
3/10, but I fully realize this is entirely due to my lack of awareness at that end of the flavor/aroma spectra. It could be great, it's just not for me.
Speaking of Costco winter beers... Anyone had one of these before?
I just ordered it at B-Dubs, I'll let you know.
It's a solid winter warmer. The flavor of the spices really linger and it may be a tad too sweet, but a solid beer like most Breckinridge Brewery beers.
Found a bottle for individual sale. It was a fairly middle of the road beer. Good but not great. Still might get the keg to bring to a Christmas party.
@chromdom I've drunk up through yesterday, so the last one you reviewed in here, and that's the only rating of yours I'd quibble with. I thought that was a perfectly nice beer, bready, a little bit floral like you said but in a tasty hoppy way, I enjoyed it and thought it had good flavor. I'd certainly take it over the last few, which were fine but didn't do much for me.
Posts
Furst Carl Pils Unfiltered from Schlossbrauerei Ellingen, 4.9% ABV
First off, best can so far: blue can with a gold circle that has a white silhouette of a guy with a q-tip hat pointing while on a horse.
Ok, it's a pilsner. Another very light beer, not a lot too it. Nice grassy smell to it. Unfiltered so it's a bit cloudy. Pretty low ABV, so this would be a good one to have a bunch of watching a game. I could see it going well with Buffalo wings. Just looking for something to say, I tried a breathing trick I heard about for whisky and found a roasted note I hadn't gotten before. That was good, I'd like more of that please.
4/10 'cause I don't have any wings ready.
We met so many great people, connecting though drink and food, un-hampered by our languages as we sampled fresh beer from local brewers. The dryness of the pils made me think of the dry summer when we sought refuge from the heat in local brewpubs.
Making some stops along historic sites reminded us that history has a way of repeating itself when you haven't learned its lesson.
Kurpfalz Brau Brauerei Fullung Kellerbier, 5% ABV
BREWED ACCORDING TO THE GERMAN PURITY LAW OF 1516
I think it's a Keller Beer (???). I think the name is Kurpfalz Brau, but I wouldn't put money on it.
First taste of this, I had just eaten a bit of summer sausage, and tasted nothing on this beer, absolutely nothing. Slightly carbonated water. I was entirely prepared to give this beer a 0/10 right then and there. I gave it a few minutes, took a drink of water, let my pallet clear a little, and ok, there's an identifiable beer taste to it. It's not strong, it's not robust, it's not hearty. I say this as we're getting our first snow of the season, when hearty would be appreciated.
Honestly, at this point, I think Costco just said Hey, here's some German beer. Give us money and have an Advent Calendar. I don't think any thought went into appropriate beers for the time.
Anyway, yeah. It was beer. Nothing, and I mean nothing, special about it.
2 (and I'm being generous in case of something really awful on the horizon)/10
Fortunately I have some JubelAle waiting for me!
I don't know how west coast/californian this makes me, but seeing the glaring lack of IPAs is what kept me from purchasing that pack
Steam ID: Good Life
This is essentially my feeling on that calendar. A good German beer reaches above average for me, but that's about the limit of their highs for me. Now if it was some Belgian beers we could have a conversation.
My GF's brother bought a beer advent calendar and picked up one for me as well so I'm a few days behind, but I'm going to start on drinking those soon. They look to be craft style beers, but I don't know if they're outsourced or what, but I'm excited to try them.
{Twitter, Everybody's doing it. }{Writing and Story Blog}
I think for a lot of people Craft Beer is synonymous with IPAs.
IPAs are Tired.
Flavor-blasted beers with adjuncts are Wired.
I'm so adjunct'd out I've come back to Pilsners and Mexican Lagers.
Allllllthoooough it was cold enough the other night to have a breakfast stout and that was Chief kiss.
Schwarze Tinte Collab Stout, 6.2% ABV
The football game is pretty boring, so you get a beer review instead. Finally, a dark beer!
Crack it open, take a sip.... It's better? But still missing something. Fortunately, I could tell it was missing something and suspected letting the beer warm up a little from fridge temp would help. So I poured it in a glass and waited a bit.
Take another sip... oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about. That coffee aroma and taste, just a tiny hint of chocolate. Coats the tongue, really luxurious in comparison to the lighter beers I've been having. No particular burn or spike of alcohol, the slight sweetness covers the 6.2% really well.
As I sit here and let the beer come up in temp a little more, I'm getting even more chocolate and less coffee.
After my complaints of the last few beers, this one is really welcome. I don't know if it's good enough to redeem the Advent Calendar, but it sure hits the spot tonight!
8/10
Fremont Brewing Disco Wolf is fantastic.
Steam ID: Good Life
Graminger Deife Marzen, 5.6% ABV
Marzen is one of my favorite styles, and this is a perfectly fine example of it. I'm used to darker ones, but this one was moderately light. Nice and malty, but not the most exciting beer I've ever had.
7/10
No other city in North America some so quickly to mind when thinking of Devilry than New Orleans. Though just like the lighter image of drinking and merriment, both are deserved and also completely wrong impressions brought to the city by tourists; a reputation encouraged locally to booster sales of strong drink and entertainments, reminding us that the Devil and Delights are frequent partners.
Of course much ink has been spilled on and in Naw'lins, both about her people and the inky blackness of the too-close swamps hiding nature that cares not for your beads or your bone charms.
{Twitter, Everybody's doing it. }{Writing and Story Blog}
Helle Aufredgung by Lnadgang Brauerei, a 5% ABV Helles
This is closer to what a Helles should be. This is light and crisp and tasty. It does have a slight beerurine (urinebeer?) aroma, but it's faint and not too off-putting. Maybe I'm just in a better mood than the last Helles they served up, but this seems much, much better.
7/10
EDIT: HAH! The beer advent calendar above threw me off; I thought this was the Advent Calendar Thread. I will leave my shame here, and repost it there.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
The Pilsner was surprisingly solid though.
{Twitter, Everybody's doing it. }{Writing and Story Blog}
Zwonitzer (I think is the brewery) Steinbier Dark Spezial
I've never heard of this before. I don't know if Steinbier is the name or the type, and Dark Special is the other of those choices...? I have no idea what it's trying to be. It's good though! I like drinking it. As you may guess, it's a little darker, kind of a carmel dark amber. When I first picked it up, I didn't get any kind of aroma, but now that it's been a few minutes, I get... berries? Something sweet. Whatever it is is pretty mild.
Carmel, lotta carmel maltiness when I drink it. Not too heavily hopped. I went ahead and looked it up because I was so unfamiliar with it, and this is a smoked beer! Wow, fancy! As soon as I read that, I thought 'I don't get any smoke off of this' and had a sip. Sure enough, smoke! The power of suggestion? It probably started off as a Marzen, seems very similar.
Really enjoyable. We're a third of the way through, and this is the best one so far.
8.5/10
Oh, and I understand other people doing the Advent calendar are getting different beers on different days.
Steam ID: Good Life
Just pull a can out and chug in the store.
It took me a moment to realize you're probably not from Portland. I mean, they want you to pay for it first, and they'll chill it down (the quick chill machines are really cool!) for you, so it's really in your best interest, but as long as you're not ripping the bottle shop off, yeah, go for it.
Oh no, I was definitely advocating the criminal route.
Hallertauer Hopfen Cuvee from Schloss Brauerei in Herrngiersdorf. I think.
A pilsner with just a buttload of Hallertau hops. Extra Hallertau. Double Hallertau with extra Hallertau, and Hallertau on the side. McHallertau Grande meal please, to go.
Ok, it was just a pilsner, it's light and crisp and refreshing. Unlike some pilsners I've had, it had a full taste (of Hallertau). Didn't have a pissy aftertaste, which is common in pilsners, in my opinion.
Also, now that I've specifically identified it, I really like Hallertau!
7.5/10
If you think I'm gonna get bored of this, you are vastly over-estimating the entertainment in my life.
Alpen Stoff from Alpenbrauerei Burgerbrau, 5.6% ABV
The can was confusing for me, not a whole lot of easily accessible info. I wondered if this was a new type of beer for me, Bavarian Beer, since that was on the label. Well, it is a new type, but Bavarian Beer is not the name for the style. It is a Dortmander, which is apparently a lagered Helles -- light enough to quench the thirst of coal miners, body and flavor enough to be hearty for German beer lovers.
I really liked it -- dry and crisp that still has depth and flavor. All day, any day kind of beer, good for anyone who may like beer. Like I say, this was a brand new style for me, so I don't know how representative this is, but it's one I'm making a note of to be on the lookout for.
8/10
This is the same pack my sister just subjected everyone to this evening. The first five were all awful and tasted damn near identical that everyone was joking they'd just put different labels on the cans since it's all made by the same brewery. The only one we got to so far that I'd rate even as average was the #7 peanut butter porter.
Minhas Craft Brewery makes it, but I don't know where they got it from.
That was the one I didn't like so far as it was too much peanut butter, but the IPAs were pretty similar with some slight bitterness difference.
{Twitter, Everybody's doing it. }{Writing and Story Blog}
https://www.samsclub.com/p/minhas-craft-brewery-advent-beer-calendar-24-pk/PL980420518
Looks there's more variety in style than the German on, but yeah, they definitely went a little funky. Peanut butter, hazelnut, and pumpkin spice, all for a December Advent Calendar? A little weird.
Tannern-Hell Lagerbier from Schlossbrauerei Hohenthann (L. Rauchenecker), 5% ABV
Another Helles, a style so mild it never really activates my concrete slab of a palette. It's light, it's bright, it's (it's LiteBrite!) clear and crisp. I get a vague flowery beer taste off it, but really don't have too much to say about it. No aroma that I can specifically pull off. It's just too light to permeate my insensate senses.
3/10, but I fully realize this is entirely due to my lack of awareness at that end of the flavor/aroma spectra. It could be great, it's just not for me.
{Twitter, Everybody's doing it. }{Writing and Story Blog}
Now drinking
Found a bottle for individual sale. It was a fairly middle of the road beer. Good but not great. Still might get the keg to bring to a Christmas party.
Steam ID: Good Life
Round 2!