The BeerCast

I love beer gardens. Even today, when they have become that last crossover point between those who smoke and those who don’t. Sitting in the sunshine with a pint is one of the pleasures of life – just one of the many occasions when, despite what you may hear or read, you realise that drinking can be supremely enjoyable. Living in Edinburgh, there are precious few top-quality beer gardens around, unfortunately. Some are too small, others serve (for me) the wrong kind of beer, and several don’t get the sun in the afternoon.*

Admittedly, warming solar rays rarely trouble the population here in Scotland – but on the occasional moments when everything falls into place and the sun beams down, it can be standing room only in the beer gardens. When I close my eyes and think of my perfect fantasy pub, if would definitely feature a large, sheltered outdoor drinking area. It would have to be southwest facing, to maximise the sunshine. Plenty of seating, BBQ pit, ten imperial IPA’s on tap – the works. Maybe I should write about the BeerCast Arms, at some point.

So being a lover of alfresco boozing (firmly lodged in the hearts of many British drinkers since the young days of cider swilling) I was seriously looking forward to Germany. The fabled biergarten – brilliantly summarised by Boak & Bailey here – was high on the agenda for my Berlin trip. Before we headed out to the majestic Brauhaus Spandau, we decided to check out our local neighbourhood example – Pratergarten in Prenzlauer Berg. Unbelievably, it was closed.

After pounding the pavement with my fists for a while, we noticed that it was only the outdoor seating area that was shut – the large, wood cabin-esque bar room was operating normally. So, a quick seat at the bar for a lager turned into an evening of several beers, new styles attempted (the syrupy Vimto-sweetness of Berliner Weisse) and some seriously hearty German drinking food. Thick, dark goulash with cricket ball herb dumplings, and a slab of smoked ham half an inch thick, spread with punchy yellow mustard.

Prater manages to look reasonably old and traditional, whilst seeming as if it was built only a few years ago. Spotlessly maintained, it was a joy to watch the lone barman (who looked to be approaching 60yrs old) work all of the taps, with a smooth efficiency resulting from years of experience. Dispensing perfectly poured beer is an art – and this man was completely in control, swiftly handing over steins of beer to the table staff. When a completed order sat there for too long, he drummed fingers impatiently, scanning the hall for service, before topping the beers up and delivering them himself.

Not to us, unfortunately – I would have loved to chat to him, but he spoke no English and my German hadn’t developed any since hurriedly scanning the back of the Lonely Planet on the flight over. We managed to find out that the Gaststätte we were sitting in survived the war – and the turmoil of partition – but was renovated in 1996, giving it that newish feel. The garden outside is actually Berlin’s oldest, having been going since 1837. It was still pretty chilly outside in the early Spring, I think we were secretly glad that the Pratergarten itself doesn’t open up until May.

The beer was also terrific – in only a few days I converted myself totally. Away from high abv this and choice of fifteen that. Like Spandau, you get a lager or a dark lager (although unlike Spandau they don’t rotate their second beer). Prater Pils was wonderful – soft, bready at first, before a deceptively rich earthy finish. The Schwarz was even better, with a peppery chocolate backbone – although both were light and easy drinking (and to be honest, if pushed, neither as good as their equivalents across town). This may be because they aren’t brewed on site, but supplied by Berliner Kindl.

So is that the only slight against Prater? That the beers aren’t produced there? I think it must be. In the current incarnation, the bier halle might not have the sense of history of others in Germany – but there’s plenty outside, under the large, quiet trees adorned by strings of lights. We fully intend on returning to Berlin, and will make sure that it’s on a blazingly hot summer afternoon that we head under the Pratergarten arch for our second visit.

Prater Garten
Kastanienallee 7-9
Prenzlauer Berg Berlin 10435
Website

* There’s at least one major beer garden in the city that is directly behind an office block, meaning it only gets in the sun in the early morning. What’s the point?!

Beer may be a universal product, but travelling overseas and seeing a foreign country through the eyes of its beer drinkers makes you realise how different things can be. That those eyes are bloodshot and sleep-deprived is par for the course – boy, do Germans like a beer. Of course, even before I went to Berlin I knew that, but spending several days there (on my first real trip to Germany) certainly reinforced that particular stereotype.

I’ll be writing in detail about those differences – between the German drinker and the British (or rather, the modern British) drinker in another post – along with my introduction to the wonders of Berliner Weisse. But our first Berlin post highlights Brauhaus Spandau – as good a personal introduction to the spirit of German brewing as one could hope for. I loved Spandau – travelling there as a ‘beer treat’ became a highlight of the trip for my girlfriend and I, as we ended up spending eight hours there.

To find it, take the S9 from Berlin city centre (or the U7 to Altstadt Spandau, which is closer). Walk up past the red town hall and the modern church of St Nikolai, and hopefully the tall redbrick chimney of the brewery should guide you in, over the dual carriageway. For the first-timer like myself, the Brauhaus ticks every box – large outdoor beer garden, busy but well-organised bar, huge plates of sausage. The brewing equipment seems to be woven into the building, with two giant coppers behind the bar. A wrong-turn to the toilet led to a foaming bath of beer in the conditioning room, frothing away gently.

The staff each operate a small area of the garden, or the inside – I’m not even sure you can be served at the bar, it seems to be table service only. They are friendly and very efficient, each of our beer orders arrived extremely quickly, and thankfully a minimum of fuss was made when my credit card was rejected (an issue that also gave me the chance to go behind the bar, albeit only to stab another four digits into a different machine). On a random chilly Thursday the inside of the Brauhaus filled up pretty quickly.

Don’t expect Flanders-esque wooden-backed menus – they only make two beers at any given time. No agonising choices to be made here. Have one, then the other. Their regular is Spandauer Havelbräu Hell – an unfiltered lager. Each month, a special is also produced – which for April is Spandauer Schwartzbier. A bottled wheat beer is also offered, as is home-made schnapps (which can also be added to either of the beers to generate a fairly lethal Spandaubomb).

Admittedly I was on holiday, and generally bright of mood, but I found both of the beers to be outstanding. The lager (pictured above) had a beautiful grassy lemon flavour, with the unfined yeast only playing a small role in the flavour – unlike many unfined beers over here – coming across as a faint marzipan sweetness. The Schwartzbier was even better – deep, sweet chocolate with an ashy bitterness on the finish. Both were superbly smooth, drinkable – and pretty dangerous at over 5% (as we discovered later).

There may well be nicer beer gardens in Berlin – and probably better brewers in and around the city, too. Sadly we never made it to Eschenbrau or Sudstern (we did go to Prater, which will be another post this week). Spandau may be a trip out of the centre, but it’s absolutely and utterly worth it.

Brauhaus Spandau
Neuendorfer Strasse 1
Spandau, Berlin 13585
(030) 353 907
Website

The 2011 World Beer Awards were announced the other week, via a communication from a secret location inside a Swiss mountain publisher’s office in Norwich. With all the SIBA goings-on we’ve gone a bit awards-crazy recently, but we usually cover the WBA’s. Last year we briefly touched on Stewart Hollyrood winning the best blonde/golden Pale Ale – and Loanhead’s finest managed to repeat in 2011, winning the same gong – so congrats once again to Steve, Jo and the team.

There’s a running joke on the BeerCast, that when we do our podcasts it seems like every beer featured has won an award at some point. Are there too many in the beer industry? And what do they mean for producers? On the one hand, you have Hop Back Summer Lightning – bottles of the Wiltshire powerhouse are plastered with achievement, it having apparently collected over fifty individual awards. On the other hand – where they usually are – is BrewDog, who eschew official recognition at every opportunity, as is their right. Both seem to be doing well, of course.

The danger of having so many different awards, is that they tend to dilute the overall effect of winning something. Whether it’s the GABF and their walloping eighty-three categories (Classic English Style Pale Ale, English-Style India Pale Ale, etc) – or the competing international prizes…Brewing Industry International Awards, European Beer Star, World Beer Cup* – there are certainly enough opportunities out there for brewers to add to their labelwork and websites.

For every producer who is too small to get their beer to a ceremony – not to mention those who do not bother taking part – there are plenty who do, however. The American-style IPA category at this year’s GABF attracted 176 entries – that’s a palate-stripping afternoon for any panel of judges. The eventual winner (La Cumbre Elevated IPA from New Mexico) must have had something special to stand out from the clamouring, hop-forward crowd. Or maybe it didn’t, and just had a good run (see our previous post about how some beers stand out during judging). It may be wonderful, of course – our US friends will have to let us know.

La Cumbre’s IPA may be great stuff, but the chaps from Albuquerque can’t make the most boastful claim in global brewing – that they make the Best Beer In The World. That honour, bestowed at the WBA’s, went to the punchy German weizenbock Weihenstephaner Vitus (7.7%). Chief European judge Adrian Tierney-Jones discussed the challenges of picking a winner over at Called to the Bar – to sift through all of the entrants must have been next to impossible, even for a panel that included the likes of Melissa Cole, Roger Protz and Jeff Evans.

My invitation to help out must have been directed to the mysterious person who shares my email address (true story – if you ever need free parking at Newcastle airport, let me know). But I managed to get hold of a bottle of Vitus for an independent BeerCast assessment. You know what? It’s lovely – sweet banana, bready yeast and citrus fruit. Sweet honey on the end, with some lemon and plenty of alcohol. I can see how it did well in a blind tasting. Is it The Best Beer In The World? Well, as Adrian himself puts it – why not? To me, those two words say a lot about the state of beer industry awards.

…this neatly brings us on to our traditional ‘Best New Beers of 2011′ weekly feature – look out for that during mid-December. Then check back in early 2012 for the one they all want to win – the BeerCast Beer of the Year podcast. Who will take home the Golden Mouthchart this time?

* which even BrewDog entered, winning Gold for Hardcore IPA

Following on from showcasing the excellent Kernel Brewery, our 53rd BeerCast takes a look at one of the traditional styles of Europe – Schwarzbiers. These dark lagers from Thuringia and Saxony have spread to breweries across the world, keen the experiment with the characteristic bitter malty style. We sampled the market leader (in terms of sales) – Köstritzer Schwarzbier – back in BeerCast #25. This time we try two German examples, and two American – Kulmbacher Mönschof (4.9%) from Eastern Bavaria is our first beer, before we sample Hummel-Brau Cowboy (5.0%) from Bamberg in Franconia. Our third beer is Saranac Black Forest (5.2%) from the Matt Brewing Co in Utica, New York, before we finish with compatriot Oregon’s Rogue Brewing Co – Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale (5.0%). We also have a fifth beer – an exclusive (at the time) tasting of the new 5.5% Hefeweizen from Edinburgh’s Stewart Brewing, sampled two weeks before the official release date. On the panel today are Grooben, Richard, MrB and Shovels.



1. Kulmbacher Mönschof Schwarzbier (4.9%abv)
Kulmbacher Brauerei, Kulmbach, Bavaria, Germany.
500ml glass bottle

Bavaria is the birthplace of many a beer style – and both of tonight’s German schwarzbiers hail from that southerly state. The first comes from the town of Kulmbach – twin town of Scotland’s own Kilmarnock – and home to the largest museum in the world devoted to tin soldiers. The Kulmbacher Brauerei produce a range of traditional German-style beers under a variety of labels. “Mönschof” beers were produced by Kulmbacher Mönchshof Bräu until they were absorbed by the larger Kulmbacher Brauerei in 1999.

What They Say -
“Mönchshof Schwarzbier- “the Black Pils”- is a brewing wonder and a brew-lover’s dream. Supremely drinkable, dry and beautifully hopped, yet loaded with dark malt flavour.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – Smoky aroma, bitter chocolate aftertaste, it’s tremendous 9
MrB – Malty German lager, I’m absolutely loving this 8½
Grooben – As a schwarzbier, I prefer this to Köstritzer 8
Shovels – Got a little bit of smoke, big caramel hit at the end 8

2. Hummel-Brau Cowboy (5.0%abv)
Brauerei Hummel Merkendorf, Bamberg, Upper Franconia, Germany
500ml glass bottle

The Brauerei Julius Hummel were founded in 1846 in the brewery-packed region of Franconia. The most famous style to emerge from here is the infamous smoked Rauchbier (once summed up by MrB as like “drinking hotdogs in a blender”). In comparison with the rest of Bavaria, beers that emerge from Franconia tend to slightly hoppier – those that don’t taste like a packet of smoky bacon crisps, anyhow. As with Kulmbacher, Hummel-Brau put out the standard range of teutonic tipples, all with the same distinctive triple crowned labelling system – apart from their schwarzbier, which for some reason features a rodeo cowboy.

What We Say…
MrB – A non-offensive dark lager-based beer 5
Grooben – Not black, no roasty maltiness – why is it a schwarzbier? 5
Shovels – I would drink it again if someone bought it for me 5
Richard – Smells like stewed tea, watery and too thin 4

3. Saranac Black Forest (5.2%abv)
Saranac/Matt Brewing Co, Utica, New York, USA.
355ml glass bottle

The Matt Brewing Company may not be based in Germany, but they have the historical links to the schwarzbierland – founder Francis Xavier Matt was a German-born immigrant to the USA when he founded the company in 1888. His sons carried on – and today the Matt Brewing Company is in the hands of the fourth generation of his descendants, still brewing German-themed beers in the foothills of the Adirondacks. The Saranac brand is named after a nearby lake, which itself comes from the Iroquois word for ‘cluster of stars’.

What They Say -
“A Bavarian black beer with caramel malt sweetness and trademark rich, creamy head. A fitting homage to our Grandfather’s apprenticeship at the Duke of Baden’s brewery in Germany’s Black Forest region.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels – Quite a nice balance of the added sweetness and the malt 7
MrB – Tastes like an Anchor special, some sugar on the tongue 7
Grooben – Nice red colour, decent fruity blackcurrant taste 7
Richard – Like drinking a black forest gateaux, gets a bit sweet 6½

4. Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale (5.0%abv)
Rogue Brewing Co, Newport, Oregon, USA.
750ml glass bottle

The Rogue brewery began life exactly 100 years after Matt Brewing, on the other side of the continent in Ashland, Oregon. A group of college friends decided to make the familiar jump from homebrewing into something more serious – it must have helped that one of them was also an accountant. After less than a year in Ashland they relocated to larger premises in coastal Newport in 1989, and have since gone from strength to strength, having produced over sixty beers, and won countless awards. Although not technically a schwarzbier, their Morimoto Obi Soba Ale is black, and is dedicated to their distributor in Japan.

What They Say -
“A richer version of our Soba Ale with the addition of specialty malts and a special blend of hops to give it a fuller, nutty flavor while retaining a clean, crisp finish.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB – Looks like a bottle of soy sauce, smells like teryaki 8½
Grooben – Does have a soy kind of thing going on, an excellent beer 8
Shovels – The most complicated beer tonight, quite earthy 7½
Richard – Every taste is different – sherry, soy, roasty, salty, it’s fascinatingly interesting 7

5. Stewart Hefeweizen (5.5%abv)
Stewart Brewing, Loanhead, Midlothian, Scotland.
330ml glass bottle

We also featured a bonus fifth (non-schwarz)beer on the podcast – Stewart Hefeweizen. The Stewart Brewery based just outside the BeerCast’s home city are obviously no stranger to us – yet although we’ve reviewed most of their beers, we’ve never actually featured any on our BeerCasts. A good chance to make amends for that was when Steve Stewart gave us some pre-release samples of their brand new hefeweizen. We put out a detailed review as part of the 45th Session on wheat beer, but at the time of recording, this was our first taste of the new beer. It has since become publicly available following a launch at Edinburgh’s Cloisters pub on the 16th of November.

What They Say -
“Fermented with a classic wheat beer yeast this is a cloudy, complex and beautiful beer with aromas of cloves, banana, blueberries and subtle spices.  A blend of Maris Otter, Wheat, Oats and Caramalt combine to create a creamy texture and a golden hue.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels – Tastes more Belgian, the spice comes out in the aftertaste 8
Richard – Warm it tastes of custard creams, cloves and pear too 7½
MrB – Smells and tastes of bananas, very highly carbonated 7
Grooben – Got a hint of pear, there’s complexity when it warms 7

Panellists – (clockwise from top left) Grooben, MrB, Shovels, Richard

BeerCast panel verdict
Kulmbacher Mönschof Schwarzbier 33½/40
Rogue Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale 31/40
Stewart Brewing Hefeweizen 29½/40
Matt Brewing Co Saranac Black Forest 27½/40
Hummel-Brau Cowboy Schwarzbier 19/40

Please keep those comments and emails coming in, and check back in a couple of weeks for our 54th BeerCast…the final ‘regular’ BeerCast of the year, before our annual Christmas Special, and then the excitement of our 2010 Beer of the Year Show. Who will make it? Stay tuned…

We never thought that we’d make it all the way to fifty podcasts – and if you’ve listened to our first few then probably you didn’t either – but here we are. Three years and 181 beers later and we’re having a mini celebration in honour of our half century. We thought long and hard about what to do for a 50th show, eventually deciding on the popular ‘bring a beer’ theme, only with a more explosive feel to it. Podcast regulars Richard, MrB, Shovels and Grooben were tasked with sourcing an unusual, rare or liver-trembling beer to put to the panel, and the results were pretty spectacular.

We ended up with (literally) some real corkers, as we begin with Grooben’s offering – Neuzeller Anti-Aging Bier (4.8%) from Germany, containing specific ingredients to actually make you younger. Apparently. Next up was Richard’s choice – the limited edition BrewDog Abstrakt AB:01 (10.2%), a vanilla bean-infused Belgian-style quad from Fraserburgh’s finest. Third on the podcast was Sierra Nevada Estate 2009 (6.7%). Provided by Shovels, this wet-hopped ale is pretty rare this side of the Atlantic. Finally MrB rounds things off in enormous fashion, unveiling Brasserie d’Achouffe’s Big Chouffe Anno 2010 (8.0%), a magnum of their famed La Chouffe blond ale. Thanks to all for providing, and special thanks to everybody who has downloaded, listened to, or commented on one of our podcasts over the years. Here’s to fifty more!

1. Neuzeller Anti-Aging Bier (4.8%abv)
Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle GmbH, Neuzelle, Brandenburg, Germany. 500ml glass bottle

There are well-established health benefits of drinking good beer – the high levels of Vitamin B6 can protect against heart disease, for example – but the claims on a bottle of Neuzeller Anti-Aging Bier (4.8%) take things even further. Several bizarre-sounding adjuncts have been added, resulting in an elixir of youth – this beer actually claims to make you younger (although this may be as a result of the beer acting on the antioxidant Vitamin E in the body). Flavonoids are naturally found in hops, but by adding more in their beer Klosterbrauerei are really pushing the anti-carcinogen properties of the nation’s favourite drink. But just when you’re sold on the idea, discovering the beer has algae added as well sounds very strange, and when a quick check of their website reveals Klosterbrauerei also make a Badebier – ‘bath beer’ – ”for outside application as bath salts and for internal application as a beverage”, then the mind really boggles.

What They Say -
“We have now formulated an “anti-aging” beer. Having consulted with several universities and health institutes, our beer contains: Water from hotsprings, rich in minerals, flavonoids, beer (malt, water, hop, yeast), and spirulina (Algae).” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels – I quite like that, it reminds me of Erdinger Dunkel 8
Grooben – I wanted to find something completely different! 7
Richard – Smells a bit portery but with that extra vegetable hint that must be the algae 6½
MrB – Presumably all other beer is pro-aging? 6

2. BrewDog Abstrakt AB:01 (10.2%abv)
BrewDog Ltd, Fraserburgh, Scotland. 375ml glass bottle

BrewDog are without doubt the most talked-about brewery in Scotland, with their charismatic press releases and wacky ideas. Not afraid to experiment, at times they produce some fantastic beers – and at others some pretty duff ones. But there’s no denying they always elicit strong opinions. What is often overlooked amidst all the hoo-hah over 41% beers and Portman Group-baiting is that they have only been going for just over three years. The first BrewDog brew rolled off the Kessock plant lines in April 2007 – which by a rather neat co-incidence was the exact month the BeerCast began as well. So with that in mind, and given the numerous BrewDog beers featured over the years on these pages and podcasts, it would be remiss of us not top try their newest (at time of press) offering – the limited edition Abstrakt AB:01, the first of a new concept brand from the Aberdeenshire duo.

What They Say -
“Abstrakt will only ever brew and release a beer once. BrewDog’s Abstrakt is about exciting, progressive and conceptual beers, beers which not only push the boundaries but smash them up completely.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB – The first taste was lovely, it’s like a Belgian tripel 8½
Richard – Sweet full mouthfeel but the alcohol balances it out 8½
Shovels – Subtle for BrewDog, not much aftertaste apart from alcohol 8½
Grooben – It’s got sweetness but I wouldn’t have guessed vanilla 7

3. Sierra Nevada Estate (2009) (6.7%abv)
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, Chico, California, USA.
710ml glass bottle (24oz US)

Sierra Nevada are one of the cornerstones of American craft brewing, and as a result have almost unrivalled access to types and strains of hops. Hailing from California, their mighty reach spreads all the way to the hopgrounds of Washington State, where they conduct research into new strains and varieties. They also like to experiment, and a few years ago came up with the idea of brewing a seasonal ale using only freshly-picked hops, rather than waiting for dried or using a combination of dried and fresh. This ‘wet hop’ ale is produced every Autumn, and as you’d expect has a pretty hefty hop whack about it. We sampled the 2009 Estate vintage, purchased from the excellent UtoBeer stall in London’s Borough Market, which only contains ingredients sourced from the Sierra Nevada estate in Chico.

What They Say -
“This Estate Ale is rich with the flavors of the valley—featuring hops with earthy, grapefruit-like flavors and layered spicy aromas and barley with mild sweetness and smooth, toasted flavors. Together, these crops grow alongside the brewery to make a truly unique brew.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – It’s wonderful, there’s a little bit of a spicy edge to it 9
Shovels – More IPA than double IPA, really hoppy but not overpowering 9
MrB – Has extra bitterness compared to sweeter Torpedo IPA 9
Grooben – There’s no way I’m not going to like this 9

4. La Chouffe Big Chouffe (8.0%abv)
Brasserie d’Achouffe, Achouffe, Houffalize, Wallonia, Belgium.
1500ml glass bottle (magnum)

Grape lovers will possibly know the fact that a magnum is 2 standard bottles of wine, or 1½ litres for the metric types amongst us. In Belgium – as pretty much every grain lover knows – they do things just a little bit bigger and better, so why not have a magnum of beer? Brasserie d’Achouffe’s bending gnome (‘Chouffe’ in Walloon dialect) grins out from beer fridges and bottle-shop shelves throughout the beery world. Their flagship 8% blond ale La Chouffe is released every year in a hefty magnum, which is branded Big Chouffe, and has a customised alternate label drawn by a famous comic artist. The 2010 vintage collected by MrB (from the Brasserie itself, in person, no less) was illustrated by Johan de Moor, son of legendary Belgian cartoonist Bob de Moor.

What They Say -
“La Chouffe is an unfiltered blonde beer, which is refermented in the bottle as well as the keg. It is pleasantly fruity, spiced with coriander, and with a light hop taste.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB – Had it on draught and liked it, it’s just as good in the bottle 8
Richard – I can taste the coriander and cloves in there 7½
Grooben – Doesn’t taste 8%, I give it an extra point for the bottle 7
Shovels – I usually have a problem with Belgian beers because of the alcohol strength, but it’s drinkable for a wheat beer 7

Panellists – (clockwise from top left) Grooben, MrB, Shovels, Richard

BeerCast panel verdict
Sierra Nevada Estate 2009 (36/40)
BrewDog Abstrakt AB:01 (32½/40)
Brasserie d’Achouffe Big Chouffe (29½/40)
Neuzeller Anti-Aging Bier (27½/40)

Stay tuned for our next podcast, as we get back into the more regular swing of things with BeerCast #51, an episode revolving around some of the other things MrB brought back from his trip to Alsace and Belgium ….