My First Smoked Beer

I first read about the German Rauchbier a year or two ago ... I think it was in one of Charlie Papazian's books. This special beer is made with a healthy dose of smoked malted barley to give it a unique flavor. Being a former resident of Florida where we spent many an early morning and afternoon sitting around the smoker waiting for pork shoulder, ribs, beef brisket and chicken to impart the magical flavors of hickory and apple wood smoke, this beer style made complete sense to me. Man, I miss southern barbecue.(photo courtesy of wikipedia)

My first rauchbier comes from the Brauerei Spezial in Bamberg, Germany, brewers since 1536 according to the Shelton Brothers website. This is very exciting and I cannot wait to try it!

(photo by Jef Loyola)

Into the glass it goes, and quickly a light foamy head appears and in a minute slides back down the sidewalls. The Spezial Rauchbier Lager is a medium brown, butterscotch color and it appears to be a tiny bit cloudy. Deep scents of smoke, chocolate and caramel fill the room. And now we taste ...

Whoa. Now that's certainly not like any other beer I've had before. There's a lot of caramel going on in there, you can taste the smokey flavor and a hint of black pepper. Man, I have to try more of these!

Okay, I know it sounds weird, smoked beer. What the hell, right? Well, I think you should give it a try. It's probably not something you're going to buy on the regular or bring in mass quantities to a backyard party, BUT, this beer style a great change of pace.

If I can find more of this, my next goal is to enjoy a rauchbier while eating some delicious barbecue. I think there's a joint in town. I'm going to have to give it a try.

Okay folks, that's it for me tonight. The Rays blew game three of the series, and well, I'm blogging off.

Cheers.

Overall Score of the Spezial Rauchbier: 3.5 out 5.0

World Series of German Beer

Okay, perhaps the headline is deceiving ... I'm pretty sure there's no World Series of German Beer, but I am watching the World Series while drinking German beer. It's sorta the same thing, right?

Tonight we drink the dunkel weisse brewed by the Weissbierbrauerei Hopf in Miesbach, Germany. An unfiltered dark wheat beer, this is bound to be a tasty treat.

The brew is a delightful dark chocolate brown with a thick and creamy beige-colored head. Aromas of caramel and cloves up front with just a hint of banana in the back. I take a hearty gulp from my big German beer mug and drift into dark beer heaven.

Delicious. Smooth. Warming and Refreshing. Ahhhhhh.

(photo by Jef Loyola)

The dunkel weisse style is a great beer to get the newbie started on the darker beers. It's light enough to be easy on the stomach, but full of malty flavor to lead you into the heartier beer styles. And, this Hopf beer is a perfect choice for watching the game.

Grab yourself a few of these tall bottles and root on the Rays!

Prost!

Overall Score of the Hopf Dunkel Weisse: 4.0 out 5.0

Weekend Brews - Week 44 - Welcome to Franconia!

Tonight's special brew comes from Franconia! It's in short supply according to the Shelton Brothers blog, so I'm happy to share it with you. This little German beauty is sure to be a great weekend starter, so without further ado, let's get to it!

Tonight's selection is from the Löwenbräu Buttenheim, a small craft brewery in Franconia. The beer is called Ungespundetes Lagerbier. Now I'm not going to pretend I understand German, but I do understand beer. And to me that sounds good. Ya!

To my dismay (for comedy reasons only) this is not the same Lowenbrau that brought us this commercial in 1984:

Oh Reagan's America. What an interesting place and time.

Anyway, this bier pours an appetizing dark gold into the long, slender glass. A light and fizzy head pops up, and then slowly creeps down the inner walls. There's a strong scent of brewer's yeast, fresh-baked bread and spice. And now ... the first sip ...

Ahhhhhhhhh. This brew has a smooth texture, a pleasing light malt flavor, a touch of hop bitterness and a perfectly crisp finish. Excellent job by the Franconians! At only 4.8% ABV, it's a nice change from the stronger beers I've been enjoying for quite some time. It's a fantastic accompaniment to my pizza as well. Beauty.

It sounds like this beer is only going to be available in the states for awhile, so get it while you can.

Prost!

Overall Score of the Löwenbräu Buttenheim Ungespundetes Lagerbier: 3.75 out 5.0

P.S. A special thanks to Jef Loyola for helping me with the photos.