#281: Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof » Leipziger Gose

Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof »  Leipziger Gose
ABV: 4.5% | Rating: 8.8

The resurgence of Gose-style brews has absolutely been one of my favorite trends of the last two-three years. Falling from one of the most popular beers in Germany, to almost extinct just a few years back; it's now on it's upswing among a diverse range of American craft breweries. They vary from savory to astringent and all the glorious subtitles in between. Leipziger Gose, from Germany, hearkens the original style, brewed with traditional ingredients plus lactic acid, cilantro, and salt.

Leipziger serves up with a darker, straw-colored body, topped by a fading, fizzy head with a touch of lace. Soft and fragrant, the nose presents a wealth of coriander with a touch of sourness. A few more whiffs even portray curious hints of fruit punch and cereal.

Down the hatch, it's smooth and drinkable; a perfect old-school balance of salt, coriander, and acidic tartness. Notes of lemon and balanced white and black pepper hang in the background, all wrapping up with a gentile mouthcoat and mildy dry finish.

A great starting point for anyone curious in getting into Goses. Not as bold as say, Westbrook's, instead a glimpse into the delicious past, from a style almost lost to the ages.

#255: Ithaca Beer Co » Hopfenstopfen (Dry-hopped German-style) & Intensify Forward Firepower (Rye IPA)

Early in the week I stopped into the Ithaca Beer taproom to drop off posters for an upcoming show and got delightfully delayed in my errands by two tasty new brews. Oh, and they have a taco truck out back now. Tacos & beer and wide open spaces. This place keeps getting better. No taco pic, sry.

Hopfenstopfen (Dry-hopped, German-style) ABV: 4.8% | Rating: 8.9
I think some of my favorite Ithaca Beer brews are their hybrid-styles. This deep, transparent golden straw-colored beer (tasting glass) is brewed only with German hops - and I believe abiding by German purity 4-ingredient law, but then bastardized by dry-hopping with an extensive amount of American hops.

The result is that crisp, bitter, deeply refreshing that is remarkably German, amped with an aroma and boldness that is deeply American-style - but also not overly hopped. A good use of Euro hop character and exactly the beer to finish off a long day and start an enjoyable, but productive evening.


Intensify Forward Firepower (Rye IPA) | ABV: 7.9% | Rating: 8.6
Running counterpoint to Hopfenstopfen, Intensify Forward Firepower (yay! more Star Wars references) is a big, bold, booze of a beer. Dry, scorched rye flavors kick things off with a coarse and chalky mouthfeel that hangs around. Thick and mildy hazy, this Rye packs a punch with distinct earthy, herbal notes and firey booze heat. Another solid, strong 5-Barrel from IBeer.

#236: Bottle Share: Dogfish Aprihop, Freigeist Pimock, Pinkus Münster Alt, Tripel Karmeliet, Valeir Divers

Friends, good beer, and a bit of Adventure Time and a Michael Jackson, wtf $30M music video - wait what? Let's focus on the beer...

Dogfish Head » Aprihop (Fruit Beer) ABV: 7.0% | Rating: 9/10
Great place to start. It's delightfully light, hoppy with a touch of apricots throughout, finished with a pleasant, lingering bitterness. Nice mid-level ABV for a fruit beer too.

Braustelle » Freigeist Pimock (Hefeweizen) ABV: 5.3% | Rating: 8.5/10
This Weizen serves up with a lacy white head over a deep, caramel color body - akin to apple cider. Pimock goes down incredibly smooth with noses of apple, wheat, and yeast with a mild Euro pilsner bitterness and faint lemon notes. Not particularly malty or hoppy, just damn tasty take on an old-school style.

Brauerei Pinkus Mueller » Organic Münster Alt (Altbier) ABV: 5.1 | Rating: 9.1/10
Floral flavors kick this one off, followed by a mineral notes and mild yeast. Tiny, prickly carbonation and transparent body keep this one quite clean tasting along with herbal hoppiness and mild malt sweetness. A solid, classic brew for a hot day that wraps up with a touch of lemon in a mildly dry finish. Recommended for those looking for a break from the bombast of American craft style without sacrificing quality and complexity.

Brouwerij Bosteels » Tripel Karmeliet (Tripel) ABV: 8.4% | Rating: 9.5/10
A wonderfully inviting, peppery-banana nose plumes out into delightfully robust flavors of white pepper, spicy esters, and tasty fruit notes of mango and other tropical varieties. A sturdy, 3-grain body of barley, wheat, oat keeps this one strong the whole way through. Incredibly well-balanced, elegant and generous on the impact.

Brouwerij Contreras » Valeir Divers (Belgian Strong) ABV: 8.5% | Rating: 8.9/10
Introducing itself with a fragrant Belgian notes with hints of pear, Valier bursts onto our palates with lively carbonation. A beautiful bouquet of yeasts and cardamon showcase the first stip, sealed in a wonderfully dry finish. Lasting fruity, spicy notes linger long after the final sip - a great finisher.

#137: Freigeist Bierkultur » Abraxxxas (Berliner Weisse)

Old German stiles continue to be revitalized...

The Brewery: Freigeist Bierkultur
The Brew: Abraxxxas (Berliner Weisse)
Availability: Draft and bottles
ABV: 6.0%
Rating: 9/10
Location: Home
Found: Fingerlakes Beverage Center

The Story? Last year, Freigeist Bierkultur launched to critical and beer fan acclaim, even running out beer for a short time. Their line focuses on revitalizing Germany's traditional, and some times "lost", top-fermented beer recipes. I've seen their Altbier and Kolsh around, but have been the lookout for their Gose and Berliner Weisse as the place to start.

As previously mentioned, I'm a big Berliner Weisse fan and have been stoked on the number of breweries putting their spin on the classic German style. I was in to Fingerlakes Beverage to pick up something completely different and could not resist finally giving this one a shot.

The Beer? Abraxxxas rolls out with deep, unfiltered, translucent, dulled caramel coloring and minimal white head. The nose is a mild mixture of smooth smoke and slight tart grape.

On first sip, there's a pungent, puckering astringency that is wet up front coupled by a drying smoke finish and a touch of sourdough. Further through, notes of lemon, apple, mild cheese and meats emerge, coupled by golden raisin and other sweet fruits in the finish.

The sourness and prickly carbonation settles in quickly and becomes quite drinkable, in that distinctly Berliner Weisse way. An excellent paring of smoke wonderful ongoing, dry tartness. Towards the end of the bottle, the nose gets levels up the funk and yeast notes, even a hint of lime appears, for a strong, unique finish.

I'm looking forward to exploring all of Freigeist Bierkultur updated German traditional brews. This one nailed it for this blogger. Recommended.

#129: Schlossbrauerei Au-Hallertau » Piwo Grodziskie (Grätzer Ale)

A historic rendition of a classic German sour smoked wheat ale...

The Brewery: Schlossbrauerei Au-Hallertau (Germany)
The Brew: Piwo Grodziskie (Grätzer Ale)
Availability: Bottles, Draft (Rotating)
ABV: 4.0%
Rating: 8/10
Location: Home
Found: Nathaniel Square Corner Store

The Story? Over the couple years, I've really enjoyed the resurgence of classic styles like Berliner Weisse and the resurrection of others like Gose, so I'm always keeping an eye out for other historic examples. While in Rochester pursuing the cold-case selection at Nathaniel Square Corner Store, the phrase "sour smoked wheat ale" stuck out amidst a field of old-German style font. I figured it was a promising start.

The official description reads: "Grodziskie or Grätzer is a Sour Smoked Wheat Ale that was brewed in the 1900s in East Prussia and dates back to as early as the 15th century. It was named after the Polish town of Grodzisk Wielkopolski or Grätz in German. Our historic version is brewed according to the German Purity Law with air-dried barley malt and beech smoked wheat malt and hopped with Perle and Saaz. A sour mash is created using the old and forgotten technique called Digerieren. Finally a three month aging and maturation process creates a complex sour, smoky and heavily hopped wheat ale."
My interest? Peaked.

A special cheers on this one to my friend Maciej, who is actually from Grodzisk.

The Beer? This Grätzer pours out bubbly, mostly-transparent, and copper with a finger of fizzy white head, that ended having a bit more lace than expected.

A clean and refreshing mouthfeel starts things off, with the smoke nicely sewn into mild tartness. The closest comparison I can come to is a muted, darker Berliner Weisse. Bready malts, cracked wheat set up a sturdy, semi-sweet backbone to support the touch of tang and breath of smoke. There's also a definite hop presence here - fresh, a bit of pine, and a welcoming, mild spice heat on the finish. The hop bitterness grows a tad, but never reaches any sort of American-style level.

If this one weren't close to $8 a bottle, I'd have my favorite new session beer. At 4% it's, again, quite refreshing, but there's just enough smoke and tartness in there that compells you to slow down and take in all the complexities. If you're looking for a juicy, astringent sour - this isn't your game. Piwo Grodziskie stays very much in the realm of reserved, subtle-flavored German beers.

A delightful, atypical ale that I wish had just a hint more flavor-bang for it's buck.

#038: The Bruery - Hottenroth (Berliner Weisse)

Summer continues with this classic German style...

The Brewery: The Bruery (Placentia, CA)
The Brew: Hottenroth (Berliner Weisse)
Availability: Draft and bottles (Spring & Summer)
ABV: 3.1%
Rating: 9/10 // IBUs: 2
Location: Home

The Story? After catching a hilarious movie and a beautiful walk around Myers Point on Cayuga Lake, my partner and our friend Kendra popped back to the house for some tasty home-made burritos. Afterward they began work on customizing some old t-shirts. "A good time to review this Hottenroth" I thought to myself...

Hottenroth itself is named after Fred & Sarah Hottenroth, Bruery founded Patrick Rue's grandparents. The low gravity seasonal is brewed with lactobacillus yeast and a hint of Brettanomyces and, unlike many of the other American Berliner Weisse releases, no sweetener is added, sticking to the traditional German tartness.

The Beer? Fluffy, quickly fading head with a champagne-esq nose. The sparkling grape and apple notes on the nose are very inviting.

Much less effervescent than the Festina Peche reviewed earlier this summer. Nice, firm tartness with a bit of wheat. Very clean mouthfeel. Apple, pear, and lemon tastes throughout. A bit acidic with mild dryness.

Not as tart up front as initially expected, considering this one is unsweetened, though that mid-level tartness begins to build, continuing through the bottle. On the second pour, sour grape and lime tastes appear in the head, with more funk in the nose and a wheaty must taste hangs in the background. Solid.

Most interesting, was my friend Kendra (not a beer fan, but a big Kombucha fan and also know to partake in the occasional glass of cider, wine, or champagne) thoroughly enjoyed a small glass of the brew.

Overall, a solid, enjoyable homage of a classic. Likely will become one of my top go-tos for a quality, low-gravity beer with a lot of character. Highly recommended for your friends who "don't like beer".

New Release: Ithaca Beer Co. - Excelsior! Anniversary Fifteen and Old Habit (Dark Rye Ale and Strong Rye Ale)

Ithaca Beer Co. is excited to announce the release of highly anticipated Excelsior! Anniversary Fifteen & the long-awaited return of Excelsior! Old Habit on Thursday, May 16, 2013 (starting at noon).

Official Press Release:
Excelsior! Anniversary Fifteen- Dark Rye Ale | ABV 8.4% | Bottle / Draft
Inspired by the rye beers of southern Germany, we created this mischievously potent brew using an intriguing combination of pale and rye malts, a traditional German ale yeast, and New Zealand hops.

The result is an assertive dark copper-brown ale with a full-bodied malt backbone and elegant notes of clove and spice. The finish is bracing with a sharp spiciness that parallels a gentle hint of tropical fruit.


Excelsior! Old Habit – Strong Rye Ale | ABV 9.0% | Bottles only
A robust American ale brewed with four different rye malts and fresh centennial and crystal hops. It is partly fermented in Kentucky Rye Whiskey barrels then carefully blended. Enjoy the gorgeous ruby color, strong aromas of vanilla and black cherry, earthy flavors of nuts, oak and the warm, spicy finish.

Click for more information...