Arcobrau Zwickl Lager

Val and I headed to Philly yesterday to go to a craft fair. After that, I was having a wicked craving for German food and we were relatively close to one of my favorite German restaurants Brahaus Schmitz. This was the beer I chose to pair with my meal.

ABV: 5.2%

Style: Keller Bier/Zwickel Bier

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “The history of Arcobräu is rooted in the history of the Counts of Arco. The logo carries the Arco coat of arms, emblazoned with the double eagle of the Holy Roman Empire — granted to the Counts of Arco in 1415 by Emperor Sigismund with imperial immediacy and hereditary rank of count. Albrecht Dürer painted the famous watercolour of Castle Arco, which rises high above the northern Italian country side near Lake Garda, marking the Arco Earldom, during his Italian journey. The painting is in the Louvre in Paris today.”

Random: Potato pancakes are one of my favorite things to eat.

The beer poured with a thick, two finger white head. It dissipated slowly and left a lot of lacing on the glass. The body was golden-yellow and hazy with a lot of visible carbonation. The nose was clean with river stones, pilsner malt and grass. The taste started with some mineral water and quickly went into floral notes, along with grass and a touch of bitterness. The body was on the lighter side with plentiful carbonation. It had a quick finish with mineral water. This was a good beer and paired well with spaetzle. I would have this one again.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Night Shift Village Lager

I’m really getting into lighter lager beers since it’s so hot around here. Let’s see how this one was.

ABV: 5.1%

Style: Keller Bier/Zwickel Bier

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Night Shift Brewing was founded in 2012 by a trio of friends with a shared passion for homebrewing. Through culinary inspiration and determined innovation, we aim to create memorable craft beers that offer a wide array of unique, complex flavors. WHAT DO WE BELIEVE? We believe in creating and sharing a world class culture built around our passions. This belief influences everything from our branding, to our sales service, to our staffing, to our Taproom environment, to our processes on the production floor. We are endlessly passionate about the culture that we create, and we look to share that culture with those around us.”

Random: This is another beer from Night Shift that has no information on their website. Don’t they know, inquiring minds want to know!

This beer poured with a huge, four finger, loose, white head. It took forever to dissipate and left a lot of lacing on the glass. The body was mostly clear and a dark yellow color. There was a lot of carbonation visible. The nose started with a lot of green herbs and transitioned into grassy hops. There was some freshly milled grain present as well. The taste was much of the same. The presence of the green herbs and grass were the prevalent flavors. The milled grain was present as well and there was a touch of corn sweetness. The body was light and crisp with a lot of carbonation. I received this beer as a gift, but I would pay for this beer, especially to stock a cooler. Grab a can now.

Untappd Rating: 4.5/5.0

Grevensteiner Original

It figures that for 4th of July, I didn’t have an American beer in the queue.

ABV: 5.2%

Style: Keller Bier/Zwickel Bier

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “A beer made out of tradition. Back to the roots: The brewery C. & A. Veltins revives its venerable knowledge in the craft of beer brewing with its new beer brand Grevensteiner Original – Inspired by the traditional brewing of the twins Carl and Anton Veltins during the beginning of the last century. The beer shines palely amber coloured with orange reflections from inside the mug with the family brewerys’ more than 100 year old lettering style as an ornament. The brewery C. & A. Veltins has been associated with the historical and bulbous Steinie bottle for decades. That is why the traditional Steinie bottle, the historically appearing label, as well as the sealing on the crown cork brings the history and long tradition to life in a modern product.”

Random: This beer also comes in traditional stubby bottles.

The brew poured with a huge, four finger, fluffy white head that was the consistency of whipped egg whites. It went away quickly, but still left a lot of lacing on the glass. The body was mostly clear and a dusky orange color. The nose started with some caramel malt, but quickly went into a fruity note of green apple. It had a bready aspect as well. The taste was much of the same. I picked up the same caramel note that transitioned into bread, along with green apple. It also had a slightly off-putting dusty characteristic to it. The body was light with a lot of carbonation. The finish was quick and slightly sweet. This beer was $1.50 for the pounder can, which broke down to $.09 per ounce. I finished the beer, but it didn’t impress me much.

Untappd Rating: 2.5/5.0

Crooked Stave Von Pilsner

Denver is one of the best beer cities, at least according to most writers. Unfortunately, Val and I were not big fans of the city. The food was alright, not great and since we’re not big fans of the smell of pot, it’s definitely not a city for us. But, I’m glad we got the chance to go to GABF so I could cross that off of my bucket list.

ABV: 5%

Style: Kellerbier/Zwickelbier

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Combining our brewery’s super soft water, traditional floor malted barley and the finest German hops, this unfiltered keller pilsner is crushable. Brewed as a traditional European pilsner, this is what pilsner tastes like pouring from the wooden vats used to make lager for centuries.”

Random: While we were in Denver, we visited the Crooked Stave taproom which was packed, given that it was GABF week. But, it was in a cool building with a lot of different stores. I wish we had more areas like that in Jersey or Philly.

The beer poured with a one finger, white head. It dissipated slowly and left some lacing on the glass. The body was clear and straw yellow in color. There was some carbonation visible. The nose had a slight funk to it along with grass and the expected noble hops. The taste was much of the same. It was more grassy than funky, but still had a nice noble hop characteristic to it. The body was light with a lot of carbonation. It had a quick and grassy finish. I thought this was a solid pils that paired well with food.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Hofbrau Munchner Sommer Naturtrub

Over the weekend, the other half and I went to the new beer hall in Asbury. It was disappointing to say the least. It was incredibly expensive and mediocre at best and the clientele was obnoxious. I don’t think we’ll be back there any time soon. This was the first beer that I tried while I was there.

ABV: 5.1%

Style: Keller Bier/Zwickel Bier

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Hofbräu München’s Münchner Sommer naturtrüb is brewed according to traditional recipes. The refreshing sparkle makes this bottom-fermented, naturally cloudy beer garden speciality an ideal alternative to Weissbier. Münchner Sommer naturtrüb has a shimmering, opalescent look and pours to an amber hue and a fine-pored head. The bottom-fermented classic offers 5.1% alcohol content and a hoppy aroma with a touch of fruitiness. It is a refreshing, sparkling drink with estery notes and a subtly bitter finish. A good alternative to Weissbier!”

Random: I always have a hard time remembering what German beers I’ve reviewed.

This beer poured with a two finger, thick, white head that dissipated slowly and left lots of lacing on the glass. The body was a hazy yellow color with high carbonation. The nose was grassy and hoppy with some light citrus. The taste was very grassy with some lemon. After a few sips, I picked up some bread as well. The flavors were very light in general. The body was very thin with high carbonation. It had a long finish with wheat and grass. This wasn’t a bad beer by any stretch, but nothing that floored me.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Samuel Adams Alpine Spring

Last night, I went out with my girlfriend to a restaurant in Rumson. It was a nice place with a definitely older bar scene. Katie was talking to me and I kept looking at the bar, and I finally had to explain it was because I was afraid that one of these 50+ year olds was about to fall over from being so wasted. When we were leaving, they were busy dropping shots of Jager into ginger ale and chugging it. Anyways, this was the beer that I tried during dinner, the newest addition to the Sam Seasonal lineup.

ABV: 5.5%

Style: Keller Bier/Zwickel Bier

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “We set out to create a beer that was perfect for spring, hearty enough for the colder days early in the season and refreshing enough for the warm days of late spring. Our brewers have always admired the excellence of a small group of German lagers, with their soft underlying maltiness, clear notes of Noble aroma hops, and clean bitterness. As a Kellerbier, Alpine Spring grants access to the privilege that all brew masters share: the taste of great beer straight from the tank. Our drinkers will not be too far behind, as Alpine Spring goes to keg and bottle as a young beer, only a few weeks old, resulting in an unfiltered haziness and soft fruity esters of a beer fresh out of the fermentation tank.”

Random: When I was asking what beers they had on tap, the waiter said Blue Point. I asked which one, and he said that he didn’t know they had more than one beer, but he would check and it tasted just like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It was Blue Point Toasted Lager…really tastes nothing like Sierra Nevada.

This brew poured with a half a finger of pure white head that dissipated slowly and left some lacing on the glass. The brew had a cloudy orange color with moderate visible carbonation (which was still visible due to the cloudiness). As you read above, this is due to this being a young and unfiltered beer. The nose was a bit muted, but had some citrus apparent and not much else. The taste was citrus hops (mostly lemon) that then had some honey and a bit of bready malt. But, the citrus was the main flavor that I got. The finish was pretty quick with citrus. The body was medium, but more towards the thin side with moderate carbonation, making for a very crisp and easily drinkable beer. Is this beer going to wow you with flavor? No. But is it a solid and easy drinking brew that you could down a few of? Definitely. I would (and probably will) have this one again.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0