Scanning Through My Blurred Memories or Braukunst Live 2015 Recap

I came, I saw… I tried to drink them all

Another BrauKunst Live 2015 has come and gone. Close to 100 exhibitors served 700+ different beers in the festival hall to over 8600 beer enthusiasts. This year I had the great pleasure owning a media pass and it’s debatable if that’s an advantage or disadvantage!!! Anyhow, I did prepare a little for the festival in that I created a list of the breweries that I definitely wanted to try beers from, and I tried to take the time to write them all down as I sampled… 91 different beer names are written down! WOW! It would probably blow this post if I mentioned them all. I’ll just say that there were a lot of great beers, but also quite a few that were not up my alley.

There were definitely some very unique beers that I was very impressed with that I’ll mention though. The Moll, a collaboration brew from BrauKunstKeller and Kehrwieder (all the beers they were pouring were excellent) is an extinct old German beer style and an easy drinking Rauchbier with a subtle, restrained tartness. The Monroe from Hopfenstopfer, a Single Hop Imperial Pale Ale was smooth and light with full flavors of red berries and passion fruit. Hanscraft & Co had a new brew that can only be described as dessert in a glass. Taking a sip of their Sweet Sixteen, a 16,5 ABV Barleywine Eisbock and you got a mouthful of alcohol-infused-fruit-cobbler-topped-with-vanilla-liquor as if you just bit into a pie. CRAZY sweet! Kissmeyer, a one man gypsy brewery from Denmark I’d never heard of also poured several great beers. Their Pipes & Drums Barrel Reserve, a collaboration brew with Amager Bryghus, surprised me the most. I’m usually not a Barley Wine fan but this one convinced me with it’s subtle sweetish, vinous aroma with hints of fruits and nuts. A couple steps to the left was Freigeist’s and Nogne Ø’s booth who, besides their own beers also poured brews from The Monarchy, To Øl and De Molen. Taking a sip of Nogne Ø’s #1000 had me dive into the world of the Arabian Nights. There’s an abundance of spices in both flavor and aroma with a nice malty caramel sweetness. Freigeist’s Geisterzug Rhubarb Gose and Abraxxxas Pear Lichtenhainer were brews I could drink all the time and all day long. They’re incredibly lively, characterful, and thirst-quenching and were a nice “break” between some of the stronger, heavier beers. Last but not least Ku’Damm, a Berliner Weisse and Daft, a barrel-aged Barley Wine from Urban Chestnut. The Berliner Weisse is solid and probably one of the best ones I drank in my live and surprisingly another Barley Wine, in which for the first time I experienced a umami flavor.

I also want to give props to the newcomers: Hopfmeister, a newly founded gypsy brewery from Munich who plan to open this May. Their motto, brewing beers for craft beer beginners, which are hoppy but still quaffable. And BrewAge, a young Austrian start-up brewery who tie in tradition, refine and reinterpret it.

Of the three days at BrauKunst Live, Friday was my favorite. Since Friday is the opening day, everyone is full of energy and excited to be there. Most of the brewers and brewery reps were behind their booths and all the different beers are still available. Sunday was great because it’s the least visited day and I could stroll through the hall and try beers that I haven’t already tried. Saturday was still fun, but it was a mad house plus having been there the day before and going to the “in-official” after show party at the hotel, I was tired and had moments where I was ready to go home 😉 But it’s still hard to pass up being there for all three days just to be able to soak it all in and enjoy the atmosphere.

On of the hidden gems on the festival floor were the booths from Bier Deluxe and Derer Imports! Both being craft beer importers, they gave me a little taste of “home”! Bier Deluxe had beers from four US breweries on tap [and I happily admit I was obsessed with] Ballast Point’s Sculpin and Grapefruit Sculpin, whose tart freshness of grapefruit complements the IPA’s citrusy hop character. Derer Import had a vast amount of bottles from Rogue, Smuttynose, Saugatuck, Latitude 42, Left Hand, North Coast and Epic Brewing, to only mention a few. To my surprise they had Epic Brewing’s very limited release: Brainless® on Peaches. I only had a couple little sips but it was delicious. It has 10.5% ABV, but drinks much smoother than that… dangerous!! They also had Neapolitan Milk Stout by Saugatuck Brewing, which is a perfect blend of a classic dry stout character with brilliant flavors of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry all in one glass!

The best three days in March? The worst three days in March? Well, I’m torn. Yes, as mentioned I suffered [as probably some other fellow beer enthusiasts] a little, drank more beer each day than any human should consume in a lifetime, and went days with only little sleep, but it was all for the sake of thousands of people joining together to show their love for the best beers Germany has to offer!

Thanks to all the brewers I spent lots of time talking to, to my fellow beer snobs for interesting discussions, to the new people and the ones I finally met the faces to, you all made for a great weekend and I’m looking forward hanging out again at the next beer event!In this spirit, thanks for reading.

Cheers!!

A Girl’s Guide to BrauKunst Live 2015!

It’s that time of year again. BrauKunst Live 2015 is upon us for the fourth time at the MVG Museum in Munich. Germany’s largest beer convention is set to kick things off on Friday, March 6th at 4pm. For three days just around one hundred exhibitors  will showcase brews from over 120 breweries. Past year the event attracted close to 8000 beer enthusiasts from Germany and around the world over the three days to try over 700 beers. So no doubt about it, that’s quite a number.

For those attending for the first time, there’s a right way and a wrong way to attack BKL 2015. Here are some tips to help you make the most out of your beer adventure:

Stay hydrated & lay down a base.

Drink water! Lots of it and don’t wait until you arrive at the event because once you’re there you’ll get distracted by all the tasty brews and forget H2O even exists 😉

A good rule of thumb is one glass of water per glass of beer… Also think what you drink; don’t just gulp it down, look at what’s in your glass, smell it and savor it. What are you drinking? How does it look? Does the aroma or flavor remind you of something?

Eat before you get there! Having your stomach filled with food will help soak up the alcohol and keep you going throughout the day. There will be a food court in the exhibition hall to get anything from a small snack to a full meal but nothing is free as we all know. A good tip, make a Pretzel necklace… this has become a must-have going to beer fests or conferences. You think that’s cheesy? Try it and see all those jealous looks from those who don’t have one 😉

And keep in mind you’ll eventually have to go and empty your bladder…and guys this is for you especially… the lines are long! As a girl, we always have to wait twice, three or four times as long as the boys, not so at beer events.

Do your reserach – Prepare wisely!

This year’s beer list is long. Take a few minutes before you leave to look at the breweries and beer line-up. Of course you can just go with the flow and hop from booth to booth, but you’re likely to miss some tasty rare treats which will be gone quick or have gotten replaced by another beer by the time you get to the booth.

Braufactum, one of BKL 2015’s premium partners, will release their new Hoppy Strong Saison, which they brewed specially for this event. In addition to that they will present their new international partners Mikkeller, Gypsy Inc. from Denmark and Birrificio Italiano from Northern Italy.

Love hops? Swing by the hop experts Joh. Barth & Sohn’s booth and check out two new hop varieties Monroe and Relax.

Also, take a break from cruising through the hall and visit one of the Masterclasses and learn more about beer, brewing techniques & ingredients or get a glimpse into the suds-soaked world of a brewer.

Try styles you haven’t had.

If you live in Germany and/or are German you think you know all the “important” beer styles… well… there’s a world beyond Pils, Weizen, Altbier, Kölsch or Bock beers… You probably have heard of Berliner Weisse, Stouts, Porters, Pale Ales and India Pale Ales (IPA’s), but what about Barleywine, Saison, Wit beer or Sour Ale? And what the heck is a Gruit beer or the difference between a Midwest Coast IPA vs “normal” IPA? Hey Urban Chestnut, what the heck is a Midwest Coast IPA? 😉

Again, check out the beer list, find out what Braukunst Live 2015 has to offer and hunt down the rare and unusual creations.

Last but not least…

…enjoy the festival. I’d love to bump into some readers for a chat or a Cheers!

See you there!

Chocolate Flanders Strawberry Jam Cups

I’ve been cooking and baking with beer for a while now, unfortunately not writing the exact recipes down because I started taking our favorite recipes and began substituting or adding beer to it… Luckily enough most of the time it worked out good to great. Problem, as mentioned, I have all recipes in my head and never wrote them down… so I decided to change that and start putting everything to paper (or screen)

Last Friday, the day of my Barley’s Angels Rhein-Main Beer & Chocolate pairing it came over me again and I had to make something for my ladies. Obviously something with cocoa this time. Since I wanted to start the tasting with a homebrew, a Flanders Red, it was an easy decision to use it for my recipe because we have it on tap and I didn’t have to open a bottle. And I wanted it to be a fairly quick and easy recipe.

After a few minutes browsing through my recipe-box I found a Chocolate Cup recipe. All it said I need was chocolate couverture, nuts and mini muffin or praline papers.

The chocolate I planned to pair with the Flanders Red was a 75% dark chocolate bar from Columbia, which has a well-balanced sweetness and roundness that will remind you of butterscotch… mmmhh!!

Instead of nuts I used beer infused low sugar strawberry jam for the center to increase the fruitiness and counters the acidity of the beer. All in all it didn’t take much longer than 25min with just a little chocolate mess and a chocolate scented house 😉

So here’s what you need:

• 100 gramm [3,5 oz] Pralus 75% Colombie (or any 70%-80% dark chocolate should work)
• 2 oz Flanders Red  [or perhaps 1 to 10 sips more because you’ll have to test if the beer is still good in between the first steps 😉 ]
• ~100 gramm [~6 tbs] Low Sugar Strawberry Jam
• 3 gramm gelatin
• 20 mini muffin or praline papers

Directions:

Add water to a pot and bring to a boil. Add the chocolate to cereal bowl and put bowl in pot and reduce heat to medium. Stir chocolate until it’s melted

Line a mini muffin tin or baking tray with mini muffin papers. Add about 2 teaspoons of chocolate to the muffin papers (about 1/3 full). Use the back of a spoon to “paint” the sides of the mini muffin papers. Make sure to cover the entire paper. Chill in fridge until the chocolate has set [5 to 10 minutes]

In another pot add jam and beer; stir until well combined; heat without bringing to a boil. Add gelatin to beer-marmalade mix, stir and let it rest until mixture thickens.

Fill the chilled chocolate cups with beer-jam mixture until just below the top.

Add a small amount of melted chocolate to the top of the beer-marmalade, making sure to cover the entire mound of beer-jam, smoothing to make a flat top. Chill until set, about ten minutes

If you still have beer left over give it a try and see if the beer’s still good and pairs well with the chocolate cups. 🙂

Happy cooking & Cheers!

Thanks for reading

 

 

Hungry B[e]erliners turn out for Sausage & Beer Market

The second year of the Wurst & Bier Markt on Feb. 8th in Berlin was a smash hit. The organizers Slow Food Berlin, Wurstsack and Heidenpeters teamed up with the Markthalle Neun crew to host this tasty event.

Thousands of hungry and thirsty people from Berlin and from across the globe showed up to consume beef- and pork-centric sausages and craft beer made by twenty constructive butchers and twenty craft breweries from Berlin, Germany or around Europe!

A large variety of Pils’, Pale Ales and IPA’s were featured to suit the dazzling array of cured sausages, smoked sausages, fresh ones and aged ones. But also a fine selection of darker beers and not to forget Berliner Weisse were offered alongside vegetarian food options, something for all tastes!

There was beer and sausage-themed merchandise available as well as sausage and beer pairings presented by Hendrik Haase aka Wurstsack and Koyka Stoyanova from Berliner Beer Academy, who demonstrated how sausage and beer accompany each other and which works best together.

So there’s the overview… let’s talk about the [some of the] beers that stood out for me and which I happily consumed ;)!

BrewBaker // I started off with – how could it be otherwise – their Berliner Weisse, a cloudy blond and crisp Weisse with a slightly fruity aroma and refreshing tart flavor. I’ve had it before from the bottle and was very pleased with it, but from tap it’s even better.

Ale-mania // Next up was Fritz’ Gose, his Saison and Belgian IPA. I had the chance to zwickel the Gose and Belgian IPA a couple weeks ago while visiting his brew house in Bonn and was very happy to sample both again. The highlight was his Saison though. Very fresh, peppery and a great balance between coriander and orange peel, nice body and smooth.

The Monarchy // After two old German beer styles, I couldn’t leave out The Monarchy’s Methusalem, an Adambier – old traditional Dortmund style. It’s a strong sour beer brewed with lots of hops. Aromas of dried fruits, caramel, dark malt and old wine. Flavor is bitter-sweet, full bodied with a vinous and tart-sourish finish. Good stuff!

Brewcifer // On the board: Hops & Needles and Spark. Two brews who stood out for me on this day. I’ve heard about Brewcifer – a gypsy brewery from Hamburg – but never had a chance to try his beer, so it was long overdue. Both ales are definitely not your average beers. Hops & Needles, a pale ale brewed with spruce tips: sweet malty aroma with citrus hops and hints of oranges and pine needles which all repeat in the flavor. Spark, a chili spiced IPA, was …awesome! Who knows me gets the idea how I react when I hear chili beer, and hoppy chili, well that’s just right up my alley! It’s brewed with Bhut Jolokia, so you get a little spice – and only the spice not the unwanted green bell pepper flavor!! – but it’s surprisingly mellow with nice citrus hop aromas.

There were many other good beers that made it in my glass: Cherry on Top by Freigeist, From Asia With Love and Imperial Chocolate Mint Stout by Pax Bräu, Backbone Splitter and the new Black Nizza by Hanscraft; Schoppe Bräu’s XPA and Holy Shit and Wildwuchs’ Fastmoker Pils.

Pax Bräu

Schoppe Bräu

Hanscraft & Co

Last but not least two new craft breweries that surprised me with their solid brews. Flying Turtle, a brew collective of Dan Stein, a Detroit native who moved to Europe eight years ago and Thorsten Schoppe, brewmaster of Schoppe Bräu, poured two brews – their Return of Pils and Kickstarter Pale Ale – from … well…. a flying turtle! One would describe it as a craft beer bike, they call it their “infernal machine” or simply an eye-catcher!

Second BRLO, a craft beer start-up of three dedicated college friends, presented a Pale Ale and a Helles. BRLO? Did they forget a letter or two? No, I was told. BRLO is the old Slavic term for Berlin and by adding -in it changes to “swamp” or “dry patch of land in the wetlands”. And their name speaks for itself, traditional handcrafted beers, brewed with sustainable, local ingredients reinterpreted for the modern craft beer enthusiast!

In a nutshell, it was a incredible day with delicious bites and amazing sips for every taste topped off with great talks and even greater people. I hope I get to go again next year and recommend everybody who’s in the area shouldn’t miss stopping by Heidenpeters in Markthalle 9 Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday afternoons and try one of their house beers or guest brews. It’s worth it!

Next up: BrauKunst Live in Munich. See you then!

Cheers!!

Berlin, Berlin….

“Berlin, Berlin, we’re driving to Berlin…” – actually I’m flying – to explore Deutschland’s great capital with the hubby… and maybe have one or two local beers 😉

Last time I was there was in 2001 and hubby has never been, so I’m sureo lots has changed and our list of sights & places we want to see is long: Reichstag, Brandenburger Tor, Checkpoint Charlie, of course, Siegessäule, Holocaust memorial and the Berliner Dom to only mention a few…

Oh and did I mention we happen to be there right when this years Wurst & Bier market (sausage & beer fest) returns to Markthalle 9 for the second time this Sunday in Berlin Kreuzberg…. what a coincidence 😉

Last year it was a complete success! They were flooded by people who curious about how those two traditional German crafts accompany each other.

Many local craft butchers and breweries but also Brewers from all over Germany will be there to show off their brews and pair some of them with local artisan sausages and other specialities.

There will be sausage & beer tastings, show brewing & sausage crafting, and special beer & sausage pairings such as “Räucherbier und Geräuchertes” [smoked beer and smoked sausages] with Rory Lawton from Berlin Craft Beer and Franz Pozelt from Slow Food Berlin!

I’m looking forward seeing, smelling and tasting what this diverse city, a place with so much history has to offer, how it changed and how I will walk through the streets now compared to when I was in my teens, with a different mindset and a much better camera 😉
I’m excited to see a few of our friends and craft beer family again, to meet new people and as always find some excellent and interesting brews!

Hope to meet you there until then,

Cheers!

Ratsherrn Westküsten IPA

It seems like the year 2014 passed by in a blink of an eye and leaves us with memories of an eventful year in the craft beer world. There were ups and downs, brewery openings and many excellent beers, we saw big victories for small craft breweries and small ones for the big. But when I look back it’s almost dizzying when I think about making a list with all the successful brews I’ve tried. I hope that 2015 will be just as exciting and flavorful …

In this spirit I’ll continue with the first beer review of 2015:

During these freezing temperatures everyone is dreaming of the sun, the beach and the ocean. Ratsherrn’s Westküsten India Pale Ale, a brewery from Hamburg, gives at least the impression of Spring or Summer.

It pours clear and bright golden topped with a finger wide, fine-pored fluffy head. Aromas of citrus, grapefruit and passion fruit rise up into my nose, followed by decent hay and herbal (rosemary?) flavors.
The citrus aromas repeat in the first sip and quickly turn into a fruity-floral bitterness. Again, I taste a hint of sweet herbs.
It has soft carbonation, is gentle on the tongue and has a little to medium body.
The finish is short-lived, with a malty, fruity sweetness and a touch of pink grapefruit.

The Westküsten India Pale Ale is a nice brew but a little too sweet and not what I expect from a typical West Coast IPA. Otherwise, tasty local [despite its 6.2%] and as a beginners-IPA

 

 

Merry 4th of Advent

We last few weeks have been busy and unfortunately I’ve had little time to write and post but at least I want to wish everybody out there a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with lots of good brews and beer!

Cheers!

BrauBeviale 2014

I had the great pleasure to work for Spiegelau at this years Braubeviale in Nürnberg last week and represent their Beer Classics and three Craft Beer Glasses (and pour beers from two of my favorite Craft Breweries)

Prior to the trade fair I knew about Spiegelau’s craft beer glasses and have to admit I’ve never had one in my hands, and being a “glass fetishist” I was really excited to finally see, hold and test them. People who know me understand my passion and my poor hubby knows best when we try a new beer [glass] he has to wait until I take a picture before he can drink it 😉 And I’ve heard once or twice that I’m a serious beer snob when it comes to drinking beer from the “right” glass, so last week I was basically in seventh heaven!

And even though my legs were sore, had blisters on my feet and a raspy voice I’d do it all over again! I’ve had the most fun talking to great people from all over the world, making new friends, finally seeing the faces to all the emails, tweets and messages from the past years, having had the best company and believe it or not ZERO broken glasses at our booth!

Thanks to everybody who stopped by to say “Hi”, Thanks to Alex Himburg from BrauKunstKeller for the tasty treat and Thanks to Spiegelau for this experience!

So here are some impressions:

BrewDog 5 A.M. Saint Hoppy Red Ale

[German below]

After nearly a week on the Emerald Isle I felt like an Ale today… well, like drinking one 🙂

When I opened our fridge, the 5 A.M. Saint Hoppy Red Ale by BrewDog caught my eyes immidiately… The 5 A.M. Saint is a beer from BrewDog’s Headliner Series, which they describe as the “Holy Grail” of Red Ales on their website.

BrewDog… the crazy brewery from Scotland who make atypical British-style beers and this Red Ale, if you can call it that, is no exception! It is more like a red ale which was nuked by hops and lives up to it’s “iconoclastic” title!

The ale pours in a nice red –  my choice of glass this time fell on a regular pint glass – with a full, tan head and I instantly smelled the hop cocktail. The 5 A.M Saint was brewed with five different hops, Nelson Sauvin, Simcoe, Cascade, Centennial and Ahtanum to be exact, which ere either added late in the brewing process or were used by dry hopping. Both lead to intense hop flavors.

It’s aroma is of citrus and grapefruit with some sweet caramel, but also a little earthy and resinous – it reminds me walking through the woods on a mushroom foray as a child 🙂

The taste is – unexpectedly – very refreshing with a slight hint of caramel. After a few more sips the earthy and floral notes come to the fore… not quite as spectacular as the aroma and a little watery!

Despite the five malts they used – Maris Otter, Caramalt, Munich malt, Crystal and Crystal dark – the hop bitterness helps to balance the flavor and makes the ale not too sweet. The carbonation also helps to compensate for the slight watery and rather thin body

Conclusion:

For me, it’s not really “The Holy Grail” of Red Ales but overall a good beer for this style!

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Nach knapp einer Woche auf der grünen Insel war mir heute nach einem Ale. Beim Öffnen des Kühlschranks sticht mir sofort das 5 A.M. Saint Red Ale von BrewDog ins Auge…

Das 5 A.M. Saint ist ein Bier aus BrewDog’s Headliner Serie, die auf ihrer Website als “Heiligen Gral” der Red Ales beschrieben wird.

BrewDog… die verrückte Brauerei aus Schottland mit dem etwas anderen untypischen britischen Bier! Dieses Red Ale, wenn man es so nennen kann, ist da keine Ausnahme. Es ist eher ein Red Ale das vom Hopfen überrollt wurde und macht seinem “ikonoklastischem” Titel alle Ehre!

Meine Glaswahl fällt dieses Mal auf ein normales Pint-Glas. Das Ale gießt sich in einem schönem Rot mit einer vollen, hellbraunen Schaumkrone und einer heftigen Hopfennote.

Das Ale wurde mit 5 verschiedenen Hopfensorten gebraut, Nelson Sauvin, Simcoe, Cascade, Centennial und Ahtanum um genau zu sein, die spät während des Brauprozesses zugegeben wurden und mit denen das Bier gestopft wurde. Beides führt zu intensiven Hopfenaromen.

Es riecht nach Zitrus und Grapefruit mit süßen Karamellmalzen, aber auch etwas erdig und harzig – es erinnert mich wie ich als Kind in den Wald zum Pilzesammeln gegangen bin 🙂

Der Geschmack ist – unerwartet – sehr erfrischend mit einer leichten Karamellnote. Nach ein paar weiteren Schlucken kommen dann die erdigen und blumigen Noten hervor… nicht ganz so spektakulär wie das Aroma und anfangs ein wenig wässrig! Trotz der 5 Malze – Maris Otter, Karamellmalz, Münchner Malz, Kristall, Kristall dunkel – ist es durch die Hopfenbittere nicht allzu süß.

Die Karbonisierung hilft in der Hinsicht auch auch gleicht den etwas wässrigen und eher dünnen Körper aus.

Fazit:

Für mich ist es nicht unbedingt “The Holy Grail” der Red Ales aber insgesamt ein gutes Gebräu für diesen Bierstil!

Owls against the Mainstream

[English below]

Der eine nennt sie Trinkhalle oder Wasserhäuschen, für andere ist es eine Bude oder ein Kiosk: Die kleinen Lädchen wecken Erinnerungen an die Kindheit.

Sogenannte Trinkhallen entstanden Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts um Arbeitern Mineralwasser und andere alkoholfreie Getränke anzubieten, da ungekochtes Leitungswasser gesundheitsschädlich und Getränke in Gaststätten zu teuer waren und die Männer vermehrt zu Bier und Schnapps griffen. Mit der Zeit wurde das erweiterte sich das Sortiment und es wurden Zeitschriften, Tabakwaren und auch Lebensmittel angeboten. Doch leider führte Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts der vermehrte Bau von Supermärkten und Tankstellen, deren Shops die Funktion der Wasserhäuschen übernahmen, zum „Wasserhäuschensterben“!
Einige wurden später, überwiegend aus nostalgischen Gründen wieder eröffnet.

Die historische Trinkhalle an der Lessingstrasse in der Mainzer Neustadt wurde nach mehrjährigem Leerstand vor einigen Tagen wieder zum Leben erweckt.
Mit dem Namen “Eulchen-Trinkhalle” öffneten Leonidas Lazaridis und Philip Vogel vergangenen Samstagnachmittag das Häuschen und es hieß „Cervisiam bibat – Man trinke Bier!”

Nicht nur irgendein Bier – nein, ihr eigens gebrautes Eulchen-Bier #2.
Bereits vergangenes Jahr haben die beiden mit ihrer Aktion REBELLION GEGEN EINHEITSBIER! mit ihrem ersten Eulchen Bier enormes Interesse bekommen und sich entschlossen mit ihrem Brauprojekt in die zweite Runde zu gehen und es regelmäßig zu verkaufen.

Das diesjährige Eulchen ist, passend zur Oktoberfest-Saison, malziger, würziger und etwas hopfiger als Sud #1. “Wir haben uns an das Grundrezept von Eulchen #1 gehalten” erzählt mir Philip, “jedoch mit mehr Röstmalzen gebraut!”

Bereits beim Öffnen der FlipTop-Flasche aka. Bügelflasche kommt einem ein ausgewogenes getreidiges und hopfiges Aroma entgegen welches sich im Antrunk wiederholt.
Sein Geschmack ist würzig, leicht süßes Malz und der Hopfen etwas kerniger. Die Hopfen-Kombination aus Spalter Select und Perle geben dem Geschmack ein feines blumiges, ein wenig orangiges Kräuteraroma das im Abgang ein bisschen bitterer wird, die mich an Tee erinnert, was auf den Perle-Hopfen zurückzuführen ist, deren ausgewogenen Aromen einen recht hohen Bittergehalt haben.
Das Eulchen #2 ist definitiv vollmundiger als das Eulchen #1, “sauber”, süffig und perfekt für einen goldenen Oktobertag.

Da freu ich mich doch zu hören, dass die Jungs für diesen Sud ganze 34hl gebraut haben, die nun fast 9500 0,33l-Flaschen füllen.
Das Eulchen-Team berichtet, dass sie die Trinkhalle bis Ende diesen Jahres gepachtet haben und zunächst Freitagabends und Samstagvormittags zum Verkauf öffnen wollen.
Ausserdem wollen Leonidas und Philip nun regelmäßiger brauen um den Durst der aufgeschlossenen Mainzer und die stetig wachsenden Nachfrage nach Craft-Bier auch in Zukunft zu stillen.

Gut sechs Stunden war die Trinkhalle am Samstag geöffnet und der Platz durchgehend mit ca sechs Dutzend trinkfreudigen Besuchern gut besucht! Wie viele Flaschen am Ende des Abends verkauft wurden konnten [oder wollten 🙂 ] mir die beiden nicht sagen aber ich bin sicher der ein oder andere Kasten wurde geleert 🙂

Ich wünsche den beiden auf jeden Fall viel Erfolg für ihre Zukunft,

Happy Brewing & Cheers!

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Some call it Trinkhalle [“drink hall”] or Wasserhäuschen [“watering house”] for others it’s a Bude [booth] or Kiosk: These small shops evoke childhood memories for many of us!

So-called Trinkhallen emerged in the mid-19th century when unboiled tap water was harmful to drink and drinks at restaurants were too expensive and workers increasingly drank beer and schnapps. They provided the men with bottled water and sodas. With time the shops also began selling magazines, tobacco and snack foods. But unfortunately the increased construction of supermarkets and gas stations led to more and more closings of the Trinkhallen in the mid-20th century. Some were opened again later mainly for nostalgic reasons.

The historic Trinkhalle at Lessingstrasse in Mainz Neustadt was revived just a few days ago after several years of vacancy.
With the name  “Eulchen-Trinkhalle” Leonidas Lazaridis and Philip Vogel opened the little house last Saturday afternoon with the motto “Cervisiam Bibat – Drink beer”

Not just any beer – no, their specially brewed Eulchen Bier #2.
Already last year with their action REBELLION AGAINST UNITY BEER! they received enormous interest with their first Eulchen Bier and decided to take their brewing project to the second round and sell it regularly.

This years Eulchen is, just in time for Oktoberfest season, more malty, spicy and slightly hoppier than Batch #1. “We went with the base recipe of Eulchen #1” Philip tells me, “but brewed with more roasted malts!”

When opening the flip-top bottle I can smell a balanced grainy and hoppy aroma. which repeats in the first sip.
The taste is spicy, slightly sweet malts and the hops are somewhat pithy. The combination of Spalter Select and and Perle hops give the flavor a little flowery, orangey-herbal aroma that finish a rather bitter, which reminds me of tea, which is due to the Perle hops, whose balanced aromas have a high bittering content.
Eulchen #2 is definitely more full-bodied then Eulchen #1, clean, quaffable and perfect for a golden October day.

I’m glad to hear that the guys brewed 34hl with this batch, which now fills nearly 9500 0.33l-bottles.
The Eulchen-team told me that they have leased the place until the end of this year and plan to open Friday evenings and Saturday mornings to sell their beer.
In addition, Leonidas and Philip want to brew more regularly to quench the thirst of the open-minded Mainzers and the ever-growing demand for craft beer.

On Saturday the Trinkhalle was open just around six hours and throughout the evening well attended with about six dozen hard-drinking visitors! How many bottles they sold  at the end of the evening Leonidas and Philip couldn’t [or didn’t want to 😉 ] tell me but I’m sure one or more cases were emptied! 🙂

I wish both of them a lot of success in their future,

Happy Brewing & Cheers!