Cassius Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Bear with me here as I have not yet learnt to describe beers as per the BJCP guidelines. I have travelled to Germany a few times, with beer being one of the driving forces. Every time I go I try to drink as many new beers as I can. The first two or three times this meant mostly hefeweizens and dunkelweizens (which are incidentally probably my two favourite beers now), with a variety of helles, Kolschs and other "well known" styles sprinkled in. The most recent trip in August last year included quite a deep dive into Franconia, where I discovered a whole new world of beers. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when my father in law brought out a bottle of Mahrs Brau Ungespundet Naturtrub for me to try, and it reminded me of the number of beers I had in Franconia (particularly around Bamberg) that I couldn't quite put my finger on how they were different to what I was used to. A lot of the beers appeared to be more malty than hoppy, not noticeably wheat beers, but had this full-bodied quality while still being very refreshing. The colour was often close to amber, but they weren't heavy. I'm hoping to find a name for the style so that I can track down more beers of this type to try. I've had a look at the BJCP guidelines but it's a bit of a rabbet's warren in there. Paging @Aussiekraut for his local knowledge, maybe? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 They could have been Marzens or Festbiers. Or perhaps bocks of some sort. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Bamberg is also renowned for smoked beers. You would have noticed if you had one those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassius Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 Yep, definitely had a few Rauchbiers. Actually had lunch at the Schlenkerla brewpub and got a beer from their wooden gravity barrels. I think Marzen might actually be right. Coppery, malty lagers. Alright, I'll have to see what I can get locally in that style. Thanks heaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussiekraut Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 As Hairy already pointed out, it may be Märzen or a Bock. Both are darker and richer. The former due to the fact that they could only legally brew between September and April, so the Märzen was brewed with more malt and hops to make it last until the next brew season. The region is also known for their "Dunkles", a dark lager, with a more malty character. They also brew Schwarzbier (literally black beer) but this is more common toward Thuringia and Saxony. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassius Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 3 minutes ago, Aussiekraut said: As Hairy already pointed out, it may be Märzen or a Bock. Both are darker and richer. The former due to the fact that they could only legally brew between September and April, so the Märzen was brewed with more malt and hops to make it last until the next brew season. The region is also known for their "Dunkles", a dark lager, with a more malty character. They also brew Schwarzbier (literally black beer) but this is more common toward Thuringia and Saxony. I've had (and actually brewed one too) a few Bocks and plenty of dunkels. I think Marzen is definitely on the right track. It's not quite as rich in flavour or as high in alcohol as the Bocks I've had. It drinks quite like a lager but with a more malty flavour. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MitchBastard Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 (edited) There’s a bloke on YouTube currently brewing all 99 beer styles. He is working his way through the german/euro category at this point. Might Be worth a look to see if you can see anything that looks familiar?? search for “home brew challenge” Edited January 25, 2020 by MitchBastard 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassius Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 Since I mentioned the wooden gravity barrels at Schlenkerla, I thought I might put up a photo as I was quite tickled by them still using such an "outdated" vessel. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 On 1/25/2020 at 6:08 PM, MitchBastard said: There’s a bloke on YouTube currently brewing all 99 beer styles. He is working his way through the german/euro category at this point. Might Be worth a look to see if you can see anything that looks familiar?? search for “home brew challenge” I really enjoy watching his channel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MitchBastard Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 On 1/28/2020 at 1:24 PM, Beer Baron said: I really enjoy watching his channel Yeah it’s pretty good. Nice videos that aren’t too long. He’s got a good set up. did you notice he chills his wort but never gets it all the way down to pitching temp and when transferring it, aerates the hell out of it then puts it in the Fridge to chill to pitching temp until next day... surely that couldn’t be best practice in terms of reducing hot side oxidation right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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