Steam Brew
Brewed by Privatbrauerei Eichbaum
Style: Double IPA/Imperial IPA
Mannheim, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
The Eichbaum Brewery was founded way, way back in 1679 by Jean du Chaine (Chêne) from Southern Belgium, originally as a small brewpub, and while the exact location changed, its home and heart has always been in the city of Mannheim, a southern German city touching the Rhine. The name Eichbaum came from the translation of his family name, .du Chêne, which means “Oak tree”, or “Eichbaum” in German.
All was going well for many years, even centuries, until the Nazis got into power. By this stage the company had a substantial Jewish shareholdership, and due to the toxic political atmosphere in the country, they were all expelled and the company was nationalized.
WW2 resulted in the company ceasing to produce any beer at all, go figure! But after the war, the company reopened and did very well since they were the main beer supplier for the American army that was now based in Germany at that time! The after war boom in Germany, attributed to the rebuilding of the country and help from the Allies, especially in the 50’s and 60’s, all contributed as well.
Since the 70’s the brewery has changed ownership many times but nowadays it is operated as a private brewery, Eichbaum GmbH & Co KG.
Today, the brewery is one of the largest and most efficient breweries in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany. Not only is it the oldest company in Mannheim but it is also one of the most modern. State-of-the-art brewing and bottling technologies make for an annual output of 1.8 million hectolitres, resulting in more than 16 different beers produced yearly for its every widening market.
This is my third beer that I have tried from the Eichbaum Brewery, I had their Bottle of Eichbaum Maibock, which I have to say was a bit of a disappointment for me. I found it too bitter and a real struggle to drink. On the other hand, the Steam Brew Imperial Stout was very smooth and oh so tasty and one I will definitely be returning too.
Review: 0,5l can of Steam Brew Imperial IPA: 7.8% vol.
Love the Steam Brew cans, full of character and with a story behind each one. I’m fucked if I know the exact storyline, probably some bollix, but it looks well good. A logo of what looks like a mechanic/steam man surrounded by all sorts of gadgets, wheels and rusty instruments, pretty eye catching and cool. On the can it says “lets oil the gears of life”, yes sure why not, for this beer that was hopped three times……
On pour get a lot of carbonation, mad alive, resulting in a big creamy white head and an amber coloured beer. When it all settles down, the result is a fantastic looking beer. Great head on it, and it looks very delicious, very inviting. Lovely on the eye.
Good amount of lacing left behind on glass.
The aroma is strong, getting a lot of rich tropical fruits on the nose. It has the typical IPA smell one would expect, and it hits you straight off the bat. Nice and powerful on the nose. Get the citrus and fruits, the hops, caramel and malts.
Onto the taste, getting a very hoppy and bitter brew, very deep tasting but its not bad at all, very manageable. Get the fruits, the citrus and the hops.
The hops are very prominent in this beer. The heavy flavours certainly matched the sombre mood I was in, listening to some old rock music of the 90s, The Offspring, and this beer matched that good mood perfectly, kind of just worked. The 7.8% was very well hidden too, didn’t feel like I was drinking a strong brew as it was very sessionable.
The taste is alive, the hops are to the fore (Yellow Sub and Mosaic), kicking it and I love it. Lovely tasting beer, well balanced with so much character, fantastic. The fruits, the malts and the hops all well balanced to produce a very decent beer that went down very well, tasting all good yet doing well to hide the alcohol but still having that bitter bite to it.
Loved it, very solid brew, strongly recommended…..
The history of Trekhgornoe Beer began in 1875. Then Trekhgornoe Brewing Partnership was founded and The Three Hills Factory was built in the suburbs of Moscow. Today it is still part of Moscow life, in the district of Krasnaya Presnya.
Multiple award winner at the World Beer Awards, taking gold three times as Country Winner in 2015, 2017 and in 2019. Not bad.
From the city of Panevėžys, in the centre of Lithuania comes the brewery Vilkmerges. The region has a long history of brewing, mainly down to the natural surroundings of the countryside and its ideal conditions for making good beers… the purest spring waters, local malts and tasty hops all produced here. 
A seasonal beer, 
Get a sweet blackcurrant taste, a little of the malts and a berry aftertaste, with no bitterness. Too heavy on the fruits and sugar filled but not so much on the hops and alcohol flavours. 
It proved popular, having two thirsty markets on its doorstep, Dublin and the rest of Ireland one side, and Britain the other, lucky for Arthur both nations like a tipple or two. So it comes as no surprise that by the 1930’s, Guinness was to become the seventh largest company in the world. (according to Wiki!). The Germans have their BMW’s, the French their wines, the Dutch their Cheeses, we will leave the banks to the Swiss, but us Irish we have the Guinness!
It is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available mostly everywhere that you can find bars, especially Irish bars! In Ireland it is still the most drank beer, making about €2 billion worth annually. But it is not the Irish that drink the most Guinness worldwide! That honour goes to neighbours The UK, Ireland is second, and Nigeria third, with the USA coming in 4th! Africa is a major market for Guinness, with about 40% of Guinness’ worldwide sales selling on the continent. Three of the five Guinness-owned breweries worldwide are located in Africa (the other in Dublin and in London). The next major market for the brewery is to break into mainland China, a nation that is just recently discovering the beauty and nuances of European beers.
But generally Guinness are the masters of advertisements. When they bring out an ad on the box people generally take note such is the effect of a Guinness promotion. The harp itself is such an iconic symbol must people know that it represents Guinness when they see it in a bar or pub. In terms of early advertising and imagery, the artist John Gilroy‘s work, from the 1930s and 1940s, still stands the test of time. He created posters that included phrases such as “Guinness for Strength”, “Lovely Day for a Guinness”, “Guinness Makes You Strong”, “My Goodness My Guinness”, and most famously, “Guinness is Good For You“. The posters featured Gilroy’s distinctive artwork and more often than not featured animals such as a kangaroo, ostrich, seal, lion and notably a toucan, which has become as much a symbol of Guinness as the harp. These posters and drawings can still be regularly seen in Irish pubs all around the world, and the originals fetch a high price when they come up at auctions. 
Bottle conditioned and carbonate with C02, so no ball or nitro here……
When I bought a few of these cans, my sister immediately laughed saying I bought into the gimmick. It’s not like Guinness to bring out a million different versions of essentially the same thing, their famous draught stout. She thought it was a slightly more “expensive version” of the same thing. To be fair I was half expecting that too! But no, I can state there is a CLEAR difference with this to the draught. It is softer on the palate, very well balanced, has more flavouring, is tastier, and one doesn’t get that bloated feeling you get when you drink a lot of the regular Guinness. 
“Great tasting pale ale” is written on the bottle, and a pretty cool logo of a red haired lady, with old style lettering, 1950s style layout, all easy on the eye and attractive enough to grab attention. Very good. 
Onto the taste, its ok, hoppy but also a bit dry in the mouth.