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Warsteiner Premium: A Queen amongst beers

Warsteiner Premium German Pilsener 

Brewed by Warsteiner Brauerei 
Style: German Pilsener
Warstein, Germany.

http://www.warsteiner.com/our-beer/premium-beer/

The Warsteiner Brewery was founded in 1753, and today is one of the largest privately held breweries in Germany and in the top five of the country’s best selling breweries. Its most popular beer is Warsteiner Premium Verum or also known as Warsteiner Premium German Pilsener, which is one of Germany’s leading premium pilsener brands.

Warsteiner Premium: A Queen amongst BeersWarsteiner beer is brewed in the Arnsberg Forest Nature Park outside of the town of Warstein, North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany. Warsteiner has been privately owned by the Cramer family since 1753, and is now in its 9th generation of family ownership under the guidance of Catharina Cramer. 

The company also sells Premium Cola, Premium Lemon and Premium Orange drinks, to appeal to the kids, you know! For beer, apart from its flagship Pilsener, it also sells the usual Dunkels, Hefeweizen’s, a special seasonal beer for the Oktoberfest, and non alcoholic drinks. All beers are brewed in strict accordance with the Germany Purity Law of 1516, naturally! The non alcoholic beer is interesting as they brew it as a Pilsener and then proceed to extract the alcohol content. There has to be better ways of doing that? 

Warsteiner is the official beer of Lufthansa and served on all flights, which is great so long as the pilots are not on it. 

Review: 0,5l, a nice can of Warsteiner Premium German Pilsener: ABV. 4.8% vol 

Warsteiner Premium: A Queen amongst BeersCan also be known as Warsteiner Premium Verum, it is Warsteiner’s most popular beer, and exported to over 60 countries.

In a nice light brownish coloured can with the famous and striking Warsteiner logo of the crown with the slogan “Eine Königin unter den Bieren” (“A Queen amongst Beers”). 

On pour got a nice decent frothy white head of beer with a light golden colour, a nice looking beer. Not a bad looking beer. 

A very beery lagery smell, malty but light enough on the nose. 

Good initial soft taste. Very smooth, very easy to drink. Slight grainy taste.

Warsteiner Premium: A Queen amongst BeersBit of an aftertaste that is apparent in the back end. Light enough though.

Very smooth, nice and clean, easy to drink.

Would be nice to have a kick or a stronger taste though as it is a little too mild for me.

2nd can.
Slight grassy taste. Creamy and malty. Frothy mouthful. Very smooth. 
No real kick, little alcohol to be tasted. Very watery too.   

After an initial flurry of excitement it all got a little bit boring and generic in the end. Ok beer, could be better.

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Maredsous 10 Tripel

Maredsous 10 Tripel

http://www.maredsousbieres.be/

Brewed by Maredsous (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat)
Style: Abbey Tripel/Pale Belgian Ale
Denée, Belgium.

Maredsous is the name given to both the abbey beer and the Benedictine abbey, found near Denée, in the province of Namur in southern Belgium. Founded in 1872, Maredsous Abbey was one of the first Belgian abbeys to re-establish its links with the country’s rich monastic past, after the destruction of the French Revolution (1789-1799) where many abbey and monastic communities were wiped off the map. 

Maredsous 10 TripelThe Abbey still stands and has a number of monks who live the lifestyle dictated to them by St Benedict, ‘ora et labora’ (pray and work). Nestled in a beautiful forest, the abbey is a bit of a tourist attraction and cultural retreat theses days. Visitors like to marvel at the Gothic church, walk in the gardens or do some schooling in the creative arts on offer. The Bible Centre has over 400,000 books, manuscripts and other important artifacts all relating to the monastic and spiritual way of life. But if that doesn’t take your fancy you can always have a beer and cheese tasting tour. I know which activity I would choose!

The Abbey have three beers: A Maredsous Blonde (blonde ale, 6% ABV), a Maredsous Brune (dubbel, 8% ABV), and a Maredsous Triple (trippel, 10% ABV). Its tripel ale is recognized as a Certified Belgian Abbey Beer by the Union of Belgian Brewers.

Unlike the Trappists though, this abbey no longer has a brewery within its walls: Belgian brewery giant Duvel Moortgat, best known for its iconic Duvel (which I liked a lot albeit it was quite strong!), have got a license from the monks of the Maredsous Abbey to produce their trio of beers, the Blonde, Brune, and Tripel ale. They have done this since 1963 so its not a new thing for them, and so they cant be accused for jumping on the craze for Belgian abbey beers, I guess! But it must be said that the recipe comes from those of the original Benedictine beers, passed down over the centuries, in case of any doubt! And in keeping with the wishes of the monks, a large proportion of the profits made from any beer sales must be passed onto various charities.

Review: 330ml, a nice stubby brown bottle of Maredsous 10 Tripel: ABV.10% vol 

Maredsous 10 TripelReally dig the small brown bottle and the label, looks lovely. Simple enough but well designed and appealing. The beer is bottle conditioned as well, all adding to the appeal.

Has on the label it is an “extra strong beer”. Well it is a Tripel, so ok, lets see!

On pour we get a nice frothy white head and an orange coloured beer. The head is great, pretty big and very frothy, perhaps too much so. This all leaves some good lacing.

Colour goes cloudy, very cloudy. Head maintains. Decent enough on the eye.

Found the aroma was very strong on the nose, a fruity smell that was piercing and intense but a very particular fruit, banana I guess, is a nice smell, pleasant. 

Taste, get the “particular” taste of a tripel straight away, a bit sour and hits you at the start. 
Typical Belgian taste. Very hoppy and sweet.

Maredsous 10 TripelNice, I like it, very tasty. Has all the typical tastes, very clearly the coriander, cloves, the malts and fruits, particularly banana. 

I know as a tripel its meant to hide the alcohol content but fuck me I found it a very strong beer, and its just as well I only had the two small bottles or I’d be well drunk after a few. 

Strong and yeasty but it is well balanced, tasty and easy enough to drink.

Not bad for the style, but that style, a tripel Belgian with high alcohol content and full of great flavours, yeah! A good clean beer with a full bodied taste, didn’t have a head the next day! I will return!

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Bitburger Premium Pils

Bitburger Premium Pils

Bitburger Premium Pils

https://www.bitburger-international.com/en

Brewed by Bitburger Brauerei 
Style: Pilsener
Bitburg, Germany.

Bitburger Premium PilsFounded in 1817 by Johann Wallenborn, Bitburger brauerei is a large German brewery founded in 1817 with its headquarters in Bitburg, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, southwest Germany, bordering France and Luxembourg. The brewery is now in its 7th generation of ownership. 

“Bitte ein Bit” is the company’s well known slogan. it means “A Bit, please” or more literally, “Please, a bit!” 

Their Pils is one of the most popular beers in Germany and number one beer for draft (as advertised, “Deutschlands Fassbiermarke Nr. 1”). It’s not just popular in Germany, it is also shipped to over 30 countries worldwide.

High profile sponsorship from the company includes a stint with the German National Football Team from 1992 until right up to this year 2018. The company also memorably sponsored the Benetton-Renault Formula 1 team in the years 1994 and 1995, which were specially poignant for the brand as it was also the time that German driver Michael Schumacher won the Formula One championship in both of those seasons.

Review: 0,5l in a nice white can of Bitburger Premium Pils: ABV: 4.8% vol 

Nice white can with the iconic logo from Bitburger, “Bitte ein Bit”, yeah sure why not!

On pour I got a very fluffy, very frothy white head, a pretty big head initially.
A good bit of carbonation going on, a million bubbles percolating throughout the beer, a nice sparkling yellow looking beer.  Some lacing left behind, head dies afterwards.

Very fluffy head, and a light clear yellow coloured beer with some slight lacing. Ok as a looker, not bad.

Bitburger Premium PilsHad a nice faint lagery smell, a soft light malty aroma and some grains, ok.

Initial taste was one of lovely big creamy mouthfuls.

Got a small bit of a skunky taste but it’s ok, not enough to be bothersome, and the beer has a small kick to it which I like.

This beer reminds me of an old style lager of yesterday, not too fancy or flashy and gets the basics right, plain and simple. 

Has a nice tinge to it, bit lemony as well but I like it, gives it character.
Get a lot in the can. All good.

Second can:
Great big mouthfuls, nice and smooth. 

“That” taste, has a bite to it and hoppy, but I like it, lingers. 

Not a downer, something to saviour and slowly enjoy instead. Had a nice array of soft flavours and well balanced with the hops and malts. Yeah I liked it, a good beer to chill with and relax. Will buy again. 

Could feel the alcohol. Had a bit of a head the next day.

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Berg könig Premium

Berg könig Premium

Berg könig Premium

https://egger-bier.at/en/

Brewed by Privatbrauerei Fritz Egger
Style: Premium Lager
St. Poelten, Unterradlberg, Austria

Berg könig PremiumPrivatbrauerei Fritz Egger is a private brewery from Austria. 

In 1868, the Egger family took over the long standing Gwercher Brewery which was founded way back in 1675.

The company sell large to retail companies, such as Aldi and Hofer for example, and roughly 25% of its beer is exported abroad, to mostly its central European neighbours, but also as far afield as China! 

Review: 0,33L green bottle of Berg könig Premium: ABV: 5.0% vol (Some places it can be 5.2%)

Got it cheap in Aldi Suisse, in a pack of six, cheap beer, aka Premium beer! 

On pour with some decent carbonation I get a golden yellow coloured beer with a head that after the initial excitement goes flat and goes shit. Overall its a beer that goes flat very quick and isn’t a looker at all. Flat look. Not as nice looking as first appeared. Little carbo. Flat head. Looks shit.

Berg könig PremiumSmell is light, malty. Very slight on the nose, nearly odourless in fact! Smell is beery and fruity. 

For the taste I got a bit of a hoppy aftertaste which was manageable, just about.

Ok enough not bad, little bit of an off taste, possibly corn.

Second bottle
Getting nice enough mouthfuls, some nice sweet malts. It’s not bad, I guess, drinkable, but I have had better, even if its a relatively cheap beer to purchase. Was difficult to taste the alcohol here. 

Not much to taste. Very light overall. Not a whole lot to report, pretty bland and largely forgettable. Ah well……..

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Flensburger Pilsener, Germany’s most northernly beer!

Flensburger Pilsener

http://www.flens.co.uk/

Brewed by Flensburger Brauerei 
Style: Pilsener
Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

The independent brewery, Flensburger Brauerei, was founded in 1888. It is located in Flensburg in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and can be bought all over the country. Apparently it is Germany’s most northernly brewery!

Flensburger PilsenerThe company was founded on September 6, 1888 by five citizens from Flensburg. They had everything they needed in place for a good well run brewery, an ideal site with an underground glacier spring with crystal-clear water for brewing (Which they still use today) and a way of obtaining the ice needed (in the days before refrigeration) for the lagering cellars. Today it is still mainly held by the founder families of Petersen and Dethleffsen.

All Flensburger products are bottled in glass bottles with a traditional flip-top (swing-top) opener. This has become part of its marketing shtick, a “plopp” sound is what you get when you open the unique style bottle. 

The brewery produces a wide array of beers and soft drinks, from the Pilsener styles with a unique North German variation, to dunkels, helles and weizens and for the non beer drinker they make non alcoholic beers, shandies, mineral waters and soft drinks. 

Review: 0,33l Flip top bottle of Flensburger Pilsener: ABV: 4.8% vol 

Flensburger PilsenerA beer that I spotted for sale in my local Aldi. A cheapish 6 pack. 

Just love the logo. It’s a boat on the sea sailing past a lighthouse. All coming in a lovely brown stubby flip top bottle. Apparently Flensburger have the world’s biggest automated bottling line for flip top bottles! 

On pour get a nice golden yellow coloured beer, with a smallish white head that develops. Doesn’t look particularly great, looks just ok in fact. All goes flat very quickly, little or no carbonation. Some light lacing.

A very piercing, and very citrusy smell. The malts are found on the nose, plus the hops and yeast. Ok smell. 

Flensburger PilsenerTaste, oh a surprise….a very unique taste there, very yeasty. Also very bitter, very hoppy, fuck me.
No, this is fucking horrible, hopped to death. I found it too hard to drink.

Can feel the alcohol, but it is not nice, far too raw, sour and harsh on the tongue. Where are the malts?

Second bottle,
That taste, too hoppy, needs something to balance that strong sharp taste as it is all too assaulting on the taste buds. 

No! not enjoyable at all. Sickly. Very bitter. Ok I know pilsners are a little hoppier than regular lagers, but fuck this shite!!! This hoppy style is meant to be a characteristic of a North German Pils, but as they say in England, this is not my cup of tea, definitely not!

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