Tag Archives: German beers

Zombräu

Zombräu, back from the dead.

Zombräu

https://www.zombraeu.com/index.php/en/

Brewed by Zombräu OHG
Essenbach,Bavaria, Germany

 

Rising from the dead is the craft beer group, Zombräu, hoping to take over the world of a dying decrepit generic beer market. Once you try their beers you are truly shaken up, stirred and infected with the virus for top quality beer, your taste buds are activiated, and there is no going back. Welcome to the underworld of Zombräu!

Coming in some very eye catching logos, Zombräu, definitely have an interesting concept and story behind them. The names of the beers stand out too, with titles such as “MotorOil”, “Voodoo”, “Macumba” and “Insbierator”, all with themes related to the spiritual underworld.

In 2015, two brothers Tobias and Bastian Merches founded the brewery Zombräu, hoping to shake up a limited and somewhat strict beer market in their home in Bavaria, Germany. Finding an old warehouse with a connected house gave the boys the perfect opportunity to put their (dark) dreams into action. With help from parents and friends they opened up their own brewery. As a small start up enterprise that is based mostly on passion over money, the boys have decided to do as much as they can by hand to save on automation costs, also their spend on marketing and public relations is kept to a minimum, using social media, concerts and popup events to get the word out there. It truly is an underground movement!

I can certainly can see the attraction in these beers. Experimenting with exciting new styles, they are very unconventional in their style and approach, so much so that they consciously violate the purity law that German beers hold so dear. Breaking rules and doing something new, I love it! The traditional Bavarian wheat beers and lagers were a thing of the past, here they tried to do it differently. No beer styles are off limits. they brew IPA’s, Stout, Porter, Red Ale, Belgian beers and some specialty wheat beers, and more.  Easy to see how spending time with Brewdog, one of the brothers (Tobi) came back a changed soul full of creative ideas and an action plan. In the beginning of 2013, Giesinger Bräu in Munich gave them an opportunity to brew a 5 hl brew of their finest IPA in their brewery, and the rest the say is history. Now the boys have a collection of beers, bottled and on sale ready to dominate the World, one town at a time.

Review: 0,33l Bottle of Zombräu Voodoo, an American style IPA: 3.7% ABV

The picture on the bottle shows some voodoo dolls dancing in the fires of hell (probably). Interesting!

On pour get a nice frothy head, with a very cloudy golden orange coloured beer. A good bit of carbonation resulting in quite a big white head. 
Head sticks around, and there is some good lacing. 
Looks fine, not bad.

On the nose I get a nice fruity smell. A typical IPA beer smell of hops, the fruits and toasted malts. Nothing wrong with the aroma, nice enough. 

Not as hoppy as a regular IPA, still hoppy enough though to have some good taste and kick. 
Nice and soft tastes, very manageable for someone like me who isn’t wholly enamored with the whole IPA thing (Heh I’m not a fucking hipster alright!). I guess the 3.7% ABV factors in here to the low hoppiness of the beer. 

Tastes of hops, the citrus, caramel, and the malts. 

Ok does goes a bit flat near the end, but overall it does have enough good tastes to be wholly enjoyable and for that it is not a bad, light IPA.

Review: 0,33l Bottle of Zombräu Alter Pottbar, a Porter: 5.1% ABV

The logo for this one has a sleepy village and a church, with a nuclear power station in the background. Impending doom perhaps? The calm before the storm?

This is a porter which was stored and aged for half a year in a whiskey barrel!

Usual enough appearance we would expect from a porter, jet black colour with a decent sized white head, good and frothy. Good bit of carbo, took a bit of time for it all too settle. 
Head maintains very well, and some good lacing. Yeah, got all the basics of a porter right. 

Aroma was strong, definitely could smell the bourbon aroma. I found it quite strong on the nose, also got some smokiness and an earthly feel from the beer. 

For the taste, the whiskey barrel aroma has an affect, it is quite strong in the taste as well. Tastes old, tastes earthy, tastes like a root vegetable, something from the ground. That coupled with the bitter hops and barley malts is certainly a very strong tasting beer, very strong. It is a bit overpowering too, all consuming in both taste and aroma. You need quite a strong constitution to drink these boyos! 

Certainly a brave and unusual style. 

Review: 0,33l Bottle of Zombräu Motor Oil, an Imperial Stout: 7.5% ABV

Motor Oil, what a great name for a beer, and especially for a stout, very good. “200% Stout, Guaranteed satisfaction” written on the bottle, ok I guess but a 100% would be good enough for me!

As you would expect, a pitch black colour with a smallish white head on pour. 

The aroma is pleasant, a typical stouty smell of dark chocolate, roasted malts, espresso, caramel, all detected. A nice aroma. 

On the taste, I get the chocolate, the dark malts and the caramel, some licorice 
Very smooth tasting stout, very nice, light too, not too bitter, and I like the espresso soft taste in the background. The alcohol is well balanced with the roasty flavours, well hidden. 

It is a good effort from the German boys here. I mean it is never going to be like a Guinness or whatever but its not a bad stout. I do think stouts (and Porters) are the one style that is quite difficult to get right for a general brewer, as there are so many variables to think about, and the bitterness needs to be just right. This is not so complex but definitely drinkable and quite easy to relax with. 

Not bad, some good black oil to get the old engine kicking on again. 

Review: 0,33l Bottle of Zombräu Richtfest Bier, a Heller Bock: 6.6% ABV

My Google translate tells me that a Richtfest Bier is a topping beer. A topping beer is related to an old German custom, a topping out ceremony, where after a hard day of construction the labourers celebrate their success with a beer. 

On pour get a nice frothy white head with a beer that has a lovely hazy amber-ruby colour. It really is a lovely looking beer, very nice.
Nice white head, maintains well.
Decent amount of lacing.

The aroma is quite strong on the nose, very hoppy and sour on the nose.

The taste is quite strong, lots of deep rooted hops on offer here. 
Not the most easiest beer to drink. Full of hops, the grains and the barley, and the fruits.  All exploding on your taste buds, quite a tough strong beer to drink! 

As they say on their website, “we also did not save on hops”, that might be the understatement of the century, it looks like they threw in every hop they could get their hands on! 
Not smooth, with high bitterness, if you are a hop fanatic then this is the beer for you!

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Brauer & Co., Funky trout and Pretty sperm whale!

Brauer & Co., Funky trout and Pretty sperm whale!

Brauer & Co.

http://funky-forelle.de/

Brewed by Brauer & Co Leipzig
 Einsiedler brewery in Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany

Brauer & Co., Funky trout and Pretty sperm whale!

Brauer & Co., Funky trout and Pretty sperm whale!From the Brauer and Co in Leipzig, in the eastern German state of Saxony, in what was part of eastern Germany, I got two unique looking beers. One a pilsner called Funky Forelle (Funky trout!), a Pils coming in an equally funky bottle with a rather pop art design of a fish on the long necked brown bottle, looks great. The other beer was a radler called Pretty Potwall (Pretty sperm whale!), also coming in a rather trendy looking design. We get the sperm whale enjoying himself with a nice big yellow lemon! Other than that I dont know a whole lot about the beers or the brewery but then I would guess that is part of the attraction of the beers! Mysterious! 

Review: 0.33l brown bottle of Funky Forelle, a Pils: 4.9% ABV

Funky Forelle, means Funky Trout in German. Logo looks well cool, of a fish in the shape of a glass. I am not sure of why its a trout. A fish can symbolize hope, love and community, a living thing that is free in our waters, oceans and rivers (thanks Google), so make of that what you will.

Brauer & Co., Funky trout and Pretty sperm whale!On pour I got a decent sized white headed beer, with a very clear, golden yellowish colour.
Slight carbonation firing up the beer.

It looks very good, looks very appetizing, so can’t wait to get stuck in and drink the damn thing!

The smell is faint, malty, but light on the nose.

On the taste, got an initial bitter taste of the hops, immediately activating the taste buds. 

Very malty, a lot of malts on the taste.

Nice to sip, and very easy to drink. Slightly hoppy, this is a regular German pils and quite light to drink.  

Review: 0.5l brown bottle of Pretty Pottwal Naturradler, a Radler 2.4% ABV

Brauer & Co., Funky trout and Pretty sperm whale!Coming in a nice long 5,l brown bottle with a rather cool looking logo of a Sperm Whale in the shape of a glass, eye catching.

A radler was just what I needed after the heavy Belgians the night before!

Brauer & Co., Funky trout and Pretty sperm whale!Get a hazy looking light golden coloured radler. 

Smell is very nice n fruity, get the citrus, the lemon and the grapefruits. Good, good!

On the initial taste immediately get the nice fruity flavours of this radler. Similar to the aroma, the lemons and grapefruits are to the fore, lovely and fresh nestling on your taste buds. 

A nice and tasty radler that does the business, gets you well refreshed for the hot day that was in it.

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Stuttgarter Hofbräu Naturtrübes Radler

Stuttgarter Hofbräu Naturtrübes Radler

Stuttgarter Hofbräu Naturtrübes Radler

      Brewed by Stuttgarter Hofbräu Brau AG & Co. (Oetker Group)
Style: Radler/Shandy
Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

http://www.stuttgarter-hofbraeu.de

Stuttgarter Hofbräu Naturtrübes RadlerEstablished in 1872, Stuttgarter Hofbräu is a brewery located in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, in southwest Germany not too far from neighbours France and Switzerland.

As of January 1, 2010, the Radeberger Group, a division of the Oetker Group, those of the cheap beer variety, took complete control of the company, but with Stuttgarter Hofbräu Brau still retaining its sense of clear city and regional identity, albeit as the small wheel in the cog of a large brewing conglomerate. It is still viewed as the traditional beer kings of the city of Stuttgart. 

The new takeover has definitely produced results as production is up, market share has increased and the brewery is expanding. 

Stuttgarter Hofbräu brew Pilsners, Exports, Radlers, non-alcoholic beers, wheat beers and the occasional seasonal and festive beer.

Review: 0,5l, a nice colourful can of Stuttgarter Hofbräu Naturtrübes Radler: ABV. 2% vol 

The logo looks well funny to me, as the “Stuttgarter” looks like “Gtuttgarter” to me, with a big fat “g”, but I have no idea why it looks like that. 

Stuttgarter Hofbräu Naturtrübes RadlerAnyway, I thought I would try something new, a little bit of a light tasting beer for a change. Apparently this is made up of 40% beer and 60% natural lemonade, according to the label.

The aroma is as you’d expect, full on lemony, very nice though, very nice. I do love the smell of lemons and citrus. Pleasant on the nose, tops marks here. 

As for appearance not so good. Looks shite, light yellowish colour, looks like piss to be perfectly frank with no head but to be fair is there ever for a radler? Looks shit, but there u go, par for the course for a radler. 

Found the taste to be very, very nice, a very nice sweet taste. Of course it was all lemon, a very nice lemon taste. But not so sweet as it was very manageable, and very smooth and easy to drink. Exactly what I was after during the hot weather we were having. 

Stuttgarter Hofbräu Naturtrübes RadlerGot a LOT in the can.
A thumbs up for the taste, albeit I am not so sure there is even alcohol present. Is it possible to taste 2% alcohol anyway? 

Citrus/lemon flavoured, lovely to drink. On their site they say it is free from artificial sweeteners and preservatives, I’d well believe it. Didn’t feel metallic or chemically influenced. 

Tastes like a lemon n lime but it is a radler that did the trick. Free from artificial sweeteners and preservatives. Liked it, and if i have to drink a radler again then hopefully I can pick this one up.  A big thumbs up.

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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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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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