Franconia Beer Message Board
Knoblach in Schammelsdorf / Witzgall Landbier |
| Posted by Michael James on 2016-03-24 08:54:48 |
| One of the more interesting experiences during my most recent visit to Oberfranken was seeing how fast their beers drop off in bottle. I came back to Witzgall one week after having the Festbier (in bottle) in superb condition (4.4), and this time I found it flabby, apple-like, slick, and dull. Basically what it was for me in 2013. I managed to ask when the Festbier had been bottled, and the answer was November 18 2015 (with a BBD of January 18 2016 that equals 3 months). That 4.4 experience happened the previous Monday, November 23, when we unknowinglyvdrank it 5 days after bottling. Next week, by day 12 in the bottle, it had completely fallen apart - and no, it's not an effect of set and setting, my mood, etc., I'm pretty rigorous with my analysis and my travel companion (one of the best tasters / reviewers I know) said the same. This was a peculiar thing for me since I had previously noticed a sharp drop in quality with their Landbier, which went from being just about perfect (4.8) to something like stewed apples and dead yeast and bland malt with kind of a goopy-syrupy and flabby texture (2.8-3.2 level). Last year during a ten-day visit to Hallerndorf I was drinking the Landbier daily, and took a case of bottles with me to Puerto Rico when I flew from Nuremberg at the end of the week. Days 1 and 2 the Landbier was as magical as ever, but through days 3, 4, and 5, the quality got considerably worse (and no, it wasn't an issue or storage, or transport, or anything else), by day five it was nealry undrinkable. So this has happened again with the Festbier and I’m convinced that it's a real thing with this brewery (the drop off for the Landbier slower than the Festbier) I don't always advocate drinking fresh beer above all else (a lot of lagers can keep their hoppiness in bottle for months), but freshness seems critical to get the true world-class experience with Witzgall beers. |
| Followups: |
 Oxygen by Nick B. on 2016-03-25 04:36:03 |
| Oxygen by Andy H on 2016-03-25 12:41:27 |
| Oxygen by Andy H on 2016-03-25 15:25:34 |
| Oxygen by Barry on 2016-03-26 04:41:22 |
| Oxygen by Andy H on 2016-03-26 05:52:47 |
| Oxygen by Nick B. on 2016-03-26 06:16:48 |
| Oxygen by Andy H on 2016-03-26 06:44:20 |
| Oxygen by Barry on 2016-03-26 10:26:37 |
| Oxygen by FredW on 2016-03-26 10:54:10 |
| Decoction by Nick B. on 2016-03-27 04:01:56 |
| Decoction by Mosquit on 2016-03-27 08:45:32 |
| Decoction by Barry on 2016-03-28 01:18:25 |
| Decoction by Nick B. on 2016-03-28 02:31:32 |
| Decoction by Barry on 2016-03-28 03:48:48 |
| Decoction by Nick B. on 2016-03-28 04:44:51 |
| Gushers by FredW on 2016-03-28 06:52:01 |
| Gushers by Barry on 2016-03-29 02:57:30 |
| Gushers by Nick B. on 2016-03-29 04:44:02 |
| Gushers by Gerhard Schoolmann on 2016-03-29 05:03:59 |
| Gushers by Nick B. on 2016-03-30 01:21:29 |
| Gushers by Gerhard Schoolmann on 2016-04-01 02:48:09 |