Franconia Beer Message Board

Urban Chestnut Zwickel
Posted by barry on 2015-01-17 09:48:25
I glad to see that a lot of really good points have now come out of this discussion, most of which I am in agreement with.  That not all Franken breweries produce good beer all the time seems to me a reasonable premise.  In addition, our tastes differ - what is good for one is rubbish for another.  For example, I just don't the enthuisiasm that greets the beer from Griess, even with Nick's efforts to persuade me otherwise.  Speaking as I find, it was a very unwelcoming place (both stube and keller) and not very nice beer.  Speaking of place, for me, a welcoming and friendly place can, in part, compensate for an indifferent beer.  Thus, I will doubtless be spending some time in Goller, when we stay in Drosendorf in April - well it is only 100 m from our apartment and, although the beer isn't exciting, it is drinkable and the people and atmosphere are very pleasant.  On the other hand, I love the beer in Mahrs but the atmosphere is, sadly, often quite the opposite (I'm going to have to drag J. there on our next visit - hope that Frank will assist in this!).

I know that I'm not nearly so analytical as Jeff, but I come from a totally different beer culture and tradtion, in which rating beer would not be seen as anywhere near as important as drinking it.  I remember that we had a very interesting discussion about beer aromas up in Neuhaus - this is an important area for Jeff but a subject to which I had given very little previous thought.  Even now, I'm not that fussed - as long as the beer tastes like beer and not cleaning fluid or any other noxious substance, it's ok with me.

Mark makes some very telling points about the state of brewing in Franken.  Generally, bottled beer is a no-no for me because a) it is usually filtered and (often) artificially carbonated and b) from experience, it bears little resemblance to the draught product.  I mean just compare draught Mahrs I with the bottled version.  The draught is, for me, when it is on form, a special experience; the bottled, a thin, insipid pale shadow.  The ultimate bad experience in Mahrs was when we were hustled into the back room by you-know-who and given bottled U.  Nearest I've come to emptying a beer on the floor!  Interesting point about Franken style beer being harder to brew.  I assume that you mean that, generally, untergarig beers are harder than obergarig ones?  And what about subtlety?  Maybe this is the case about the US-beers, I've no experience in that field but I'm not sure that, as a generality, they are more subtle than many oberg beers brewed in the UK.  In fact, increasingly, I wonder why Bayern breweries are so obsessed with unterg brewing.  I'm hoping to try a little experiment when I'm in Eschawo by 'borrowing' a little wort from one of my haus brauerei friends and fermenting it with some oberg yeast.  Could be interesting.

Finally, I'm really in sympathy with point 3.  These people have my respect but I suspect that, largely, they are a dying breed.  In fact, I often wonder why they go to so much trouble and expense to produce their own beer.  I'm sure that most of the profits come from sales of food, which would hardly be affected if they outsourced their beer supply.  I just hope that they keep on brewing while I am still able to enjoy their products.

Slainte!
 
Followups:
                     Urban Chestnut Zwickel by Mark Andersen on  2015-01-18 10:28:34
                       Urban Chestnut Zwickel by johnratcliffe on  2015-01-18 14:24:17
                         Urban Chestnut Zwickel by Mosquit on  2015-01-19 00:48:27
                       Untergärig vs. Obergärig by Nick B. on  2015-01-19 02:02:31
                           Urban Chestnut Zwickel by barry on  2015-01-19 02:05:51
                         Untergärig vs. Obergärig by barry on  2015-01-19 02:13:05
                           Untergärig vs. Obergärig by Nick B. on  2015-01-19 02:35:18
                             Urban Chestnut Zwickel by Nick B. on  2015-01-19 02:40:03
                         Untergärig vs. Obergärig - top/bottom fermenting naming + history in Czech by Mosquit on  2015-01-19 03:39:03
                           Untergärig vs. Obergärig - top/bottom fermenting naming + history in Czech by Nick B. on  2015-01-19 05:04:33
                             Untergärig vs. Obergärig - top/bottom fermenting naming + history in Czech by Mosquit on  2015-01-19 05:38:56
                               Untergärig vs. Obergärig - top/bottom fermenting naming + history in Czech by barry on  2015-01-19 06:36:34
                                 Untergärig vs. Obergärig - top/bottom fermenting naming + history in Czech by Mosquit on  2015-01-19 06:43:27
                           Urban Chestnut Zwickel by Mark Andersen on  2015-01-19 07:33:03
                             Urban Chestnut Zwickel by Mark Andersen on  2015-01-19 07:33:31
                               Correction by Mark Andersen on  2015-01-19 07:34:16
                             OT: Urban Chestnut Zwickel - homebrewing franconia beers - books ? by Mosquit on  2015-01-19 07:55:50
                             Untergärig vs. Obergärig - top/bottom fermenting naming + history in Czech by FredW on  2015-01-19 08:03:52
                               Untergärig vs. Obergärig - top/bottom fermenting naming + history in Czech by Nick B. on  2015-01-20 05:09:00
                                 Untergärig vs. Obergärig - top/bottom fermenting naming + history in Czech by Mosquit on  2015-01-20 06:27:18
                                   Untergärig vs. Obergärig - top/bottom fermenting naming + history in Czech by Nick B. on  2015-01-20 07:13:21
                                     Repitching yeast by FredW on  2015-01-20 07:35:41
                                       Repitching yeast by Mosquit on  2015-01-20 09:03:27
                                         Repitching yeast by Nick B. on  2015-01-21 00:52:36
                                           Repitching yeast by Nick B. on  2015-01-21 00:53:26
                                           Repitching yeast + cost calculation by Mosquit on  2015-01-21 02:44:18
                                             Repitching yeast + cost calculation by Mark Andersen on  2015-01-21 07:29:12
                                               Repitching yeast + cost calculation by Mosquit on  2015-01-21 07:53:28
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