Franconia Beer Message Board
Griess vs. Mönchsambacher |
| Posted by Nick B. on 2014-08-13 03:56:09 |
Did it from Bamberg instead of Hirschaid, saving 6 km or so. Aside from being much hillier, it was also against a strong enough headwind to make it more demanding than it otherwise would've been, and so the 23 km took 66 minutes. Lovely, lovely stretches of countryside, and the vast bulk of the ride was on large, paved, new-ish Radwegen. Was a fresh, fresh barrel of Mönchi Lager, having just opened after I arrived, and so it was quite gassy to pour, but then very minimally carbonated in the glass. And...sorry...not much different from the keg version: sulphur, yes, but not much else. Better than Mahr's, not astringent, but just not enough there in malt or hop to justify its 4.9% or whatever-it-is. A subsequent Export had more character (discernable malt, hops) and was more worth the alcohol. (Photos in the twitter feed below for those interested or obsessed.) The boss himself tapped the barrel of Lager, and was surprised to hear that Witzgall gas up their barrels, that they must be the absolute exception. Also, the keg Export is unfiltered (no filter at all in the brewhouse) and minimally gassed up. The Gerupfter (Obazda) is too buttery for my liking, not enough Camembert. But that's a matter of preference, I suppose. Off from there to Geisfeld by way of the Fähre in Pettstadt, for which I had to wait quite a while as the captain got himself a Brotzeit. (Again, photo in the twitter feed.) Then uphill to Griess, where the locals were bemoaning the flatness and unfreshness of the beer. Mine was even a bit too warm. Something was wrong, and sure enough, Peter Griess had to come and tweak something with the new line to the tank & pump, and my second Seidla was much better. Even a duff Seidla of Griess is miles better than Mönchsambacher Lager. There's just so much more going on: maltiness, hoppiness, minerals, all the stuff that gives a rustic lager its rustic character. No smokiness this time, either. Regulars (not necessarily to be trusted) agreed that while Mönchsambacher is a nice enough beer, it's much, much simpler than the Griess. The end. |
| Followups: |
 Griess vs. Mönchsambacher by Uncle Jimbo on 2014-08-13 05:31:47 |
| Griess vs. Mönchsambacher by Nick B. on 2014-08-13 06:06:20 |
| Griess vs. Mönchsambacher by Mosquit on 2014-08-13 06:19:54 |
| Griess vs. Mönchsambacher by Nick B. on 2014-08-13 06:25:59 |
| Griess vs. Mönchsambacher by Barry on 2014-08-13 07:04:19 |