Tag Archives: German beers

Steam Brew German Red

Steam Brew German Red

Steam Brew

https://steam-brew.com/en/

Brewed by Privatbrauerei Eichbaum 
Style: Red Ale/bock
Mannheim, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

The Eichbaum Brewery was founded way, way back in 1679 by Jean du Chaine (Chêne) from Southern Belgium, originally as a small brewpub, and while the exact location changed, its home and heart has always been in the city of Mannheim, a southern German city touching the Rhine. The name Eichbaum came from the translation of his family name, .du Chêne, which means “Oak tree”, or “Eichbaum” in German.

Steam Brew German RedAll was going well for many years, even centuries, until the Nazis got into power. By this stage the company had a substantial Jewish shareholdership, and due to the toxic political atmosphere in the country, they were all expelled and the company was nationalized. 

WW2 resulted in the company ceasing to produce any beer at all, go figure! But after the war, the company reopened and did very well since they were the main beer supplier for the American army that was now based in Germany at that time! The after war boom in Germany, attributed to the rebuilding of the country and help from the Allies, especially in the 50’s and 60’s, all contributed as well. 

Since the 70’s the brewery has changed ownership many times but nowadays it is operated as a private brewery, Eichbaum GmbH & Co KG.

Today, the brewery is one of the largest and most efficient breweries in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany. Not only is it the oldest company in Mannheim but it is also one of the most modern. State-of-the-art brewing and bottling technologies make for an annual output of 1.8 million hectolitres, resulting in more than 16 different beers produced yearly for its every widening market.

This is my fourth beer that I have tried from the Eichbaum Brewery, I had their Bottle of Eichbaum Maibock, which I have to say was a bit of a disappointment for me. I found it too bitter and a real struggle to drink. On the other hand, the Steam Brew Imperial Stout was very smooth and oh so tasty and one I will definitely be returning too. Lastly I had their Steam Brew Imperial IPA which was very hoppy, full of taste, tasty and very well balanced. A recommended brew for sure. So onto my fourth, lets see how the German Red compares

Review: 05l can of Steam Brew German Red: 7.9% vol.

Steam Brew German RedBought in Lidl.

Love the Steam Brew cans, full of character and with a story behind each one. I’m fucked if I know the exact story-line, probably some bollix, but it looks well good. A logo of what looks like a very pretty lady in a top hat, surrounded by all sorts of gadgets, wheels and rusty instruments, pretty eye catching and cool. On the very noticeable red can it says “lets oil the gears of life”, yes sure why not…….

On pour looks fantastic, lovely pour, getting a nice dark red amber colour, and a brilliant frothy white head. Lovely.

Looks full bodied and ready to be devoured. Inviting on the eye. 

Good carbonation.  Some small lacing left on glass…………………..

Steam Brew German RedSmells are the usual read ale aromas, light and lagery, caramel, grainy, malty, yeasty, dark fruity on nose, all very light though, nearly odorless, all a bit disappointing on the nose…………….

Onto the taste, getting a very full bodied beer, with caramel notes and all very filling and clean.

Very nice mouthfuls loaded with flavour, nice and sweet with caramel and malt notes hitting the spot. Alcohol can be detected. 
Tastes like what a red ale should be, nice and filling. I like it.

Took it cold from fridge, and its all good on the taste. a bloody good effort of a red ale, nice and cold. 

Having said all that, after a while it does get a bit dry in the aftertaste and I wouldn’t think I’d have more than two of these in a sitting. 

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Steam Brew Imperial IPA

Steam Brew Imperial IPA

Steam Brew 

https://steam-brew.com/en/

Brewed by Privatbrauerei Eichbaum
Style: Double IPA/Imperial IPA
Mannheim, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

Steam Brew Imperial IPAThe Eichbaum Brewery was founded way, way back in 1679 by Jean du Chaine (Chêne) from Southern Belgium, originally as a small brewpub, and while the exact location changed, its home and heart has always been in the city of Mannheim, a southern German city touching the Rhine. The name Eichbaum came from the translation of his family name, .du Chêne, which means “Oak tree”, or “Eichbaum” in German.

All was going well for many years, even centuries, until the Nazis got into power. By this stage the company had a substantial Jewish shareholdership, and due to the toxic political atmosphere in the country, they were all expelled and the company was nationalized. 

WW2 resulted in the company ceasing to produce any beer at all, go figure! But after the war, the company reopened and did very well since they were the main beer supplier for the American army that was now based in Germany at that time! The after war boom in Germany, attributed to the rebuilding of the country and help from the Allies, especially in the 50’s and 60’s, all contributed as well. 

Steam Brew Imperial IPASince the 70’s the brewery has changed ownership many times but nowadays it is operated as a private brewery, Eichbaum GmbH & Co KG.

Today, the brewery is one of the largest and most efficient breweries in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany. Not only is it the oldest company in Mannheim but it is also one of the most modern. State-of-the-art brewing and bottling technologies make for an annual output of 1.8 million hectolitres, resulting in more than 16 different beers produced yearly for its every widening market.

This is my third beer that I have tried from the Eichbaum Brewery, I had their Bottle of Eichbaum Maibock, which I have to say was a bit of a disappointment for me. I found it too bitter and a real struggle to drink. On the other hand, the Steam Brew Imperial Stout was very smooth and oh so tasty and one I will definitely be returning too. 

Review: 0,5l can of Steam Brew Imperial IPA: 7.8% vol.

Love the Steam Brew cans, full of character and with a story behind each one. I’m fucked if I know the exact storyline, probably some bollix, but it looks well good. A logo of what looks like a mechanic/steam man surrounded by all sorts of gadgets, wheels and rusty instruments, pretty eye catching and cool. On the can it says “lets oil the gears of life”, yes sure why not, for this beer that was hopped three times……

Steam Brew Imperial IPAOn pour get a lot of carbonation, mad alive, resulting in a big creamy white head and an amber coloured beer. When it all settles down, the result is a fantastic looking beer. Great head on it, and it looks very delicious, very inviting. Lovely on the eye.

Good amount of lacing left behind on glass.

The aroma is strong, getting a lot of rich tropical fruits on the nose. It has the typical IPA smell one would expect, and it hits you straight off the bat. Nice and powerful on the nose. Get the citrus and fruits, the hops, caramel and malts.

Onto the taste, getting a very hoppy and bitter brew, very deep tasting but its not bad at all, very manageable. Get the fruits, the citrus and the hops. 

The hops are very prominent in this beer. The heavy flavours certainly matched the sombre mood I was in, listening to some old rock music of the 90s, The Offspring, and this beer matched that good mood perfectly, kind of just worked. The 7.8% was very well hidden too, didn’t feel like I was drinking a strong brew as it was very sessionable. 

The taste is alive, the hops are to the fore (Yellow Sub and Mosaic), kicking it and I love it. Lovely tasting beer, well balanced with so much character, fantastic. The fruits, the malts and the hops all well balanced to produce a very decent beer that went down very well, tasting all good yet doing well to hide the alcohol but still having that bitter bite to it. 

Loved it, very solid brew, strongly recommended…..

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Köstritzer Schwarzbier

Köstritzer Schwarzbier

Köstritzer Schwarzbier

https://www.koestritzer.de/

Brewed by Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei GmbH & Co.
Style: German Schwarzbier
Bad Köstritz, Thuringia, Germany

Founded way back in 1543, the Köstritzer brewery, is a market leader in German Schwarzbiers (black beers). The brewery is located just east of Kulmbach, the birthplace of Schwarzbier, and is situated in Bad Köstritz, a town in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, a state in east-central Germany, known for its vast forests punctuated with mountain peaks and medieval villages.

Schwarzbiers, lest we forget, are light-bodied, crisp and clean dark coloured beers, more similar to a light lager than a deep bodied stout, proving that not all black coloured beers are calorie full bitter tasting experiences….. Schwarzbiers have a long history in Germany, some saying they even date back to the Stone Age and those pesky and slightly mad Celts………either way it is a style I still have my reservations about. I dont see the point to them in all honesty………

These days the Köstritzer Brewery have branched out to produce other beers to their famous Schwarzbier, they also produce a variety of Pils, and cola and beer flavoured pop, a Witbier and a pale ale.

The beer is well popular in Deutschland and, even though, the brewery was behind the iron curtain from 1956 to 1976, the beer was still exported to West Germany. Since 1991, the brewery has been owned by German giants, Bitburger Brauerei.

Review: 0,5l lovely black bottle of Köstritzer Schwarzbier: 4.8% vol.

Köstritzer SchwarzbierSays from “1543” on bottle, wow that is some history……………comes in bottle and in can, and can be found in draft in certain selected areas, and is purportedly Germany’s most popular black beer.  

On pour you get a pitch black colour, as one would expect! Also getting a lovely looking tan head, quite big on the pour, massive actually! But it eventually settles down to a decent normal sized foamy head. Some lacing. An ok in the appearance department.

Smell is of light lager notes, but not much on the nose at all, very mild. Not really getting the expected caramel or coffee notes though. Dark fruits and roasted malts on the low level. A little disappointing on the nose.

Onto the taste, I am getting a lovely frothy feel on the tongue, very nice, and a smoky peaty kind of taste, very nice. Great start to the beer, hits you straight off the bat, lovely.

Dark chocolate, coffee and caramel in prominence and the barley and roasted malt flavours working them taste buds, delicious. 

And as expected with a big bottle, you get a lot, another plus of course!

Köstritzer SchwarzbierThe flavours do fall off the more you get into the beer, but still enough in the mouth to enjoy.

A very pleasant light bodied beer to drink and one of the better Schwarzbiers I have had in a long while.

That dark chocolate and roasted malt flavour kick just about hangs around. 

Overall I enjoyed this beer a lot, very easy to drink, very smooth and soft, and the tastes and flavours are there doing the business, and this is one I will be returning to for further inspection in the future. A clean crisp well balanced Schwarzbier. Nice one. 

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Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen

Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen

Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen 

https://www.schoefferhofer.de

Brewed by Binding-Brauerei (Radeberger Gruppe)
Style: German Hefeweizen, Weissbier
Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Coming out of the Binding brewery in Frankfurt, is the well known and popular Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen brand. They mostly produce wheat beers, the staple of a lot of German beer drinkers. 

Review: 0,5l long brown bottle of Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen: 5% vol.

Schöfferhofer HefeweizenSchöfferhofer’s Hefeweizen Naturtrüb is considered the undoubted classic in their wide range of beers. Naturtrüb means naturally cloudy, ie unfiltered beer that is cloudy because it is bottled while there is still some active yeast naturally carbonating the beer.

Discount supermarket beer, comes in a brown bottle with a rather cheap looking logo that doesn’t inspire, all in orange and rather shite looking. The brewery call it an eye catching mandarin colour! 

On pour we get a very active and excitable beer, very carbonated resulting in a quite big frothy white head, as expected but perhaps not as big as we got! Deep gold in colour, once it all settles down it looks not bad at all. Nice white head and golden appearance.

A lot of lacing!

Schöfferhofer HefeweizenGetting the usual hefeweizen aromas, no surprise there, the malts, cloves, the citrus and fruits, and a hint off the spicy hops. Smell is fine, but not strong, weak and on the low level.

Standard weizen with moderate to weak smell. Wheat and banana aroma. 

On to the taste, initially it is all crisp, very soft and refreshing on the tongue, very smooth for a hefeweizen.

Getting a lot from the bottle, which considering all the carbonation, is great.

Not a huge amount of flavours but its going done nice enough, smooth. Nice taste of barley malts and fruits, and of course the wheat, the cloves and the coriander, with only a slight hint of the hops. Overall, the balance of tastes and flavours is perfect in this beer, making it very easy and very enjoyable to drink.

Schöfferhofer HefeweizenPerhaps a fan of the old weissbier might not be enamored, but I like it, its manageable for me at least who is not a regular drinker of these wheat beer types. 

Typical tastes of a hefeweizen on the low level, bitterness toned down, not complex but all simple tastes.  

Taste is very creamy mouthfuls, lovely and soft, I like it, very smooth to sit with and relax, very good, very enjoyable with high drinkability.

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Schwaben Bräu

Schwaben Bräu Zwickl Kellerbier 

Schwaben Bräu Zwickl Naturtrübes Kellerbier 

https://www.schwabenbraeu.de/

Brewed by Dinkelacker-Schwaben Bräu Stuttgart
Style: Zwickelbier/Kellerbier
Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Schwaben Bräu Zwickl Kellerbier In 1996, two well established breweries from the city of Stuttgart in South West Germany, came together. Dinkelacker and Schwaben Braeu merged to become The Dinkelacker-Schwaben Brau GmbH & Co. KG, a super brewery ready to take on the world…………..Then Brewing giants InBev came along in 2004 and bought the whole operation!

But before you despair, in 2007, Wolfgang Dinkelacker, the great-grandson of company founder Carl Dinkelacker, buys Dinkelacker-Schwaben Bräu back from Inbev making the company return into family hands and be an independent brewery once again. 

Schwaben Bräu was the first beer in Germany to be delivered motorized, with a truck from Gottlieb Daimler, the pioneers of internal-combustion engines and automobile development.

For the football nut (like me), Dinkelacker was from 1982 to 1986 the main sponsor of German football team VfB Stuttgart.

Review: 0,5l flip top brown bottle of Schwaben Bräu Zwickl Kellerbier: 5.6% vol.

Got from a German supermarket, a four pack, coming in a very cool looking logo of a brewer and his beer, happy with his accomplishment! An unfiltered traditional cloudy beer. 

Have to say it looks absolutely fantastic on pour, a very lovely frothy white head appearing with a beer that has a gorgeous golden colour with a deep look.

A very decent head that sticks around, some good lacing, and with the deep hazy orange look, we have a great looking beer to admire.

On the nose one gets a very, very malty aroma, very clear and easy to find. An ok malty and yeasty smell, not bad at all.

On to the taste, very soft and creamy on the tongue initially, crispy and inoffensive, not much flavouring to taste and very, very smooth. Light and not really hitting the spot.

A lot of malts and some light grains, as expected, and a bit of fruit, but very light and very boring. Kind of a waste of time, with nothing really to get stuck into in terms of prominent or excitable tastes or flavours, dont think I will be buying this one again. 

A pretentious beer with nice packaging that tastes like cheap supermarket fare, disappointing, was expecting much more.

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