So Augustiner won the first round of the great Helles challenge, though it was hardly an impressive victory. Day one produced a few notes- I'm not very good at describing the beers I drink in detail- but day five produced only "meh" for both beers. I was pleased that at least I made a consistent selection. In the end, it was a verrry slightly hoppier taste that won the day for Augustiner.
We now move on to round two. This time, I'm stepping outside the city limits to try two breweries that are also quite popular within Munich: Andechs and Tegernseer. (Sadly, finding Ayinger in bottles in Munich is a Quixotic task.) My wife dutifully poured me two beers, marked one of the glasses and I got to work. Beer one was a slightly darker color than beer two. This is a plus. Munich helles pours very, very light. It'll be a while before I drink an American Budweiser, but when and if I do, I'll pay attention to how light it is. It's hard to get much lighter than Munich helles. Beer one also had a bit of aroma from the head. This is also a plus. I'll admit that between sinuses and allergies, you have to beat me over the head with a scent, but I have to practically snort a helles until I can smell it. The taste was ok, but nothing remarkable.
Beer two had very nice head. While I complain about the lightness of the liquid, I have to confess, that I love a nice, pure white pile of foam on the top of a glass of helles. The scent may have had a bit of pine. This one actually tasted pretty good. The hop was noticeable and there was a slightly sour malt.
Beer two was the winner. Can't wait to drink four more and see which one I actually prefer.
This is a blog about beer and anything else that's on my mind. Best read with a beer close by.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
What the Helles
Of all the beers I've had, I think I can conclusively say that my least favorite style is helles. Pils is saved from the bottom by virtue of the fact that it at least has (when some people brew it) some decent hop. The one time I went to the Czech Republic, I drank my weight in fine Czech pilsner and have fond memories of the stuff. This ought to indicate that calling something my least favorite stlye is a bit like saying that blonde is my least favorite hair color on a woman.
Trouble is, helles is the preferred style here in Munich. This means that when people talk about the relative merits of particular beers the conversation devolves to an expression of preference for one brand over another. In my mind (and in my coarse palate) there's not a dime's bit of difference from one helles to the other, but I've seen people get quite expressive about how good Augustiner is, or how abysmal Spaten is. Augustiner is god-like, pure, tasty will make you feel euphoric but not silly and won't give you a hangover no matter how much you drink. Spaten is made by squeezing the hay that horses have pissed on. It's rotgut and only drunk by the lower classes or tourists.
I think that both views are probably nonsense and I struggle to understand how people get worked up in holding opinions about a beer that is- in my opinion- designed to taste like virtually nothing. The one word you'll see most often in any description of how helles should taste is "subtle". Some others you'll see are "nuanced", "balanced" and "gentle". This is all shorthand for the fact that helles won't offend anyone.
Some weeks ago, I decided to sort out which helles in Munich I actually liked via a blind tasting. I had done this once before with Starkbiers, but wasn't happy with the process. Then, I took five breweries and had them face off in a round robin style. What I found is that the results were not always consistent. Paulaner may win big one night and then barely lose the next. So, with the helles, I thought it best to have two breweries meet head to head repeatedly for at least five times. The first two challengers: Augustiner vs. Paulaner. I drank one of each for five nights and recorded my observations. I've established a winner, which will get discussed in the next post.
Trouble is, helles is the preferred style here in Munich. This means that when people talk about the relative merits of particular beers the conversation devolves to an expression of preference for one brand over another. In my mind (and in my coarse palate) there's not a dime's bit of difference from one helles to the other, but I've seen people get quite expressive about how good Augustiner is, or how abysmal Spaten is. Augustiner is god-like, pure, tasty will make you feel euphoric but not silly and won't give you a hangover no matter how much you drink. Spaten is made by squeezing the hay that horses have pissed on. It's rotgut and only drunk by the lower classes or tourists.
I think that both views are probably nonsense and I struggle to understand how people get worked up in holding opinions about a beer that is- in my opinion- designed to taste like virtually nothing. The one word you'll see most often in any description of how helles should taste is "subtle". Some others you'll see are "nuanced", "balanced" and "gentle". This is all shorthand for the fact that helles won't offend anyone.
Some weeks ago, I decided to sort out which helles in Munich I actually liked via a blind tasting. I had done this once before with Starkbiers, but wasn't happy with the process. Then, I took five breweries and had them face off in a round robin style. What I found is that the results were not always consistent. Paulaner may win big one night and then barely lose the next. So, with the helles, I thought it best to have two breweries meet head to head repeatedly for at least five times. The first two challengers: Augustiner vs. Paulaner. I drank one of each for five nights and recorded my observations. I've established a winner, which will get discussed in the next post.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
My second post
So the other nice thing about Blogspot is that it allows me to post links to other beer related content. This not only serves as a convenient place to store highly important links, but it also lets people know how well informed I am about beer on the internet.
With that out of the way, on to beer. Tonight I had two Aventinus. I have a strange relationship with this beer. I'm fairly sure that I like it. Whenever I'm in grocery stores, I routinely check to see if it's there. (More on German grocery stores and beer later.) In the end, I probably consume about two to four bottles of the stuff per year. And every time I do, I think to myself, "This is really just ok". I think my biggest complaint about Aventinus is that it's just too heavy. You're drinking so much, it's hard to know what it is that you're tasting. (If I were a more sophisticated sort, this is where I'd say something about "mouthfeel".) It's the beer that eats like a meal. There's a nice sweetness, virtually invisible hop and, naturally, a nice bit of alcohol. It's no secret that I like "big" beers- I think eight percent is about the minimum for a beer. So, I like the bite of alcohol in the Aventinus. But I'm not sure if I'm all that thrilled with everything else.
Ask me again in six months.
With that out of the way, on to beer. Tonight I had two Aventinus. I have a strange relationship with this beer. I'm fairly sure that I like it. Whenever I'm in grocery stores, I routinely check to see if it's there. (More on German grocery stores and beer later.) In the end, I probably consume about two to four bottles of the stuff per year. And every time I do, I think to myself, "This is really just ok". I think my biggest complaint about Aventinus is that it's just too heavy. You're drinking so much, it's hard to know what it is that you're tasting. (If I were a more sophisticated sort, this is where I'd say something about "mouthfeel".) It's the beer that eats like a meal. There's a nice sweetness, virtually invisible hop and, naturally, a nice bit of alcohol. It's no secret that I like "big" beers- I think eight percent is about the minimum for a beer. So, I like the bite of alcohol in the Aventinus. But I'm not sure if I'm all that thrilled with everything else.
Ask me again in six months.
My first post
Strictly speaking, I already have a blog. Having established that I can't routinely keep that up to date, I've decided to try and fail at keeping current with another blog. The difference? I'm using Blogspot, which seems to be what all the kids are doing these days. Mind, that's a fairly minor difference, as I had been using Apple's iWeb, which is a fairly nice content editor. Much like Blogspot, iWeb lets one build content in a fairly tiny little sandbox, but it allows you to get things published quickly. And, me being lazy, this is a good thing.
My intent is to use this space to discuss beer, one of my favorite hobbies. So, without further ado, here's what I'm drinking now. (Not right now, mind, it's the middle of the afternoon and most of my beer consumption happens at a fairly civilized hour. Two pints per night- whether I need them or not- after my daughter goes to sleep for the night.) Yesterday was a good day for beer purchases. We were ought of tea, which meant a trip to the English store, which has some Fullers and Samuel Smith on offer. I picked up two bottles of ESB and two of 1845. A short while later, I took a quick trip across the river (after dumping off the weeks recycling) to Giesingerbraeu (too lazy for the umlaut at the moment). I picked up two of their starkbier- Delirium- and had a brief chat with the brewmaster. Turns out he's from Munich, which is a bit of a surprise, as you'd expect him to be working at any of the giant breweries in the area. Instead, he's set up shop in what looks like an abandoned garage to produce beer that will be a tough sell for the Munich palate. We expressed a shared fondness for Franconian beer and frustration that it was so hard to obtain in Munich.
On the way home, I poked my head into a Getraenkemarkt (still lazy about the umlaut) and bought a couple Aventinus and two other minor label beers, the name of which escapes me.
Had the Delirium and have to admit I was slightly disappointed. It was quite tasty, but for a starkbier, not really consistent with the style. The color was neither copper nor dark. It poured out a sort of straw color, but with some ruby elements. Things coalesced as the bubbles faded to a kind of dingy brown. Not quite what I expect my starkbiers to look like. Taste was alright- quite sweet and caramelly- but with a bit too much wheat. Had I not spoken to the brewer, I would have been curious as to how it got there, but he did say that there was a bit of wheat. Still, I suppose my biggest complaint is that wasn't what I had been expecting. It is tasty, but I'm not sure how to classify it.
What am I drinking tonight? Not sure. After last night's experience with a slightly wheaty starkbier, I think I'll be leaning to the Aventinus. You'll know more tomorrow.
My intent is to use this space to discuss beer, one of my favorite hobbies. So, without further ado, here's what I'm drinking now. (Not right now, mind, it's the middle of the afternoon and most of my beer consumption happens at a fairly civilized hour. Two pints per night- whether I need them or not- after my daughter goes to sleep for the night.) Yesterday was a good day for beer purchases. We were ought of tea, which meant a trip to the English store, which has some Fullers and Samuel Smith on offer. I picked up two bottles of ESB and two of 1845. A short while later, I took a quick trip across the river (after dumping off the weeks recycling) to Giesingerbraeu (too lazy for the umlaut at the moment). I picked up two of their starkbier- Delirium- and had a brief chat with the brewmaster. Turns out he's from Munich, which is a bit of a surprise, as you'd expect him to be working at any of the giant breweries in the area. Instead, he's set up shop in what looks like an abandoned garage to produce beer that will be a tough sell for the Munich palate. We expressed a shared fondness for Franconian beer and frustration that it was so hard to obtain in Munich.
On the way home, I poked my head into a Getraenkemarkt (still lazy about the umlaut) and bought a couple Aventinus and two other minor label beers, the name of which escapes me.
Had the Delirium and have to admit I was slightly disappointed. It was quite tasty, but for a starkbier, not really consistent with the style. The color was neither copper nor dark. It poured out a sort of straw color, but with some ruby elements. Things coalesced as the bubbles faded to a kind of dingy brown. Not quite what I expect my starkbiers to look like. Taste was alright- quite sweet and caramelly- but with a bit too much wheat. Had I not spoken to the brewer, I would have been curious as to how it got there, but he did say that there was a bit of wheat. Still, I suppose my biggest complaint is that wasn't what I had been expecting. It is tasty, but I'm not sure how to classify it.
What am I drinking tonight? Not sure. After last night's experience with a slightly wheaty starkbier, I think I'll be leaning to the Aventinus. You'll know more tomorrow.