As we cross the halfway point of the 2017 Brewer’s Advent Calendar from Costco, the beer bounty keeps on coming.
Behind the doors for December 9-14 were two pale lagers, dark lager, pilsner, smoked beer and wheat beer. Quite the variety, so let’s see if they were any good.
December 9: Herrnbräu Jubiläums Sud
To cut to the chase, this beer did not do much for me. It wasn’t very flavorful, and therefore slightly boring to me. Which is sad, because this Jubiläums Sud was especially brewed to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the famous “Reinheitsgebot” (German Beer Purity Law). Back in the day, all German brewers had to adhere to this law by only using water, hops, malted barley and yeast for their product. One could argue that nowadays these purity rules are more a marketing ploy than an actual law, because following it is no longer required.
December 10: Urtyp Hell Goldenes Helles
Indeed a light golden beer, the Urtyp Hell did not surprise in any way. I still got the slight mineral/metallic taste at the end of each sip, which was even more pronounced due to the fact that the beer fell fairly flat on the flavor delivery.
December 11: Bierkutscher Edel Pils
Finding another light beer in the Brewer’s Advent Calendar slightly worried me, but luckily Bierkutscher Edel Pils did not contradict its own slogan “Ein elegantes Bier für Genießer.” “This elegant beer for indulgers” had the right amount of bitterness, and came with more flavor than expected.
December 12: Zwönitzer Rauchbier
I had been anxiously awaiting this beer. Not only the can was cool, but the flavor was definitely there. I had never tried smoked beer before, so it was a welcome distraction from the bland styles that I had already sampled. Zwönitzer Rauchbier turned out the be the perfect companion to currywurst and fries. Every sip guides your mind to BBQ and liquid smoke. The distinct flavor comes from malt that is dried over open fire. This process used to be common until applying indirect heat to the malt became the norm.
December 13: Wittmann Urhell
Technically “Helles” or “Hell” style beers are related to pilsner in a sense that they are both considered pale lagers. Pilseners tend to be slightly more bitter and full bodied. Since the Urtyp Hell was really underwhelming, I did not have high hopes for Wittmann. However, it did have a pleasant flavor. It was somewhat similar to Bierkutscher Edel Pils, but if I would ever drink another one, I would pick Wittmann Urhell.
December 14: Huber Weisses Hefe-Weizenbier
I am a fan of this style of beer. The ones I am used to, the Dutch Wieckse Witte and the Belgian Hoegaarden, remind me of summer. Huber Weisses turned out to be very tasty and refreshing with the characteristics of a good wheat beer. Even though we are about as far from summer as possible, this beer definitely hit the spot.
Verdict on Beers
With the Good, the Bad and the Notable among the six beers I tasted, I can definitely say that the last three made the best impression. Zwönitzer Rauchbier would be a good choice if you want something unique. While I really enjoyed it, I can’t see myself going back to it over and over. The ones that I would put on regular rotation are the Wittmann Urhell and the Huber Weisses Hefeweizen. The latter would be great for warmer weather.
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