Random Beer Review Numero Uno

Franziskaner Weissbier

          So typically, I am not one who likes to sit around and over analyze beer over the computer. I love Untappd and pay a lot of attention to what people say about the beers that they have but I also like it because they only have 140 characters to say what they want about the beers that they have (I repeated myself on purpose to make a point). I do feel however, that I would enjoy expounding upon some of the more interesting finds that have been discovered in my "backyard" of Hartford County, Connecticut.

               Yesterday I found myself cruising around town in my two day old car on a mission for my grandfather to one of the liquor "depots" in town that I'm not a big fan of. He gave me the green light ahead of time to buy something if I wanted, so I naturally looked for something that I hadn't had in the past. I picked up a Franziskaner Weissbier simply because I was talking about this particular brand with my co-worker Traci and because I dig the monk on the label. I also knew that I was going to investigate and expound upon this particular beer simply because it's my blog and I feel like it.

             The Weissbier pours a nice spun straw (think Rapunzel) with a pretty craggy white head (think Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future). The carbonation on this baby was exactly what I have come to love and expect from a well made Heffe, with small but powerful bubbles that really add to this styles overall attractiveness. It was unfiltered and thus pretty cloudy due to the residual yeasts that were left in suspension when this beer was bottled.

            Typically Heffes are refreshing, and often smell of bananas, cloves or bubblegum (or maybe an interesting combination of the three) and once again this beer was no exception. Added to this though, I picked up notes of citrus peel, almond and green apple that gave this particular offering a bit of a different scent profile. I also got a decent amount of spicy or peppery-ness on the nose due to the use of heavy amounts of wheat. I want to add an addendum here to the first line of this paragraph for those who are not that familiar with beer. (Franziskaner Weissbier is brewed following the German Reinheitsgebot or German Purity Law of 1516. This means that there are not actually any bananas, cloves or bubblegum flavor added to the beer. In order to be classified under this doctrine, German beers need to be brewed with only water, base malts, hops and yeast, so those lovely scents that are kicking your nose in the senses are from these babies).

           Taste-wise, this beer fell in line with exactly what I would have expected from a revered brewery like Franziskaner. Crisp, and floral with a nice pepper kick, this beer was really refreshing and bright on my palate. This is the kind of beer that you want to sip on while you watch the neighborhood kid sweat while he mows your lawn. I particularly liked this beer though, because it reminded me of where a lot of our countries brewing creativity came from. Our beer industry really owes a lot to the Bavarian and Czech immigrants that brought these style a long with them when they came here in the mid to late 19th century.

           Overall, I would never hesitate to sip on a beer that was brewed following the Reinheitsgebot. Germany knows beer like I know beer (lol!!!!), so if you see it on a shelf, pick it up and sip on something!

@CTbeerfiend

City Steam Winter Brewfest 2013

          Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending City Steam's second annual Winter Beer Fest. Being the "geek" that I am, I am usually excited to get my hands on any beer that I can. Imagine though, if you will, how it feels to be surrounded by microbreweries, and knowing that each and every ounce of liquid in those draft lines or bottles is coming from your "backyard".

          In my humble opinion, brewers are some of the most generous people when it comes to sharing their craft with the surrounding community. I'm used to the standard tasting pour that usually consists of just enough beer to get an ok sense of what you are tasting. At this Fest though, the pours were generous, and I was able to complement them with a delicious buffet.

          The craft beer community was out in full force, and it is always nice to see some familiar faces like my friend Tony from Back East Brewing Company (Bloomfield).  Tony represents our community well, and continues to display what great local beer should be. By the way, I ruse everyone to go out and try Back East as soon as you can! 

          What I also. Enjoy about these events, is the opportunity to go out and meet new friends and network with people who share like-minded interests. Lani and I were standing in line trying to tag a beer on Untappd when from behind us I hear "friend us, friend us". It turns out, that the people who were behind us in line were another couple of Untappd users and knew us from some of our previous posts at the event. They were great, and we were soon making beer talk and comparing notes. Lana even found out that she knew the gentleman through some classes that they had taken together in college. Needless to say, we quickly made plans to go out and get social with them.

          I would certainly like to take the time to personally thank City Steam and the brewers that came out to serve their fabulous local products. I would also like to thank my new friend Bryon Turner who I've actually known of for quite some time. Bryon runs the CT Beer Trail which is an amazing source of information for anyone who is interested in the beer happenings within our state. I finally got the chance to purchase my Trailblazers card, and I look forward to putting it to good use.

          In summation, when I think of beer, I think of community, and there truly is no better representation of this mindset an a festival like this at brings brewers, boozers, bloggers and beer snobs all together.