Na Zdravi !: Kubelbier Zwickelbier

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Kubelbier Zwickelbier

Brauerei Hofstetten (St. Martin, Austria)
Zwickelbier is an unfiltered German lager that’s cloudy, refreshing and sessionable. It’s a bready, yeasty beer that’s balanced and unpretentious. It can appeal to those who want a 'beer that tastes like beer' while at the same time having enough complexity for those who want to think about what they’re drinking." ~ Chicago Tribune article

"This rare edition of Brauerei Hofstetten's Kubelbier (Zwickelbier) Follows its original recipe of 1945 using the historic barley malt called 'Heines Haisa' which was grown around Hofstetten between 1935 and 1950."

Interesting. Has a bit of overripe fruit "sweetness" which is not particularly off-putting.
I over chilled the beer so the taste improved, became "breadier" and more complex as it warmed.

ABV 5.5%

Na Zdravi!

A 10-second take.
Not really reviews, just my way to keep track of the beers I've tried.

My mother's family is Czech. They emigrated from Bohemia and settled in Nebraska in the mid-1800s.
They were from the region that included the town Pilzen (Pilsen) where a brewery called Měšťanský pivovar Plzeň, now Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj in Czech), started brewing a uniquely Bohemian-style beer we now know as pilsner.
So, as I raise a glass in honor of my Bohemian roots ...

Na Zdravi! (to your health).

Hops?

A "hop" is the cone shaped resinous flower of the female hop plant. It is used in brewing to add bitterness, flavor, aroma, and stability depending on when it is added.

Hops are one of the 4 basic ingredients of beer although they are not esential in the brewing process. The are used simply to add flavor and complexity to the brew.
Double and even triple IPA's feature an extreme amount of hops, and an ABV to match.
Noble Hops - The traditional varieties of hops that were used to make early European beers. Medieval brewers used Hallertau, Saaz, Spalt, and/or Tettnang hops. All are from Germany except Saaz from the Czech Republic (Žatec in Czech). All are still used today.