May 2010 Archives
I am a ginger fanatic. I also have an interest in creative East Asian beers -- I enjoy sushi and pad thai too much to suffer with pale yellow lagers for the rest of my life. So when I spotted a ginger-brewed beverage in the Hitachino Nest stable, that was pretty much an automatic purchase.
Characteristics: Cloudy reddish-brown color; light-to-moderate carbonation with average head; medium body; mildly sweet opening sets the stage for the ginger to build across a yeasty-biscuit middle for an almost peppery finish. It takes time for the ginger to emerge.
Minor Gripes: Depending on your tolerance for yeast, be careful when pouring since there's a sediment in the bottle. And definitely do not drink this one straight out of the bottle, straight out of the refrigerator... this is probably best consumed from a snifter/tulip glass, approaching room temperature.
Bottom Line: A noble experiment that doesn't quite reach the finish line. I'd like to try this with 50% more ginger in the mash, so that the bite is there at a cooler temperature -- but I also eat pickled ginger without sushi. And I do wonder about quality control in the bottling and labeling at Kiuchi -- the first bottle I tasted was so bland that I may not have gotten the right beverage. (That's happened to me before with Hitachino Nest. I loved the first couple Red Rice Ales I tried -- reddish, medium-bodied experiments on the amber ale theme... but later bottles were thin, cloudy, straw-yellow, and utterly lacking in flavor.)
Rating: 5 / 10
I enjoy schwarzbiers (literally, "black beers") -- the malty, slightly sweet cousins to standard pilseners. And though I didn't notice it on my previous visit, Berlin seems to be awash in this particular style. Eibauer (literally and nominatively) hails from Eibau, near the Czech and Polish borders.
Characteristics: Brownish-red color; medium carbonation and head that dissipates fairly quickly; light-to-medium body; consistent flavors of biscuit, malt, yeast, and a little sugar throughout with a little hoppy bite in the finish.
Minor Gripes: Lagers are steady but unexciting (unless hopped within an inch of their lives). In particular, the black lagers follow enough of a formula that distinguishing among them is a challenge.
Bottom Line: Schwarzbiers are a saving grace for those who generally shun yellow lagers and pilseners but find themselves in Germany. Though Kostritzer is my standard reference point, I would certainly choose Eibauer without hesitation.
Rating: 6 / 10
