An archive of ramblings from an Aussie who once lived in London
Monday, May 19, 2008
Radeberger Pils
Coming towards the end of my Berlin adventure I bought a bottle of Radeberger Pils (4.8% abv). I won't harp on about the beer too much as it was pretty standard compared to some of the other beers I had in Berlin. Basically it's gassy, straw coloured weak malt profile, noble hop aroima with a slightly spicy aftertaste, but nothing to write home about. Impressive looking bottle though, lots of shiny foil! German website here
The second Schwarzbier I had on my trip was Köstritzer (4.8%), a dark black lager of exteremely high standard. This beer is particularly remarkable espcially the feat of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who sustained himself on black beer from Köstritz when he was unable to eat during a period of illness. The brewery has a long history after being founded in 1543 and it is one of the oldest producers of Schwarzbier (black beer) in Germany. The brewery is now owned by Bitburger.
The beer does indeed look almost black, but is in fact a very dark brown colour when held up to the light, with a pale, fine-bubbled and lasting head. Nose is of dark malt, roast coffee, black treacle and dark dried fruit. It is quite lively in the mouth, with initially a somewhat lactic taste of creamy coffee, but quickly developing into rich, malty and dark but slightly sour fruity flavours - figs, blackcurrants, black cherries, black treacle, burnt sugar, dark chocolate, bitter dark-roast coffee (still with a dash of cream) and a touch of hop. The more bitter of these flavours (coffee, chocolate, hops) increase in intensity towards the finish, though still tempered by sweeter red fruit notes. Aftertaste is a gorgeous lingering malty bitterness, much like a dry stout, with a warming, spicy touch that wouldn't be out of place in a much stronger beer. A thoroughly lovely experience from start to finish. I'll get my hand off it now!
The closest thing I could find to an official website is this one which is bizarely enough a beers of Austria website!
Ok, I am not going to spend much time on this beer, as basically it was terrible and tasted like cats piss. Basically this forum comment sums it up nicely when it describes the beer as 'the beer of choice for construction workers around Berlin'....... just think the Berliner version of Carling. there is an official site here. Also the worlds dodgiest TV ad.
The last of my Cumberland selection pack, Jennings Cocker Hoop (4.6% abv) is apparently an award winning golden bitter, but in reality tasted very similar to the other offerings from the Jennings brewery. To be fair the beer does have some citrus hints on the finish, but overall was a little bland. The name is interesting though! The name is derived from ‘Cock-a Hoop’, an old custom of removing the cock (or spigot) from a barrel and resting it on the hoop of the cask before commencing a drinking bout, but was changed to reflect the brewery’s location on the banks of the River Cocker. I won't seek this one out again, and chances are I won't come across it draught in London anyway! Website: Here and here
Coming towards the end of my Berlin adventure I bought a bottle of Radeberger Pils (4.8% abv). I won't harp on about the beer too much as it was pretty standard compared to some of the other beers I had in Berlin. Basically it's gassy, straw coloured weak malt profile, noble hop aroima with a slightly spicy aftertaste, but nothing to write home about. Impressive looking bottle though, lots of shiny foil! German website here
