Kaiserdom - Hefe Weizen

A wednesday would not be a wednesday without a weissbier blog, would it ?

Light aroma of malt, wheat, yeast and banana from the pour.

HefeWeizen pours cloudy yellow to orange with a dense white head. A light and sweet intake with wheat, yeast and lighter touches of banana and cloves. The finish is dry and wheaty with a light citrus bitterness. This has a very short aftertaste of cloves and citrus. Softly carbonated, the mouthfeel is light and a bit watery.

While this tastes good enough it is a bit too watery for my liking. Easy drinking and all the standard hefeweizen flavours are present but it is all very average. I do factor in that this is sold as a discount ( very cheap) beer here so there is a little value for money with this one. I have no problem with buying or drinking this again. Summing up, an extremely average watery German hefeweizen.

This scored 4/10 on the ' discount weiss, wheat, hvede, wit ?' Beerometer.

Alc : 4.7%
Where to buy CPH : All larger Superbrugsen, Kvickly & Fakta supermarkets.

Refsvindinge - Den Sorte Enke

Firstly a note, updates will be less frequent to nonexistent over the next three weeks as it is time for me to enjoy some summer holidays. Each year I like to ditch the internet, computer, tablet and mobile for a couple of weeks at least and get away from the 'always on' lifestyle that has taken over. I do not get why people feel the need to take a mobile on holiday, like who gives a toss what people are doing back home when you are meant to be enjoying yourself away from it all ?

I admit to doing some homework on this beer 'the black widow' as it says on the bottle 'dark fynen wheat beer' yet when googling it and asking beer geeky friends it pops up as a sweet stout....My own take is if a brewer states what the style is on the bottle then it is not open for discussion and should be judged as such. So without further to do...

Pleasant wafts of roasted malt, licorice, sherbert powder and dark chocolate.

Den Sorte Enke pours very dark brown with a thick and creamy beige head. Sweet intake with aniseed, roasted malt, sweet licorice, chocolate and a light wheaty background with a very light bitter coffee and dry hop note in the finish. Again, licorice and aniseed along with some caramel linger in the aftertaste. This is lowly carbonated with a oily and thin mouthfeel without being cloying or too watery.

After drinking this one I am left none the wiser of what it is meant to be, like a lot of other people I may add. Not enough wheat to be a dunkelweizen but I would not say it was a sweet stout either. I think I would settle with calling this a hybrid. Anyway, it was enjoyable and easy to drink. One bottle is enough for me as the aniseed and sweet licorice get a bit much towards the end overpowering everything else. Not one I would rush out to buy again though I have no problem drinking another if the chance came up. Summing up, quite a weird one that is worth a try and reminds me of a lot of Danish christmas beer with all the licorice and aniseed going on.

This scored 6/10 on the 'neither here nor there' Beerometer.

Alc : 5.7%
Where to buy CPH : Høkeren, Ravnsborggade 13, Kbh N

Amager Bryghus - Summer Fusion

Another one from Amager so soon I hear you ask ? Well yes, I wanted to try this one as it is a low alcohol beer (3.5%) which I can safely drink out in the sun without getting a splitting headache, basically a thirst quencher ! This is styled as a Steam Beer, a bit controversial I refuse the California Common label which in my mind is another make it up as you go along style. The only other one of this style I have tried I can think of having before is Anchor Steam Beer. The label says style : Steam Beer so that is how I am labeling it. Instead of me rambling on I might as well include the label blurb.....

We wanted to prove that we could make a low alcohol beer rich in taste... and we named the outcome "Fusion". As the name indicates it is a true fusion beer due to the fact that our inspiration came from different styles and countries. The yeast is classic German pilsner yeast, which we - against its will, fermented at 71.6°F. This is a technique know from the American styles "California Common" a.k.a. "Steam Beer". Consequently, we were able to combine the crisp freshness from lager beers with a portion of the fruity freshness found in top fermented beers. 

Our choice of malt is somewhat unusual as we selected an English Mild Ale malt adding a dark, roasted character to the beer, as well as a couple of handful of German caramel malt adding sweetness and a soft touch to the beer. 

And it wouldn’t be a true beer from Amager Bryghus, if we hadn’t been generous with the hops. We chose classic American aroma hops such as Centennial, Chinook, and Amarillo - you know, the ones which really massages your taste buds. Additionally, these hops leave behind the most pleasurable, citric-like freshness. 

Are you confused? No reason to be as our Fusion is the answer to the many people who over the years have asked for an American/English/German top and bottom fermented pilsner ale, which has lots of taste but is low on alcohol! 

Fusion was 1st runner up at the Copenhagen Beer Festival 2007 in the competition of brewing a beer at maximum 3.5% alcohol.

Right, let's get on with it...

Light wafts of floral hops, grass and peaches from the pour.

Summer Fusion pours hazy amber orange with a weak creamy coloured white head. A very light intake with grass, hops, some citrus peel and peaches again. This has a dry and grassy bitterness in the finish. Citrus peel and light floral hops linger in the dryish aftertaste. The mouthfeel is light and watery.

Well, it is very light, crisp and a real thirst quencher and a very nice summer ale and a ...but, there is always one but, if you like a bit of malt taste to your ale this one has none. Not that I am bothered as I enjoyed drinking this one sitting in the sun out in the backyard on what is a sweltering hot day. Not one I would bother buying again but I have no problem drinking another if offered. In the same circumstances like weather etc I think I would rather just drink a good cold English Cider to be honest, blasphemy for some no doubt. Summing up, a very light summer ale which I would class a lawnmower beer.

This scored 4.5/10 on the ' I was tired of it by the time I reached the bottom of the bottle ' Beerometer.

Alc : 3.5%
Where to buy CPH : Superbrugsen and bottle shops.

St. Michaelsberg - HefeWeissbier

Well it is Wednesday and if you have been following this blog recently, today calls for a Weissbier. Nothing really much to say about this one although I have had this one before but it was owned by United Beverage and brewed in Denmark by Vejle Byghus though on the can bought today it is now brewed again in Germany. The brand is formally owned by Maisel's.

Light wafts of banana, bubblegum, wheat and yeast from the pour.

HefeWeissbier pours a cloudy orange gold with a creamy white head.  A light sweet intake with fruit, wheat, mild banana, coriander and cloves. The finish is dry and slightly metallic. Quite a pleasant mild wheaty aftertaste with citrus. Lowly carbonated, this one has a very soft and light mouthfeel.

For a beer in the discount price range it is not that bad at all. The banana taste that dominates in a lot of hefe's is much more muted and in the background in this. It is quite crisp and refreshing on a day like today where the 'heatwave' continues. I have no problems buying and drinking another although Netto also have this side by side sometimes with Benedikter, which in my humble opinion is far the better weiss and more value for money. Summing up, a decent average weiss for the money.

This scored a generous 5/10 on ' Weiss, Wheat, Hvede, Wit ?' Beerometer.

Alc : 5.3%
Where to buy CPH : Netto & Føtex

Svaneke Bryghus - Pilsner

Svaneke Bryghus (website in danish) really annoy me ! Most of their beers are just mediocre to above average for me and I always get the feeling they could be so much better if they were not brewed for an exact retail price. A couple of years ago they had a Session Pilsner in their range which, excuse my french was f*****g fantastic, yet it cost a few kroner more which when getting a beer like that I certainly did not mind.

Now it is gone from the range and the only time I think about Svaneke is when christmas comes around as they still make a decent christmas beer or two. So Svaneke, pull the smoked herring out from your asses and re-release the Session Pilsner, please !

On to the beer in question....

Malt, hops and grass in the light aroma from the pour though not a lot going on.

Pilsner pours a cloudy yellow gold with a frothy white head.  Malt, bread, hops and touch of caramel on the lightly sweet intake while it has quite a dry finish with mild bitterness. The aftertaste is smokey malt and fruit. It has a light mouthfeel without being watery.

Well well well, this was a lot better than I expected. Having tried this one before a good while back I wonder if there has been a recipe change. Although it is not mentioned anywhere this is a very German tasting pils. Very easy to drink though I guess the hot weather is helping. I have no problem buying this again or drinking a few on a session. Summing up, a bit of a surprise for no money as it is on offer this week at half price. Decent above average Danish pilsner that I have no gripes over.

This scored 6/10 on the 'I'd still have have a Session Pils, please re-release' Beerometer.

Alc : 4.6%
Where to buy CPH : All larger supermarkets.