Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu – Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse & Dunkel

For the Twelfth Beer of Christmas, we wrapped up our journey east with a stop in the country that celebrates beer like none other, Germany.

To get this brew, we gathered some friends together and went to a local bar known for it’s broad selection of beers. While there, we went for a hefeweizen two-for: Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse and Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel. Both beers are from the hefeweizen (unfiltered wheat beer) family with the dunkel being a dark wheat.

Franziskaner’s reputation for brewing great beer made these an easy choice from Cricket’s lengthy beer menu. Unfortunately, an unexpected complication dampened the enjoyment of the brew. I know this isn’t going to surprise you, but I didn’t think about it until it was too late. Cricket’s allows smoking in the bar. I know … shocker! A bar that allows smoking. But the tobacco haze, especially from the lady at the table next to us, killed the aroma of the beer.

The Hefe-Weisse, which we drank first, came with a slice of orange (as seen in the photos), and if you got in real close you could smell the orange. Short of that, nada. By the time we got to the Dunkel, I couldn’t smell anything.

Aaron, Wyatt, Brandon, and I enjoy some Franziskaner.

Both beers poured very cloudy as hefeweizens should. The Hefe-Weisse tasted creamy with mild carbonation and a wheaty taste. Of course, the wash of orange squeezed into the glass gave it a definite citrus taste. The hops were muted, possibly by the orange. It’s a decent beer, but I prefer Michelob Shock Top. Which is funny because Michelob is part of the Anheuser-Busch family, which is a part of the InBev family, which just happens to own the Spaten-Löwenbräu-Gruppe, which is, yes, the owner of Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu.

The Dunkel, on the other hand, had a stronger flavor and slightly heavier body. Cloves came through along with a toasted flavor from the darker grains. Again, the hops seemed muted. This was my favorite beer of the night but fell in the lower half of the scale in comparison to the other beers we’ve had since Christmas.

Stats
Brewer: Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu
Location: München, Germany
Website: http://www.SpatenBraeu.de

Hefe-Weisse	Hefe-Weisse Dunkel
Style: Hefeweizen	Style: Dunkelweizen
Alcohol Content: 5.0% ABV	Alcohol Content: 5.0% ABV

Interesting Note: While the Smithwick’s from a few nights ago comes from a brewery that is older than The United States, the Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu brewery (under another name) was founed in 1397 … nearly 100 years before Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World.

Brouwerij St. Bernardus – Abt 12

For the Eleventh Beer of Christmas, found a beer with an alcohol percentage that nearly matched.

We continued our trek east from England to Belgium (and plan to do so again tomorrow with a German brew). Probably the most famous brews in Belgium are the Trappist beers. While St. Bernardus is an abbey ale, it is not a Trappist beer. But it carries on the Trappist traditions of brewing even though it comes from a commercial brewer.

Although a beautiful medium/dark brown, the beer is translucent rather than transparent as most of the other medium-ish beers have been. Most commercial beers I’ve drank have tended towards transparent except for the hefeweizens and some other heavier wheats. The head was very thick and left a lot of lacing on the glass. The smell was rich with an apple and yeast smell that reminded me of home-brewed hard cider. Strong but not unpleasant.

The taste starts off sweet with a strong dose of cloves. Partially disguised in the flavor, the alcohol sneaks past the cloves for a brandy-like sharpness and a finish that is both warming (not surprising) and smooth (surprising).

Would I drink this again? You bet. And I would recommend it time and again. But if I’m going to buy a big 750ml bottle of strong, dark ale, I prefer the true Trappist Chimay Grande Reserve.

Stats
Brewer: Brouwerij St. Bernardus (Brewery St. Bernardus)
Location: Watou, Belgium
Website: http://www.SintBernardus.be
Style: Quadrupel
Alcohol Content: 10.5% ABV
Interesting Note: The beer now known as St. Bernardus used to be a Trappist beer, but the St. Sixtus monastery decided to turn over brewing to a commercial enterprise which brewed under a “Trappist license” until 1992 when the Trappist Monasteries agreed to impose qualifications that required true “Trappisentbiers” to be brewed within a Trappist monastery.

Wychwood Brewery – Hobgoblin

For the Tenth Beer of Christmas, we travel 225 miles south east of Dublin to the Wychwood Forest and the brewery that shares its name.

I’ve heard a number of people say that Hobgoblin is a good beer. But looking at the label (click the image to see the full size photo), my first thought was that this must be the official beer of Dungeons and Dragons. Don’t get your knickers in a knot, though, I can tease about it since I spent so many years playing it.

The half liter (16.9 oz) bottle poured out with a quickly growing head. I had to be careful not to overflow the glass. The head dissipated slowly with a light, lush smell. Chocolate, toffee, and coffee with a bit of malty sweetness. I sat here for a long time just inhaling the scent. The best description I can give is that it was as welcoming as the smell of my grandmother’s kitchen when she wasn’t cooking. My grandmother was the best cook I’ve ever known. When she was cooking, the kitchen smelled like heaven. In between meals, the lingering aroma whispered a promise of bliss. Hobgoblin whispers, too. Pour a glass, hold it to your nose with both hands, inhale, enjoy, repeat.

The ruby brown ale delivered on that promise. Full bodied, with a silk smooth feel, Hobgoblin carries the chocolate and coffee into the taste, along with a clean, almost subdued bitterness from the hops. One thing I found particularly interesting was that the pleasant bitter aftertaste came as an echo, several seconds after the swallow.

The Fourth Beer of Christmas, Flying Dog’s Classic Pale Ale, was dubbed “my favorite so far.” While very different in taste and structure, Hobgoblin just surpassed it in this year’s list. But the great news for Flying Dog is that Hobgoblin is $4 per bottle while Flying Dog is about $1.50. Ounce to ounce, Hobgoblin (in a bigger bottle) is twice as much.

If you get a hankering, grab your 20-sided dice and head over to my house. We’ll break out the Hobgoblin and storm the gates of Mordor. I get to be the ranger.

Stats
Brewer: Wychwood Brewery
Location: Whitney, Oxfordshire, UK
Website: http://www.Wychwood.co.uk
Style: English Brown Ale
Alcohol Content: 5.2% ABV
Interesting Note: The website includes a fun and highly interactive design. Animated hobgoblins (the larger cousins of goblins, of course) and page turning spell books full of lore and history dominate the site.  However, the odd “forest sounds” coming from your computer speakers might drive your dogs a little crazy.

Smithwick’s (Guinness) – Smithwick’s

For the Ninth Beer of Christmas, we hopped the pond again to visit the most famous brewery in Ireland.

At least I think Guinness is the most famous brewery in Ireland. It’s the only one I can name. Before we get into tonight’s beer, let’s start with a side note … I don’t like Guinness Stout, the brewery’s flagship. In my experience, it’s a love it or leave it drink, and I prefer to leave it. Every so often I try another one (I did on New Year’s Eve), and yet the result is always the same. Consequently, I didn’t have high hopes for this brew. But my low expectations were without merit.

A nice copper-brown, the Smithwick’s kept a nice head and filled the space around the glass with a malty, toffee aroma. A shade of hops adds complexity to the scent. It’s a nice smelling beer. It doesn’t scream “drink me,” but it’s inviting.

The flavor is equally hospitable to the mouth. It’s a medium body beer with a lightly sweet taste. The malt and hops come through and the drink finishes dry.

Smithwick’s is not a great beer, but I was pleasantly surprised given my non-Guinness bias. I’m not likely to run out a buy a 6-pack again any time soon, but I wouldn’t turn one down if it was offered to me. And if I ever wander into an Irish pub, it will probably be first on the list. Yes, if I find a good Irish pub (I’ll have to leave West Texas for that), there will be a list. I’ll probably even have another Guinness Stout (and I still won’t like it).

Stats
Brewer: Smithwick’s (Guinness)
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Website: http://www.Smithwicks.ie and http://www.Guinness.com
Style: Irish Red Ale (Pale Ale)
Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
Interesting Note: Smithwick’s is purported to be Ireland’s oldest beer, being brewed since 1710 by John Smithwick. In 1965, Guinness purchased a controlling share in the Smithwick brewery. Up to that time, the brewery had been under the control of the Smithwick family. And at that time, This year, the beer celebrates it’s 300th anniversary.

Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) – Winter Lager

For the Eighth Beer of Christmas, we picked a beer from another of our favorite brewers.

Sam Adams Boston Lager, the company’s flagship beer, was one of my early ventures outside the Budweiser/Coors world. It’s remained one of my favorites.

Their Winter Lager poured to a nice amber brown with a medium head retention. Like Anchor Brewing’s Christmas Ale that we drank as the First Beer of Christmas, this lager is spiced for the holidays. Although it isn’t as strongly spiced as the Christmas Ale, the cinnamon and ginger come through clearly along with a touch of hops.

The spices and hops are also predominant in the taste, along with the sweetness of toasted caramel malt. The sweet, spice, bitter, and carbonation are well balanced with none of them overpowering the others in this Boston medley. As lagers are wont to be, the beer is smooth, although a little sharp from the spices rather than creamy as most lagers I’ve had tend to be.

Even though the weight is best described as medium, it’s still a filling beer. I was three and out with this beer tonight, as I have been with most of the heavier beers. This is opposed to the nine (yes, 9) Lawnmowers I drank for the Second Beer of Christmas. I’m telling you, those Lawnmowers go down like Gatorade.

Before spring sneaks up, run out and grab yourself a 12-pack, curl up on the couch with someone special, and if you get past three, plan on falling asleep.

Stats
Brewer: Boston Beer Company
Location: Boston, MS
Website: http://www.SamuelAdams.com
Style: Bock
Alcohol Content: 5.5% ABV
Interesting Note: When Anheuser-Busch sold to InBev, a Belgian-Brazilian brewer, in 2008, the Boston Beer Company became the largest American owned brewery.