I went out to Omaha’s local booze store, Spirit World, over in Mid Town last week, on a kick to scoop up some German beers. I ended up picking out a few different beers, along with a handful of Scotch ales. Here’s what I’ve thought about them so far. Note, I’m using my dog as a judge for taste, because while I think I’m an okay writer, I can’t describe how something tastes in words for shit.
Spaten Dunkel – great beer. Awesome, dark ruby red color, and as far as flavor goes, my dog lapped this one right up without hesitation. This one could easily become a go-to beer for me, as it isn’t too steep in price.
Spaten Optimator – I’ve had this one before, but it had been a while. Optimator is like an extra dark beer of sorts, and the flavor is a bit nutty. It’s very dark too. My dog, Indiana, took a bit to try this one. The smell caused her to back off about three times before she stuck her snout in and took a few laps. I still like Optimator and will continue to buy this one occasionally. The 1 pt 9 oz. version is somewhat pricey, so I’ll get a sixer next time.
Belhaven Wee Heavy – I was excited to try this scotch ale, but was very dismayed to find it had skunked. First, Brits, stop fucking bottling your shit in clear bottles. I have another bottle but I’m pretty anxious about trying it. I’ve had this problem only with UK-origin imports, for some seem to think it’s okay to package their beers in clear bottles. I don’t get it, as I’ve had ruined Speckled Hen and others because of it. Knock it off, Brittania!
Ayinger Hefeweizen – This is the beer that changed my mind about wheat beers. It was fruity, fizzy and sweet, just like hefe’s are supposed to be. Indy also got right into this one as well. I’ll be having more Ayinger in the future without a doubt. I have their Marzen (Oktoberfest for my fellow Americans) too, which I’ll try soon.
Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 – This is supposed to be the recreation of what Berliner-Weisse tasted like back in, well, 1809. It has the little floateys in it to show it wasn’t all filtered and cleaned up. The flavor is very lemony and tart, like if you stick a lemon slice in a hefeweizen. My dog liked this one after a few sniffs. I knew she would because of its apparent sweetness. I normally don’t comment on things like head, but 1809 has a thick, white foamy head that comes pretty naturally. I can pour well enough to limit head and this one still foamed quite a bit. Tasty, tart beer.
I’m still waiting to try another scotch ale, an eisbock, a marzen and to get through the rest of my dunkel. I’m a fan of German beers now, more than ever, and I can see why craft brewers work so hard to capture the essence of these styles.
