Before I continue with my travel stories, there is another brewery worth mentioning that I found some beers from while beeing on a shopping spree in Lübeck. Beeing located in Hamburg, it did not exactly fit into the baltic theme of my travel post, but it can still serve as a somewhat regional beer, if you tend to have bad luck with your beer choices.
Goldgräber Ale - Pale Ale
- 5.2 % alc.
- 12.1 °P
- 45 IBU
- simcoe, amarillo, magnum
First off we have a nice starter for the evening - or a keeper for the night.
The head on top of this dark amber beer is quite okay and creamy.
The smell is very resinous and hoppy for an ale and reminds me of fruit candy.
Overall it's an easy beer that's very pleasant to drink, but still quite interesting and nicely balanced. Bitterness is quite subtle for the amount of fruity hop aromas.
Makes you want more!
Pils
- 4.9 % alc.
- 35 IBU
- barley malt, yeast, hops
The head on top of this pils is fine-pored with nice stamina.
You will notice a classic strawy smell, that is very fresh and natural, just like a draft beer.
This brew is heavily carbonated with a hint of fruitiness and a very mild bitterness. Overall very pleasant and probably even a bit too mild for this style of beer.
Approved!
Amerikanischer Traum - IPA
- 6.5 % alc.
- 16 °P
- 60 IBU
- cascade, centennial, chinook, mosaic
This one is quite a different species. The dark amber, slightly hazy body is topped off with a nice head that has an icredible stamina - not surprising for an IPA.
The flavor is quite interesting with hints of creamy banana, paired with resin and mango.
On the first sip the bitterness hits like a hammer. The overall focus is more on darke flavours that are usually found in porter beers. Aside from coffee, there are not a lot of fruity flavours that you would expect from an IPA.
Overall it's a very demanding beer and quite a strange experience. Not a must have.
Dunkle Macht - Smoked Porter
- 6.6 % alc.
- 40 IBU
- taurus, northern brewer
The final one is midnight black and builds up an impressive, creamy and enduring head.
It exudes strong roasted flavors of bacon and dark chocolate.
Dominated by the dark chocolate, the palate is very dry with a strong carbonation, which is a nice contrast to the dark aroma but a little too strong for my taste. Finally it's completed by a subtle fruitiness.
Although this beer could use some adjustment regarding it's agressive carbonation, I'm pleased with how the peated rye malt and peculiar hops made this beer a fun experience.