Special Beer Review - Hofbrau

Hofbrau Original - The Hofbrau Helles, it pours a golden amber with a generous head that crested the glass but didn't overflow and then slowly dissolved, leaving significant lacing on the sides of the glass.  The aroma is slightly sweet.  The taste a balance between hops and malts with spicy sweet overtones.  After several sips the hops seems to win out in the ending dry finish.

Hofbrau Dunkel - This beer pours a reddish amber with a generous beige head that slowlly dissolved leaving plenty of lacing on the sides.  The aroma is heavy roasted malts with overtones of caramal, almost made me think of a Coke.  The flavor is malty sweet hints of dark chocolate swirl around and the finish is wet and lingering.  Not a bad dunkel but I'm not as impressed with it out of the bottle as I was out of the tap in the Hofbrauhaus itself.

Hofbrau Oktoberfestbier - This beer pours a dark amber with a slightly off white head that starts off generous but slowly dissolves but leaves light lacing on the sides of the glass.  The aroma is straight up malts with maybe, just maybe, a hint of hops.  The taste is sweet malt and this beer finishes with a slight tartness that calls for another drink.  I'll happily oblige.

Hofbrau Maibock - A Munchner Bockbier according to the label.  I picked this one up right after I got back from R and R and I'm glad that I finally got to it since the use by date is early November.  Right up front this beer packs a punch 7.2% alcohol by volume.  Read more about Bock substyles and their differences here.  Basically though this is a helles lager that is brewed to bock strength, typically in the spring time for fests in May.  It pours a copper with hints of red and an off white head that dissolved quickly leaving significant lacing on the sides of the glass.  The aroma is malty sweet.  The taste is malty with a touch of smoky caramel and a slightly dry finish in which you can taste the alcohol.  Definitely different from a doppelbock or a regular bock  but pretty good in it's own right.

Hofbrau Munchner Sommer - A summer keller beer specialty with a touch of wheat thrown in to make it interesting..  This one pours a cloudy dark straw gold with an off white head that dissolved quickly but left persistent lacing on the sides.  The aroma is slightly clovy and spicy.  The taste is balanced  with a hint of extra spice and touch of that hefeweizen breadiness. Interesting.  Not my favorite but not a bad beer.

Hofbrau Schwarze Weisse - The Dunkel Hefe Weissbier from Hofbrau.  It pours a dark caramelly brown with a generous beige head that slowly disappears.  The aroma is one of baked bread with a hint of cloves and other spices.  You can definitely taste the well roasted wheat malt.  A bit of spicy sweetness is followed by a nice wet finish.  Once again a pretty good beer. 

Special Beer Review - Thurn und Taxis Brauerei

Thurn und Taxis Hell - This beer pours a brillant clear yellow gold.  There is a foamy white head with big bubbles that clings to the sides and is constantly refreshed by the carbonation.  If you take a big whiff you get a slightly hoppy aroma.  The taste is a fine balance between malts and hops with a slightly honeyish sweet malty finish.  Really a pretty good beer and an excellent starting point for the Thurn und Taxis brauerei.

Thurn und Taxis Pilsner -  This seems to be Thurn und Taxis Flagship Beer.  At least it's the one that I come across the most and is the one whose banners you see in Regensburg.  The bear pours a clear dark gold with a thin head that dissolved fairly quickly.  The aroma is hoppy.  The taste is lightly hopped with a hint of sweetness and a touch of spices that I just can't quite put my finger on.  It finishes wet and crisp and leaves you wanting more.  Let's be clear here.  I'm not normally a fan of German Pilsner's but this one is a definite like with it's interesting spice and it's hint of bitterness.

Thurn und Taxis Dunkel Weisse - A Dunkel Weisse.  This one pours a dark chocolate with an off- beige head.  The body actually kind of reminds of the same color as a Tootsie Roll.  The head dissolves quickly leaving a smaller layer above the beer and some lacing.  the aroma is all cloves and spice.  The taste is sweet, caramalley, and bready.  Just a hint of cloves and something else, not citrus or bananas, the typical flavors that pop up in a weisse.  Once again another beer that I like. 

Thurn und Taxis Weissbier - This Weizen pours a dark cloudy orangish amber.  A soft white head disappears rapidly leving just bits of lacing on the sides.  The aroma is spicy with hints of fresh hay.  The taste is mild with hints of spices and citrus.  The wet finish lingers and satisfies.  I had this one after a 17 mile run and it was very refreshing.

Thurn und Taxis Roggen - You are probably going what the heck is a Roggen beer.  I know I was.  It's a beer made from rye instead of barley or wheat.  This is a real treat since it is the only Roggen beer that I've come across. I've seen it served at a restuarant in a wine like glass.  I put it in weizen glass, closs enough right? It pours a dark reddish/brown with a very thin beige head that dissolved quickly leaving little to no lacing on the sides.  The aroma is sweet and smells slightly like licorice.   That carried over into the taste where it definitely tastes like black licorice, very interesting.  I've had this one sitting around the house for a while and now I really wish I had bought a rack of it when I found it.  Darn the luck.