Kulmbacher - Kapuziner Weiss Biers

Kapuziner Brauerei is the wheat beer or weissbier producing subsidary of Kulmbacher Brauerei.  I've tried all of the other Kulmbacher beers but haven't tried any of the Kapuziner imprint.  Here is what I thought:

Kapuziner Weissbier - This beer pours a cloudy orange with a very generous head that crested the rim of the glass but held it's shape.  The head gradually dissolves, leaving lots of lacing on the sides.  Cloves, spices and fruits dominate the aroma.  The first taste is one of cloves and hints of bananas and orange.  The finish is crisp and clean with a fruity after taste.  A pretty decent weissbier.

Kapuziner Weissbier Dunkel - A dark chocolately brown with a generous beige head that hung around for awhile.  The aroma is of roasted wheat and slightly smoky.  The taste is cloves and bananas and the finish is crisp and clean. Not my favorite dunkel wiesse but not bad either.

Kapuziner Winter Weissbier - This beer pours a dark cloudy orangish brown with a generous beige head that dissolves down to about a finger width.  The aroma is spices and cloves.  The taste is citrus and bananas.  The finish is crisp and clean with hints of spices lingering.  An interesting winter wheat.

Kapuziner Kristall Weisse - This beer pours a clear dark amber with slightly off white head that dissolves quickly leaving lots of lacing on the sides of the glass.  Aroma is cloves and fruits...oranges and bananas?  The taste is more of the same cloves and citrus.  The finish is light and very crisp.  This one was my probably my favorite Kapuziner.

Kulmbacher Gold

The last beer from the Kulmbacher brewery that I'm going to review is the Kulmbacher Gold.  This beer starts off just a little different with it's .33L clear bottle compared to the .5L brown bottles of all it's brewery mates.

It poured  with absolutely no head but plenty of carbonation. The body is the true gold color that gives it it's name.  The aroma of hops assaulted my sniffer as I lifted it for my first drink.  The flavor is hoppy but not overwhelming as suggested by the aroma, other spices war with the hops for predominance.  The finish is slightly sweet and crisp.  I'm still not sure if I like it but it is definitely worth a second bottle.

Kulmbacher Feinmild

Today's beer is the Kulmbacher Feinmild.  It pours with a very delicate head and the body is a pale cloudy gold with lots of tiny bubbles throughout.  The aroma is very mild and almost nonexistent, some of that could be my poor performing sniffer.  The beer goes down smooth and crisp with no overwhelming flavors, maybe just a hint of hops if you savor a mouthful too long.  Not a bad beer, interesting, delicate is the best description that I can give it..

Kulmbacher Lager Hell

Continuing the Sunday/Wednesday beer reviews with the Kulmbacher Lager Hell.  Most of you who read this blog have seen where I've described Helles beers before.  For those who haven't the short of it is that the brewers in Munich in the mid 1800's came up with Helles in response to the Pilsner's developed by their Bohemian neighbors.  Not quite as hoppy and just as golden it's a beer that is still widely served across Bavaria. 

The Kulmbacher Lager Hell is a fine example of the Bavarian style Helles.  A thin white head that lingers and leaves traces on the side of the glass. The color is a cloudy gold with lots of effervescent bubbles that tickle the tongue. A delicate aroma that is more malt than hops.  The beer goes down light with the aforementioned tickle and the taste is one of roasted barley with just a hint of intense hops, but not overwhelming, flavor at the end.  A very pleasing beer.

Kulmbacher Export

Today's beer is the Kulmbacher Export.  Export beers are a pale lager developed in the Ruhr valley region of Germany  as competition to the Czech Pilsner and the Munich Helles, this brewing type also allowed the beers to stay fresher longer and be "exported" further from their breweries.

It pours a very pale golden with about an inch of white foamy head ( I missed it in the picture because Shantel had taken the battery out of the camera to charge.)That leave a fine tracery on the edge of the glass.  Lots of carbonation is visible throughout the body.  The aroma is faintly sweet and the taste is initially malty with a light hops finish.  Not a bad beer but also not one of my favorites.

Kulmbacher Festbier

It's time to start reviewing beers again.  I've decided to start with several beers from the Kulmbacher Braueri from Kulmbach Germany.  The Kulmbacher brand is the premium brand for the Kulmbacher AG group, I'm a big fan of the group's Monschof specialty line and now it's time to try the premium line.

It's fest time in Germany so why not start with the Kulmbacher festbier.  The beer pours with a snow white head that slowly dissipates.  The aroma is one of freshly cut grass.  The flavor is mildly hoppy finishing crisply with just a little bit of an aftertast that lingers.  A fine beer for summer fests or even back yard bbq's.

I am definitely glad to be back in Germany with the ability to drive down to the local Getranke Mart and have my pick of any number of different beers.

Monchshof Weihnachts Bier

This week's Christmas Beer comes from the Kulmbacher Brewery's Monchshof line, the Weihnachts Bier.

This beer pours a clear golden amber with almost no head.  The aroma is light and the subtleties elude my sniffer.  The taste is light and crisp with just a hint of hops and it finishes light and clean.  Not a bad drinking beer.

This was the third Christmas/Winter beer that I've tried and they have all not been what I've expected.  All are crisp and light with clean finishes and virtually no taste of spice.  Most of the Christmas/Winter beers that I've had in the states were all heavy and dark with hints of spices and chocolate.  I don't know if I'm disappointed or confused.  I'm still looking for some more so we'll see what other varieties I dig up.

Monchshof Maingold Landbier

I picked up another variety rack of beer from a brewery, this time it was the Monchshof line from Kulmbacher brewery in Kulmbach, Germany.  Today's review beer is a Landbier.  Landbiers or "country beers" are not a distinct style of their own, rather they are just an easy drinking beer whose characteristics vary from brewery to brewery.  Read more about them here.

The Monchshof Landbier pours a light golden yellow.  I know the picture is a little blurry but check out the head that crests and rises above the glasse.  This is something that I've noticed with German beers but especially with this one, it amazes me that the head doesn't spill over the side, like you get with American mass produced beers.  The aroma is fairly malty and the main flavor is a smoky roasted malt flavor with just a hint bitterness, it doesn't finish as cleanly as I'd like but it's still good.  Not as good as the Veldensteiner Landbier that I had earlier but still pretty good. 

Kulmbacher Radler

Look closely at the picture.  Looks like a beer doesn't it?  Well it is but it isn't.  It's a Radler.  OK so you are wondering what that is, well radler in German means cyclist and a Radler beer is a mixture of carbonated lemonade, sometimes with some limeade, and pilsner.  This mixture is about a 60/40 split.  It's a low alcohol alternative for when you want a beer but don't want too much alcohol , like when you are cycling.  It's also something that you can order in order to give the impression that you are keeping up with your hard drinking German friends, only you and the waitress will know just how big a wuss you are! 

This Radler is from the Kulmbacher brewery and I really like it.  It pours a very very pale yellow and has a decent head, the aroma is one of fresh cut lemons with a hint of lime and the flavor is all lemon/limeade.  If I was able to get out on a long ride this summer I'd definitely be looking for a gasthaus with a Kulmbacher sign out during the ride so I could stop, take a break and enjoy one of these Radlers.

If you want to try one of these are on your own I know there are some breweries in the states that make a Radler.  If you can't find one already mixed then look for carbonated lemonade and use a light beer, Bud Light or Miller Light would work, or find your favorite Pilsner and do a 60% lemonade and 40% beer mixture.  If you can't find carbonated lemonade then use 7-Up or Sprite.