Hofstetten Hochzeitsbier von 1810

Brewed by Brauerei Hofstetten - Krammer
Style: Zwickel/Keller/Landbier
St. Martin, Austria

Hazy dark amber pour. Thick beige head and drippy lace. Oak and floral notes. Caramel, toasted malts and light hops.

Draft. Hazy dark amber body atop soft off-white head. Aroma is medium sweet, orange, melon, tea, some yeasty spicy, bread. Taste is medium sweet, caramel, orange/floral, bread, some tea, light spicy. Soft light-medium body.

20090919 Cask at Max’s. Clouded teak color. Aroma of cider vinegar and sourdough. Flavors boozy, doughy, spicy yeast. Astringent, apple cider notes on finish.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Deep amber pour with a thick white head. A little bit hazy. Good looking beer. The nose is a little bit herbal and woody with a bit of light hoppy spiciness. There is a decent bit of bready/crusty maltiness on the back of a nice fresh continental malt flavour. There is a massive, distracting metallic flavour on the back that is brutal. It completely ruins the impression I had. It would have been pretty nice without it, but with it there it’s tough to take.

Poured from a tarry wooden cask at the Blind Tiger. Faintly metallic, thin, fishy aroma. The flavor isn’t so kind, being very metallic, like licking aluminum. Rough caramel notes and not too much else. Very hard to drink. My rating is probably rather generous.

Draft @ Oktoberfest Cask & Keg night, Bavarian Lodge, with tmoreau. Brown color, cloudy; lacy head. Darker than anything passed as an Oktoberfestbier. Rich, malty smell; very little roastiness, but a hearty malt smell with a bit of yeast After the nice sniff, the malts are not so big in the first sip. I’m imagining some Vienna malt, but nothing darker. Sharp, spicy hop note. A very drinkable lager beer, just amped up in flavor without interference from big alcohol. Leaves some stickiness on the lips.

Served from a wooden gravity cask at the Bavarian Lodge Lisle, IL. Arrived later than expected so the first cask offering of the evening was gone, but I caught this one at the right temperature. Poured a hazy, brownish amber with an off white, foamy head that reduced to a film and small ring but left some nice, clingy curtains of lacing. The aroma was rich, biscuity malt, light floral and spice hints, and a moderate, fruit sweetness. The flavor was similar and subtly dry into the finish. A very flavorful lager and readily spoiled my desire to sample any other seasonals that evening. The rare cask presentation made the tasting even more special.

On tap at Birreria Paradiso: Pours a slightly hazy dark copper amber with a clingy-lacing white head. Aroma of sweet toasty German malts and a touch of lager yeasty esters with fresh noble hops. Starts with good malty fullness and some light fruity notes and good noble hop flavor and bitter balance before a crisp bittersweet finish. Full flavored and very true to style.