Schell Maifest

Brewed by August Schell Brewing Company
Style: Heller Bock
New Ulm, Minnesota USA

Copper color. Musty aroma. Rich straw flavor that is a little thin in the middle. Finishes with a sweet end. Pretty traditional german flavor to the brew.

Orange Coloring with White Ring. Malt and Hop Aroma..Very Subtle. Sweet Malt, Caramel...Carbonated...Yeasty and Lightly Heavy with the Alcohol. Fruity. Light Hops. Much Better then Expected. Very Drinkable and Tasty.

Pours a light copper color with foamy white head and a decent amount of carbonation. Aroma is fruity sweet and malty. Flavor is light and smooth with an alcohol finish. A little too sweet and alcohol tasting for my liking. Overall, so so.

Bottle. Clear apricot gold with a healthy off white head. Aromas of sweet malt, alcohol, German hops, and the classic Schell lager yeast. Flaors of sweet malts with an apple, apricot, and banana background and some alcohol warmth, but not too much bite. Just enough hops to keep it from being cloying, with enough grassy character to give the finish a touch of dryness. Full mouthfeel, but easily drinkable. A very tasty and slightly dangerous beer that is right on for the style.

I am a little surprised that I haven’t had this beer yet, having lived in Minnesota since I became a Ratebeerian. Better late than never. Sweet malty aroma with hint of a moderate hop profile. Off-white head is mostly diminishing. Amber body, somewhat hazy. At first sip, my first impression is of alcohol, and at almost 7%, it makes sense. Very malty and sticky sweet, almost the point of being cloying but the hops do a nice job of counteracting. Quite well balanced. This is at least as good as the Summit Maibock. It would be tough to drink a lot of these, but probably not from lack of desire. There is a lot of flavor here. A solid brew. Thanks Vikingbeau.

Whatever your preference, respect this beer as quite representative of its style. Intense, fresh malty aroma. Well-blended fruity malts - and some bitter hops there as well - are blended with the end result approaching a French artisan beer and even something like a Belgian seasonal. Alcohol quite noticeable, especially on the finish; however it may _complement_ this style, because in a heavy-malt beer alcohol can perform the bittering function generally performed by extreme hopping.

Full flavored and full bodied blonde bock. Flavor of malt. Very little in the way of hops. Impressive and one of Schell’s best products.

12 oz bottle; this beer calls itself a doppel, so that’s what I’m expecting... pours clear gold-coppe, minimal head. Lightly smoky, mostly sweet aroma of baked apples, caramel, and a touch of oregano. Alcohol present immediately on the tongue, but not in a bad way; rather, the raspiness of the peppery alcohol balances well the smooth, sugary body and leaves you with a medium-dry, slightly whiskeyish finish. Not amazing, but better than I expected from the atypical appearance.