Spezial Ungespundet

Draught at the brewery. Hazy golden with a creamy offwhite head. Faint sweet malts aroma with a hint of hops. sweet maltiness in the lead, dry finish. Good mouthfeel. Above the average lager (but not much more).

Vom fass @ Spezial, Bamberg, Germany.
One of the last beers I got to taste before heading out of this wonderfully picturesque, almost unspoilt town, before continuing south to the states beer capital - München.
Into a stein glass. Hazy, straw-gold in body. Very finely, intermittently carbonated, rising to a half inch of sticky, condensed white foam that held out and laced wildly down the glass. Aroma, like all Kellerbiers, was complex but this one was more definable than others. Damp, mown grass pierced the ol-factories first before waning to reveal some fresh chopped herbs, ripe fresh squeezed lemon and limes, and a waft of gritty, dusty pale malts underneath. In the mouth it is soft but full of life, inkling and entering every corner of the mouth like it owns the palate. A wonderfully gripping base of summer malts settles in first, before some ripe, tart and tight fruits and the sweeter edges of mango and grapefruit make themself comfortable. Body is light but firm and it is rather smooth, even creamy as it heads for the tonsils and then south. A little sour malt shines across the sides of the tongue. In the back it has a depth of spicy, grassy and herbal hop tones that give it a nice bitter, biting edge before it drops off with a long malt and hop swallow that has just a little more fruit. Very quenching stuff. It remains good for the length and seems to get more complex as it warms showing some pine-nuts, pale honey and peat on the tongue that linger well as it goes. Lovely stuff, one to surely bring pale lagers up a notch. A superb Kellerbier.

Draught at the brewery, a cloudy gold with a large think white head. A hoppy aroma, both slightly floral and grassy. A good clean mouthfeel, some yeast with the sweet floral flavours.

Draught @ Spezial. Hay and honeyed malts with a slight grassy edge to the hops. As I drank this became slightly more herbal and almost citric. Well balanced and goes down very nicely.

Draught. Hazy golden colour, small white head. The flavour is citricly fruity with a hint of teaish bonbon. OK bitterness in aftertaste, late and nice. Good mouthfeel.

Draught @ Spezial. Cloudy, golden “U” with a creamy, rocky head. Huge aroma, yeast, some barnyard chalk, unidentifiable funk, wheat. Very dry, very malty, lots of funk and character. Creamy medium body, end bitterness, a mix of sourness and bitterness in the middle. Some chalkiness, slight herbiness. Way too complex for the style. I think this has the potential to be rather bland after a while, but it has good character. Bit of breadiness, too. Layered, just needs a bit more body and a bit more kick. Hoppy end, good, worthy Seidla.

At the brewery tap Creamy, off-white head. Almost no lace. Sligtly hazy, golden body. A fresh aroma of flowers, orange, lemonade, ... There’s a medicine, called lycomucil, that smells like. Very well balanced fruity flavour. Lightly sweet, moderately bitter.

Impressions from the Gaststätte:
-A sticky foam recedes to a ring on the cloudy golden brightness.
-Love handles galore in the mouthfeel, tons of wet hay to bite into, aided by the natural carbonation of course.
-Citrusy cereal are a bit muddled mind you, the mouthfeel is so rich, they must be in awe.
-Finishes pretty softly, with herbal hop flavors and bitterness, although slightly higher levels would have been lovely.
-Not bright enough to stand out amongst the best (in my tastes), but this landbier could not be better balanced and rich. Another high quality product from Spezial.

On tap at the brewery.