Zehendner Mönchsambacher Lagerbier

Café Abseits, Bamberg. Head is mostly diminishing. Body is light to medium yellow. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted grain), lightly hoppy (flowers, herbs). Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately bitter. Light to medium body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation. Nothing special...light and uninteresting.

(bottle) Hazy, pale golden colour with a big blond foamy head. Light-sweet malty aroma, moderately yeasty, subtle fruity (pears, pine apples) with spicy herbal hops. Bitter flavour with light sweet edges, well-carbonated, fresh mouthfeel. Yeasty, slightly fruity taste on a soft malty base with herbal notes; dry and moderately bitter spicy and herbal finish with a yeasty and hoppy bitterness and a balancing malty sweetness. A somewhat rural but also very rounded and pleasant brew.

Originally received a 4.7 from me on 4/15/06. Fanatastically fresh and brought to me by Tim. Outstanding. Loads of solids in the bottle. Crisp hop nature. Grainy malt base, quite heaviyl so. Bready and full, yet light and refreshing. How do they do it? Crisp yes, yet honeyed notes appear every now and then. Fantastic.

Immense is not even an adequate descriptor for the sheer complexity found within. Astonishing would be an understatement for the surprising appearance, just loaded with an inch of sedimentary proteins at the bottom; large coagulated masses that give this the single most startling appearance, while still in the bottle, that I’ve ever encountered. This is a simple unfiltered lager, right? Hardly. A slow pour leaves giant particulates behind, so what flows into the glass is a totally translucent, sparkling golden body with unkempt brassy hues. A thick, cloth-like white head adorns the top for most of the quaff, leaving behind sultry lacing in wide swaths as the glass drains. The nose is so elegant, an ultimately relaxing aromatic wave. Fresh grassy hops, also a touch fruity, lead in the aroma. Light notes of hay, ground cereal grains and strawberry fields follow. The yeast profile, though quite faint, is pristine and as fresh feeling as it typically seems on brew day. Overall the nose is very soft but expresses itself wonderfully and begs another long, contemplative inhalation. The flavor has a crispness and a resounding clarity I long for in a German Kellerbier. Bready notes take center stage and wage quiet battle with sweet caramel for the remainder of the taste for the dim spotlight. Sipping this, or gulping(as I’m inclined to do, it’s absurdly drinkable), is a variational experience of sitting alone in the dark, captivated by a new experience that’s both velvety and sublime. Graininess hinted at in the aroma is more profound here and in the finish, but never cumbersome, only a gentle comb though this oasis of grass. Herb notes join the hop-filled sprinkles that explode across the tongue, dispersing evenly and providing just enough bitterness to scatter a subtly coalescing sweetness. Acidic forays are nowhere to be found, this is unadulterated silkiness. The carbonation is wound up so tightly it could never be mistaken for anything but a natural occurence. The body is light-medium, fuller than beers that have typified the style for me in the past. It’s uncompromisingly smooth, from the first tingle in the nose to the last drop that glides effortlessly down the back of the throat. The finish is glorified by what can only be a mineral composition in the brewing water that is the pinnacle of perfection, at least perfectly suited for this style of brewing, with these specific ingredients. A long and embracing finale leaves lush grassy notes and soft fruits behind, then it’s just a clean feeling that lingers on. A truly marvelous creation. There are better Kellerbiers in Franconia, but they are certainly far between and not found in this hemisphere. I could enjoy this every day, if only it were here for the taking.

On tap at Cafe Abseits, Bamberg, November 2006. Brilliant clear gold colour with a moderate white head. Aroma of hay and grassy hops. It was a bit grainy in the mouth, with some malt sweetness and a grassy hop finish. Excellent.