Tag Archives: Paulaner

Hacker-Pschorr Hubertus Bock and Sternweisse

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I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Barbara Degnan, the international director of sales for the Paulaner brewery in Munich. Paulaner is also the brewer of the Hacker-Pschorr brand. Over a delightful breakfast at The Freehouse she filled me in on some of the things Paulaner has been up to, including the release of four new-to-the-US beers.

Like so many breweries in the United States, Paulaner is having a hard time keeping up with demand. Work on a new and larger brewery in Munich is nearly complete. It was important that the brewery be situated within the city limits so that the beer could still be served at Oktoberfest. The new brewery is a testament to the importance of water in the brewing process. Paulaner is laying pipe beneath the streets of Munich to bring water from the old location to the new. This might say something about the importance of beer to the Bavarians as well.

Import brands are also not immune to the vagaries of the current US beer market. Just like with American brewers, constant innovation is a must to keep brands front and center in the minds of consumers. With this in mind, Paulaner is bringing in four new, limited-release, Hacker-Pschorr brands spread seasonally through the year. Only 320 kegs of each will be available nationwide. Packaged beer will come in eye-catching, half-liter, swing-top bottles. While these beers aren’t new to the brewery, they are new to the US. The first, Hubertus Bock will be available in March. This will be followed by Sternweisse, Festbier, and Animator Doppelbock.

Hubertus Bock is a blond bock beer that comes in at 6.3% ABV. It’s described by the brewery as having a “robust maltiness, and a well-balanced, slightly sweet hoppy finish.” Sternweisse – which translates as “wheat star” – is a full-bodied, unfiltered, hefeweizen that is a bit darker than the well known Hacker-Pschorr wheat. I had the opportunity to sample both.

Here’s my notes:

Hubertus BockHubertus Bock
Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH, Munich, Germany
Style: Blond Bock
Serving Style: 16.9 oz. bottle

Aroma: Bread and lightly toasted bread crust come even before I raise the glass to my nose. Malt dominates, but spicy hops nearly balance – licorice, mint, lemon, hints of currant and cat. Brisk and refreshing.

Appearance: Deep gold and brilliantly clear. Full head of just off-white foam. Excellent retention. Falls slowly into a dense, creamy cap.

Flavor: Like the aroma, malt is on top. Rich, with medium-low sweetness. Bread and light bread-crust flavors. Hints of honey. Hops bring spicy edge of black pepper, with undertones of blackberry. Bitterness is medium to medium-high and is accentuated by the high degree of attenuation. Finishes dry and crisp. Some alcohol is noticeable and lingers into finish along with honeyed bread and spices.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Mouth filling. Warming. Medium carbonation. Creamy.

Overall Impression: Big, but still delicate. Has the feel of a beer slightly bigger than its 6.3% ABV, and yet remains light and refreshing. This would be equally at home with roasted game hens or honey-dripping baklava. Why is my bottle empty?!!?

SternweisseSternweisse
Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH, Munich, Germany
Style: Hefeweizen
Serving Style: 16.9 oz bottle

Aroma: Sharp, wheaty malt. Orange/lemony citrus acidity. Yeast. Bread dough. Banana and clove yeast character is subtle overall, but leans more to the spicy than the fruity. Light floral hops.

Appearance: Medium amber/orange. Nearly to dunkelweizen darkness. Quite cloudy. Opaque. Full stand of mousse-like, off white foam. Excellent retention.

Flavor: Flavor follows on the aroma. Bread crust carries over and is delightfully prominent. Subtle caramel. Yeast character is again subtle and leans to clove and spice, with banana in a supporting role. Bright, lemony acidity grabs the middle of the tongue and stays into the finish. Bitterness is medium-low, but high attenuation gives the beer a sharpness. Refreshing and crisp. Finish is very dry and lingers on lemon, wheat, and clove.

Mouthfeel: Medium to medium-light body. Pillowy and mouth filling. Some puckering acidity. Very high carbonation – effervescent.

Overall Impression: Outstanding! Delightful, citrusy wheat. I love the bright, lemony overtones. This falls somewhere between a hefeweizen and a dunkelweizen. Nice summer patio beer, but enough dark depth to be pretty darn good on a winter evening as well. Wish I had another bottle.

Paulaner Wiesn Blonde – The Real Oktoberfest Beer?

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It’s September and in the beer world that means Oktoberfest beers start to appear in stores and bars. While it may seem strange that October beer would come out in September, bear in mind that the Munich Oktoberfest ends on the first Sunday of October. Most of it happens in September.

Any beer fan knows what Oktoberfest beers are. Amber-colored lagers with rich caramel/melanoidin malt, moderate bitterness to balance, and spicy European hop character. But was Oktoberfest beer always like this? Is the beer poured every year in the tents on the Theresienwiese the same amber lager that we in the US enjoy at this time of year?

Look at photos from the real Oktoberfest and the beer being served in liter mugs has a distinctly golden color, not amber. The “fest” beer served up by the millions of gallons during the sixteen day celebration is in fact a blond lager, not the amber märzen style beer that we all know. Beer writer Lew Bryson has written a nice article about this here.

This blond Oktoberfest beer is brewed to legal specifications regarding alcohol content and body. Some have said that the fest beers have always been blond. I find this difficult to believe, as the first Oktoberfest took place in 1810, but the brewers in Bohemia didn’t invent Pilsner, arguably the first golden-colored lager, until 1842. A better explanation is that sometime in the late 20th century the beer served at the annual festival was lightened to appeal to changing tastes.

Whatever the case, the authentic blond lager of Oktoberfest has never been available in this country.  That is changing this year. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the fest, Paulaner is releasing a limited amount of Wiesn Blonde to the US. The “Wiesn” in this case refers to the Theresienwiese or “Theresa Medow” that has been the site of the Oktoberfest since the beginning. Wiesn Blonde will be available in certain markets in one-liter cans. I don’t know if Minnesota is one of those markets. But you will have the opportunity to try this unique beer on draft at all Old Chicago locations. The chain has secured exclusive rights to draft service for this beer (at least for a time) and will be launching it today (September 8th).

I was invited to the Roseville store for a tasting yesterday afternoon. This is a very nice beer. Think of it as a big version of a Munich Helles style lager. Not a huge imperialized helles, just a helles that is a couple of percentage points ABV bigger than normal with an accompanying boost in richness and body: not quite a maibock but bigger than a helles. It pours a light golden color with a moderate white head. The flavor showcases big, sweet, grainy malt with overtones of fresh bread. There are even some raisiny fruit notes in there. As befits a helles, it is moderately hopped, with spicy European hop flavors allowing the malt to shine. Alcohol makes its presence know, but in a subtle, sweet way. The whole thing ends with a bone-dry finish. Wiesn Blonde is a clean, smooth, easy-to-drink lager with a bit of a kick.

If you want to be among the first to try this beer, head to Old Chicago this evening. Celebration kick-off times may vary from location to location, so be sure to check before you go. At the Roseville location festivities start at 6:00. Along with the beer, World Beer Tour members can partake in a German buffet featuring brats, potato salad, and other typical fest-foods.

Wiesn Blonde is also included in an eight-beer Oktoberfest Mini-tour. Sample all eight beers and you walk away with a T-shirt for your trouble. The mini-tour selection is a grab-bag mix of some great beers and some not-so-great ones. The best of the bunch are Wiesn Blonde, Ayinger Oktoberfest-Märzen, Spaten Lager, and Franziskaner Hefeweizen. Be sure to do a side by side tasting of the three Oktoberfest beers included (Ayinger, Sam Adams, and Becks).