Beers in retrospect (post number 200)

This is post number 200 on this blog. For two and a half years I have been blogging about "beers, travels and whatever strikes me at the moment". Since then I have visited several bars and pubs and have been drinking a lot of beers from various countries.

Which beers have I been writing about? Well, you can use the tags on the right or scroll down through this post. Here I have sorted the beers after country and brewery. The number attached to the beers is the review number. Number 1 is Hansa bayer from Norway while the last so far is number 267, Left Hand Milk Stout. I have also noted if I have tasted beer from tap, bottles or cans.


AUSTRIA

Bitzinger
245. Opernbräu (draught - April 2011)

Edelweiss
248. Hofbrau Weissbier (bottle - May 2011)
249. Hefetrüb Weissbier (bottle - May 2011)

Gösser
243. Helles (draught - April 2011)

Hubertus
250. Helles (draught - May 2011)

Kaiser
242. Fasstyp (can - April 2011)

Kapsreiter
254. Landbier (bottle - May 2011)

Ottakringer
241. Helles (can - April 2011) (draught - May 2011)
246. Rotes Zwickl (draught - April 2011)

Puntigamer
244. Panther (draught - April 2011)

Schwarzenberg
247. Helles (draught - April 2011)

Stiegl
240. Bier (can - April 2011)

Wieselburger
255. Gold (can - May 2011)

Zipfer
251. Medium (can - May 2011)
252. Urtyp (can - May 2011)
253. Märzen (bottle - May 2011)

BELGIUM

Jupiler39. Jupiler (draught - September 2009)

Palm
70. Palm (draught - December 2009)

Stella Artois
40. Stella Artois (draught - September 2009)

Westmalle
263. Tripel (bottle - May 2011)

CZECH REPUBLIC

Bašta
105. Světlý ležák (draught - March 2010)

Bernard
16. Lager (bottle - April 2009)
118. Sváteční ležák (bottle - May 2010)

Budvar (Czech Budweiser)
20. Světlý Výčepní (bottle - April 2009)
44. Kroužkovaný ležák (draught - October 2009)
120. Dark lager (bottle - May 2010)

Černa Hora
55. Moravský Sklepní Nefiltrované (draught - November 2009)
180. Velen weizen (draught - December 2010)

Chotěboř
127. Světlý ležák (draught - May 2010)

Dalešice
56. Kvasnicove (draught - November 2009)

Ferdinand
106. Sedm kulí (draught - March 2010)
107. Světlý ležák (draught - March 2010)

Gambrinus
15. Gambrinus Světlý (bottle - April 2009)

Janáček
128. Světlý ležák (draught - May 2010)

Ježek
62. Světlý ležák (draught - November 2009)

Kácov
179. Světlý Ležák (draught - December 2010)

Klášter
45. Světlý ležák 11° (draught - October 2009)
121. Světlý ležák 12° (bottle - May 2010)

Kocour
175. Rauchbier (draught - December 2010)

Kout na Šumavě
28. 10° golden lager (draught - July 2009) (draught - October 2009) (draught - March 2010)
29. 12° golden lager (draught - July 2009)
30. 14° dark lager (draught - July 2009)
31. 18° dark lager (draught - July 2009)

Krušovice
235. Mušketýr (can - April 2011)
236. Imperial (bottle - April 2011)
237. Černe (bottle - April 2011)

Lobkowicz
119. Premium (bottle - May 2010)

Lochota
129. Polotmave (draught - May 2010)

Opat
64. Pepper beer (draught - November 2009)
65. Bitter (draught - November 2009)

Pegas
57. Světlý lezak (draught - November 2009)
58. Weizen (draught - November 2009)

Pernstejn
122. Pardubický Porter (bottle - May 2010)

Pilsner Urquell
14. Pilsner Urquell (can - April 2009) (draught - November 2009) (can - April 2010)

Pivovarsky Dum
110. Štěpán Světlý Ležák (draught - April 2010)

Pivovarský Dvůr Chýně
130. Světlý Ležák (draught - June 2010)
131. Polotmave (draught - June 2010)

Polička43. Záviš světlý ležák kvasnicove (draught - October 2009)
53. Otakar světlý ležák kvasnicove (draught - October 2009)
176. Eliška (draught - December 2010)

Postřižinské
102. Nymburk Světlý Ležák (draught - March 2010)

Pražský most u Valšu
103. Světlý Ležák (draught - March 2010)

Primátor
63. Stout (draught - November 2009)
143. Premium lager (bottle - September 2010)

Purkmistr
108. Světlý Ležák (draught - April 2010)
109. Polotmave (draught - April 2010)
123. Dark lager (bottle - May 2010)
124. Pisar weizen (bottle - May 2010)

Regent
111. Prezident (draught - April 2010)

Rohozek
66. Skalak světlý ležák (draught - November 2009)

Rychtář
126. Natur (draught - May 2010)
177. 12° Světlý Ležák (draught - December 2010)
238. 14° Světlý Ležák (draught - April 2011)

Starobrno
17. Lager (bottle - April 2009) (draught - November 2009)

Staropramen
18. Dark lager (bottle - April 2009)
152. Pale lager (draught - October 2010)

Strakonický
233. Dudák dark lager (draught - April 2011)

Svijany
42. Kvasničák (draught - October 2009)
54. Kníže (draught - November 2009)
125. Svijanský Rytíř (bottle - May 2010)
234. Maz (draught - April 2011)

Tambor
178. Světlý Ležák (draught - December 2010)

U Fleků
104. Flekovský Tmavý Ležák (draught - March 2010)

U Medvídků
59. Oldgott Barique (draught - November 2009)
60. 1466 (draught - November 2009)
61. X33 (draught - November 2009)

Velkopopovický Kozel
36. Dark lager (bottle - September 2009)

DENMARK

Brewpub
171. Brewster pale ale (draught - December 2010)
172. Red Xmas (draught - December 2010)

Carlsberg
26. Carlsberg lager (Norwegian version) (can - June 2009) (draught - February 2011)
98. Jacobsen Saaz Blonde (bottle - February 2010)
101. Jacobsen Extra (bottle - February 2010)
133. Extra Cold (draught - July 2010)
169. Carl's Special (bottle - December 2010)
257. Copenhagen (bottle - May 2011)

Harboe
151. Pilsner (bottle - October 2010)

Herslev
259. Hvedeøl (bottle - May 2011)

Mikkeler195. Beer Geek Bacon (bottle - January 2011)
262. Beer Geek Breakfast (draught - May 2011)
266. Green Gold (draught - May 2011)

Nørrebro
260. New York Lager (bottle - May 2011)

Tuborg
168. Juleøl (Norwegian version) (can - December 2010)
170. Juleøl (bottle - December 2010)
173. Grøn Tuborg (draught - December 2010)
174. Classic (draught - December 2010)

FRANCE

Fischer
41. Fischer (bottle - September 2009)

Kronenbourg
97. 1664 (bottle - February 2010)

GERMANY

Beck's
189. Bier (can - January 2011)

Bitburger
139. Pils (draught - August 2010)

Erdinger
72. Weissbier (bottle - December 2009) (draught - January 2010)
73. Champ (bottle - December 2009)74. Weissbier Dunkel (bottle - December 2009)
167. Schneeweisse (bottle - December 2010)

Hofbräuhaus
150. HB Original (draught - October 2010)

König
148. König Pilsener (can - October 2010)

Nobelaner
146. Nobelaner 2.8 (can - October 2010)

Paulaner
75. Hefe-Weissbier (bottle - December 2009) (draught - July 2010)
156. Oktoberfestbier (bottle - November 2010)

Pinkus
232. Hefe Weizen (bottle - March 2011)

Schlenkerla
13. Ächt Schlenkerla Märzen Rauchbier (bottle - April 2009)

Spaten
157. Oktoberfestbier (bottle - November 2010)

Weihenstephaner
216. Vitus Weizenbock (bottle - March 2011)
259. Hefe Weissbier (bottle - May 2011)

Weltenburger Kloster
158. Festbier (bottle - November 2010)

IRELAND

Guinness
49. Stout (can - October 2009) (draught - January 2010)

Kilkenny
85. Kilkenny (draught - January 2010)

Murphy's
212. Stout (draught - March 2011)

ITALY

Birra Moretti
39. Birra Moretti (bottle - September 2009)

Peroni
37. Nastro Azzurro (bottle - September 2009)
38. Peroni (bottle - September 2009)

LITHUANIA

Švyturys
100. Švyturys Ekstra (bottle - February 2010) (bottle - November 2010)

THE NETHERLANDS

Amstel
264. Pulse (bottle - May 2011)

Heineken
69. Heineken 0 degrees (draught - December 2009)
71. Wieckse Witte (draught - December 2009)

NORWAY

Aass
48. Gourmet Stout (can - October 2009)
82. Juleøl Premium 2009 (bottle - January 2010)

Atna
162. Nakenbad (bottle - November 2010)
163. Stabbursøl (bottle - November 2010)
187. Øl til julemat (bottle - January 2011)

E. C. Dahls
134. Pilsner (draught - July 2010)

Frydenlund
25. Bayer (draught - June 2009) (can - March 2011)
186. Juleøl (can - January 2011)

Grans
52. Bare jul 2009 (can - October 2009)
166. Julebrygg (bottle - December 2010)

Hansa
1. Bayer (can - December 2008)
5. Juleøl 2008 (bottle - January 2009)
53. Juleøl 4,7% 2009 (can - October 2009)
80. Juleøl 2009 (bottle - January 2010)
112. Fatøl (can - April 2010)
165. Juleøl 4,7% 2010 (can - December 2010)
185. Julebrygg 6,5% 2010 (bottle - January 2011)
188. Premium (can - January 2011)

Haandbryggeriet
33. Pale Ale (draught - September 2009)
68. Norse porter (draught - November 2009)
79. Nissefar 2009 (bottle - January 2010)
132. Hesjeøl (draught - June 2010)
161. Nissefar 2010 (bottle - November 2010)
200. Farewell Ale (bottle - January 2011)
221. India Pale Ale Southern Cross (bottle - March 2011)
222. Dark Force (bottle - March 2011)

Kinn
78. Pilegrim pale ale (draught - December 2009)
117. Svart hav (draught - April 2010)
141. Vestkyst IPA (draught - August 2010) (bottle - May 2011)
183. Julefred (draught - January 2011)
194. Jubileum (draught - January 2011)
229. Dampen Steam Beer (bottle - March 2011)
258. Slåtteøl (bottle - May 2011)
261. Manna (draught - May 2011)

Lade Gaards Brygghus
113. Pilsner (bottle - April 2010)
224. Mørk lager (bottle - March 2011)

Mack
34. Arctic Beer (draught - September 2009) (can - March 2011)
35. Bayer (draught - September 2009)
81. Juleøl Sterkøl 2009 (bottle - January 2010)
206. Haakon (draught - February 2011) (can - March 2011)
207. Pilsner (can - March 2011)
208. Høstøl (can - March 2011)
209. Mørketidsøl (can - March 2011)

Naboen
2. Bayer (draught - January 2009)

Nordlandsbryggeriet
27. Nordlandspils (can - June 2009) (draught - September 2009)

Nøgne Ø
4. India Pale Ale (bottle - January 2009) (draught - March 2011)
19. God påske (draught - April 2009)
22. Imperial Stout (draught - May 2009)
32. Blonde (draught - September 2009)
47. Havrestout (bottle - October 2009)
50. Imperial Stout (bottle - October 2009)
76. God jul 2009 (bottle - December 2009)
83. Pale ale (bottle - January 2010)
84. Bitter (bottle - January 2010)
86. #100 (bottle - January 2010)
93. Brown ale (bottle - January 2010)
95. Wit (bottle - February 2010)
140. Two Captains IPA (draught - August 2010)
159. Special Holiday Ale 2010 (bottle - November 2010)
160. God jul 2010 (bottle - November 2010) (draught - December 2010)
164. Julesnadder (draught - December 2010)
201. Imperial India Pale Ale (bottle - January 2011)
202. Kjell Pop Single Hop (draught - February 2011)
225. Porter (draught - March 2011)
226. Sunturnbrew (bottle - March 2011)
256. StUten (bottle - May 2011)

Ringnes
3. Bayersk lager (can - January 2009)
6. Juleøl 2008 (bottle - January 2009)
24. Pilsener (can - June 2009) (draught - January 2010)
51. Juleøl 4,5% 2009 (can - October 2009)
114. Skjærgårdspils (can - April 2010)
115. Classic (can - April 2010)
231. Platinum (can - March 2011)

Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri
203. [aj pi ej] (draught - February 2011)
204. Batch #10: Vinterøl (draught - February 2011)

Trondhjems mikrobryggeri
87. Porter (draught - January 2010)
88. Bitter (draught - January 2010)
89. Stout (draught - January 2010)
90. Amber (draught - January 2010)
91. Bayer (draught - January 2010)
92. India Pale Ale (draught - January 2010)
137. Sommerøl (draught - August 2010)
138. Pale Ale (draught - August 2010)

Waldemars
219. Brown Ale (draught - March 2011)
220. Hveteøl (draught - March 2011)

Ægir
67. India Pale Ale (draught - November 2009) (bottle - February 2010) (draught - August 2010)
77. Juleøl (draught - December 2009)
116. Påskesol (draught - April 2010) (bottle - April 2011)
154. Rakfiskøl (draught - November 2010)
182. Rallar (draught - January 2011)
184. Julebrygg (draught - January 2011)
198. Sumbel porter (bottle - January 2011)
199. Harvest Ale (bottle - January 2011)
210. Bøyla blonde ale (bottle - March 2011)
211. Natt Imperial Porter (bottle - March 2011)
223. Tors Hammer Barleywine (bottle - March 2011)
227. Brime Red Lager (bottle - March 2011)
239. Hefeweizen (draught - April 2011)

SLOVAKIA

Steiger
46. Světlý ležák (draught - October 2009)

SPAIN

Cruzcampo
11. Cruzcampo - (draught - April 2009)

Dorada
8. Dorada (can - April 2009)

Estrella Damm
12. Estrella Damm (draught - April 2009)

San Miguel
9. San Miguel (draught - April 2009)
10. San Miguel Especial (draught - April 2009)

Tropical
7. Tropical (can - April 2009)

SWEDEN

Falcon
145. Falcon 2.8 (can - October 2010)

Norrland
144. Norrlands Guld (draught - September 2010)

Oppigård
155. Indian Tribute IPA (draught - November 2010)

Småland
190. Småland 5.2 (can - January 2011)

Spendrup
147. Premium Gold 3.5 (can - October 2010)

Zeunert
191. Zeunert (bottle - January 2011)

Åbro
149. Bryggmästarens 5.7 (can - October 2010)

UNITED KINGDOM

Belhaven
135. Twistle Thistle IPA (bottle - July 2010)

Brakspear
215. Oxford Gold (bottle - March 2011)

BrewDog
94. Rip Tide (bottle - February 2010)
99. Punk IPA (bottle - February 2010) (draught - November 2010)
153. 5 AM Sain (draught - November 2010)
196. '77 Lager (draught - January 2011)
217. Trashy Blonde (bottle - March 2011)
230. Nanny State (bottle - March 2011)

Fuller's
192. ESB (bottle - January 2011)

Harvieston
23. Schiehallion lager (bottle - May 2009)

Innis & Gunn
193. Original beer (bottle - January 2011)

Marston
181. Oyster Stout (draught - January 2011)

Newcastle
21. Newcastle Brown Ale (bottle - April 2009)

Old Speckeled Hen
197. Old Speckeled Hen (draught - January 2011)

Samuel Smith
218. Nut Brown Ale (bottle - March 2011)

St. Austell
228. Proper Job (bottle - March 2011)

UNITED STATES

Anchor
213. Steam Beer (bottle - March 2011)

Brooklyn
142. Lager (bottle - September 2010)
205. Brown Ale (bottle - February 2011)

Coors
214. Light (bottle - March 2011)

Goose Island
96. India Pale Ale (bottle - February 2010)

Left Hand
267. Milk Stout (draught - May 2011)

Samuel Adams
136. Boston Lager (draught - July 2010)

Sierra Nevada
265. Pale Ale (bottle - May 2011)

Two beers upstairs

Henrik is one of the better places to drink beer in Bergen. The pub is situated on the first floor in a building near the theatre, and it is near other local beer temples like Baran, Naboen and Kontoret.

Of course you can find pale lagers, Guinness and Kilkenny at Henrik, but I prefer drinking beers from the three Nøgne Ø taps. Usually you never know what to find, but you can count on that it is at least one excellent beer. Sometimes there are three Nøgne Ø beers, and at other times there are some beers imported to Norway by Nøgne Ø.

Mikkeller Green Gold is one such beer. It is an IPA brewed by the Danish brewery. In the glass the beer looks fine with a cloudy colour and a solid head. There is grapefruit and some grass in the nose, while I feel grapefruit and apples in the mouth before a bitter finish. This is a lovely IPA.

Left Hand Milk Stout is nearly black beer with a little head and nearly no carbonation. In the nose there is a touch of coffee, and the coffee is also present in the mouth with some caramel and a touch of sweetness. The finish is partly bitter. The stout is fine, but I guess I would rather have had another glass of Mikkeller Green Gold than this beer.

A bunch of import beers

Mikkeler is one of the most popular Danish craft breweries. Mikkeler Beer Geek Breakfast is a beer brewed for Mikkeler at Nøgne Ø in Norway. It is a dark beer with some carbonation and a medium sized head. In the nose there is coffee, while I feel coffee, roasted nuts and some cocoa in the mouth. The finish is bitter with a touch of cold coffee. This is a lovely beer.

Westmalle is one of the Belgian trappist breweries. The Westmalle Tripel beer has 9.5% alcohol, and it is cloudy with a medium sized head. There is nearly no carbonation. In the nose there are fruits, some flowers and malts. I feel malts, sweetness, some peach and a touch of yeast before a partly sour and bitter finish. It is a nice beer.

Amstel Pulse is a Dutch pale lager. I drank the beer from the bottle. In the nose there was some malts, while in the mouth this was a watery beer. It had some sweetness before a tiny touch of hops in the finish. This was a boring pale lager that it is easy to avoid. There are loads of better lager beers around than Amstel Pulse.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a golden, but somewhat cloudy beer in the glass. It has some carbonation and a medium sized head. I feel citrus and grass in the nose. In the mouth grapefruit is dominating before a semi bitter finish. This is another lovely beer.

Another Kinn beer

While in Bergen, I normally visit Naboen now and then. The pub in the cellar has a nice selection of craft beers at any time, and draught beers from breweries like Nøgne Ø and Haandbryggeriet are always available. This is also the only pub in Bergen to offer beers from Kinn brewery from tap.

One of Kinn's newest beers is called Manna. This is a stout with a lower alcohol content than the brewery's other stout, Svart Hav. In the glass Kinn's Manna is a black beer with a small head and barely no carbonation. In the nose there is some cold coffee. In the mouth this is a watery beer with some coffee and a touch of caramel. I feel this is a boring beer, and it is one of the less interesting beers from the little brewery.

Two wheat beers and a lager

Weihenstephaner is one of my favourite wheat beers. As frequent readers of this blog know, I usually buy Paulaner weizen when I am in a wheat beer mood, but Weihenstephaner is a good alternative for me as both beers are easy to find at Vinomonpolet outlets in Norway. Erdinger wheat beers are also common in Norway, but I tend to avoid these as they are less tasty and feel more watery.

For some reason I have never reviewed Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier on this blog, so I choose to write about it together with two Danish beers that are new on the Norwegian market. In the glass Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier seems very clear for a wheat beer with yeast. In the nose there is banana and grains. The beer tastes of grains, banana and cloves before a partly sour finish. This is a delicious weizen!

Then the turn has come for Herslev Bryghus Hvedeøl from Denmark. This beer has the typical cloudy look for a wheat beer. The beer has a lot of carbonation. In the nose I feel banana and some pineapple. In the mouth there is banana and some spices. I recognise some cloves before a semi bitter finish. Herslev's wheat beer is a very nice effort, but I prefer Weihenstephaner.

Last but not least is Nørrebro New York Lager. This is a beer with some carbonation and a medium sized head. The beer is nearly copper coloured. In the nose there is grapefruit and some grains. The taste is of some grapefruit and a hint of toffee before a watery finish. The beer is nice, but I would like to have a Brooklyn lager instead. Or perhaps a Samuel Adams Boston lager.

Bottled Kinn

The little Kinn brewery from Florø in western Norway is brewing several interesting beers at the moment. Kinn's beers can be found on tap in a few selected pubs in Norway, while beer bottles are available at better stocked pubs. Until lately shops selling beers from Kinn were very scarce, and a visitor to Norway would usually not find any Kinn beers. That has changed as of May 2011. Now some Vinmonopolet outlets sell three of Kinn's beers. These three beers are called Bøvelen, Slåtteøl and Vestkyst. The three beers can also be ordered through any Vinmonopolet shop.

I bought two of the Kinn beers, and started trying Slåtteøl. Like all Kinn beers, Slåtteøl is sold in a nostalgic 0.75 litre bottle. The beer is expensive, and a bottle costs nearly 100 NOK, which is about 11 GBP. According to the label, Slåtteøl is inspred by Belgian farm beers. In the glass this is a cloudy beer with much carbonation and a very large head. In the nose there is fruit and yeast. The taste is dominated by an assorted fruit salad with some grains before a bitter finish. The beer is very nice, and I feel it is a fine effort from Kinn.

Kinn Vestkyst is a beer I have tried several times as a draught beer. Vestkyst is a copper coloured IPA with some carbonation and a large head. In the nose there is grapefruit and some pears. In the mouth grapefruit dominate with some apples and lemons before a partly bitter finish. This is a delicious IPA, and it is one I can recommend.

Denmark's best?

There is something fishy when Carlsberg advertises a new beer, calls it Copenhagen and brews it in Lithuania. Anyway, Copenhagen is a bottled pale lager with a medium sized head. I feel more or less no aroma from the beer, and in the mouth there is a hint of malts. Otherwise this is a boring beer without taste.

From the bottle design, this seems to be a beer competing in the market with Mexican lagers like Sol or Corona. The Copenhagen beer is not my cup of tea, so I guess this is the last and only time I buy it. There are better pale lagers out there, and some of them are even brewed by the Carlsberg brewery group.

Non-alcoholic delight?

The Norwegian Nøgne Ø brewery has been promoting their StUten beer for some time. This is a stout. The catch is that it is a non-alcoholic stout.

But how does it taste? Very good, actually! The beer is black without carbonation and with a medium sized head. In the nose I feel tobacco and some coffee. The tobacco is very present in the mouth with a touch of cold coffee and a tiny bit of grains. This is not a full bodied beer, but it is filling without being watery. It is very good non-alcoholic beer, and it is one I prefer to for instance Clausthaler or the Norwegian Munkholm. Even BrewDog's Nanny State and the Czech Birell is no competition. Nøgne Ø's StUten is a great beer!

More Austrian lagers

Pale lagers in bottles, cans and from tap are the norm in Austria. Sure, other beer styles are available, but pale lagers called helles, pils and märzen seem to be the most popular beers.

Kapsreiter brewery is based in Schärding am Inn. The Kapsreiter Landbier has one of those nice retro swing top bottles. In the glass this is another average pale lager with some carbonation and a little head. The nose is malty, and the taste is very sweet with a touch of malts before a finish with a touch of vodka. This was not my favourite beer, and it was way too sweet.

Wieselburger Gold is a pale lager with some carbonation and a medium sized head. There is nearly no aroma from this beer. In the mouth I feel malts, sweetness and a watery finish. This is another boring lager from the Austrian brewery, which also sells beer under the Kaiser label.

A Zipfer trio

The beers from the Zipfer brewery seem to be available in most supermarkets in Vienna. Zipfer is based in the Austrian city Neukirchen an der Vöckla, and it is owned by Heineken. During my stay in Austria I bought four different Zipfer beers. One of them, Zipfer Radler, is the brewery's take on shandy. I felt the beer/lemonade cocktail was refreshing, but I will not go into detail on that beer. Instead I will focus on the three others: Zipfer Urtyp, Zipfer Medium and Zipfer Märzen.

Zipfer Medium is a version of Zipfer Urtyp with a lower alcohol content. The beer has 3% alcohol and is a pale, fizzy lager. There was nearly no aroma from this beer. In the mouth malts were dominating before a watery finish. The beer was quite alright at this alcohol strength, but I felt that it is not a must buy-product.

Zipfer Urtyp had nearly no carbonation and a medium sized head. This pale lager has 5.4% alcohol and a nose of sweetness and grains. In the mouth there is malts, grains and a touch of lemon before a sweet finish with more lemon. This was a very good pale lager that I would have liked even more with a less sweet taste.

I tried Zipfer Märzen from bottle. This is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol. The beer had some carbonation and a medium sized head. There was nearly no aroma from the beer, and in the mouth malts took the lead combined with some sweetness. Zipfer Märzen is an average pale lager, and of these three I prefer the Urtyp pale lager.

Zwei helles, bitte!

Spring can be warm in Vienna. As I was coming from a meeting, the thermometer showed more than 20 Centigrades. It was hot being on tram number 71, and I had more than an hour before my next appointment. Just before the Rennweg tram stop I saw several pubs. Obey your thirst, a commercial for a soft drink told us once upon a time. I did that. I jumped off the tram and entered the taproom advertising a beer I had not tried before. It was Hubertus.

Gasthaus Binder was a place for both a meal and some beverages. I was not hungry, so I went for the beer option. Being in Vienna, I asked the waiter for a large glass of pale lager, helles.

The helles arrived, and to my astonishment I was not given a half litre of Hubertus. Instead, a glass of Ottakringer helles was there to take care of my thirst. The Ottakringer helles is by no means a bad beer. In the glass it is a pale lager with some carbonation and a medium sized head. The aromas were fruity with a touch of grains. In the mouth I felt more fruits. Then there was a somewhat bitter finish. I liked the beer, and it was a nice pale lager for a thirsty person.

I was ready for another beer, as the Ottakringer helles went down in a few minutes. I asked for another helles from another brewery. This time a helles from the Hubertus brewery appeared. The brewery's logo is very nice. The first time I saw it I thought of the Jägermeister logo, which is alike.

In the glass the Hubertus helles was very fizzy. It was a pale lager with a large head. The nose was malty, but there was not that much taste from the beer. I felt some apples and a touch of malts before a watery finish.

My visit to Gasthaus Binder was short and enjoyable. The friendly bartender spoke an Austro-German dialect that was difficult to understand, but he did a great job serving me. There were more draught beers on sale, but I had not time to check them out. But perhaps next time in Vienna?

Austrian wheat beers

There are several breweries in Austria making good weissbier. One of them is the Edelweiss brewery. The brewery's slogan is "Alpenfrischer Genuss", which can be translated into English as "fresh enjoyment from the Alps".

In a supermarket in Vienna I found two wheat beers from the brewery, and of course I took some bottles back to the hotel room. I first tried Edelweiss Hofbräu. The beer was cloudy with aromas of banana. The banana was very assertive in the mouth with a bready touch. I liked this wheat beer a lot, and I would like to try it again head to head with excellent German weizens like Paulaner and Weihenstephaner.

Then it was time for Edelweiss Hefetrüb. This was another beer with much banana in the nose. There was nearly no carbonation, and it had a medium sized head. In the mouth I felt some banana and bread before a watery finish. Edelweiss Hefetrüb is a nice wheat beer, but Edelweiss Hofbräu is the better and tastier choice.

During a visit to a pub in the city centre of Vienna I tried another wheat beer. I have forgotten the name of the pub, but it offered a wheat beer from the Zwickl brewery. This cloudy wheat beer was far from fizzy and had a decent, medium sized head. The nose had aromas of bread and banana. In the mouth I felt bread and yeast before a finish with a touch of banana. Zwickl weizen was another nice wheat beer, but I felt that the Edelweiss Hofbräu was the best of these three beers.

Two brewpubs in Vienna

There are many pubs and taprooms in Vienna. If you want a beer, it is easy to find somewhere to drink. Among the pubs there are also several brewpubs spread around the Austrian capital.

One of the brewpubs is the 1516 Brewing Company. It is based in Schwarzenbergstraße street in the city centre. If you take the tram to Schwarzenbergplatz, it is just a short walk to the brewpub. I was visiting the 1516 Brewing Company on an evening in April. It was a soccer game on the screens, and the place was packed. There was nowhere to sit down, so I decided to leave the brewpub for now.

Instead I went into the nearby Schellinggasse street, which also has a brewpub. The screens in the Schwarzenberg Stadtbrauerei also showed soccer, but there were several places to sit down. I guess Schwarzenberg Stadtbrauerei is not as popular as the 1516 Brewing Company among the local soccer crowd.

It was time for a beer, so I ordered a Schwarzenberg Helles. It was one of five draught beers on offer. They also sold a dark beer (Dunkles), a wheat beer and a honey beer. If you like a mix of pale and dark beer, a G'mischtes was also available.

Schwarzenberg Helles must be considered another decent pale lager. In the glass it had nearly no carbonation and a large head. It had an aroma with a touch of malts, and in the mouth I felt more malts, some bread and some bitterness. It was a nice lager, and I felt it was a great session beer for Summer.

I should have tried some of the other beers at Schwarzenberg Stadtbrauerei, but the helles was more than good enough that evening. After another half litre of helles, I left the brewpub in a good mood.