Schneider Weisse – Let's Learn Beer!

a fitting name

por Ceit
junio 24, 2023julio 16, 2023

What kind of hellhole is developing? One that’s a little less infernal than last year’s, but uncomfortable nevertheless. It’s a good excuse to drift into the light lane, remember the most important influence on beer history, and enjoy a good German beer. Schneider Weisse is always a name to keep in mind, although not in the same craft category as, say, Ratsherrn or Frau Gruber. The beer is quality, the respect for tradition as well as innovation is present, and damn if that’s not a fine looking bottle!

It certainly looks the part in terms of color and head. It’s slightly cloudy, so definitely weissbier more than regular lager. It has the typical aroma of light German beers, with the grain and grass wafting up like from a Bavarian meadow. I detect a hint of something more sour-citric, a nod to modernity perhaps? Or just the way this weissbier is supposed to be. It’s more bitter and bitier than the aroma would lead you to believe, with that clean kind of bitter you expect from German and Czech beers. There’s lemon zest hiding in the undertones, getting more noticeable as an aftertaste. As much as I love a good black beer, there are times when you have to bow to the mastery of summer friendly weisses.

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €2.25

prost

por Ceit
abril 22, 2023abril 28, 2023

Hey, what’s that on the beer holiday calendar? (Where the hell is a good beer holiday calendar??) It’s German Beer Day! Germany has long had a special place in the beer drinker’s heart, as the home of high quality and drinkable beer, maybe not as fancy as Belgian, but trustworthy in its effects. Although there aren’t that many German craft beers floating around, some classics do make their way across the continent and populate the shelves of better stores. Schneider-Weisse is one that isn’t hard to find, and the weissbier style is right for the times…of excessive heat and dryness.

Although light and snappy looking, it delivers a thick malty aroma. The head is bubbly and controlled. The flavor is difficult to pin down – I get the dusty maltiness up front, but there’s a spiciness that I didn’t expect right beside it. The wheat is clear enough, and not that weird aftertaste some of the more commercial German ones have, but it also has a pretty strong essence of hops. It’s a pretty mouth-filling beer, which shouldn’t be a surprise from a doppelbock. In spite of that, it’s very soothing, with an almost medicinal flavor developing over time. There’s a much more bubbly texture than I’m used to from bock beers, but it’s not unwelcome. It has a satisfying modern feel along with a comforting whisper of tradition, and I think that’s what a lot of people would hope for when they look for a beer to celebrate on German Beer Day.

Supplier: Birra Y Paz
Price: €3.50