Franconian Beer Message Board

Variable Festbier
Posted by Nick B. on 2015-01-17 03:19:53

Some of my favorite breweries have their off periods (e.g. Brauerei Roppelt where the Festbier from tap showed notes of red apple, wax, concrete, cheese, metal, etc....and the bottled Festbier at our beloved and generally high-quality Witzgall tasted like pear syrup, paper, yogurt, etc.)


Concrete? That's a new one for me. At any rate, Roppelt's Festbier does vary. Dunno if he bottles it, either, but I assume so. It would then be filtered. I like it, as a lighter Festbier, but haven't had it since 2012, when I was there with other members of this forum.

The Witzgall Festbier has suffered from a different fate though. I first had it in 2010, entered it at Ratebeer, and even gave it a glorious rating. It is also the one single beer I have rated there, in my years of being a "user". It was that good back then. But then the brewer, the brother of Herr Witzgall who runs the Gaststätte (and who used to run the Keller until he gave that over to the butcher who ran it 2 or 3 years until last year), retired, turning brewing over to a youngster, supposedly in his 50's. A nephew, IIRC.

The Kellerbier (or whatever we call the Landbier served bayerisch Anstich at the Keller) suffered for a while, becoming thin and husky, but then he later seemed to get it dialed in, and I think he's even improved the Vollbier served draught (CO2 keg or tank?) at the Gaststätte. But his Weihnachtsfestbier has suffered. I was sorely disappointed in the 2013 version: just like a darker, slightly sweetened/beefed up version of the Vollbier. I didn't get around to having the 2011, 2012, or 2014 versions.

I wonder if he just doesn't care about it or if he's changed the recipe. I'll have to ask next time I'm there. Assuming Herr Witzgall isn't too grumpy.

(Am persuring a course of leaving case declinations off German words when writing them in English.)
 
Followups:
                   Variable Festbier by Nick B. on  2015-01-17 03:48:03