BeerBorg

This is a beer I picked up on a whim at the German grocery next to the LHBS mostly because I really, really liked the label on the bottle. This is a kellerbier rated at 5.2% ABV, and it is the first time I've ever had a beer of this style. From the researching I did about it, essentially it has an appearance much like an Oktoberfest beer with it's coppery color imparted by dark Munich malt, but is more hoppy and has little to no carbonation. The latter fact being very strange and seemingly counterintuitive. But you know what? It works!

The malt base is well presented and the hop flavor is mostly floral and mildly herbal, but not dissatisfying. It poured coppery, as is per style, and had a bit of carbonation that produced a soft head that disappeared almost immediately. No fizz on the tongue, so no bite! Also, I noticed that the beer is not very clear, but rather cloudy like a homebrew, and discovered upon further investigation of kellerbiers that this is another attribute of the style. It still has a crispness you expect from a German lager, but has some fruity undertones like an ale.

All in all, I gave this 4 out of 5, as I really enjoyed it, but have no basis for comparison with other beers of this style.

Interesting.....great description of the beer and your tasting experience.

Thanks for sharing.

Yep, sounds right.

In Germany you'd be getting it unfiltered and gravity poured right out of a cask at cellar temperatures like a British cask ale. Except instead of what the Brits would call "Real Ale", it's like a "Real Lager". Your description of the hops sounds proper for the style, IE something like Hersbrucker or Hallertauer. And it would probably have *less* carb then what you are getting in that bottle - I think all exported stuff is carbed a bit to protect against oxidation.

There actually are a couple of regional variations on Kellerbier which I can't remember the names of except that they start with Z, which have a bit more carb (more like what you would be getting in that bottle) because the put a tight fitting bung in the cask near the end. They are slightly lower in ABV and served young, where the regular Kellarbier is aged a bit.

If you ever in Germany it's well worth seeking out the real thing of any type, served out of a cask. It's excellent.

Now I'll have to run to the German Deli/Restaurant across town and see if they have that stuff. I haven't had a Kellerbier in a long time.

The same folks that run the German grocery next door to the LHBS also run a German restaurant around the corner. I would definitely love to go there and ask if they've got a kellerbier on tap. I really enjoyed that Mastodon and would love to try others' itterations.