Welcoming sign at Pub 27 in Pompeii
Schönbuch Hefeweizen Dunkel, Schönbuch Braumanufaktur, Böblingen, Germany.
Date: October 14, 2018
The Story— We were drawn to the Franconian town of Plochlingen because we had not tasted beers from there for years and only then mostly at the local fest. On line, it looked like a live brewery. Alas, it’s another casualty of the 20th century. But the “historical brewery” does serve a range of beers from the not-too-far-away Schönbuch Braumanufaktur in Böblingen. The village is worth a visit not only for the beer but for the striking Hundertwasser apartment complex that you can visit during the day. It’s also a cute small town with an old center that offers lots of eating and drinking and entertainment options.
The Schönbuch beers pour from a courtyard in the shadow of the old brewery. They’re in good condition and there’s a good range or styles. Not what we am here for, but no regrets.
The Beer— Schönbuch Hefeweizen Dunkel shows more hefe flavor than their hefe helles and much more than most hefe dunkels. It’s a standout in a style that tends to slide to dullness. Rich dark malt with a hint of fruit and some banana jumps in late. Ellie liked the clean darkness along with signature hefeweisse flavors.
Value — Very good! Under five bucks for a first class dark weizen.
This week we return to HIGHLIGHTS OF EUROPE– Surprisingly good beer in “bad beer cities.” The best we’ve found in researching our next book – a guide to great beer in European tourist cities. (Planned publication 2019.) We’ll shift back to great American beer finds next week.
Next week we return to the US to highlight some great beers we’ve found in researching out first US Beer publication: Brews and Snooze-– Breweries you can visit and walk back to a fine place to spend the night. Look for it in 2019.
About these posts: We taste and evaluate over a thousand beers every year. The beers posted here rank in the top quarter of those tastings. Values: “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.
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