Die Weisse Max Maerzen

Date:  November 10, 2018

The Story—This is our last entry for Die Weisse, a brewery that reached a sort of “Brewery of the Week” status as we reviewed our notes.  We’re looking to produce a second edition of Drinking In the Culture in 2020.   One of the things I’m looking forward to in producing it is returning to some gems we’ve ignored for the past several years.   Die Weisse will be high on the list when we get back to Salzburg.

Maerzen has very different meanings in Germany (and the United States) and Austria.   Austria, its birthplace, now regards Maerzen as a gold beer of modest alcohol strength.   We presume the breweries pretend to a longer aging period, but we have our doubts – it certainly doesn’t show in some of the barely drinkable super market interpretations of the style.

The Beer— The beer was malty with some sweet metal showing early and a touch of wort in the finish.   Lingering dry hops into the aftertaste created a decent balance that made a return a pleasure.

Value — Value:  Excellent.   At less than five bucks for a half liter it made us think about what would be involved with retiring to Salzburg.   Caveat:  it’s been a few years since we’ve been there.   Inflation has been low in Austria, but maybe someone at the brewery figured out what they had and jacked up the prices.

This week we feature  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 American craft beers, some of which 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.

Die Weisse 2.9, Salzburg, Austria

Date:  November 9.2018

The Story—The brewery’s been around since 1901, which is very rare for a brewery churning out interesting beers, but the brew kit is new.  This appears to be a brewery that is welcoming the 21^st century rather than trying to hang on through it. Web reviews call it a “micro brewery.”  They were here decades before the term was created.

We’ve been hanging around Die Weisse this week — and why not?  It’s been here for more than a century and brewing up beers that fit well in the 21st century.

The Beer— Die Weisse 2.9 is one of their best beers.  The 2.9 is indeed the alcohol content—and outside of Britain it’s hard to find beers of that strength that you’d actually want a second, or third and fourth.  This one hits the mark.  It’s clearly a light beer, but it’s nicely flavorful with plenty of spritzy lemon, a soft touch of clove and just a touch of bubble gum at the end.  Plenty of flavor and at just short of 3%abv, you could drink this all night— and into the next morning.

Value —good to very good.  This is a place you’ll be glad you sought out.

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 American craft beers, some of which 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.

Die Weisse 1901 Original

Date:  November 8, 2018

The Story— One of the joys of drinking and eating at Die Weisse is the feeling that you’ve stepped back in time—about a hundred years which isn’t all that much for Salzburg, but it still is a different feel from a 21^st century tap room.  These guys have been slinging tasty wheat beers longer than any of the oldest patrons in a house that welcomes a wide range of aged drinkers.

The Beer—This dark Hefeweizen may be their best – and it’s in a style in which excelling isn’t easy.  A modest 4.4 alcohol makes this an exceptional session beer.  The taste is roasty and herbal and there’s some leather in the roast that’s softened by some sugar-like sweetness.  A chewy feel leads to a touch of molasses.  Ellie found it an interesting blend of flavors, and I would concur.

Value —  Very good to excellent.   Beer is a bargain in most places outside of Vienna in Austria — a well above average beer, then, is pretty close to a steal.

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 American craft beers, some of which 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.

Die Weisse Hell, Die Weisse, Salzburg, Austria

Date:  November 7, 2018

The Story— We’re staying at Die Weisse this week.  it’s worth the time.  it’s a lovely busy place with good food and an exceptional range of beers.

The Beer—Die Weisse Hell is more clearly a modern bright Hefeweizen ale.  A tangy lemon runs to lemon peel by the aftertaste.  The clove is very mild and there’s just a bit of banana.  The weizen wheat and yeasty esters are soft enough to yield a beer that is recognizably in the style, but soft enough to make it a beer you could settle in with for the evening.

Value — Good to very good.

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 American craft beers, some of which 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.

Die Weisse Original Hell

Date:  November 6, 2018

The Story— Die Weisse, Salzburg’s original wheat beer brewery.   It’s not a place that is a mecca for tourists, but it packs the place with regulars and people who know good beer.   It’s a European beer hall on a slightly small scale – and if you don’t like wheat beers you’d probably best spend your day at a Stiegl outlet or at the Augustiner Muln garden.   But this place offers a range of beers that aren’t typical.  It would be worth the trip just for the interesting range of beers, but happily the beers are quite good and reflect the long history of good brewing at this relatively unknown Salzburg gem.

The Beer— Die Weisse Original Hell is – of course—a wheat beer.  A golden Hefeweizen that it’s been brewing for a long time.   It’s not at all a world classic, but it’s a good solid respectable brew that will attract a steady group of regulars. The wheat malt is a bit muddy and it has a dull edge, but the esters grow as it drinks.   We’re glad the brewery keeps this in the lineup.  We can’t be sure, but we thing this kind-of-heavy-handed weisse is close to what you would have found in a weisse bier decades ago.

Value — Good to very good.  You won’t feel cheated here.

This week we return to  HIGHLIGHTS OF EUROPE–  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 American craft beers, some of which 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.