A week or so ago I opened and tasted the St. Erhard Kellerbier. This brew comes from the town of Hallendorf, near Bamberg in Oberfranken. The brewery itself is new, and still describes itself as a "young start-up".
The Kellerbier itself is a wonder to behold. The bottle design and labeling are exquisite. This excellent visual stimulation has been recognised by their inclusion within the 2014 German Design Awards. Their obviously talented marketing people present the beer like this:
When I put the bottle and glass in front of my window, and left the exposure open on my camera, the combo came out looking like this.
Both the bottle and the contents are visually stunning. The beer is a rich orange/ amber tone. It pours a marvelous white head and the bottle is so cool, I just had to leave some sitting in there to stare at whilst drinking the first pour. The only problem I can see with this kind of attention to packaging, is that it sets up a very high expectation. Would the same level of quality be found in the beer? Because at first glace it promises a lot...
The nose is light, balanced, but light. There is some malt in there, but it is not a heavy roast and the nose provides the first clue. It is lightly carbonated, which is good. If the carbonation cat were calling, it would do so with one whisker.
The flavour is grainy and touched by the honey-caramel angel. There's a nice creamy texture too. However, and here's where I felt a slight disappointment, the flavour is not bold. It's a subtle beer in an unsubtle bottle. When drinking this, I couldn't help feeling that there just needed to be a touch more hops in there. A little kick, jut to let you know that she's not all about the bottle, but she likes a little bass.
Overall, a very nice Kellerbier, better than most, but perhaps hamstrung by its own appearance.
I give this one a very solid 5 out of 7.
The Kellerbier itself is a wonder to behold. The bottle design and labeling are exquisite. This excellent visual stimulation has been recognised by their inclusion within the 2014 German Design Awards. Their obviously talented marketing people present the beer like this:
Both the bottle and the contents are visually stunning. The beer is a rich orange/ amber tone. It pours a marvelous white head and the bottle is so cool, I just had to leave some sitting in there to stare at whilst drinking the first pour. The only problem I can see with this kind of attention to packaging, is that it sets up a very high expectation. Would the same level of quality be found in the beer? Because at first glace it promises a lot...
The nose is light, balanced, but light. There is some malt in there, but it is not a heavy roast and the nose provides the first clue. It is lightly carbonated, which is good. If the carbonation cat were calling, it would do so with one whisker.
The flavour is grainy and touched by the honey-caramel angel. There's a nice creamy texture too. However, and here's where I felt a slight disappointment, the flavour is not bold. It's a subtle beer in an unsubtle bottle. When drinking this, I couldn't help feeling that there just needed to be a touch more hops in there. A little kick, jut to let you know that she's not all about the bottle, but she likes a little bass.
Overall, a very nice Kellerbier, better than most, but perhaps hamstrung by its own appearance.
I give this one a very solid 5 out of 7.
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