Bock Bier (Updated)

Sorry for the lack of posting -- to me arriving in Bamberg is coming home and I've taken so many pictures before I haven't really taken many this trip.

I though I would post some pictures of some of the bock biers we've tasted, but I realized there are four with no pictures: Fässla Bambergator, Keesmann Bock, Mahrs Bock and Rossdorfer Bock from Brauerei Sauer. To much fun drinking to take pictures...

Schlenkerla Ur-Bock. By far the favorite of the group.







Klosterbräu Bock







Beck (Trabelsdorf) Affumicator. A smoked double bock that is very nice.





And while not from Bamberg, we did have an Andechers Doppelbock.






And finally, a small bit of the Schlenkerla Eiche we tasted from the lager tank town the caves beneath the brewery.





Update: The Fässla Bambergator, which at over 8% is really deadly. The other missing bocks look pretty much the same as Klosterbräu -- just picture a different logo on the glass and you'll be close.




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Location:Obere Königstraße,Bamberg,Germany

Schlüssel Stike

Our first Stike bier at zum Schlüssel.

Surprising to say it wasn't as balanced at the Uerige Sticke. It was a bit harsh at first but by the third one we notice so much. .


















I got a text that Uerige had 10 kegs of sticke left plus Wednesday is Potato Soup day so I know where I'm having lunch

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Location:Rheinstraße,Dusseldorf,Germany

Sticke day! (Updated)

The last non-sticke at the Carsch Haus






And the first sticke at Uerige.





The obligatory picture of the Sticke sign...





We had the new Uerige "Lemonade" -- it is made with malt and hops and lemon flavorings. It was OK but would have been better without the artificial sweeteners -- but then again I like the taste of malt...



Later on we acquired a bottle of Schumacher Latzenbier (their version of Sticke) from a month ago and did a side-by-side...





The Latzenbier was lighter in color and body but was quite nice. The Sticke was better, though. This is one of the better ones of recent years but it may just be I like the 6.8% alcohol.

Later we went in and found our tables (3 of them) and those of us who had ordered dinner were rewarded.








And some shots of the table, violating my usual policy of no pictures of people...









A good time was had by all. Tomorrow: Schüssel Stike -- an extra bonus for us!

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Location:Rheinstraße,Dusseldorf,Germany

Walking around Cologne

Cologne Cathedral




Cölner Hofbräu P. J. Früh




Früh Kölsch




Brauhaus Sion




The Gang at Peters Brauhaus




Gaffel Haus




The Gang drinking Gaffel Kölsch





This is a metaphor for something. Take you pick.




Mühlen Kölsch at Malzmühle




The gang waiting for a Reissdorf Kölsch




Reissdorf Kölsch




An old church.

Location:Römerstraße,Obernburg,Germany

Arrived in Düsseldorf a day early

There were massive rail strikes in Belgium planned for Monday so we skipped out on our day trip to Ghent and came early to Düsseldorf.

I am sorry for lack of posting. I had Internet problems In Belgium and I am laptop-less on this trip, just using my iPad. I thought my problems would be solved once we reached Germany but the continued. I should have them fixed by Monday.


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Location:Hunsrückenstraße,Dusseldorf,Germany

Final Session at the Kulminator

The planned event for the night was a tasting of 8 different years of Stille Nacht, going back to 1999. Sadly the days of a 20 year range are gone.








Opinions varied as to the best year but we all agreed that at least a couple years of aging was in order.

When then split a large bottle of 2000 Bornum Double which was good but was starting to show it's age. It makes you feel old when you realize beers that hadn't yet been brewed when you first visited the Kulminator are now considered "Vintage."




Jennine really likes Imperial Stouts so of course a 1983 Courage Imperial Stout was in order...





Still good after all these years.

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Walking around Antwerp

We decided to walk around Antwerp, visiting a new pub and some others that we haven't visited in a while.

We started off at Oud Arsenaal for a bolleke of DeKonnick, the local beer.








The next stop was Quentin Matsys, which claims to be the old continuously license pub in Belgium. It certainly looked old (but nice)








There were four DeKonnick beers on draft plus a decent bottle selection.




Next up was the Kathedral Cafe, formerly know as Het Elfde Gebod ("The Eleventh Commandment") which is right across an alley from the Antwerp Cathedral. The new management (if they are new) has kept all the religious statutes that an make you sometimes feel the place is crowded, even when it's empty.





We ducked in to Paters Vatje but it was crowded as it was too cold to sit outside. Our next stop is a new pub, 't Antwaerps Bierhuiske (Antwerp' Little Beer House).




It is very small but had a good tap selection (for Belgium) and a great bottle list.




Among the beer we tasted were a side by side comparison of Pannepot and Pannepuet -- which are supposedly the same beer except one uses candy sugar and the other cane sugar. Sadly they were from different years so age effects made a difference but there was a noticeable difference in the two.

By now the Kulminator was about to open so we headed off there.

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Day Trip to Brussels, Part 2

We walked south for a while until we came to Place Fountainas where the second Moeder Lambic pub opened last fall (a couple weeks after we were in Brussels)







Jean, one of the owners, brought us a "Welcome' beer -- Russian River Temptation. Travel nearly 6000 miles to drink a beer from your home state. Needless to say, it was very tasty.




Our beers waiting to be served....




Carl drinking a Cantillion Faro. He did like it, despite the face.






While sitting outside a van pulled up and they started unloading bottles and kegs ("Key Kegs" -- they are one way kegs that a lot of small breweries are starting to use.) They were Zona Cesarini, an Italian beer brewed with New Zealand and Japanese hops. Something to look forward to.




Jean took us down in the celler to see his tap setup. Very impressive.




What a juxtaposition: Trappist Westvleteren next to kegs of Beck Bräu, Trabelsdorf, about 10 miles from Bamberg.





An Italian Russian Imperial Stout.




Finally the Zona Cesarini was ready and we had a final beer before heading back to Antwerp. It was very tasty.



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