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B&J in Franken: Report 4

Posted by barry on 2014-04-20 02:00:50

I quite enjoy writing them - they fill in the hours between visiting breweries!  I was guided by all my predecessors so feel it is my turn to provide as much info as possible for future visitors. Re U: there was quite a lengthy discussion on this question in the Forum last year (perhaps after my visit in September?).  Anyway, AFAIK, U simply refers to the practice of lagering in a vessel that is 'unbunged' (referring to old methods of lagering in casks) - nowadays, I guess that they leave some valve in the tank open to let out extraneous CO2.  This seems to be mainly a Franken practice, I don't know whether this is done elsewhere in Germany.  Although most U's seem to be standard 'lagerbiers' or 'landbiers' or 'kellerbiers', they differ considerably from place to place.  E.g. the old Mahrs' U was quite a complex beer (IMHO), amber-ish in colour and with lots of bits of yeast floating about, and a decidedly yeasty taste (that tasted 2 weeks ago was nowhere as yeasty, either in appearance or taste).  The U served at Wagner Merkendorf is really a standard kellerbier type and, as it is served in a Krug, it is a bit difficult to be precise about its appearance - but it is very tasty and highly recommended!  Spezial U is much closer to Wagner than Mahrs, like a kind of Helles U. 'U' is really a process and not a beer type and, theoretically, I suppose that any beer type could be the subject of unbunged lagering.

Followups:

B&J in Franken: Report 4 by Gary on  2014-05-04 13:14:33