Get your ass to Mahr's

Having read that the late Michael Jackson had been impressed by the Mahr's Bräu "Ungespundet-hefetrüb", I was pleased to see this and a couple of other Mahr's beers in my Bamberg box. I decided to start with the Mahr's Bräu Pilsner. This was a hazy golden hay colour with a very short lived head despite looking fairly spritzy. The aroma is fairly restrained grainishness with some slight citrusy notes. On drinking, the hop is certainly to the fore with an almost pineapple-lemony hit at the front of the tonge finishing off with a dryish bitterness at the back. There is an underlying sweetness to it all though, despite the slight acidity that seems dominant. Certainly a bit different to most of the Pils I've had, and a pretty pleasant, refreshing drink all round.


The Mahr's Bräu Hell popped as a bit of a gusher, so I though "hmm, highly carbonated", but the meagre head was very short lived despite a steady stream of bubbles rising though the glass. I hate to say it, but it reminded me of a pint of Bulmers, an impression enhanced by the orangey tint to the colour. The aroma is of light crystal malt toffee with a touch of orange. I was expecting flavours along the lines of a Munich Helles having recently been drinking Hacker-Pschorr Helles (meh!), but this is quite different. Sharper, more bitter, a touch sweeter but with none of that breadiness. The mouthfeel is a little oily, which is interesting. Definitely more flavour than I expected, and quite quaffable.


I left the Mahr's Bräu "Ungespundet-hefetrüb" till last, as I understood it to be a bit richer then the other two, and it was. A hazy copper-red, this also had a short lived head, but not near as dead looking as the Hell. I found it hard to identify aromas (but then I always do!), but on first sniff I though melon (the kind you get as a starter at Irish country weddings), but ended up with a kind of fresh vegetables meet caramel combination. The flavour is sweetish, and full, and almost like burnt toast that has been scraped and then buttered with salted butter, ending with a muted grapefruit-like bitterness, and apparent dryness. The mouthfeel is surprisingly effervescent considering that Ungespundet apparently means it has been "unplugged" during maturation so should be less carbonated, but maybe that applies only to cask serving. It seems to sparkle on the tongue. The finish is long and bitter-sweet. This certainly has more depth to it than either the Pils or the Hell, and is quite filling in a way, so it's slower going. It weighs in at 5.2% compared to the 4.9% of the other two. I think I was expecting something of a reveleation with this beer, but I guess I simply just like it. I certainly wouldn't say no to another of any of them!

(apologies for the dark photos. I think I need to drink during the day more often!)