Some Dresdner Beers

When I think Dresden and beer, I generally think Radeberger, a fairly popular and easy to get Pilsner brewed just outside Dresden, in Radeberg naturally. I'm actually drinking one as I type, mainly to make room in the fridge I might add. It's bright gold, with a bright foamy head a faintly sweet malt nose with a light touch of spicey hops. Light is the operative word in the hop department as a few swigs will testify, and it's a little thin, but in summer, when it's 30+, it's one of those, well, lawnmower beers I guess.

Strangely, this is a bit of a common thread for my drinking this past few days, and totally inappropriate for the weather we're having. My sister-in-law's boyfrond very kindly gave me a box of beers from former East Germany for Christmas. He's originally from Frankfurt an der Oder, right next to the Polish border, and assembled a bunch of beers while visiting family. Bloody brilliant. The next three beers are all brewed by Feldschlößchen, part of the Carlsberg group (via Holsten).

Feldschlößchen Pilsner has a citric and slight fresh pine aroma. It had a bready maltiness ona soft body. Bitterness is there, but is subtle and creeping, again with a fresh pine note, and not resiny. There's a slight grapefruit hint and a mastching dryish finish. A little thin, and not at all challenging, another summer beer really. Incidently, the chirpy chappy on the label, the Pich-männel, is apparently named after the men who used to line barrels with pitch. Pech being the German for pitch, and the Pich-männel presumably being Sächsisch for a person doing a pitch job. They say it's from a legend, but weren't pitch lined casks used at some stage?

Dresdner Felsenkeller Pilsner is very similar to it's sister brew. A little more carbonic, a little more bite and actually little sweeter, but not terribly exciting.

It's sibling, the Dresdner Felsenkeller Urhell is another golden beer. It has a grainy and slightly metallic aroma with a grassy hop presence. Like the Feldschlößchen Pilsner it has a really soft mouthfeel, with a high level of carbonation. Almost a creamy texture. It's actually quite nice. It has a bit of a zing to it, going between a slight metallic hint and a fresh citric hop action that is mor than I expected. The malts are there, but in an undefinable way, lurking in the background. It's a little acidic perhaps, and certainly not deeply layered, but a reasonable thirst-quencher.

It feels like I'm in training for TheBeerNut's forthcoming Session topic, but that'll take a different tack.