Beer. Brought to you today by the letter F

I'm picking up where I left off a week or so ago, going through the beers from the former East that were given to me by my future brother-in-law (maybe!). Todays beers are F beers. Is that a grade? I can't say; I can't assign precise numbers or grades to beers as I'm too indecisive. But let's see...

First up, Frankfurter Pilsener from Frankfurt an der Oder. WIth a vigerous frothing action and a deep golden colour, at 5.2% it's a little bit stronger than most German pilsners, and in fact, you can just about thaste that. There's a digestive biscuit-like sweetness to it, with the same kind of salty edge and, dare I say it, a slight bibblegum-like undertone. The hops are assertice in flavour terms, but the bitterness is gentle. Thereis however a spiciness that builds up that is quite pleasent. It lacks a bit in the body department for me, and although the spiciness leaves a nice finish at the back of the tongue, the rest disappears quickly. Still, I like this for the subtle flavours that are a bitch to describe.

The next F beer comes from Freiberg, and true to German originality is called Freiberger Premium Pils. At the paler end of the lagerbier spectrum this has a light bready base, soft hops, a slight vegetal note and as it goes down it develops some herbal and spicey notes. It's quite juicy, but a tad acidic. There's not a whole lot more to say about it. It's well drinkable and could go as one of the better quality BBQ beers.

As I type I'm drinking a Weihnachtsbier from Sternquell-Brauerei, based in Plauen (yes, also former East), which I'm not going to think about too much. It's malty, it's herbally hoppy with a slight zing, it's 5.8%, and the label is very pretty. Oh, and it's going down very well right now.