My wife and parents-in-law recently headed eastwards to visit some family in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, to the north of Berlin, and my wife kindly brought back a selection of beers from the apparently sparse drink markets over that way. It's one of the least populated parts of Germany, and villages are literally being abandoned as younger generations head to the cities, so there's less and less infrastructure for people living there it seems. Kind of sad, as it sounds like a beautiful area.Nevertheless, some time ago, I sampled a couple of German "Porters" from Saxony. They were pretty awful, being over-sweet and, well, hard to take. Knut Albert commented then that there was a Strawberry version of one which was ghastly. As a result, I was worried when I saw that one of the gems my wife brought back was a Kirsch Porter, based on the Lausitzer Porter from Bergquell Brauerei Löbau. She actually also brought a Lausitzer Porter, but I sent it to my sister-in-law, as she likes Neuzeller Schwarze Abt, which is similarly weak and artificially sweet.
Back to the Kirsch Porter. With an aroma reminiscent of dark cherries meeting dark chocolate, a bit like Farrero Mon Chéri, it actually started better than I expected. The flavour is a little like the syrup you get surrounding dark cherries in a jar. It's definitely sweet, but with a dark cherry bite. Not much of a beer taste to be honest, and I was surprised that I didn't hate it on first sip. It's 90% Lausitzer Porter and 10% cherry-flavoured syrup (and 4.2% alcohol), and I have to say, it actually improved the porter, although to my mind that wouldn't be too difficult. As it warms, it does get a little vomity on the nose, and it gets more sugary the more you drink, making the teeth feel at risk from instant cavities. I'm glad I got to try it, but I wouldn't be seeking it out.
Must say I've not been overly impressed by Lausitzer's beers, the porter indeed is a rather sweetish, weak take on baltic porter. Kloster Neuzelle on the other hand, is more like it : their porter is a nice smooth, poerful one, and their take on cherry beer is surprisingly devoid of syrupy sweetness.
ReplyDeleteNo, I wouldn't go seeking out the Lausitzer type of beers, whether they are produced in Löbau or Eibau.
ReplyDeleteI really need to get my hands on some more Neuzeller beers. Their Porter does sound interesting, and more like my idea of porter. I'll post my thoughts on the Schwarzer Abt next. That wasn't so good...
Have you tried their Anti-Aging-Bier? I'll give them one thing, they have ideas :)
Indeed the Schwarzer Abt is not their best.
ReplyDeleteThe Anti-aging, is, erm, interesting, IIRC a slightly darker beer with a salty tang.
Oh and they have a Badebier too, which you can either drink or dump in a bathtub full of warm water before you dip yourself in it...
BTW if that's of any use, I remember coming across those in Cologne, at an "Ossi-Shop", one of those shops catering for East Germans away from home, might be worth checking those close to where you live, if there are any, that is.
that's a shame, because porter and cherries are heavenly!!
ReplyDeleteYou're dead right, Leigh. But let's be clear: this is not based on any porter as you or I would know it :D
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