Sternweisse's extra caramel stands out
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Sternweisse from Hacker-Pschorr in Munich is 5.5% ABV.(Photo: Hacker-Pschorr)
Beer Man is a weekly profile of beers from across the country and around the world.
This week: Sternweisse
Hacker-Pschorr, Munich
Hacker-Pschorr[2] has been a familiar name among import beers for decades, lining the shelves of stores before the terms "microbrewery" and "craft beer" were in use. At one time there were quite a few taverns that would even have it on tap for their German-heritage customers among the offerings of Pabst, Schlitz and Blatz.
Hacker-Pschorr beers are of consistently high quality and representative of German styles whether they be a Munich lager, Oktoberfest, weissbier or variations.
The brewery now has a limited-edition line, the latest release being Sternweisse[3]. Although it translates as "white star," this beer in color and flavor would best be described as an amber weiss — more caramelly than regular weissbier but lacking the chocolate malt notes of a dunkel weiss.
It has all the characteristics of weissbier — the superhead that forms on the pour, the banana-clove aroma and flavor, the extra carbonation, the bready wheat malt profile and slight sweetness.
There is more going on with 5.5% ABV Sternweisse, though, with light fruit flavors such as apple and pear making appearances, and a nutty background. The extra caramel malt flavor makes it stand out from the average weissbier.
Despite having a strong malt profile, Sternweisse has a light body while maintaining a nice mouthfeel and avoiding being thin and watery.
Hacker-Pschorr is one of the more common import beers in the country, though Sternweisse may be harder to track down because it's a limited edition.
Continuing on the subject of weissbier, Central Waters Brewery[4] in Amherst, Wis., in conjunction with The Local Option[5] in Chicago, has released the bourbon-barrel-aged La Petite Mort, which is described as a weizenbock.
Forget what you think of as weizenbock because the use of Belgian yeast and barrel aging puts this 9% ABV ale solidly in the Belgian camp. The yeast gives the beer strong leather and earthy notes, a nice plum and raisin profile, plus vanilla and bourbon notes from the barrels. The leathery aspect is complemented by a dry finish.
Many of the Belgian ales that have the dry and leathery character don't have such a strong dark fruit or dark malt profile, so La Petite Mort is quite different. It's another great bourbon-barrel-aging release from Central Waters, available in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Many beers are available only regionally. Check the brewer's website, which often contains information on product availability. Contact Todd Haefer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To read previous Beer Man columns Click here[6].
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References
- ^ www.hacker-pschorr.us (www.hacker-pschorr.us)
- ^ Hacker-Pschorr (www.hacker-pschorr.us)
- ^ Sternweisse (www.hacker-pschorr.de)
- ^ Central Waters Brewery (centralwaters.com)
- ^ The Local Option (localoptionbier.com)
- ^ http://www.postcrescent.com/section/APC0402/APC-Beer-Man (www.postcrescent.com)