Fürst Carl Kellerbier | Ellingen, Germany
I remember this beer from the Man Bag XXL. It was cloudy with a unique flavor as compared to the others. Tonight I shared a small glass with Dave-in-Law. He liked it and added that it had a hint of lemon in the smell and the taste. It has a mellow amber color. Nice malt mouthfeel but not overly malty. There was a yeasty flavor that approaches a Belgian brew then changes gears and becomes a bit hoppy. Not bitter hoppy but goes from that malty mouthfeel to a bit drier. That yeasty kind of flavor must come from being unfiltered. Dave added that “it doesn’t have an aftertaste and has a smooth finish.”
I agree with the no aftertaste but I’m waffling on the dry finish…. or was it smooth. No, I think it was dry. Besides I was enjoying it too much with the turkey burger I grilled tonight. That paired up nicely.
Kellerbier translates to Cellar Beer. According to my handy Oxford Companion to Beer Kellerbier is “an unfiltered, unpasteurized, very yeasty, malty lager from Franconia in central Bavaria where it is still a summer favorite in local beer gardens. It is usually drunk out of earthenware mugs rather than glasses.”
So, this a German summer brew. Once again, not exactly something I would select for an Advent Calendar.
The Oxford Companion added that the traditional kellerbier, being drawn from a wooden keg that allowed the CO2 to escape as it matured, had little effervescence and had almost no head. This being a canned beer transported around the world not having any effervescence would make for an odd beer. The beer I poured had a rather large foamy head.
Looking at the history of the brewery they talk about the name Fürst Carl (which translates as Prince Carl) which dates back to 1815 when Field Marshall Carl Philipp, Earl of Wrede received the Teutonic Castle Ellingen from King Max I. Joseph as a royal throne and fiefdom.” Out respect to the original Carl every first-born within the Earl of Wredes family is given the first name Carl. The Schlossbrauerei Ellingen dates back to 1690. Schlossbrauerei translates as Castle Brewery.
So like most of the breweries involved with the calendar their histories date back 400 plus years. Their website says:
Fürst Carl Kellerbier“This is how the brewers like to drink their beer: directly from the storage tank. The beer is cloudy, stronger in smell and taste and full-bodied due to the natural components of the ingredients, which this beer contains.
COLOUR: Amber
AROMA: Lime blossom, cardamom, light fruitiness
TASTE: Fresh hay, straw, caramel, mown meadow
HOPS: from Ellingen: Mittelfrüh, Gold
ALCOHOL CONTENT: 5.1 %-vol.”
After seeing the “mown meadow” I wish had some more to drink to compare. That sounds like drinking a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Maybe that’s the dryness I tasted.
Like I said this beer was unique to the calendar. The flavors beg to be paired up with food. I notice they have a Winterbock. Shame that isn’t in the calendar.
One more beer to go. Will it be dark?
Brewery: Fürst Carl Schlossbrauerei Ellingen
