For this week’s post, I had originally intended to review a well-known local microbrewery and brewpub here in Cologne. At the last minute though, my plans to visit the locale with a friend fell through, so I’ve been scrambling to find something to post for this week. Therefore, I’m going to do what every good college student does when they’re up against a deadline – find something you did in the past and recycle it!
Well, it really isn’t a complete recycle job. I’ve been a fan of the Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus for a long time. However, I’ve only ever sampled their Pils, which is incidentally one of the finest German Pilsners out there. Just recently though, Rothaus’s seasonal spring beer, their Märzen Export, has started showing up on store shelves. I figured this would be a good pinch-hitter for this week’s entry.
Like so many other German breweries, Rothaus was original founded as part of a monastery. In 1791, the abbot of St. Blasien Abbey, a certain Martin Gerbert II, established a small brewery in the upper Black Forest region of southern Germany. In this economically challenged district, the dutiful abbot wanted his new brewery to help support development in the surrounding area. The monastery’s brewing activities did not last long though. In the wake of the Napoleonic invasions, the region was secularized in 1806, and ownership of the brewhouse was transferred to the Grand Duchy of Baden.
For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, the small Rothaus brewery remained confined to this remote and picturesque country. Through the years, the brewhouse survived revolutions, fires, depressions, and wars. After World War I the monarchy was abolished, at which point the brewery found itself again under new management – this time the new federal state of Baden. As a state-owned operation, the brewery didn’t make many waves in the German beer scene. This all changed in the 1990s, when under the leadership of a former state official the brewhouse doubled its output. Rothaus, still owned by the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, enjoys a sterling reputation that extends far beyond the Black Forest.
So, what about the beer? As part of my sampling, I was able to snag their classic Pils, their Hefeweizen, as well as their seasonal Märzen Export. While Rothaus beers are not the kind that are going to turn a lot of heads, there is some really quality in this line up. Let’s start with the Märzen! This brew pours a nice deep golden color with medium, somewhat fizzy head. Sticking your nose in the glass, you get an aroma that is sweet malts with a particularly fruity emphasis. The taste is mostly the corresponding sweetness including some nice fruity notes, particularly grape. The hop flavors are grassy but subdued with very little bitterness. All in all, it’s a nice representative of the Märzen.
From the bottom-fermented, we move now to the ale arena and Rothaus’s take on the Hefeweizen. The appearance on this sucker is a relatively clear orange color with some sediment and a huge, creamy head. The nose is dominated by the Weizen notes – banana, clove, and some floral elements with a flavor profile that is heavy on the banana on the front end. In contrast, there is a light, herbal hop bitterness that moved the beer into a crisp finish. The palate was the most disappoint part of this beer. The mouthfeel was pretty watery, especially for a Weizen, with a distracting fizzy carbonation. The brew had some amazing flavors but couldn’t quite deliver on the palate. Regardless, it was a pretty delightful Weizen.
If you’ve been reading this blog at all, you know that I’m on an ongoing search for well crafted German Pilsners. Rothaus’s version is one of my favorite brews in this style. The beer has all of the characteristics of a great Pils. There’s the classic clear, golden appearance along with the sweet bread and malt aromas. The taste is sweet with the bread and slight floral elements coming through. But, there’s also that crisp grassy hop flavor that balances the sweetness very well. This is definitely the kind of beer that you want to keep stocked in your frig.
I’m a sucker for breweries that have not only quality beer but a long history. After over 200 years of brewing great beers, Rothaus has proven that they’ve got the stuff. Although these brews aren’t super flashy, they are definitely quality. In a country that is slowly loosing its grip of its brewing reputation, Rothaus is steadfast holding the line of good brewing craftmanship.
Love.Serve.Beer. 