REVIEW #27: Allgäuer Zwickel (Allgäuer Brauhaus)

Pours a hazy pale gold. The head quickly diminishes and takes on the appearance of a miniature Arctic Circle from above. Pungent yeast esters on the nose. Initial yeasty hay/straw notes develop into a soothing sugary, banana accented finish. Medium-to-full bodied, well balanced and very smooth. If only the UK made lagers like this!

Zwickels are an offshoot of the German Keller Bier. That is to say they are "naturtrüb" i.e. they undergo secondary fermentation in the bottle (bottle-conditioned), they are unfiltered, unpasteurised and, as their name suggests, are cellared for a period of time. In fact they are matured uncapped, allowing exposure to air particles and microbes. This produces a deliciously soft, mellow, mature beer that has plenty of yeast and haze. According to Beer Advocate Allgäuer's Zwickel has been discontinued; a real shame as its such an old and unique style of lager. Still, there are others out there (see here). I can particularly recommend Stieglbrauerei's Paracelcus Zwickl for a very complex, almost sour interpretation of the style. Information on Allgäuer can be found here.

• MALTS: ?

• HOPS: ?
• IBU: ?
• ABV: 5%`
• Bottle-conditioned, unfiltered and unpasteurised. fermented with lager yeast.

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