Three beers in conversation: "This taste is a defining experience"

In this series of interviews, we want to talk to connoisseurs about what can be read out of beer: smells, tastes, possible combinations with food.

The prerequisites are always the same: three beers are tasted, one of them blind or at least half-blind - we do without opaque glasses, but the label and bottle cannot be seen.

There are food pairing tips for all beers.

Uwe Ebbinghaus

Editor in the features section.

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Unfortunately, the beers in the first episode are not so easy to buy.

The blind tasted is very rare, the smoked beer from the special brewery is only available in Bamberg and the surrounding area and in very well-stocked specialist shops.

The same applies to the Belgian sour beer "Mariage Parfait" from the Boon brewery.

But the procurement effort is worthwhile in all cases.

The place for the first beer conversation with the master brewer Hans Wächtler is the Brauhaus zum Sternla in Bamberg, or more precisely: the regulars' table there, shortly before the onset of rain.

The order of the beers is actually wrong because we start with the strongest, a dark one.

For dramaturgical reasons, however, we ignore such wholesomeness aspects, small trial noses make it possible, Wächtler is also a juror at various beer competitions.

Mr. Wächtler, how do you approach a beer when you are missing all the information on the label, as in the case of the beer that is now before you?

Hans Wächtler:

If you want or should assign a beer to a style based on its color, the light in which you do it plays a major role: Do you have natural light, do you have strong UV radiation, do you have artificial light, is it warm or cold?

That is why I do not base my judgment on the color of the beer so much when assessing beer in competitions or elsewhere.

First I see if there is little or a lot of foam.

Is the foam fine-pored or coarse, is it compact, does it adhere strongly to the glass?

All of that gives me clues.

Then it goes on with the nose. In terms of smell, I would limit this beer to a very special area. I have a lot of fruity notes here. You have to know: There are fruity notes that come from the yeast and there are those that come from the hops. The latter are reminiscent of citrus, resin or they are grassy. The fruitiness of this beer comes from the yeast, it is top-fermented. With wheat, for example, fruity notes are reminiscent of banana, with ale yeasts, for example in England, more berry notes are perceptible: raspberry, strawberry, forest berry, blackberry. I would exclude English ale here. This beer also has pear-like, apple-like notes that indicate Belgian styles, Trappist beers, Dubbels, Tripels, Quadruples.

So in terms of smell, I'm top-fermented, I have banana, but also a lot of other notes, for example I clearly have a nut note, I have a light liquorice note. Now there are only two areas in question for me: It could be a dark Doppelbock - the beer would actually be too bitter for me - or a Belgian Trappist beer, either a Dubbel, more likely a Quadrupel.