Gegen den Strom Zerbster Bitterbier
Review Date 12/1/2018 By John Staradumsky
Louisville, Kentucky’s Against the Grain Brewery and I have had a rather contentious relationship, contentious on my part anyway. I’ve tended to pass on their beers here in Georgia because they’re so pricy (I did try a small sample of their 35K Stout at Taco Mac where it was going for $10 an 11-ounce glass; the beer did not intrigue me enough to pay that). Ah but they got some help recently, ganging up on me with Germany’s Freigeist Brauerei to produce a beer they knew I could not resist: Gegen Den Strom Zerbster Bitterbier.
Zerbster Bitterbier? I’d never had one of those before. Mind you, that’s a style, not a specific beer. It’s easy these days to come across a new style variation you’ve never had before because brewers keep coming up with new ones. Ah, but a historic style that might have been lost to history? That is a rare event indeed.
Against The Grain and Freigeist have revived Zerbster Bitterbier for the American market. It might have been brewed by a small brewer here before; if it has, I’m sure I don’t know about it. The style is named for the city of Zerbst in the state of Sachsen-Anhalt. It is a local specialty, and there is a little information on it on Zerbst’s web page as they acknowledge their local beer style.
With help from my understanding of German and Bing trabslater:
In the Zerbster bitterbier pubs, which mostly combined butcher's shop and restaurants, it was difficult to resist: The delicious and rich smell of onions from Zerbster Brägenwurst!
The Zerbster bitter beer was probably the best-known export since the Middle Ages Zerbst had to offer.
As early as 1375, the brewers had already joined together for a union.
The last known brewery of the popular beer was the Ratsbrauerei (later Friedrichs) on the Schleibank.
I recommend further reading on this page about the history of Zerbster Bietterbier, though there is little information on what the beer was actually like.
The European Beer Guide has a page on German styles that quotes the Oekonomische Encyklopädie of 1773 in describing Zerbster Bitterbier as “spicy” (no doubt hoppy) and sold in Germany, “Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Poland, even up to-East Indies”.
Against the Grain says:
The next entry in the Gegen den Strom series. The Broyhan had no hops so the Bitterbier obviously will have way too many. A historical hoppy beer before they even new (SIC) what an IPA was. We also throw a curveball into this beer with a small proportion of alder wood smoked malt smoked right here at AtG. The 55 IBUs come exclusively from German perle and Czech Saaz hops. Both low alpha acids so a large charge of each will produce a very floral and spicy aroma that will blend perfectly with the smoke. We're really excited to share this one with the world.
I don’t know how authentic to style Against the Grain Gegen den Strom Zerbster Bitterbier is; I can find no mention of smoked malt being employed. Still, the kilns of the day used to dry the malt might have “leaked” a bit of smoke so who knows?
Grain Gegen den Strom Zerbster Bitterbier has an alcohol content of 6.8% by volume and Total Wine sells it for $15.99 a 4-pack, which is high. Gegen den Strom is German for against the stream.
Against the Grain Gegen Den Strom Zerbster Bitterbier pours to a tawny mahogany color with a thick rocky tan head and a light malty nose. I was concerned by the lightness of aroma this beer would be a flop, but it’s not. Taking a sip, it has a firm maltiness with a bit of caramel and a permeating light smokiness. The smoke intensifies in the finish, a bit of phenolic character chimes in, and it all finishes with a sharp dry bitterness.
The light hickory smoke and hop aroma complement each other well. The beer is not as smoky as Schlenkerla of course, but this is not a rauchbier. Would I buy it again? I would despite the high price (though I’m knocking off a half star from the final rating for that). Kudos to ATG and Freigeist for reviving this style. That needs to be rewarded.
Glad I tried it?
T
Would I rebuy it??
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled, Canned
(D)=Draft
