Sweetened German Porter vs. Schwarzbier

Reads 3063 • Replies 37 • Started Tuesday, March 31, 2015 4:09:21 AM CT

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Message Erlangernick beers 6 º places 2 º 04:09 Tue 3/31/2015 The brewer calls it a porter, but it’s listed as a Schwarzbier. Sweetened, bottom-fermented, ergo it CAN NOT be called "Bier" in Germany where it’s from, but yet it’s under Schwarzbier here. Yet Lausitz Porter in the same basic sort is under Baltic Porter, even though it is top-fermented and the Baltic porter style guideline favours bottom-fermented ones. They’re both undrinkable cack, but still, consistency, please!
Message FatPhil P beers 26061 º places 995 º 09:35 Tue 3/31/2015 "ergo it CAN NOT be called "Bier" in Germany where it’s from" Legal considerations should be the least important aspect. Compare some of the US states where the difference between "ale" and "lager" is alcohol percentage. Politicians/lawmakers as retarded as that should be ignored. Are you sure Lausitzer’s a top-fermented beer. Looking at the reviews I see at least two comments from raters who should know their beers that explicitly mention lager-like aspects to it, and plenty who draw attention to it being more of a "baltic" beast (and thus a lager). Strangely, Sweetheart Stout is going through my eidetic taste memory presently...
Message rpattinson beers 84 º 00:22 Thu 4/2/2015 Originally posted by Erlangernick The brewer calls it a porter, but it’s listed as a Schwarzbier. Sweetened, bottom-fermented, ergo it CAN NOT be called "Bier" in Germany where it’s from, but yet it’s under Schwarzbier here. Yet Lausitz Porter in the same basic sort is under Baltic Porter, even though it is top-fermented and the Baltic porter style guideline favours bottom-fermented ones. They’re both undrinkable cack, but still, consistency, please! German Porter isn’t the same thing as Baltic Porter. It’s Deutscher Porter.
Message Marduk P beers 21939 º places 968 º 02:10 Thu 4/2/2015 Originally posted by Erlangernick The brewer calls it a porter, but it’s listed as a Schwarzbier. Sweetened, bottom-fermented, ergo it CAN NOT be called "Bier" in Germany where it’s from, but yet it’s under Schwarzbier here. Yet Lausitz Porter in the same basic sort is under Baltic Porter, even though it is top-fermented and the Baltic porter style guideline favours bottom-fermented ones. They’re both undrinkable cack, but still, consistency, please! Beside Lausitz Porter being a top-fermented, it’s also too weak to be a porper Baltic Porter. I mean 4,4% and BP? Unreal. BP range is from 5(.5)-9,5/10.

Message Erzengel P beers 14471 º places 109 º 03:25 Thu 4/2/2015 Originally posted by rpattinson German Porter isn’t the same thing as Baltic Porter. It’s Deutscher Porter. And due to the lack of not having such category, we have a problem to define this style exact. It is obvious, that "Schwarzbier" is not correct, neither is Baltic Porter. But Baltic Porter is nearer to what it is - only in the light-version... This beer here is the same "problem"... http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/landsberger-porter-mix/321192/
Message Erlangernick beers 6 º places 2 º 03:27 Thu 4/2/2015 Originally posted by rpattinson Originally posted by Erlangernick The brewer calls it a porter, but it’s listed as a Schwarzbier. Sweetened, bottom-fermented, ergo it CAN NOT be called "Bier" in Germany where it’s from, but yet it’s under Schwarzbier here. Yet Lausitz Porter in the same basic sort is under Baltic Porter, even though it is top-fermented and the Baltic porter style guideline favours bottom-fermented ones. They’re both undrinkable cack, but still, consistency, please! German Porter isn’t the same thing as Baltic Porter. It’s Deutscher Porter. Right, I failed to argue that point clearly. I do think it’s more appropriate to put it under Baltic Porter than Schwarzbier, if there is to be no Deutsches Porter category. (Huh...I see now that Porter is both männlich und sächlich! Have always thought it was the latter.)
Message Erlangernick beers 6 º places 2 º 03:31 Thu 4/2/2015 Originally posted by FatPhil "ergo it CAN NOT be called "Bier" in Germany where it’s from" Legal considerations should be the least important aspect. Compare some of the US states where the difference between "ale" and "lager" is alcohol percentage. Politicians/lawmakers as retarded as that should be ignored. Are you sure Lausitzer’s a top-fermented beer. Looking at the reviews I see at least two comments from raters who should know their beers that explicitly mention lager-like aspects to it, and plenty who draw attention to it being more of a "baltic" beast (and thus a lager). Strangely, Sweetheart Stout is going through my eidetic taste memory presently... The brewery’s webbie says it’s obergärig, top-fermented. And as Ron points out, German/Deutscher Porter is not the same as Baltic Porter. The point of the legal issue is, it dovetails with the style guidelines: it simply can not be called a Schwarzbier, since such beer can not be artificially sweetened. It is completely wrong to call such a beer a Schwarzbier.
Message 3fourths P beers 9492 º places 1576 º 03:35 Thu 4/2/2015 Sounds like Porter is a good style classification here, even though it’s bottom fermented. I went ahead and changed it. This will not be the first time we list what is technically lager in an ale category, see Gänstaller’s series of bottom fermented Double IPAs.

Message Erlangernick beers 6 º places 2 º 03:37 Thu 4/2/2015 Originally posted by Erzengel Originally posted by rpattinson German Porter isn’t the same thing as Baltic Porter. It’s Deutscher Porter. And due to the lack of not having such category, we have a problem to define this style exact. It is obvious, that "Schwarzbier" is not correct, neither is Baltic Porter. But Baltic Porter is nearer to what it is - only in the light-version... This beer here is the same "problem"... http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/landsberger-porter-mix/321192/ Why I didn’t think to categorise both of these as "Porter" is beyond me. Failing the existence of "German Porter", I suppose putting them in a regular porter category is better than Baltic. That one is bottom-fermented is an issue, but the effects of bottom-fermentation on this particular beer are pretty much non-existant, it’s such a nasty, sweet mess. German porters are an interesting concept...I suppose I could google around to see if any beer historians have written about them before...
Message Erlangernick beers 6 º places 2 º 03:38 Thu 4/2/2015 Originally posted by 3fourths Sounds like Porter is a good style classification here, even though it’s bottom fermented. I went ahead and changed it. This will not be the first time we list what is technically lager in an ale category, see Gänstaller’s series of bottom fermented Double IPAs. Can tell you where to find some whilst you’re over here if you want! (Or maybe rather not.)
Message 3fourths P beers 9492 º places 1576 º 03:43 Thu 4/2/2015 Cafe Abseits has bottles remaining of the two DIPAs, the Amber Weizenbock, and the 7 Grain Doppelbock, while the Russian Imperial Stout is sold out. Bierothek in Bamberg is sold out of all bottles but may see more. Shelton Brothers is importing a very small number of each to the US, on the order of ~300 of the Amber Weizenbock, ~200 of the DIPAs, and ~100 only of the Russian Imperial. Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa in Rome has a very limited number of bottles as well. Today Andy and his daughter Daniela brew another batch of the Amber Weizenbock which will be released in a few months.