Would Love to Try – February 2025

This months beer that I probably won’t see on SoCal store shelves is a beer with a connection to my hometown of Milwaukie. It is a collaborative beer from Breakside with La Cumbre Brewing from New Mexico.

“Up Top! is our take on the unfiltered Pilsners of northern Bavaria. This ‘Zwickel-style’ approach is high-risk high-reward, as it requires crafting a beer that tastes good through its natural maturing process. Up Top! walks this tightrope, rich and soft, with a supple maltiness and notes of pear and green tea.”

Mahrs Ungespundent lager

Looks like we are getting some good Zwickel in the U.S. for this year’s Octoberfest.

“Mahr’s Brau Ungespundet Hefetrub It pours with a big, creamy, long-lasting, head; has a golden-bronze color; a wonderfully fresh, perfumy; hop aroma; a remarkably smooth, almost oily, malty, palate; very fresh flavours; and a spritzy finish. It is beautifully balanced, but leans to the dry side. This is a delicious, appetising beer and a true taste of Germany’s fast-vanishing artisanal tradition.”

World Cup + World Beer – Switzerland

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TODAY: SWITZERLAND V. CHILE

For the Swiss selection, I head into the old styles that are being revived section of Craft Beer Land. Zwickel is a rather old, rare, and unique German beer style, a lighter version of Kellerbiers which are unfiltered and unpasteurized lagers. Keller and Zwickel beers are smooth and cloudy and rich in vitamins.

The beer comes from Rugenbräu near the town of Interlaken.
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