Steve: This was a lighter lager, much more so than it's cousin (the one that monks and other such whackjobs bathe in). This poured a bit flat, so don't expect too much effervescence. However, it was tastier than I expected it to be, as most flat beers taste flat as well. It had a pretty malty presence in the mouth, always good in a lager. This is one of those beers that you wish you could try it closer to the source. Not outstanding, but it has potential. (10/5/2002)


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Steve: This is a beer from the Brandenburg region of Germany, near Berlin in the former DDR, so this would be new to most Americans. The bottle doesn't say, but I believe it's a double bock. If you were to ask me for a comparison, a lot harder than Salvator, somewhere around the consistency of Spaten Optimator. Extremely thick. If you like Guiness and other such stouts, I believe you will like this. Nice website, but it's not yet in English (Russian is still the dominant foreign language in eastern Germany). This beer doesn't appear to on their site, so it's clearly marketed for export, but if you were to look there, I believe it would be the Matzbier, just based on color and description. The flavoring was woody, smokey, and coffee-like. A relaxing beer that would have been undrinkable to me 5 years ago but now I love. The label suggests, "Sip one while you take a bath, or like we do in Germany, add it directly to your bathwater." Dude, if you add this to your bathwater, you either do not care how you smell, or you are one hell of an alcoholic. I do, however, recommend pouring the contents of this half liter bottle down your throught. And for those who want to write and tell me that German monks do not bathe in beer, that's just what the label says. I'm not making this up this time. (1/21/2002)


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