Beer Review: Heiner Brau Kolsch

January 8th was the beginning of the Mardi Gras season here in New Orleans. If you've never been to Mardi Gras all I can say is my words won't do it justice. It's just an amazing time and I highly recommend you come here for it.

One "issue" with Mardi Gras is finding good beer you can consume while taking in the parades. Technically you aren't allowed to have bottles on the streets. It happens but it is my recommendation that you avoid doing this. That leaves you with cans(Or NOLA Draft packs!)but the cans option here in New Orleans is pretty limited.

Well yesterday I received an email from Jay Breaux of Breaux Mart Supermarkets who is one of The Beer Buddha sponsors. He told me that during a tour of Heiner Brau Brewery he was able to convince Henryk Orlik(owner of Heiner Brau) to use his canning system to can some Kolsch for him. Henryk agreed on the condition that Breaux Mart take the entire run of beer. Lucky for us Jay agreed.

Heiner Brau had canned in the past but for whatever reason he decided not to do it anymore. I have my speculations but I'm not going to get into here. Anyways, I hope Henryk rethinks his position as New Orleans needs a good can option especially right around Mardi Gras. I stopped by Breaux Mart yesterday and picked up a six pack of the Kolsch. Here is my review:

Brewery: Heiner Brau

Beer: Kolsch(cans)

Style: Kolsch

ABV: ?

Louisiana Availability: Yes at Breaux Mart only

Price Range: $7.99

Appearance: Clear, pale golden color with a nice fluffy, white head which dissipates quickly. Nice, sticky lacing present throughout.

Smell: Nice dry, hoppy perfume aroma.

Taste: Starts off with a nice malty sweetness and finishes with a mild grassy hop bitterness. Has a nice dryness about it.

Mouthfeel: Dry, medium body with medium carbonation.

Overall: Great beer. I'm glad Jay Breaux from Breaux Mart emailed me about this. He asked Henryk to can this beer for him and he did. Granted Breaux Mart had to take the entire amount but who cares. This is perfect for Mardi Gras!

Score: 4 out of 5 Buddhas

La Cote Brasserie Oktoberfest Beer Dinner

La Cote Brasserie will be hosting a local brewery(Heiner Brau) Oktoberfest beer dinner on Thursday October 28, 2010 at 7:00pm. Tickets will be $60 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity. You must make reservations and they can be made by calling the restaurant at 504-613-2350.

Here is the menu:


I
Tuna Carpaccio
Avocado kolsch vinaigrette, Bechnel Farms meyer lemons
Heiner Brau Kolsch

II
Rock Shrimp Louis Salad
Grilled tomatoes, arugula, parmesan crisp
Covington Brewhouse Ponchartrain Pilsner

III
House Made Country Sausage with Tasso
Pickled red cabbage, La Cote mustard
Heiner Brau Festbier

IV
Biscuits and Gravy
Sunset sweet potato biscuit, Bayou Bock braised short ribs, braised greens
Covington Brewhouse Bayou Bock

V
Chocolate Pound Cake
Maerzen syrup, house made fig jam ice cream
Heiner Brau Maerzen

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This dinner sounds damn good! Just writing about the biscuits and gravy is making my stomach rumble!!! Make your reservations now cause it WILL sell out!!!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Octoberfest: New Orleans Style

So it looks like you won't be making it to Octoberfest this year. You're going to miss out on all that wonderful German beer, hot chicks in Dirndls and the massive headache that comes after a night of complete debauchery. You're stuck at home in New Orleans(not too shabby!)and you're itching for some Octoberfest celebrations. Here is a great list of things to do to celebrate right here at home.

1) Deutsches-Haus Hello?! It's the Deutshes-Haus and it's Octoberfest. I don't think I need to say anymore.

Dates:

Friday, September 24th 4 pm till midnight
Saturday, September 25th 1pm till midnight

Friday, October 1st 4 pm till midnight
Saturday, October 2nd 1pm till midnight

Friday, October 8th 4 pm till midnight
Saturday, October 9th 1pm till midnight

Friday, October 15th 4 pm till midnight
Saturday, October 16th 1pm till midnight

Friday, October 22nd 4 pm till midnight
Saturday, October 23rd 1pm till midnight

2) The Avenue Pub - Looking for some of the best and rarest German selections in town for Octoberfest? Look no further than Avenue Pub. Polly from Avenue Pub had so much to say in her email regarding her Octoberfest selection that I just figured it would be easier for me to just cut and paste it. Here ya go!

Our October fest beers are starting to come in and we are putting them on just a little bit early! It's best to drink these while they are fresh. We will rotate the rare stuff with the great but easier to access beers like Ayinger and Spaten. You will notice some lower prices on many of our imports this year. We have lowered the price on both Schneider Aventinus and Schneider Weiss by $1.50 a pint. Craig and Kimmie will be busy in the kitchen making their German potato salad next week. Look for dinner and lunch specials like Hophenfeffer and German sausages.

The modern draft system beers are first followed by the cask lagers. These beers are expensive and we are trying to keep the cost down. Please don't ask for free tastes. Everything except the Weiss beers can be sold in 4 ounce pours.

Modern draft system beers:

On tap now:

Klosterbrauerei Weissenohe Altfränkisch - this märzen's recipe is based on that of the traditional beer made and consumed at this monastery-brewery.
Schneider Aventinus- the beer that turned my mother into a beer drinker. She just calls it 'that beer". It's a wheat dopplebock. Rich lovely and according to The Alstrom brothers a 'gift from god".
Ayinger Octoberfest - the best Octoberfest we can access on a regular basis. From the well loved Ayinger brewery its a classic american octoberfest import.
Schneider Weiss- the best Weiss beer that is easy for us to come by on draft. its an excellent beer, rich with the banana clove Schneider yeast.

On tap as space opens up:

Spaten Munich dunkel Lager - This is a fairly new release into the US market. We had it earlier in the summer and it was quite well recieved.
Kapuziner Weisse - a traditional light and refreshing, unpasteurized weissebier from Kulmbach.
Mönchshof Festbier - this märzen is brewed twice a year: once for Kulmbacher Bierwoche--Kulmbach's equivalent to Munich's Oktoberfest--and once for the Weinachtsfest. Get it while you can!
Mönchshof Kellerbier - a bit more malt-forward and sweet than traditional Franconian kellerbiers, this lager is still incredibly easy to drink.



Anstich Cask Lagers on Firkin Friday

A bit of back story on some of the beers( the names you DON'T recognize). Just like last year we have been able to get some unpasteurized German beers from small and sometimes tiny little breweries in the Francion region of Germany. We are able to serve these because the owner of Weissenhoe/Kulmbacher has made it his personal mission to export these beers to the US. In Europe the big boys run rampant over the small family owned craft breweries. Many of these little places are finding it hard to survive with all the mass produced beer that people are consuming. The owner of Weissenhoe sees export to the US craft beer market as one way to improve his fellow brewer's prospects. He brings his kegs around to these farmhouse breweries and has them filled. They then get stored in his "caves' until they are shipped on one his pallets to the US. Only 225 of these kegs came into the country and we were lucky enough to be on the allocation list with the importer. Most went to big beer markets like NYC. The closet market that got them to us is Chicago and DC. These breweries do not normally distribute outside of their little hamlets.

We got 10 Anstich (named after the region from which they originate) and we will serve them each Friday night at 630 until they are gone. We will tap one or 2 kegs per night depending on demand. They are small gravity cask lagers and they need to be drunk the night we tap them. Each holds about 35 pints of beer. Last year we served 5 of these in one night and they were gone in less than 2 hours. This year we have a few more and we are spreading them out.

We are not requiring RSVP BUT we will accept reservations. Please don't make reservations if you don't plan to be on time. I haven't been given the price on these yet so I can't say exactly how much they will cost. Look for a price between 6 and 7 dollars a pint.
These are the beers in the order we will serve them:

Brauerei Zehender Mönchsambacher Lager - a traditional kellerbier from Mönchsambach, Upper Franconia. Unfiltered, unpasteurized, well-hopped, and utterly drinkable.
Brauerei Sauer Rossdorfer Urbräu - A light, hoppy, kellerbier done in the Franconian tradition by a family-owned brewery just outside of Bamberg.
Brauerei Ahornberger Landbier Dunkel - A slightly unusual landbier in that it's made with dark roasted malts; this one is still dry and goes down way too easily.
Brauerei Bayer Ungespundetes Landbier - Another earthy, dry Franconian lager fermented ungespundet (in an open barrel) at the Bayer keller in Theinheim.
Brauerei Löwenbräu Buttenheim Kellerbier - Not the Lion's Brewery with which you're probably familiar. This one has been in the same family since 1880, passing the brewing tradition along through the generations. This characterful kellerbier is produced in minute quantity, and the care that goes into the brewing really shows.
Klosterbrauerei Weissenohe Eucharius Märzen (a.k.a. Monk's Fest) - A 5% festbier from the second-oldest brewery in the world at the monastery in Weissenohe.

3) Heiner Brau- If you're on the Northshore make sure you make your way over to check out Heiner Brau's Octoberfest celebration. I really enjoy his Covington Brewhouse Pilsner!

Covington's Microbrewery

Oktoberfest 2010


A Traditional Bavarian FAMILY Event

226 Lockwood Street, Downtown Covington

5:00 - 8:00 PM, Friday, October 8th

2:00 - 9:00 PM, Saturday, October 9th

Live Music

Bring Your Own Blankets/Chairs and Join Us, Rain or Shine!

Admission is FREE!

German-Style Catering - Covington's Beck ‘n Call Café

On Sale: Covington Brewhouse "Bayou Bock" or "Ponchartrain Pilsner", Strawberry Ale and Heiner Brau Oktoberfest

Wow. Other than the smoking hot German chicks I keep making you stare at I think staying in New Orleans might be a better deal. You save on airfare and your beer selection is frickin' incredible!!! Now we just need hot ladies in Dirndls. And for my female readers I have no idea what you want but I hope you get it too!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Beer Review: Covington Brewhouse Ponchartrain Pilsner

Ok, so you know I like to support local breweries and if I have a choice I will almost always choose local. If I'm in Florida I will try and find a local Florida brewery. If I'm in Texas, I will try and find a local Texas brew. And so on and so on. When it comes to Louisiana it just isn't a state with a whole lot of breweries to choose from but slowly things are changing.

Tonite at Avenue Pub I saw a new tap that was from local Louisiana newbie Covington Brewhouse. I'll be honest, I don't really know what exactly Covington Brewhouse is. Are they a brewery? Don't know because why would they have Heiner Brau's logo on their website? Does that mean Heiner Brau is brewing their beer? I think they are but then why call yourself a brewhouse? I'm not sure but it's a bit confusing. Perhaps someone can chime in and let me know cause I'm clueless. Anyways, it was their Ponchartrain Pilsner and I had to give it a try. I feel that pilsners get a bad rap thanks to the big boys so I'm always looking for a good one. I think I may have find one. Here is my review:

Brewery: Covington Brewhouse

Beer: Ponchartrain Pilsner

Style: German Pilsner

Appearance: Beer was a golden straw color with a thin, white head. Lacing present throughout.

Smell: Nice crisp, clean aroma with a nice subtle hoppiness and sweet maltiness with hints of lemon zest.

Taste: Like the aroma it was a crisp, clean lager as it should be. Had a nice grassiness with just enough hops to balance out the sweet bready maltiness. Very easy beer to drink.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, clean with medium body.

Overall: An incredible local pilsner. Something that is very easy to drink during the oppressive Louisiana heat. I think this one will be a great seller here locally if marketed properly. It's that good.

Score: 4 out of 5 Buddhas

Beer Dinner: La Cote Brasserie March 24th

I received the following information from La Cote Brasserie regarding a beer dinner they will be doing in March.  I just copy and pasted the info below.


Chuck Subra, Executive Chef of La Côte Brasserie, has crafted a 5-course menu in harmony with two regional brew houses, Lazy Magnolia and Heiner Brau. Each brand will feature several of their varietals, one with each course. This Southern Beer Dinner will be held on March 24, 2010 at 7:00pm and is $60 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity.

Southern Beer Dinner Menu: Reservations are required and can be made by calling the restaurant, 504-613-2350.

I
Red Fish Ceviche - Bechnel Farms Myer Lemon, Red Naval, Pear Tomatoes
Heiner Brau - Kolsch Unfiltered

II
Spiced Pecan Salad - Mache, Candied Apples, Stilton, Sherry Vinaigrette
Lazy Magnolia - Southern Pecan

III
Lacquered Pork Belly - Celeriac Slaw, Satsuma Reduction
Lazy Magnolia - Indian Summer Spiced Ale

IV
Veal Paillard - Butternut Squash Pasta and Sage Beurre Noisette
Heiner Brau - Festbier

V
Marzen Poached Plums - Marzen Ice Cream, Louisiana Brown Sugar Tuille
Heiner Brau - Marzen

Lazy Magnolia, founded in 2003, is the state's first local brewery located in Kiln, Mississippi. They are dedicated to providing the best possible products through our tireless efforts, our superior motivation, and our Southern heritage. The line of beers is made in true Southern Style, complementing the traditions of the South and remaining true to Southern tastes. They include: Southern Pecan, Southern Gold, Red Ale, Jefferson Stout, Indian Summer and Gulf Porter.

Heiner Brau boasts one of the only German Brewmasters in the United States, Henryk "Heiner" Orlik, who has been brewing since 1972 and opened in Covington, Louisiana since 2005. Year-round beers include: Kölsch, Maerzen and Strawberry Ale. There are also several seasonal specialties, such as: Mardi Gras Festbier, Maibock, Hefe-Weisse and Festbier Oktoberfest.

Native Louisianan, Chef Chuck Subra Jr., Executive Chef of La Côte Brasserie, has a passion for pairing the abundant seafood available in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico with local and international flavors. He has been recognized as Epicurious.com's "Top 5 Hot Spots in New Orleans," the Times Picayune "Top Dining Guide", Louisiana Cookin' Chefs to Watch, Jamie Shannon Award recipient (given to New Orleans Chef for strong community involvement), a World Championship Gumbo Cookoff participant and will be cooking at the James Beard House in March 2010.

La Côte Brasserie is located at 700 Tchoupitoulas Street in the New Orleans Arts District. Phone: 504-613-2350. Website: www.lacotebrasserie.com / Facebook / Twitter. Free Valet Parking at the Renaissance Arts Hotel.

Beer Review: Heiner Brau Festbier

I woke up this morning and it was a cool 60 degrees!! Man, I love this time of year! Here in good ol' Nawlins we have about one month of "fall". The rest is cold and hot. "Seasons" is what you put into your gumbo down here not the four divisions in the year which are based on periodic changes in the weather. When I say cold, I mean cold! Being right on the river brings in some seriously cold wind. Yeah, I know it's not Green Bay cold but for the South it's damn cold! And when I say hot, I mean hot. You don't know hot unless you've been to New Orleans in the summer. Take 100 degree days and add 100% humidity and you've got a hot so hot your balls are sticking to your leg.

Anyways, those ball sticking days are behind us for a bit and now we have some wonderfully cool weather. What does cool weather mean for us beer drinkers? I don't know about you but for me it means darker, heavier beers. And what is October without an Oktoberfest/marzen style brew! Well, today because of the wonderful change in the weather I opened my fridge looking for what kind of seasonals I had available. Sitting and staring at me was my six pack of "fallfest" beers I have for my "Six Picks" review I'm doing for the New Orleans local weekly paper called The Gambit. I have a deadline to meet!! What does that mean? Time to drink!! Don't you just love it when deadline and drinking go hand in hand? Man, I know I do!

So out of the beers I had in the six pack there is only one that I have never had before and it was from our local brewery called Heiner Brau which is in Covington, Louisiana. I really pull for these guys because I love to support local but unfortunately the majority of the time I have tried their beers they have been crap. Now if this is a brewery issue or a distribution issue I'm not sure but my bet is on the latter. When it comes to beer distribution New Orleans is way behind the curve. I won't get into the whys and the whats regarding this but just trust me, it's true. So I'm sure you're thinking that if I say that most of the beers from Heiner Brau that I've had are crap then why in the hell do I keep trying there beers. The answer is because I know they can do better and the owner and brewmaster of Heiner Brau, Henryk Orlik, is a passionate guy who truly knows his stuff. He actually visited the store that I work at and brought a bottle of his Kolsch which I thought was fantastic. I have never seen the Abita brewmaster walk into my store and pimp his product like that. I guess they're too big for all that. Anyways, enough talk and on to the review!

Brewery: Heiner Brau

Beer: Festbier

Style: Oktoberfest/Marzen

ABV: Not listed

Recommended Glassware: Pint Glass

Serving Type: Pint Glass

Appearance: This beer poured out a nice amber color with a decent size off white head which disappears quickly. Lacing is VERY minimal if almost nonexistent.

Smell: Nice and big malty smell. Very sweet smell with a slight hint of floral hops.

Taste: True to style this beer is malty. There is a nice balance between the sweet and the bitterness of the hops though. The hops add a nice floral character. Great aftertaste which is dry with a hint of pepper.

Mouthfeel: This is a medium body brew with low carbonation.

Overall: Decent representation of the marzen style. Very easy to drink and one of Heiner Braus better beers.

Score: 3 out of 5 Buddhas