Schtrunz Beer: A Gem Amongst Lebanese Handcrafted Beers

It was a lucky surprise to be introduced to the Lebanese Schtrunz Beer in Tawlet Mar Mikhael during a lunch with beer tasting.
The owner himself introduced a clear explanation of the malt, hops, wheat and yeast used in the making of this handcrafted beer. A lot of passion and know-how was put into the making of this great beer.

Schtrunz Beer is not a commercial beer, nor widely found in markets given that it is still home-brewed. Working on small scale production, preserves the high quality of the beer, especially that it is an unfiltered one. Particles of the beer sediment at the bottom of the bottle, keeping the fermentation of the beer alive.

Currently, Schtrunz Beer is found at The Malt Gallery in Achrafieh.

To introduce the beer:

Koelsch: Bright yellow appearance with a white rich foam, it has a strong grainy aroma, well noticed bitterness till the end, bubbly in the mouth, and has a dry finish. 5.1% alcohol level.

The Grand Saison: Golden color with heavy foam, when first poured the aromas are fruity and bready, balanced bitter hoppiness, while the bready aroma remains till the last drop. Higher on the alcohol level, at 6.5%, which is also felt in the aromas.

Unfiltered Colonel Beer - a fresh experience

We are used to drinking crystal clear crisp looking beers in Lebanon, otherwise known as filtered beers. Mass-produced beers are filtered to give them a bright crystal clear body, to meet the expectations of most beer drinkers and to stabilize beer taste during its shelf life. On the other hand, it also decreases the strong flavors of its constituents, the color is also lost during filtration.

How about unfiltered beer? A beer that has a cloudy body, rich with flavors, where yeast remains in the beer to keep it "alive".
I drank the unfiltered lager at Colonel Beer brewery in Batroun. Dense body, the flavors are accentuated, slight bitterness at the finish enhancing the beer drinking experience.

Celebrating New Year in Prague? Here is Your Must-Try-Beer List.

For those of you who are beer passionates or just beer-curious, and happen to be traveling to Prague to celebrate New Year's Eve, here is a tip on which beers you will find in Prague and what would be a must to try and enjoy.

Pilsner Urquell is the first golden pilsner beer brewed in 1842 in the city of Plzen in Czech Republic. Since that day, the recipe has remained the same, and Prague is famous for its Pilsner Urquell, the world's first Pilsner beer.

Gambrinus is also one of the most popular beers in the Czech Republic, brewed since 1869. The Gambrinus Original 10° is widely available, especially in restaurants and bars.

Hidden in one of those small side streets of Prague, I found a small vintage bar, frequented only by locals, and asked for a beer, and was surprised by Chotěboř, a good traditional beer made of pure Czech ingredients.

Kozel beer, brewed since 1874, a beer that won far too many beer awards & progressed way outside the Czech Republic to be sold in different parts of the world. 

Staropramen beer, first brewed in 1871, soon became one of the largest European beer brewing companies. Found almost in every bar, restaurant or market in Prague.

Braník was first brewed in 1900, founded by a group of brewmasters from small historical breweries at that time. It is well-known in Prague and widely available in markets. 

Krušovice, since 1583, is currently present in the Czech market in eight different brews to meet all tastes. The company was acquired by Heineken in 2007.

Beer Festivals season around the world - Oktoberfest in Munich

Around the end of September till October, some cities around the world celebrate beer festivals. The most famous of these festivals is the Oktoberfest which has been taking place in Munich, Germany, since 1810. Oktoberfest is known to be the largest festival in the world, with around six million visitors every year.

During my visit to Munich, I was able to try thirteen different kinds of Bavarian beers, some in the Oktoberfest and others from local markets. 

The Oktoberfest festival offers six traditional beer brews.

Löwenbräu: One of the typical Oktoberfest beers, having a high percentage of alcohol, it's a pale golden Märzen beer with thin white foam, slightly sweet bread taste with light bitterness that lingers. Great in cold weather, so it stays freshly crisp even if served in 1L mugs! 

Augustiner Bräu: Famous brewing house in Munich, serves beer & food. The Lager, golden clear color with white snowy foam, the sweetness is lightly present to make it a fresh smooth tasting beer. The dark Dunkel presents a creamy brown foam that lingers, strong caramel sweetness and caramel smell. 

Erdinger Weisbier: Yellow hazy color, white lasting foam, citrus smell, bubbly and well carbonated, smooth hint of bitterness.

Schneider Weisse: Yellow amber color, white foam quickly vanishing, banana smell with acidic bitter bubbly taste.

Clausthaler classic: Yellow color with white foam, smells and tastes of green herbs with a bitter end.

Weihenstephaner Weissbier: Yellow hazy color, bubbles that fills the mouth, white retained foam, citrus smell and sweet tasting with bitter finish.

Andeschs Weissbier: Lemony color with white vanishing foam, a smell of citrus, orange and banana, bitter from start to finish with acidic taste. 

Tegernseer Leicht: Yellow watery aspect, vanishing white foam, smell of seeds with watery neutral taste.

Paulaner Hefe-Weißbier: Amber color with creamy beige foam, caramel smoky smell when freshly poured, hint of citrus smell, clean taste with no special edge and no bitterness.

Franziskaner Weissbier Dunkel: Dark amber color with vanishing beige foam, caramel smell and

roasted nuts taste, bitter finish.

König Ludwig Weissbier Dunkel: Copper color with beige foam, ginger smell and roasted wheat & citrus smell, ends a dry finish.

Erdinger Dunkel: Dark brown smoky color with beige persistent foam, dark chocolate smell, tastes hint of coffee and finished bitter.

Köstrißer Schwarzbier: Dark brown color with brown foam, smells of caramel and dark chocolate, hint of coffee with bitter taste from start to finish.

Great foreign Beers that you can find in Lebanese markets

The Leffe Royale comes in an elegant bottle worthy of its name! Belgians really know how to present their great beers.

Born from the Abbey Notre-Dame de Leffe since 1152 in Belgium, Leffe Beer has been brewed since 1952, honoring the tradition of the Leffe beer according to the same recipe since 1240.

The Leffe Royale is a strong Ale beer, it presents an amber orange color, long lasting beige foam, caramelized fruity taste mixed with the bitterness of three different kinds of hops using in its brewing. 

Leffe brews nine different kinds of beers.

     I was able to find only three kinds in Carrefour city center: the Leffe Royale, the Leffe Blond and the Leffe Radieuse, not all kinds are offered constantly in the market. 

Maybe you get to try some of these kinds during your next trip to Belgium.

Great foreign Beers that you can find in Lebanese markets

The best  Belgian beer  found in the Lebanese market is the Chimay.

Chimay Beer is a Trappist beer, brewed in a Belgian Monastery under the control & responsibility of monks, and the revenue is devoted to social service.

Chimay is ranked one of the finest beers in Belgium. 

The Chimay Triple: Golden amber color, rich long-lasting foam, fruity dry taste, bitter finish.

The Chimay Red Cap: Copper color, light bitter taste, white creamy foam, fruity silky taste with bread aromas, no bitterness at the end.

The Chimay Blue Cap (Grande Reserve): Caramel colored body, brown foam, dry with caramel & spicy notes, sweet finish.

You can find all three kinds in Carrefour city center.