Tasting

What does Coburg beer taste like? Fresh, medium-bodied, with a bready note and a bitterness that doesn't announce itself immediately but emerges at the finish. A simple vessel is all you need for tasting: in Franconia, people like to drink from the Seidla, a handled glass or mug that keeps the beer cold longer.

Good examples include Brauerei Schleicher's Storchen-Pils and Itzgrunder Landbier, Brauerei Scharpf from Heilgersdorf, and Brauhaus zu Coburg with its house-brewed beers. Each of these breweries has its own recipes, and even two beers from the same area can differ noticeably.

Serving temperature is around seven to eight degrees Celsius (45–46°F), no colder, since too much chill mutes the malt aroma. Let the beer warm up and you'll taste the sweetness more strongly, and in a Pils the bitterness then comes across unpleasantly. Taste it in small sips and notice how it changes from nose to finish.

When pouring, tilt the glass and let the beer run down the side until it's about half full. Then straighten the glass and pour the rest down the middle. This creates a firm head of foam that protects the beer from oxidation.

Kellerbier is cloudier, naturally unfiltered, and with more yeast character. It looks different, but that's by design, not a flaw. It tastes best fresh from the cask, ideally right where it was stored, and within a few weeks of bottling.