Brandy Style

What is an Obstler? Legally, it's a fruit brandy in which at least 85 percent of the mash comes from apples, pears, or both. The regulation demands no more than that; there's no requirement to use only apple or only pear. On the Alb, this means Obstler is the farmhouse brandy in which perry pears and cider apples come together in shifting varieties and proportions. Every vintage tastes a little different, because the harvest turns out differently each year.

Unlike Fränkischer Obstler, the Obstler from the Alb carries no protected designation of origin. Such a designation wouldn't be detectable in a brandy from the meadow alone anyway. Quality depends on the fruit, the mash, and the distiller, not on a seal.

Pear brandy made from perry pears is the quieter, more refined relative. It may not be called Williams, since that name belongs solely to brandy made from the Williams Christ variety. The label instead reads 'pear brandy,' sometimes naming the variety. Distilled from perry pears, it tastes less of spice and sweets and more of ripe pear with a hint of tannin in the background. Which variety was involved — Champagner Bratbirne, Palmischbirne, or another — shows up less in the name than in the character of that year's harvest.

The same minimum standards apply to both: 37.5 percent alcohol, at most 18 grams of sugar per litre, no added flavouring, no artificial colour. Anyone reading 'Obstwasser' is looking at the same thing as fruit brandy; 'wasser' simply refers to the clear colour. The real difference lies elsewhere, between fruit brandy and fruit spirit (Obstgeist): with a brandy, the fermented fruit is distilled, whereas with a spirit, unfermented fruit is steeped in alcohol beforehand.