Dec. 6 - Stephans Bräu

Oh, now it's a premium lager!  I wonder if it will have more weight than the wheat beer?  Definitely expecting more than with the pilsners.  The can flashes four different writing systems, so it's definitely meant for export.  This is Stephans Bräu Premium Lager, from Mammut Getränke.  Weirdly, I cannot find the connection between the beer and the company, which I believe is an exporter, not a brewery.  Or maybe it is?  Some information says Stephans Bräu is made by Eichbaum, already a contestant in this game.  Anyway, let's get on with the lager tasting.

Couldn't find one with St. Nikolaus?

Well, it's back to lightly scented, lightly colored, glassy beer.  The head's alright, not real long-lasting, but it has a cling like the wheat beer.  It's oddly sour for a lager, taking a few seconds for any bitterness to come out.  Deep down there's some sweet grassiness, but it could easily go unnoticed with that sour on top of it.  While the level of sourness does diminish, it never really gets very bitter or that mildly sweet that many lagers tend to.  Again, not a bad beer to sit around on a sunny day with, but not what I would choose on a dark December night.  Actually, with a good meal it would be okay, since it doesn't have a striking flavor of its own to interfere with the taste of the food.  Right up there with Kingfisher!