Josephbrau scores again!

Revisiting a couple German-style beers from Trader Joe's this evening. The first is Josephsbrau Hefeweizen. It is an unfiltered wheat beer brewed to 5.3 percent alcohol by volume. Perhaps on the higher side of sessionable, it is certainly a decent weizen to be had for seven dollars a six-pack. There is the typical banana-clove flavor profile, albeit somewhat muted. Good stuff.

The Dunkelweizen is priced the same. It pours a very hazy amber with a muted spicy nose with a suggestion of orange. Again, this isn't your fancy Paulaner, Ayinger or Franziskaner. Interestingly enough the dunkelweizen is a a tenth of a percent weaker than the weizen with 18 versus 12 IBUs. All this mumbo jumbo means is that they added more hops in the dunkel, probably to balance the addition of caramel malts. The result is a dunkel that is not as sweet as most which is something that I rather enjoy.

Update: I have found out this evening that noted beer writer, homebrewer and craft beer pioneer Fred Eckhardt has died. He was 89 and I believe he appreciated the German styles. Cheers, Fred! Here's a column he wrote for his 80th birthday.

Classic cheap beer

Chicago area people! Pilsner Urquell cans are on sale at Jewel for $1.29 a can. I love these vintage-style cans. I'm a sucker for them. PU isn't really a cheap beer, but it is more affordable than some of the craft lagers these days. It is still a go-to beer for me, especially on weeknights. The 4.4 percent ABV will treat you right and still 40 IBUs after all these years....