Eisenbahn Kölsch Review

"Easily Rolling Down My Throat”

Country: Brazil 

Brand: Eisenbahn Kölsch

Brewer: Cervejaria Südbrack, Blumenau (SC)

Package: Bottle (355 ml) 
Type: Ale (Kölsch) 

Age: NAS

ABV: 4.8 %

Antioxidant: None
Stabiliser: None

Colour: Golden 

Foam: Thin White Foam that quickly dissipates. Only few laces remain once you have emptied the Glass.

Nose: Light, Mildly Sweet, Simple and Fresh with a little Fruit (Green Apples), Pizza Dough, Grain Biscuits, Fresh Herbs, Caramel and a little Lemon. No Off-Notes. 

Palate: Mildly Sweet with a Very Light Body. Too Light actually and a bit Watery as well. I find Wheat Biscuits, Malt, a tiny bit of Hops, Green Apples and a little Lemon. Low Carbonation. This is nothing special but highly drinkable!  

Finish: Very Light and Mildly Sweet. I find a little bit of Malt and Hops and some Floral tones.

Rating: ******1/2  (Six and a Half out of Ten)

General Remarks: The Südbrack Brewery and its Brand Eisenbahn were founded in 2002 by the Mendes family in the South of Brazil. They loved Special Beers and found there were very few of them around. A Master Brewer from Germany was hired and production started. Over the years, the company expanded its product range and built a reputation, both in Brazil and around the world. It has won many prices with its special Beers. In 2008, Eisenbahn was bought by the Brazilian Schincariol Group. The Brand name Eisenbahn was chosen as the factory in Blumenau lies next to an old railway. Today, Eisenbahn's core range includes Dunkel, Kölsch, Pale Ale, Pilsen, Weizenbier, Weizenbock, Rauchbier, Lust and Strong Golden Ale. Eisenbah Kölsch was launched in 2005 and is an Ale type of Beer that originally hales from the city of Cologne in German. Its Production rigorously follows the German legislation for beer (Reinheitsgebot) and is made only of Water, Malted Barley, Malted Wheat and Hops.

Drinking Experience: Light but highly Drinkable.

Conclusion: When I lived in Europe before moving to Brazil I tasted various beers of the Kölsch type in Germany. Without exception they had more Body and tasted less Watery than this Eisenbahn. In fact the Eisenbahn Kölsch is a simple beer without significant Aromas and Flavours. Schincariol and Eisenbahn could do better in my opinion. So while I admit that it's highly drinkable and refreshing, I will look for other options before revisiting this Ale. 

Jan van den Ende                                                                     May 2, 2015

Xingu Premium Gold Review

“Good Balance Between Sweet, Sour and Bitter”

Country: Brazil 

Brand: Xingu Premium Gold

Bottler:Heineken Brasil SA, Jacarei (SP)

Type: Adjunct Lager

Age: NAS

ABV: 5.4 %

Antioxidant: INS 316 + INS 224
Stabiliser: INS 405

Colour: Golden 

Foam: Thin White Foam that practically disappears after 5 minutes or so. Very little Foam remains in the Glass once you finished it.

Nose: Light and Medium-Sweet with Malt, Grain, light Grassy Hops, Sour Green Apples and a touch of Lemon. Simple but without any troublesome off-notes. 

Palate: Light and Clean with Average Carbonation. Medium Sweet and slightly Sour with Malt, Grain, Grass, Green Apples and light Metallic notes. A little Bitter as well.

Finish: Short but Refreshing. Sweet Malt and Grain are accompanied by Green Apples and a light Herbal Bitterness. Reasonably Well-Balanced.

Rating: *******  (Seven out of Ten)

General Remarks: The Lager Beer I'm reviewing today is named after the river Xingu, a tributary of the Amazon River. Xingu Beer is a pioneer in the Brazilian Craft Beer segment. In 1988, the now famous Black Beer was launched, made after an ancient recipe dating back to 1557. Later, Black was followed by Gold. In 2014 the Xingu range was relaunched by Heineken Brasil who brews Xingu nowadays. The new core range includes Premium Gold, Unique Red and Original Black. Today, Xingu Beer is exported to the USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, the UK and China.

Drinking Experience: Good

Conclusion: Quite Simple but Well-Balanced Lager Beer without that annoying Corn Sweetness and without any significant off-notes. Nice balance between Sweet, Sour and Bitter. It's not interesting enough to drink on a regular basis but I won't say no if somebody offers me a Xingu Premium Gold!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      April 26, 2015

Brahma Chopp Review

“Chopp Till You Drop”

Country: Brazil 

Brand: Brahma Chopp

Bottler: Companhia Cervejaria Brahma

Type: Adjunct Lager

Age: NAS

ABV: 4.8 %

Antioxidant: INS 316 + INS 221
Stabiliser: INS 405

Colour: Pale Gold. 

Foam: Nice Thick White Foam. It dissipates after a couple of minutes. Make sure your Glass is crispy clean and eventual fats have been removed thoroughly. A bit of Foam remains in your glass after you finished it.

Nose: Light but Clean. No Off-Notes. Clear Grain notes, mainly Corn and most likely some Rice as well. I hardly detect any Hops and/or Barley although they are part of the composition. After a while I get a light Grassy note. 

Palate: Sufficient Carbonation. Quite Watery and Thin delivery. It's almost like you're drinking slightly Creamy Golden Yellow Water. Refreshing when you're thirsty but without any significant Flavours. I find Corn, a bit of Yeast, very light Hops, Grass, Paper and a bit of Iron. But again, no real off-notes. 

Finish: Short, Watery and slightly Dry and Sour towards the end. The Hops are more noticeable now alongside the Grain, Grass and a Metallic note.

Rating: ******1/2  (Six and a half out of Ten)

General Remarks: Bottled Brahma Chopp was first launched in 1934, brewed by Companhia Cervejaria Brahma that was founded in 1888 in Rio de Janeiro by a Swiss immigrant by the name of Joseph Villiger. Today it's part of Anheuser-Busch InBev. In terms of turnover, Brahma is the 5th biggest Brewery in the world today. Brahma Beer is exported to over 30 countries. Belgium, Canada, the USA, France, Great Britain and the Netherlands are important markets.

Drinking Experience: It's Light and Refreshing without any disagreeable off-notes. 

Conclusion: A typical Light Summer Beer to enjoy in the sun when you're thirsty. You wont find any off-notes and it's almost as easy as drinking Water. But don't expect any significant Aromas and Flavours because they are simply not there. So relax with your friends and "Chopp Till You Drop".

Jan van den Ende                                                                      April 18, 2015