Beck's "Sapphire"

[Nosybear]

Okay, it was a ski day today but once we got home, of course we turned the Super Bowl on. Anyone see the commercial for "Beck's Sapphire", brewed with Sapphire hops? The German word for Sapphire is Saphir and here is a description of the hops:

Saphir

A new breed of hop that is starting to replace the Hallertauer Mittlefrüh variety, which has become more and more susceptible to disease and pests. Shares many of the Hallertauer Mittlefrüh characteristics and is very well suited as an aroma hop.

Should the new hop choice for Beck's make a difference or will it still be the European Budweiser clone?

 

[sbaclimber]

Should the new hop choice for Beck's make a difference or will it still be the European Budweiser clone?

Well.....being as it is Beck's, my hopes aren't high.
(I probably won't get a chance to actually try the beer until I visit the states in summer though. I highly doubt it will ever be available here in Germany... :roll: ).
But, that being said, yes, it *SHOULD* make a difference. I have brewed a couple IPAs with Saphir and was pretty pleased with the hop's characteristics. I haven't done a head-to-head vs Hallertau Mittelfrüh, but here is a characteristics comparison (sourced from and more info at: http://www.spalter-hopfen.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=18):
Saphir:

HM:

Perle (pearl) is good as well, though quite mild. I have also been using quite a lot of Smaragd (emerald), which I quite like.

 

[LarryBrewer]

I saw the commercials too. I was confused that the stone they were showing was red, not blue.

I'd buy one bottle just to try it out.

What about Bud's Black Crown, it's supposed to have flavor that one - go figure.

 

[Nosybear]

Dang, SBA, that's quite the good link! I like the charts.... Should help in German hop selection going forward.

Even when I lived in Germany, I wouldn't line up for a Becks of any style (I believe they only had one then). Now that they're European Budweiser, no chance.

 

[sbaclimber]

Now that they're European Budweiser, no chance.

Heh, you make it sound like Anheuser-Busch/InBev is some how going to ruin Beck's. :lol:
Beck's has belonged to InBev for years now, and was already ruined (arguably long before the belgian buyout, due to mass production).
The merger with AB won't change the beer, just the marketing.

 

[mabrungard]

I tasted this beer last week. Definitely malty and it finishes a little too sweet for me. The hops contribute a winey flavor and aroma, sort of like Nelson Sauvin. Not too bad really. I think they should increase the attenuation or add some sulfate to help dry the finish. Its worth a try.

 

[Epona]

I tried it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. To my not very sophisticated pallet, it tasted very similar to a Budweiser. I wasn't impressed.

 

[LarryBrewer]

I tried it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. To my not very sophisticated pallet, it tasted very similar to a Budweiser. I wasn't impressed.

Disappointing... for mega-brew corp, 0.1oz is probably considered a LOT of hops, relative to a 5 gallon batch.

 

[Nosybear]

Disappointing... for mega-brew corp, 0.1oz is probably considered a LOT of hops, relative to a 5 gallon batch.

For a mega-brew, particularly InBev, that's probabaly a lot of Malt! Have they introduced "Beechwood Aging", a code-name for a process that intentionally produces acetaldehyde, to Germany yet?

 

[sbaclimber]

Have they introduced "Beechwood Aging", a code-name for a process that intentionally produces acetaldehyde, to Germany yet?

Yup, Duckstein (which isn't a half bad beer IMO) has been doing it for a while: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duckstein_(Bier)
Sorry, there is no english version of the wikipedia entry, but the important sentence "Das Buchenholz wird als Späne zugeführt und wieder entfernt." basically says (in context) that beech chips are added some time during fermentation/aging and then removed.

 

[Nosybear]

Interesting beer for Germany - an ale, fermented with beechwood, high mineral content water.... Not enough info in the article to reproduce it but if I'm in the neighborhood, I'll definitely have to try one....

 

[sbaclimber]

It is pretty widely distributed, so you may well run across it, no matter where in Germany. It is worth a try, but don't expect too much. The beer hasn't been brewed in the original location for many years, so I would imagine the water profile isn't what it originally was either...
Not sure how much German you can read, but here is a discussion amongst some brewers who tried recreating it: http://hobbybrauer.de/modules.php?name=eBoard&file=viewthread&tid=1522

 

[Nosybear]

SBA: What I'm getting from the discussion is "don't try this at home." And that the beechwood is extremely important to the flavor of the beer. And that the beer isn't what it originally was.... In other words, it reads pretty much like any American homebrew forum, just with an accent.... ;-) Thanks for the link, it was a good read!

 

[sbaclimber]

In other words, it reads pretty much like any American homebrew forum, just with an accent.... ;-)

:lol: yup

 

[Nosybear]

SBA, full disclosure, I'm fluent in German. Sometimes I enjoy reading their links - keeps the language alive and it really is interesting just how closely the discussions mirror the American variety. There's one process guy - you absolutely have to do x or your beer is DOOMED. There's the one guy whose opinion is always that the beer in question is not as good as it was before event y. And there's the one guy who is absolutely certain x will ruin your beer. Meanwhile, there are the guys who are asking if they should do x without specifying what they're brewing or asking why they should do it. Makes for great comedy and for one of the reasons I never follow advice on discussion sites (present company excepted) without finding a reliable cross-reference.

Cheers, mein Freund

 

[sbaclimber]

SBA, full disclosure, I'm fluent in German.

Cool! That means you can correct my attempts at translating stuff from german-to-english. :lol:

 

[Nosybear]

Dude, you're over there - you can probably find much better translation help than me! But thanks, I'll help out when I can. Just don't ask me to translate obsolete units of measurement.