Not ready to give up the ghost / Going off the rails on a ghost train

"Freigeist" literally translates to 'free ghost' though I suspect it means something more along the lines of 'free spirit' inspite of the cartoon ghost on the outstanding packaging. I love the hand-lettering; very German and reminiscent of old movie titling, like from Metropolis.

Freigeist Ottekolong Unfiltered Kölsch

I poured this one into a tall glass. Not a real kölsch cylinder, but as close as I could manage. It's got way more funk that I'd expect for the style, so kölsch may be a misnomer. Just what exactly it smells like is really hard to pin down. 'Dishwater' sounds more negative than I mean to, but is not inaccurate. Taste-wise, it's full-bodied, with some earthy hops that to me taste kinda like arugula. It did say it was going to be hoppy, though only by German standards. Anyway, it's decent, and much less expensive than other beers I've had by the same brewery.

Burnside Brewing 'Merkur,' She Wrote Pale Ale

I didn't make notes on this, but I had a pint at a meeting with someone who owed me a favor and brought me back a cake of tea straight from China, but that's another story for another blog, one that doesn't exist yet.

Anyway, this beer promised, earthy hops, and boy does it deliver. One to try even for non-hop-lovers as it was under 50IBU, and not remarkably bitter. Well balanced, tasty, and showed off a (German, but I suppose I might've guessed) hop varietal I wasn't aware of. Not on their website, so possibly a one-off. Who knows if it will ever get bottled? (Buy a ticket to PDX, take the MAX to Lloyd Center [my home!], start walking south, and) Get down to East Burnside and try some!

Freigeist Geisterzug Traditional Spiced Gose

I've said this before and gotten weird looks, but actual German gose isn't necessarily that sour. Just like English IPA's aren't necessarily that bitter, I suppose. The style does involve some lacto souring, but in my limited experience, isn't any tarter than a berliner Weiße (no, you don't capitalize 'berliner,' but you do capitalize 'Weiße'... it's a long story.) Anyway, this one is named 'ghost train,' and I've got a one-way ticket to Beertown on the express line.

It's a potent smell, especially since it's warmed to near room temperature. I guess some of it's coriander, but I cheated and looked that up. A little bit tart and a little bit funk, but pretty complex and weighty, on account of the wheat. Not Reinheitsgebot compliant, Wikipedia notes that gose receives an exemption for being a traditional beer style (which sort of defeats the purpose).

To say nothing of the fact that the Reinheitsgebot is now defunct (replaced by a different law), and that its real purpose at inception was at least partially politicoeconomical, to prevent " to prevent price competition with bakers for wheat and rye" (Wikipedia). And that wheat beer is by definition, non-compliant.

I had thought that the Reinheitsgebot was completely defunct, but it does indeed live on in spirit as the Vorläufiges Biergesetz (according to Wikipedia), and applies to German-made beers (presumably with exceptions for styles like this), but not to imports. Quite possibly the reason we don't see zanier craft brewing out of the good old BRD.

Four Freigeist bottles. Note the glue lines marking previous labels from where bottles have been completely re-used, as compared to America, where you wait in a giant line for a machine to fail reading it 8 times in a row, ultimately smash it into shards, and dispense a five-cent gift certificate to  Fred Meyer.

Anyway, this beer is good, if not particularly spiced (to my perception) beyond some salt and maybe coriander, a hallmark of the style. But hey, in a country where spice in beer seems to still be literally illegal, that's got to count for something.