While I was doing my shopping for the latest Glibertarian Beer it Forward I found something fun in the import section.

This is my review of Brauerei Heller — however you pronounce this:

The bottom line with this beer is that it is a German style known as a Rauchbier.  A Rauchbier is a style best known for the malts being smoked.  There is no definitive style, as nearly any German style beer can be smoked, it just depends on what you happen to like.  That day, I picked the Bock.  The style is said to have originated in the city of Bamberg where the cloisters at the local cathedral caught fire, as they were apparently wont to do.  This fire ravaged throughout the city and was eventually put out, but not before the effects of the smoke took affect to the local breweries.  They breweries themselves did not burn down but many of their ingredients were smoked, and they didn’t realize it at the time.  Turns out people liked it, thus Rauchbier is a thing.

This Cathedral, I guess its cool and all….

When I tried to verify if this story is true, I came up a bit short.  The best I could to was verify the cathedral does exist, and it did burn down around the time the origin story takes place.

The cathedral is cool and all, but to be honest there really wasn’t anything there that pops out.  Let’s instead talk about the Orloj, or  sometimes known as the Prague Astronomical Clock.  It has an interesting history if you are in to that sort of thing.  What really stands out is the city councils reaction to such a mechanical wonder.

Upon its completion in 1493, the updated Orloj was undoubtedly the envy of the world, and the Prague city council agreed that Hanuš had fulfilled his promise to the city. In fact, many in the council argued the master had fulfilled it too well—after all, if Hanuš could create such a marvel for the people of Prague, what was to stop him from creating an equally impressive or better work for a rival? In secret, a rogue group of councilmen met to discuss ways of preventing such a loss of prestige for the city. The plan was set into action the day of Hanuš’ payment. Shortly after receiving his gold, the master was waved into an antechamber, held down, and his eyes were burned out with a red-hot iron poker. The newly blinded Hanuš was rightfully furious, and local legend says he retaliated in two ways. Firstly, he laid a curse upon the city of Prague—whenever the Orloj stopped working, the city would suffer horrible misfortune. Secondly, and more accurately, Hanuš sent an apprentice into the tower at night and had the man smash the inner workings of the movement. Prague’s new crown jewel had been broken, and Hanuš’ designs were so far ahead of their time that no one could repair the clock until 1552.

Too bad Hanuš was wrong again, as they stopped the clock for restoration recently.  You have to admit it is cool.

So the moral of the story is…don’t build things for the government?

How is the beer?  it will be polarizing, because as it turns out it really is smoky.  Many craft brewers will take this style and compare it to bacon, and market it as a bacon flavored beer (i.e. Rogue VooDoo Maple Donut).  In a way it does remind me of bacon to some degree.  Otherwise it adds a unusual complexity to what is otherwise, a competently made beer.  Brauerei Heller — however you pronounce this: 3.5/5