Piwo Grodziskie - Grätzer Ale

Piwo Grodziskie - Grätzer Ale

Grodziskie or Grätzer is a Sour Smoked Wheat Ale that was brewed in the 1900s in East Prussia and dates back to as early as the 15th century. It was named after the Polish town of Grodzisk Wielkopolski or Grätz in German. Our historic version is brewed according to the German Purity Law with air-dried barley malt and beech smoked wheat malt and hopped with Perle and Saaz. A sour mash is created using the old and forgotten technique called “Digerieren.” Finally a three month aging and maturation process creates a complex sour, smoky and heavily hopped wheat ale.
3.4
237 reviews
Friesing, Germany

Community reviews

3.4 pours hazy golden orange with a small reviving white cap, some lacing. sweetish wheat, honeyed maltiness, very light smoke, never bacon-y or umami; subtle clementines and other citrus, very grassy noble hops, light on-the-spot lactic acidity, pinch of pepper. clean. light carbonation, light body - never watery; very gently tart, lightly smoky and herbal-grassy finish. unique and quite interesting.
3.6 24k gold liquid sitting under a small head of foam. Big fruity tartness with a bit of smoke in the smell. Taste wise, again, delightful fruity tartness backed by a very mild amount of smoke. Fairly subtle flavours which makes this a very easy drinker. Light bodied. Nice historical brew!
3.4 Bottle 500ml. Pours slightly hazy amber with huge frothy slightly off-white head. Good lacing. Aroma is of smoke, spices, flowers. Taste is of sourness, sugar, some smoke. Weird. Palate: Medium (almost to full) body. Low-medium carbonation. Overall: Good. Nice to try. Would not be a go-to beer for me.
3.6 Bottle (500 ml). Bought @ Winooski Beverage Warehouse. Split 2-ways with Minderbinder. Appearance: Almost clear bright golden with a medium persistent and easy to revive white head along some lacing. Aroma: Mild. Grains forward along light smoke, hints of lemon peel and mineral presence. Taste: A bit more expressive than the aroma. Quite mineral with mild acidity, light smoke and lemon peel. Palate: Medium body. Medium carbonation. Mild moderately lasting mineral and herbal finish with smokey notes. Overall: Somewhat tasty for a 4% abv beer even if it’s isn’t exactly very flavorful. Easy drinking. I like the mild smoke presence and acidity in this one.
2.9 500 mL bottle supplied by WillRunForBeer - many thanks! To oversized snifter, it pours a skin-tinted deep honey orange with which a off-white ringed head barely a fingernail in length stood. Aromas of wheat grass, pond water, bosc pears, table sugar, pottery clay, russet potatoes, and German yeast. Tastes the same with the addition of mint sprigs, denim, aged hops, and minerals. Wet rolling tobacco experienced by mid-palate to swallow. Waterier than expected. Pleasurable growing alcohol warmth. Could have been fun, but the flavors just kicked me in the side.
3.3 500 ml bottle shared by Willrunforbeer, orange color, no head. Very light aroma of smoked malt, sour mash, and weak damp ash. Flavor is pretty much the same as the aroma with the smoke being very faint and subdued which is pleasing to me. Mild sourness seems to hold the smoke at bay. Malted wheat with a light tart fruit character. Medium body with a dry texture and clean.
3.4 Bottle shared at my place. Pours orange gold with a white head. Aroma is red fruit, sour dough, slight floral. Flavor is dry and wheats, slight smoke. Neat.
3.5 Poured from bottle golden color with a white head. Aroma is mildly smoky with a little funkiness and wheat. Taste is somewhat smoky and is balanced by the sourness.
4.0 Blonde orangée trouble, mousse blanche. Nez de céréales, blé, raisin vert, levure, pain, fumée. Bouche fumée, acide, blé, citron, belle amertume. Arômes complexes et équilibrés. Légèrement scurée. Bonne longueur. Corps crémeux. Bonne carbonation. Très bon, hors du commun, une très belle surprise.
3.4 I had this at Global Brew. Pours gold with a white head. Taste sour, smokey, citrus. I thought this was ok. I could drink this again.
3.5 "Same dude that brewed the 1809 berliner weiss. This has a subtlety smokey aroma, a little light fruit and hoPs. Feel is prickly and light but great for this beer. Flavor light but super complex...smoke, clove , tons o wheat...tangy and lingering. Nice brew."
3.4 bottle. near clear gold color with almost no head. fruity pink bubblegum aroma. the flavor has very very subtle smoke. some fruity bubblegum hops. a very light/subtle example of style. i’ve had grodziskie with much more gusto(but who’s to say they were accurate examples). the bottles claims some sourness, in which i get none. i’m not sure what to expect from this style now. its has an almost czech pils like hop flavor and the smoothness of the palate with a subtle touch of smoke. you can really slug it down with a 4% abv. i enjoyed it, but i also like the more robust examples.
3.5 Clear yellow brown pour. Aroma of sourdough and german hops. Tastes of sour honey bread with strong grain, smoked sausage, some butter, slight maple.
4.1 A really odd refreshing beer. Has a slightly fetid sweet honey aroma and flavor with a hint of the smoked. Very smooth taste with a fizzy long finish. Good and different.
3.2 Bottle: The aroma is not very pleasant and consists of dirty wash cloth, must, wheat, faint smoke, and some mineral notes. It pours a slightly hazy golden-orange with a one finger white head that quickly fades to a thick film. The flavor starts with a quick dose of citrus and wheat. The finish has moderate smoked cheese with just a hint of lemon. It’s light bodied with mild carbonation. Overall, I dig the flavor, but the aroma is rough.
2.9 Hazy orange pour. Smoky, sour, grassy, a touch salty but with hefeweissen base. Sort of strange, but not bad at all. Fairly light. Good for summer.
3.0 Aroma is cross between hefeweisen and abbey dubbel. Taste is mainly water with hints of lemon and mild smokiness. Sort of boring.
3.4 (12oz bottle) clearish, lasting white fine bubbles. Nose of smoke, wheat, maybe a tinge tart, salty, celery. Taste of smoked wood, wheat, light salt, maybe a bit papery too, just kind of bland tasting. Needs some sourness.
2.8 Bottle thanks to Danny. Stome is slightly smokey with some honey sweetness. Pours a hazy orange with minimal head. Taste is immediately smokey with some graininess. No hop character at all. I’m guessing this is a tired bottle that’s been around a while. Mostly malty sweetness with some smoke. Decent but not great by any means
3.2 Fra flaske, Luksus at Tørst, NYC. Klar, gylden, lavt hvidt skum. En del korn og sødlig fermenteret hø i næsen. Minimal syrlig note. Let let røg. Grønlige humlenoter. En vis bitterhed.
3.7 Pours a mostly clear gold with a short white head and lacing. It has a mild aroma of sour fruit, smoke, and faint, grassy hops. The flavor is mild, with tart flavors up front, a solid, malty, smokey backbone, and a slightly sweet finish over a light-medium body. Very interesting.
3.5 Very complex beer. Like of mild hefeweizen then sour but very mild. Then some floral sweetness. If this wasn’t so complex the general public would drink it up heartily as a summery ale. Serving: Bottle
3.8 Light hazy golden color. Smoked wheat nose. Taste is great, starts out sour with a little salt and then finishes with smoke. Good beer.
2.7 Säuerlicher, mild hopfiger Antrunk. Dann etwas bitterer werdend, geringe Intensität mit minimalen Kräutern. Enttäuschend. 11/9/8/8//8 Earlier Rating: 3/15/2014 Total Score: 2.7 Säuerlicher, mild hopfiger Antrunk. Dann etwas bitterer werdend, geringe Intensität mit minimalen Kräutern. Enttäuschend. 11/9/8/8//8
3.4 Clear golden yellow. Small off white head. Aroma mostly sweet malt. Light body. Just a little carbonation. Flavor lightly lemony at first, then some off-dry malt, crisp but not overly bitter hop finish. Not really getting much in the way of smoke. Maybe a little wheat in the background. Good balance, very drinkable, nice flavors for being so light.
3.1 On tap at Mr Dunderbaks. Strange brew: Gold pour, white head. Wheat and smoke aroma. Tastes are not really sour. Wild part knocks down the smoke some. Not sure what to make of this. 6.2
3.3 Draught at Braukunst Live, cloudy yellow, smoke and banana nose, watery body, dry with a light tartness. Intriguing!
3.1 @ Braukunst Live Festival 2014 Munich bread, cereal, citrus, herbs, dough, smoke, golden, cloudy, minimal head, medium sweetness, medium bitterness, lightly sour, medium body, oily feel, creamy, average carbonation,
4.1 Draught(!) at Braukunst Live, München 02/2014. Aroma of wey, peachy wheats and whispy smoke. Pleasant light palate, pillows of eggwhite. Wheat acidity, delicate pale smoke trails and zest. A late, almost lambic-like old hop bitterness kicks in after a while, adding layered and timed complexity to a beautifully designed and revived for sessioning historical beer style. Now only to make it available in sessioning quantities on its continent of origin...
3.2 Tap at BKL 2014. Bubblegum and vanilla Weizen aroma, a hint salt and smoke. Yellow, white lace. Medium body, lactic dry. Smoke and spiced salt on a light wheat base. Maggi finish. I liked it.