“The best drink known to man is Einbecker Bier”

These unlikely words are attributed to Martin Luther (1483-1546) theologian, philosopher, reformer and apparent beer critic. Despite doubts about the great man’s credentials, it is a hell of a write up for a small brewery and highlights the sheer age of the Einbecker Bauhaus (They claim it dates from 1378).

The German town of Einbeck was originally home to a community brewery which pooled resources from all the brewers in the city limits and whose product was an important source of civic revenue. Nowadays it’s run on more straightforward commercial lines, but it is proud of its heritage as the spiritual home of brewing in Saxony. Among the brewery’s more contentious claims is that the famous bocks (strong golden lagers) of Bavaria derive their name from Einbeck and that one of Southern Germany’s most famous beers has its roots in the North.

Whatever the truth, the Einbecker Brauhaus still makes a damn fine pint of Bock, and being German, it is brewed under the strict regulations of the German Purity Law, which means that it is unlikely to be substantially different to that which was drunk during the Protestant Reformation.
The brewery produces three varieties of bock: Dunkles (dark), Helle’s (pale) and Maibock (a hoppier seasonal beer). All come in at 6.5% a.b.v. and receive extended cellaring of 6-8 weeks before release. They are all good beers, but I shall concentrate on the Helle’s for no better reason than that I have one to hand right now.

In the glass it is a rather unappealing pale lemon yellow colour, with gentle effervescence and a short-lived head. The nose has the distinctive pilsner aroma of damp straw, with warm, yeasty bread notes and maybe a hint of spicy balsa wood. It is a full-bodied beer with an assertive punch of quite sweet citrus notes. The mid-palate is creamy and builds in bitterness towards the peppery, hoppy finish. A robust beer with good weight and length, richer, stronger and mealier than most lagers, without being quite as hardcore as some Bavarian Bocks
It is a clean and refreshing beer for the lager drinker in your life, but one with much more weight and character than most commercial brews. It also has the not at all unreasonable price tag of £1.90 for a 33cl bottle.

James Wrobel is the proprietor of Cornelius Beer and Wine and can be contacted on 0131 652 2405.