Beer Advent Calendar - December 12th

We've had some fun so far, and I know yesterday fell a little flat, but I'm excited to present you with today’s entry in the German beer advent calendar.

Behold!

---

Zwönitzer Rauchbier

Now we’re talking! A polarizing beer style to divide the men from the boys! Okay, I'm being overly dramatic, but when it comes to brewing with smoked barley you either enjoy it or hate it. Granted, I imagine if someone's first sample of this style was a poor example that tasted like campfire ash, they're likely to write smoked beers off for good. I personally found this one excellent.

The rauchbier poured a deep, dark mahogany color. A big fluffy head built atop the glass with a tan color. Oddly enough, there wasn't as much smoke on the nose as expected, but a quick quaff of the head was like a gentle cigar. The body of the beer itself has much more going on, but the characteristic of the smoke is light cigarish, not burning wood. The other malts offer a molasses flavor, but the smoke keeps the sweetness from getting out of hand. This beer would remind me of a porter if the smoke was absent.

This is a big beer. There's a lot provided by the malt and hops to keep the smoke balanced. If you already like beers with smoked malt, here's a winner. It's also a beer worth trying to give the style a chance for the first time. Whether beer or wine, always give a second sip to fully judge a flavor profile when trying something new.

Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I'll be snagging some flat pretzels to accompany this beer while we look into the brewery.

---

Zwönitz, Germany

Today we get to explore a new part of Germany, as we find Brauerei Gasthof Zwönitzer in Saxony.

^{Weihnachtspyramide (Christmas pyramid) in Zwönitz at night.}

I don't have a lot for history of Zwönitz, so I thought I'd share this German Christmas tradition shown in the photo above. Zwönitz is located in the Ore Mountains, the most geologically studied range in the world, and has been a rich source of iron since the middle ages. The Weihnachtspyramide combines the German middle age tradition of hanging evergreen branches inside your home to help with the depressing, dark winter months, and the eastern European use of candles.

The initial designs of this Christmas symbol reminded the Ore Mountain miners of the vertical-axled rotating machines used in the mines. Thus the turbine was added to the top, driven by the rising heat of the candles, resulting in the central shaft turning. Usually there are multiple carousel layers where carved wooden figures spin on display.

Most likely, this is also the historic tale of our modern day Christmas trees: evergreen branches lit with "candles" in the shape of a pyramid. And to think, we've all learned this today because of beer.

Considering we've researched some breweries with long histories, I found it surprising that today’s brewer started business in 1997. It's nice to have a new world establishment represented in the advent calendar, and you can tell from my tasting notes they stand among the company well.

Although this brewer is young, and the first to emerge after a long absence of breweries in Zwönitz, they're happy to share the town's long tradition of brewing. In 1862, citizens of Zwönitz sold their beer rights to a local brewmaster, leading to the establishment of the town’s first commercial brewery. The Felsenkeller-Brauerei was in operation until 1922, followed by a 75 year period lacking a local brewer for Zwönitz. The void was filled when Brauerei Gasthof Zwönitzer opened opened in 1997.

---

_{Beer photographs by me. Pictures of Germany sources: 1 - 2 - 3}

_{Previous Advent Calendar entries: Intro - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11}