Anstich keg time again! Franconian lager at the Public House, this afternoon.

This weekend marks the annual return to the Public House of Anstich kegs from Germany.

These are 20-liter, gravity-feed kegs with no CO2 used to push the beer. They're filled at small breweries in Franconia, and shipped by Shelton Brothers to Starlight Distribution in as timely a fashion as possible. We've always found the beer to be remarkably fresh.

Just as in Franconia, we set an Anstich keg on the counter behind the bar, punch a hole in the top, and use a rubber mallet to insert a tap at the bottom. Once tapped, the 40 half-liter glasses of beer therein must be consumed forthwith, or the remainder will go flat.

There are six Anstich kegs to be tapped between Today (October 16) and Halloween, with tappings taking place at 3:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Friday, October 16th: Weissenohe Altfränkisch Klosterbier

Saturday October 17th: Bayer Landbier

Anstich tappings tonight and tomorrow: Fresh Franconian lagers from the countertop.

Logistically, our annual Sandkerwa celebration proved impossible to stage this year, but tonight and tomorrow, Anstich kegs filled with delightful Franconian lagers are slated for tapping at the Pizzeria & Public House.

These are 20-liter, gravity-feed kegs with no CO2 used to push the beer. Just as in Franconia, we set an Anstich keg on the counter behind the bar, punch a hole in the top, and use a rubber mallet to insert a tap at the bottom. Once tapped, the 40 half-liter glasses of beer therein must be consumed forthwith, or the remainder will go flat.

The Anstich kegs will be tapped at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

*Friday, September 26*
Aufsesser Festbier (Märzen from the Brauerei Rothenbach)
Importer Dan Shelton's notes:

Founded in 1886; makes 15,000 hectoliters a year. Yet another family-owned brewpub, a picturesque place in the tiny town of Aufsess, in the Fränkische Schweiz -- the Franconian Switzerland. (There's nothing at all like the Alps here, so the name is a little over-blown.) We've never had the Märzen, which is highly recommended by our Franconian connection at the monastery brewery in Weissenohe.

Here are links to the Rothenbach web site (in German), and RateBeer's compendium of Rothenbach brands.

*Saturday, October 27*
Löwenbräu-Buttenheim Kellerbier (a.k.a. Ungespundetes Lagerbier)
To describe this type of beer as an unfiltered golden lager is inadequate. Buttenheim, a small town south of Bamberg with (as I recall) a fair number of farming implements, has a better known second brewer, St. Georgenbräu. Which Kellerbier is better? Who knows? I'm just glad I've had the chance to visit there and experience both of them.

Löwenbräu (Buttenheim) Ungespundetes Lagerbier (Kellerbier)

Upcoming weekend Anstich pouring schedule at the Public House.

Once again, permit me to thank Starlight Distributing for bringing the Shelton Brothers import portfolio back to Indiana. It's amazing; we order beers, and then almost all of them are delivered in a timely fashion. At any rate, the coming weekend will bring two more 20-liter, gravity-pour “Anstich” kegs from small family breweries in Franconia (Northern Bavaria).

Friday, December 16:
Zum Grunen Baum Landbier (Brauerei-Gasthof Zum Grunen Baum “Bayer” in Rauhenebrach-Theinheim) ... 5:00 p.m. tapping

Saturday, December 17:
Löwenbräu Buttenheim Ungespundetes Lagerbier (Kellerbier; Löwenbräu Buttenheim, Buttenheim) ... 3:00 p.m. tapping

At some point between now and the end of the month, we're still expecting selected CO2-dispense kegs of Franconian delights, including Spezial Rauchbier, Mahr’s Ungespundetes Lager and Mahr’s Christmas Bock. As always, stay tuned.

Achtung, baby: Two Mahrs Brau gravity-pour Anstich kegs celebrate Saturnalia this weekend.

Last weekend's Anstich keg of Schlenkerla Eiche was sublime, but there's more coming.

Thanks to the advent of Starlight Distributing, the Shelton Brothers import portfolio has returned to Indiana, and not a moment too soon; a long delayed round of fresh, rare 20-liter, gravity-pour “Anstich” kegs from small family breweries in Franconia (Northern Bavaria) were ordered for Saturnalia MMXI, and they have started arriving.

We'll tap the first two Anstich kegs this weekend at the Pizzeria & Public House. There'll be 40 half-liter pours in each, so be there on time.

Friday, December 2:
Mahr's Brau Christmas Bock (Mahrs Bräu, Bamberg) ... 5:00 p.m. tapping

Saturday, December 3:
Mahr's Brau Unfiltered Pilsner (Mahrs Bräu, Bamberg) ... 3:00 p.m. tapping

Also ordered for Saturnalia (Anstich):

Zum Grunen Baum Landbier (Brauerei-Gasthof Zum Grunen Baum “Bayer” in Rauhenebrach-Theinheim)

Löwenbräu Buttenheim Ungespundetes Lagerbier (Kellerbier; Löwenbräu Buttenheim, Buttenheim)

In addition, we may have a few other conventional CO2-dispense kegs of Franconian delight: Spezial Rauchbier, Mahr’s Ungespundetes Lager and more Mahr’s Christmas Bock. Stay tuned.

Final Anstich keg tappings begin on Thursday, as Sandkerwa NA wraps for 2010.

It's the final week for afternoon Anstich tappings. They'll be at 5:00 p.m. each day on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Average depletion time lengthened a bit last week, primarily owing to a slow Friday evening, but you can take nothing for granted. There is an outside chance we'll be getting a few more Anstich kegs in early October. Stay tuned.

*Thursday, September 30*
Hoping for Huppendorfer Vollbier
Brauerei, Brennerei und Gasthaus Grasser, Huppendorf
Located in countryside east of Bamberg and slightly south of Schesslitz, the latter known to a few of us owing to biking and motorcoach adventures. "Brennerei" means distillery, in case you were wondering, and the family has a guesthouse as well.

*Friday, October 1*
Hoping for Günther-Bräu Lagerbier (or Pilsener)
Privatbrauerei Günther, Burgkunstadt
Another small, family-owned brewery and pub, this one in Burgkunstadt, northeast of Bamberg and just a few miles outside of Kulmbach, in Upper Franconia. Founded in 1840.

*Saturday, October 2*
Weissenohe Monk’s Fest
Klosterbrauerei Weissenohe, Weissenohe
The ninth selection, ending this edition of "Sandkerwa NA with Anstich," is a classic Franconian Märzen lager: Amber, malty and balanced. These also have come to be known as Oktoberfest lagers. Weissenohe Monk's Fest is brewed at a monastery maintained by the family of Urban Winkler, who also sources the Anstich kegs for Shelton Brothers. The church still holds services, alhtough monks no longer live there, and the family runs the brewery. I want to go visit.

The coming week's Anstich keg tappings are here, as Sandkerwa NA continues.

Following are this week's Anstich tappings. They'll be at 5:00 p.m. each day. Average depletion time last week was

*Thursday, September 23*
Löwenbräu-Buttenheim Kellerbier (a.k.a. Ungespundetes Lagerbier)
To describe this type of beer as an unfiltered golden lager is inadequate. Buttenheim, a small town south of Bamberg with (as I recall) a fair number of farming implements, has a better known second brewer, St. Georgenbräu. Which Kellerbier is better? Who knows?


*Friday, September 24*
Beck Bräu Lager (type unknown; cross your fingers for Kellerbier)
Familienbrauerei Beck
Beck's "family brewery" is located in Trabelsdorf, a small town within easy bicycling distance of Bamberg (to the west). The restaurant promises the gamut of Franconia fare from "beer to deer," and the brewery boasts a cavern-like lagering cellar.


*Saturday, September 25*
Hoping for: Rossdorfer Urbrau (unfiltered lager)
Near the forest known as the Franconian Switzerland (now a national park) is the village of Rossdorf am Forst and the Brauerei-Gasthaus Sauer. Bamberg lies to the north, and Buttenheim to the south. We previously served Rossdorfer Urbrau in December 2009.

The final three Anstich kegs for 2010 are queued and ready for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 30, Oct. 1 & 2. Beginning on the 30th: Huppendorfer (Brauerei Gasser) Lager, followed by Günther-Bräu Lagerbier, then Weissenohe Monk’s Fest.

Anstich update: Records shattered during the opening week of Sandkerwa NA.

The results are in, and Anstich is out -- very quickly, each of the past three days, whenever a gravity-feed Franconian keg was tapped.

On Thursday, Ahornberger Landbrauerei Strößner-Bräu's Ahornberger Landbier from Konradsreuth proved to be a Dunkel, and it was delicious and short-lived: 51 minutes from the first half-liter to the last.

Friday's Zehendner Mönchsambacher Unfiltered Lager, a genuine Keller, lasted a couple of minutes longer, and then came the deluge: Zum Grunen Baum Landbier (Brauerei-Gasthof Zum Grunen Baum (Bayer) in Rauhenebrach-Theinheim), which I would describe as Vollbier, made it only 26 minutes, a new record, on Saturday.

All I can say to you is thanks.

Trust me: Next year, we'll order twice as much and be better prepared for the hysteria. Until then, show up at the Public House next week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 5:00 p.m., or risk going without. I'll announce the lineup in a couple of days.

Anstich kegs are here, so Sandkerwa NA begins Thursday at 5:00 p.m.

Assuming the creek doesn't rise and the delivery from Indianapolis is made on time, a new batch of 20-liter Anstich gravity-feed kegs from Franconia will be safely stored away by Wednesday, and one of them will kick off Sandkerwa NA on Thursday at 5:00 p.m.

There are 40 half-liter pours in each Anstich keg, and again this year, we're charging only $5.00 (plus sales tax) even though a conventional mark-up would place the price nearer to $8.00. That's because they're meant to be tapped and consumed immediately, and if the freshness and quality of last year's crop are repeated, we're all in for a treat.

A total of nine Anstich kegs should be coming on Wednesday, meaning that we’ll tap one at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week, and then repeat the same schedule each of the next two weeks.

For Sandkerwa NA in 2010, we've not attempted to flood the taps as in the past. Rather, in addition to the specially priced Anstich selections, three CO2 kegs of Bavarian lager will start pouring on Thursday alongside our usual draft staples of Pilsner Urquell, Spaten Lager and Schlenkerla Marzen:

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen
Weissenohe Monk’s Fest
Weissenohe Altfränkisches Klosterbier

*Thursday, September 16*
Ahornberger Landbier (?)
Ahornberger Landbrauerei Strößner-Bräu in Konradsreuth
Brauerei Strössner was founded in 1739 in Konradsreuth, a town northeast of Kulmbach, near Hof and the old border with East Germany. It is a family-owned brewery making approximately 80,000 hectoliters yearly, many of which are seasonal variations on the theme of Landbier – “country beer,” (not a style unto itself). I believe this one will be Ahornberger Hopfig, classified as a Pils, but it isn't certain. We previously poured the brewery’s Marzen in Anstich form (12/09).

*Friday, September 17*
Zehendner Mönchsambacher Unfiltered Lager
Brauerei Zehendner in Mönchsambach
Description to come later.

*Saturday, September 18*
Zum Grunen Baum Landbier
Brauerei-Gasthof Zum Grunen Baum (Bayer) in Rauhenebrach-Theinheim
Description to come later.

Sandkerwa/Anstich guesstimate is Thursday, September 16 at the Public House & Pizzeria.

A few weeks back, I mentioned that when the Anstich kegs arrive, Sandkerwa NA can begin.

We're closer to setting the date. The Labor Day holiday interrupted the shipping schedule, but I'm now told that the gravity-pour Anstich kegs (and a few other CO2 kegs from Franconia) will be at the Pizzeria & Public House in time to begin pouring on Thursday, September 16.

The format will be the same as last year: One on Thursday, two on Friday, one on Saturday; afternoon tapping (we're about to transition pub hours again ... please check back for exact times); half-liter pours; best price I can offer and not lose money.

Once I see what came in, I can tell you what they are. Stay tuned.

When the Anstich kegs arrive, Sandkerwa can begin.

According to Matt Dinges of Shelton Brothers, the anticipated shipment of rare Franconian Anstich kegs has arrived on the East Coast. As I write, wheels are turning to get these gems from port to Public House.

Anstich kegs are 20-liter, gravity-feed kegs with no CO2 used to push the beer. We'll set them on the counter behind the bar, punch a hole in the top, and use the rubber mallet to insert a tap.

As I learned last Christmas while in Bamberg, the procedure is this: Shelton Brothers conceives of a brewery wish list, and the importer’s contact on the ground, Urban Winkler of the Weissenohe brewery, attempts to source the Anstich kegs. I joined Urban and Dan Shelton at Spezial (and later Mahr’s) for beers, and got the complete lowdown on how it works.

Consequently, after learning that Shelton would be bringing another container of Anstich kegs into America in August 2010, I decided to change the way we do Sandkerwa NA. Originally, we tried to run Sandkerwa NA, a draft-only celebration of Franconian and Bavarian beer styles at the Public House, in late August to coincide with the fest’s run in Bamberg.

Henceforth, the annual arrival of the Anstich kegs will determine the dates.

I’m told that the target for delivery to Indianapolis is next week, which (with luck) will yield Anstich for us by the following weekend. Therefore, let’s hope that Sandkerwa begins on Thursday, September 9. This isn’t firm, and I’ll provide updates as necessary.

There’ll be a few kegs on normal CO2 pour, and there’ll be one Anstich keg tapped on Thursday, two on Friday and one on Saturday until they’re gone. This translates into 40 half-liter pours, each keg.

Of course, like cask-conditioned ale, they’re not meant for keeping overnight, and so the price point again will be held to the minimum. I’d like for it to be $5 per half-liter if at all possible, but I cannot say with certainty until the invoice comes through. For both Shelton and NABC, these Anstich kegs are labors of love, not engines for massive profit. Fresh Franconian lagers poured this way are revelatory, as many customers last year will attest.

Matt Dinges says that the only description he’s received to date of the Anstich styles is, “yeasty lager,” which I take to mean that the Anstichs were filled from the lagering cellars of participating breweries without any filtration that might normally occur prior to packaging, with final maturation in the keg as they’re shipped, which sounds marvelous to me. Here is the preliminary list of breweries. I will fill in the information blanks as we get closer.

Anstich

Ahornberger
Bayer
Beck
Gunther
Huppendorfer
Lowenbrau (Buttenheim?)
Monchsambacher
Rossdorfer
Weissenohe (two varieties … Annafest coming later in the fall on another shipment)

CO2

Monchshof Fest
Weissenohe Altfrankish
Weissenohe Monk’s Fest

Anstich today, tomorrow and next Wednesday. Previews here and now.

Apologies for being busy on Thursday and unable to preview the Anstich keg from Lang-Bräu. It turned out to be another inexplicable fill – not Märzen at all, but soft and golden, with enough hop to suggest Pils, not enough to conjure Keller, and in the end, likely a Vollbier/Helles from the countryside.

Today it’s Günther-Bräu, and tomorrow, Weissenohe Monk’s Fest.

The final Anstich keg from the current shipment will pour next week on Wednesday, December 23. It’s Weissenohe Monk’s Christmas beer (see links below).

To briefly recap, Franconian gravity pour (Anstich) mania grips the Public House each time Mike and Jared tap one of these special 20-liter beauties. That means 40 half-liter pours and out, at the fair price of $5 each. The present allotment was intended to be composed of Märzens, and mostly has been. All so far have been superbly conditioned and delicious, with my pick for best being last Friday’s Rothenbach.

Günther-Bräu
Brewery website
Dan Shelton's note: "In little Burgkunstadt, just outside of Kulmbach, in Upper Franconia, this is one of three small family-owned brewpubs in a town of a few hundred people. Makes only 6000 hectoliters a year. Founded in 1840."

Klosterbrauerei Weißenohe
Brewery website
From the Shelton Brothers site: "Due to a severe and chronic monk shortage, and the steady advance of secularization all over Europe, most monasteries in Germany have been given over to private families. It happened at Weissenohe in 1803. The Winkler family that assumed the monastery and the grounds at Weissenohe has maintained the chapel and the brewery (and added a typical guesthouse eatery). Today, there are still services in the chapel, and Urban Winkler, who represents the youngest generation in a line of family brewers, still makes beer in the traditional way."

Saturday, December 19: Weißenoher Monk’s Fest
Wednesday, December 23: Weißenoher Monk’s Christmas


Weissenohe Monk’s Fest

Public House: Anstich keg schedule for this week and next.

Here's the schedule for the final four Anstich kegs from the current batch. There's be more information later in the week; for now, know that they're usually tapped around lunchtime, and often depleted by early evening, so plan accordingly if you want to be sure of getting a taste.

Lang-Bräu on Thur., Dec. 17
Günther-Bräu on Fri., Dec. 18
Weissenohe Monk’s Fest on Sat., Dec. 19
(gap)
Weissenohe Christmas on Wed., Dec. 23

Today's Anstich keg at the Public House: Hartmann Märzen ... plus, today's NABC events.

Friday's Anstich (gravity pour) keg of Rothenbach Märzen made the game worth the flame, because it was wonderful. Firmly amber in hue, verging on brown, with rich, old-fashioned malt character verging on nutty; the palate was clean, with just a bit of the expected "noble" German hop character, and overall, balanced and poundable.

Very impressive, and the crowd agreed: 40 half-liters were gone at 4:37 p.m., a new record.

Today (Saturday) the last of the week's three Anstich kegs goes on tap around lunchtime at the Public House: Hartmann Märzen. Here are brewery notes from the importer, Dan Shelton:

A small inn and brewpub, founded in 1550, right on the narrow winding highway that runs parallel to the new A70, about 20 kilometers out of Bamberg, Upper Franconia. They make 15,000 hectoliters, all consumed locally, in the Franconian way. They have a wide range. For what it's worth, this is 3 Fonteinen brewer Armand Debelder's favorite place when he visits from Belgium, and its beers are the main inspiration for his Beersel Lager.

Hartmann's web site is in English, and RateBeer offers its usual compendium of information.

On Thursday and Friday, I whetted my appetite for fresh Franconian lager by bicycling to the Public House, but not today. I'll be at Liquor Barn Springhurst from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. to conduct a seminar on "Porters: A History of the Style," followed by a fine cigar and NABC draft beer at Youngstown Cigar Shop at its Holiday Open House: Not two, but five NABC beers on tap at today's Youngstown Cigar Shop open house!

If there's any Anstich remaining after 6:00 p.m., I'll be at the Public House to sample. If you get to it first ... let us know about it!

Today's Anstich keg at the Public House: Rothenbach Märzen.

It proved to be somewhat of a surprise yesterday when Jeremy, our day man at the Public House, leaned over and began pouring a glass of Ahornberger from the Anstich keg.

It had been billed as a Märzen, and described as "malty, hoppy, and dark." One out of three isn't bad; the liquid filling my glass was straw golden in color and not at all overtly hoppy. It was soft and malty, and given the Bavarian habit in recent years to brew ever less colorful Märzens, perhaps still somewhere in that category, albeit tenuously.

However, as good as it tasted -- fresh, perfectly conditioned and perfect for kocking back a few if there'd been time -- it was not what we'd been led to believe. Later in the evening, Matt Dinges of Shelton Brothers confirmed that he'd received a similar comment from another account, and would look into it.

Reading between the lines, it would appear that the Shelton shipments of Anstich kegs are being sourced in the Franconian field, as it were, by Herr Winkler of the Weissenohe brewery. The batch we're pouring now was sent with only numbers on the kegs, a (hopefully) matching list, and brief descriptions of "amber" or "dark." There certainly is room for discrepancies in the system, and I'm sure Shelton will rectify any that appear ... like yesterday's golden dark beer.

Meanwhile, it's another day, and time for the next Anstich: Rothenbach Märzen. Here are the importer Dan Shelton's notes:

Founded in 1886; makes 15,000 hectoliters a year. Yet another family-owned brewpub, a picturesque place in the tiny town of Aufsess, in the Fränkische Schweiz -- the Franconian Switzerland. (There's nothing at all like the Alps here, so the name is a little over-blown.) We've never had the Märzen, which is highly recommended by our Franconian connection at the monastery brewery in Weissenohe.

Here are links to the Rothenbach web site (in German), and RateBeer's compendium of Rothenbach brands.

I'm biking to the Public House now for a quick quality control sample, and will revise this post if new information surfaces.

Today: Franconian Anstich (gravity pour) mania returns to the Public House.

Franconian Anstich (gravity pour) mania returns to the Public House this afternoon with Märzen from Ahornberger. That means 40 half-liter pours and out, at the fair price of $5 each. Märzens from Rothenbach and Hartmann will be tapped tomorrow and Saturday, respectively.

Anstich kegs are back! Six more Franconians are making their way to the Public House.

Yesterday, while at the Cavalier warehouse in Indianapolis, we determined that actually there will be seven gravity-pour Anstich kegs, not six, during the current round. The seventh turns out to be Klosterbrauerei Weissenohe's Christmas lager. There will be time to revise the tapping schedule for next week, but since this week's selections already have been delivered, we'll stick with the Ahornberger today.

Dan Shelton describes it like this:

They do a bunch of seasonal variations on their basic Landbier ('country beer'), including the Märzen, which is described as malty, hoppy, and dark.

Here are links to the Ahornberger Landbrauerei web site (in German), and RateBeer's compendium of Ahornberger brands. I'm headed to the Public House now for a quick quality control sample.

Anstich kegs are back! Six more Franconians are making their way to the Public House.

The afternoon was spent researching the latest shipment of Anstich kegs from Shelton Brothers, which Cavalier Distributing in Indianapolis will be conveying to the Public House in time for pouring on Thursday, December 10.

If you’re just joining us, we had riotous fun in September and October during NABC’s Sandkerwa NA, an annual celebration of the Franconian brewing ethos. Our homage was immeasurably enhanced by the Shelton Brothers importing company, which has begun importing rare Franconian lagers in 20-liter, "Anstich" kegs. One after the other, the kegs comprising the first batch were drained, and we simply had a marvelous time drinking them.

These are gravity-feed kegs with no CO2 used to push the beer. Just as in Franconia, we set an Anstich keg on the counter behind the bar, punch a hole in the top, and use a rubber mallet to insert a tap at the bottom. Once tapped, the 40 half-liter glasses of beer therein must be consumed forthwith, or the remainder will go flat. Because of this, we'll again be selling these special beers at a special price: $5.00 per half liter.

Each of the six Anstich kegs we’re purchasing is described as Märzen, so I’ve included only the brewery’s name in the tentative schedule that follows (except for Weissenohe Monk’s Fest, which we had previously on CO2 pour).

Following the tapping schedule are excerpts from the importer Dan Shelton’s notes on the beers, which provide basic information on the breweries and their beers. I now understand that Shelton works with Urban Winkler of the Weissenohe brewery to source these great beers, and my thanks go to him, Dan Shelton, Matt Dinges and everyone else who are making these shipments possible. It's been my favorite new development in a year packed with them.

Ahornberger on Thur., Dec. 10
Rothenbach on Fri., Dec. 11
Hartmann on Sat., Dec. 12

Then, later:

Lang-Bräu on Fri., Dec. 18
Günther-Bräu on Sat., Dec. 19
Weissenohe on Wed., Dec. 23

Ahornberger
Brauerei Strössner, founded in 1739 in Ahornberg, is a good-sized family-owned brewery making 80,000 hectoliters a year. It is located in the far north of Franconia, north and east of Kulmbach. They do a bunch of seasonal variations on their basic Landbier ('country beer'), including the Märzen, which is described as malty, hoppy, and dark.

Rothenbach
Founded in 1886; makes 15,000 hectoliters a year. Yet another family-owned brewpub, a picturesque place in the tiny town of Aufsess, in the Fränkische Schweiz -- the Franconian Switzerland. (There's nothing at all like the Alps here, so the name is a little over-blown.) The beers tend to be very solid, if perhaps uninspired here, but we've never had the Märzen, which is highly recommended by our Franconian connection at the monastery brewery in Weissenohe.

Hartmann
A small inn and brewpub, founded in 1550, right on the narrow winding highway that runs parallel to the new A70, about 20 kilometers out of Bamberg, Upper Franconia. They make 15,000 hectoliters, all consumed locally, in the Franconian way. They have a wide range. For what it's worth, this is 3 Fonteinen brewer Armand Debelder's favorite place when he visits from Belgium, and its beers are the main inspiration for his Beersel Lager.

Günther-Bräu
In little Burgkunstadt, just outside of Kulmbach, in Upper Franconia, this is one of three small family-owned brewpubs in a town of a few hundred people. Makes only 6000 hectoliters a year. Founded in 1840.

Lang-Bräu
A small but ambitious brewpub in a very tiny village in the far east of Upper Franconia, founded in 1853. Makes 15,000 hectoliters a year. For better or worse, they make a very big range. They seem to crave attention, and get it with some gimmicky things like Erotik Bier, with a label that stops just short of being pornographic, and another beer named for the latest Pope, Benediktus XVI. For some reason, they also put the labels on their dark and light wheat beers on upside down. The Märzen label is properly staid.

Weissenohe Monk’s Fest

Saturnalia MMIX update, and an Anstich surprise.

The provisional Saturnalia list has been updated, so go here and scroll down.

There's more, because earlier today I was delighted to have the opportunity to order another batch of Anstich (gravity pour) kegs from Franconia. It looks like one each (2o liter) of a half-dozen or so, and I'm pumped. When there's time, I'll assemble a list.

Saturnalia starts on Friday, December 4. I'm not going to add the Anstich kegs to the official listings, but assuming deliveries are made on schedule, they'll be pouring throughout.

"Anstich" of Hochzeitsbier Märzen von 1810 on tap at the Public House.

I'm heading to the Pizzeria & Pub to sample another "Anstich" keg: Hochzeitsbier Märzen von 1810, from the Brauerei Hofstetten in Austria, via the B. United importing house. It's described as a traditional Oktoberfest lager. Expect it to be on tap by mid-afternoon today, and drink accordingly. It's a thirty liter keg, which will (obviously) yield 60 halves.

Another edition of "Fringe Fest Update" is here.

More listings were added overnight, so check out the revised Fringe Fest schedule. We're still working on next Wednesday night, but most of the other blanks have been filled.

NABC's Fringe Fest set for Oct. 3rd, 4th, and the 6th through the 10th -- all at the Bank Street Brewhouse.

Don't forget this afternoon at the Public House, two more delicious Franconian "Anstich" kegs will be tapped -- and they're top-shelf, marquee names for those in the know:

Löwenbräu (Buttenheim) Ungespundetes Lagerbier (Kellerbier) ... Löwenbräu Buttenheim, Buttenheim
AND
Spezial Rauchbier ... Brauerei Spezial, Bamberg

I'm off now to sweep the garage for the Publican's annual Harvest Homecoming parade party. There'll be a special appearance by a keg of Victory Hop Wallop ... so we're hoping to see many of you tomorrow!

Listen up: Today's Kraus Pils ("Anstich" keg) now tapped ... and a Fringe Fest events update.

Mike says today's Kraus Pils (gravity-pour Sandkerwa selection) is tapped and ready at the Public House, and I'm headed that way to do the requisite quality control.

Next two weekend "Anstich" lineups for Sandkerwa are finalized.

Also, I've posted an update on Fringe Fest. Here's the first weekend's schedule, followed by the link to the remainder. Don't forget that the Publican's annual Harvest Homecoming parade party starts the day on Saturday, then shifts downtown to Bank Street Brewhouse for jazz and adult refreshments.

Saturday, October 3:

Fringe Fest kicks off with "Jazz on the Patio" immediately following the Harvest Homecoming parade, with The Outfit and friends.

Sunday, October 4:

All day long - $3.00 NABC pours (except Hoptimus and Elsa)

12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. - Build-Your-Own Bloody Mary Bar

4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. - Metro Louisville Restaurant Employee/Owner Appreciation Night, with music by Ben Traughber, Rebecca Williams. The public is welcome!

NABC's Fringe Fest set for Oct. 3rd, 4th, and the 6th through the 10th -- all at the Bank Street Brewhouse.