Zwickel Beer is Here!

Zwickel Beer, Bavaria's session lager, is our newest year round beer! And as such, we offer it in the session friendly 16 oz cans (in six packs!). It is the first of many 16 ounce can releases for Notch in 2018, and we kicked it off with Zwickel, a Notch Tap Room favorite. Based on the classic Bavarian pale lager,  Zwickel carries a clean yet complex malt flavor and is well balanced by the German hop Spalt. It finishes clean, crisp and begging you for more. Helpful HInt: Two 16 oz cans fit nicely in a Notch liter mug.

Zwickel beer is more of a category of beers than a specific style, with pale lager being the most popular. The unifying theme with all of them is lower ABV, no filtration and served slightly hazy (for a lager). Like the Kellerbier, which is the higher ABV version, these beers were traditionally served straight from the brewery tanks, but are now distributed in package. The intent is the same - slightly hazy and fresh lager deliciousness.

Our Zwickel goes through the mashing method of decoction, which is a Bavarian brewing tradition and provides a great depth of malt flavor and nuance. Other processes that we take from the Bavarians include natural carbonation and long lagering time. While Zwickel is hazy, that is not an excuse to short-cut the lagering time, which is critical to proper maturation and conditioning. The aromatic and flavor hops are Spalt Select (from Germany) and provide a nice balance to the German malt while providing a bit of lemon and pepper in the aroma.

Fun fact: why the rooster on the label?! A "zwickel" is the sampling valve on a lagering tank, and is also known as a sample cock or zwickel cock. 

- Author: Chris