Against the Grain Brewery Gegen Den Strom : Zerbster Bitterbier

Gegen Den Strom : Zerbster Bitterbier

 

Against the Grain Brewery in Louisville, Kentucky, United States 🇺🇸

Collab with: Freigeist Bierkultur
  Traditional Beer Regular
Score
6.91
ABV: 6.8% IBU: 55 Ticks: 11
(on can) An unconventional pair. Somewhere between "I don't want to be a chicken" and "I don't want to be a duck", Smoke and Hop lock eyes. Gallivanting across the dance floor Smoke meets Hop and they shake their butts. Their traditional nature separates them, but infatuation keeps them together. So, they spice things up and share a boot of this smoked beer over a special sausage. Prost!. / (on website) The next entry in the Gegen den Strom series. The Broyhan had no hops so the Bitterbier obviously will have way too many. A historical hoppy beer before they even new what an IPA was. We also throw a curveball into this beer with a small proportion of alder wood smoked malt smoked right here at AtG. The 55 IBUs come exclusively from German perle and Czech Saaz hops. Both low alpha acids so a large charge of each will produce a very floral and spicy aroma that will blend perfectly with the smoke. We're really excited to share this one with the world.
 

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6.8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6
Canned. 0ours a murky brown. Malts, then smoke and pine hops and resin. Ok.
Tried from Can on 20 May 2025 at 01:56

7.9/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 10 Overall 7.5
Very good rauchbier, with a noticeable bit mellow smokiness coupled with moderate notes of caramel, apple, grass, grain, and toast. Finishes with a mild floral bitterness laced with citrus. Tasty.
Tried on 20 Mar 2020 at 01:09

7.2/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7
Can/Fest. A- Smoke, slightly fruity. A- Copper color, clear liquid, beige head. T- Smoke, wood, tobacco leaves, bitter, mild sweetness. P- Medium body, average texture, average carbonation, slightly bitter finish. O- This takes me back to Germany. I love a good smoked beer and this hit the spot. I didn't love the lingering bitter tobacco/tea leaf finish but overall it was nice. Good smoke flavor that imparted some umami notes and a slight touch of fruitiness. Enjoyed it.
Tried from Can on 23 Feb 2020 at 16:37

6.8/10 Appearance 10 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 8 Overall 6
Can. Pours clear amber, medium creamy off-white head, dissipates slowly, nice lacing. Aroma is grass, caramel, light smoke. Flavor is light sweet, very light bitter, light smoke. Grainy, rye. Light plus body. OK.
Tried from Can on 03 Jun 2018 at 02:33

7.2/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7
At a tasting, thanks, small creamy head, clear dark red to light brown color, aroma of smoked meat and light charred wood with hints of caramel and bread, smoked meat flavor with caramel and bread, light to medium bitterness, light sweetness. Really nice.
Tried on 07 May 2018 at 07:29

6.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Can sample at a tasting at Yoav's place. Amber, beige head. Smoked sausages, malt, caramel, sweet, a bit vegetal, bitter finish, medium-bodied.
Tried from Can on 03 May 2018 at 14:24

6.8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Refrigerated 16 oz. aluminum can from shrubber85 poured into a glass. Clear copper with medium beige head. Aroma is smoke, medium body, medium carbonation, and pretty good small-bubble lacing. Taste is caramel malt, smoke, and grassy hops. Lots of flavor in this one.
Tried from Can on 21 Apr 2018 at 00:13

3.5/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 4 Flavor 3 Texture 4 Overall 2
Pounder can from vintage, $3. Pour is murky brown. Foamy alabaster head. Nice head. Some malty plastic or band aid in the nose. Taste is rather bitter with bandaid astringent bite lurking in the back. Yes there is smoke, but not mostly smoke. Difficult to take with its bitter astringent bite. So, did somebody try to make a beer and the result was this? Big deal, put it into a can and they will buy it. Weird bandaid plastic taste lingers thru the middle. BTW, WTF is that stupid ass picture on the front of the can all about anyway? Is that some ugly looking chick grabbin for the phallic? Stupid ass beer, stupid ass can, stupid ass label. Cannot appreciate any aspect of this brew. All I can say is ZERBSTER!
Tried from Can on 06 Mar 2018 at 22:04

7.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 10 Overall 7.5
Can: Cloudy, dark brown/amber with a thick beige head. Smoked ham and bacon, camp smoke aroma. Taste is just a little lactic.....caramel malt, with plenty of wood/ash and smoke. Steady, leafy and wooden bittering. Drinks lightly......very nice.
Tried from Can on 08 Feb 2018 at 23:05

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Can - pours amber white head - nose and taste of smoked malt, wood smoke, bacon smoke - medium body
Tried from Can on 07 Feb 2018 at 22:57