German Export lager of sorts honouring the noble baker's trade and therefore apparently sold in bakeries - I bought my sample in the only bakery of Neuhaus an der Waldnaab, one of the last five villages keeping the ancient Zoiglbier tradition alive. Produced by a 19th-century brewery housed in a former monastery, it seems; comes in a swingtop bottle. Medium thick, moussey, regular, egg-white, closed head remaining stable and firm for a long time; crystal clear warm old-golden robe with almost ochre-ish tinge and lots of lively sparkling, sustaining the head. Aroma of dried white bread crust, dry chicken food, iron shavings, faded old 'herbes de Provençe', dried field flowers (pronounced), TUC crackers, strawbales, something very faintly meaty (chicken stock?) in the background which could point at onsetting oxidation (and indeed my sample passed its 'best before' date less than two weeks ago). Pale malty onset, sweetish and grainy, thinly white-bready, with soft carbonation even for the style, yet still adding a layer of minerality; slick, bit oily body, grainy and straightforward yet pure, gently bittered by floral and herbal hops, pushing up subtle retronasal aromas of hay, meadowsweet and spiced crackers. Something iron-like lingers (not very pleasantly so) and oxidation is already noticeable, albeit in a very faint background kind of way; the hops help to dry the finish and spread out over the tongue's root a bit, so that in the end, this Lager feels spicier, more bitter and drier than I was initially expecting. Supple and subtle pale Lager in Dortmunder-ish style, though, atypically for Germany, the intended style is not specified on the label; drinkable, in all, but the metallic side notes bothered me a little bit - somewhat disturbing the purity I seek in local German Lagers.

Big thank you to Erzengel for this 0,33 l swing top bottle.BB 6.10.2023. But who cares? Cloudy and fat golden in the glass, small one finger white head. Grainy aroma, some caramel and honey. Taste has also caramel and honey with smooth grain. Yes, alittle bit bready. Below average carbonated. Low but present bitterness.