Ja wohl! Ich trinke ABK gern!
Every single night at K&L when we close down the store and we count the registers, many of us like to pop a cold beer and grab a handful of salty peanuts to help motivate us towards that final goal. When it's time to celebrate the end of a long day, I can promise you that no one at K&L is reaching for a 9% ABV bottle of Bourbon barrel-aged stout. 99% of the time we go German like Edelstoff or Jever pilsner. I know we're in the midst of a craft beer revolution and, believe me, I love a nice hoppy IPA when the moment strikes, but I don't celebrate the "serious" beer movement at the expense of perfectly delicious, perfectly crafted, crisp and refreshing German lager. We're losing track of what made us love alcohol in the first place, in my opinion. We're forgetting what brought us to the dance.
These delicious ABK beers are reminders of a better time in my life. Back when I was totally carefree, living in Germany, pounding mugs at the Biergarten without a care in the world. Another bratwurst, please! And this rose beer is something else. My wife does not like beer, whatsoever, but she polished off the ABK rose in about two minutes. Flavored with a splash of lemonade and lightly-colored with beet juice, it's too good to put down. I was going to include a short video of my colleague Ryan Woodhouse pounding a bottle down in one go, but I thought that might be irresponsible.
In any case, I'm pretty pumped up about these beers. Especially now that daylight savings has extended my Friday afternoon and the sun will be shining long after I leave work today. Care to join me for a drink?
ABK Edel Lager, Germany (16.9oz) $2.49 - If you like a more malty beer with a lovely pillowy head, a deep gold colour and packed with malt, Edel is the one for you! A pale straw color with golden hints and a velvety white frothy head which reduces gently to some light lacing. To the nose, Edel is mostly hops mixed with a biscuit sweetness and a freshly baked bread aroma with a hint of some sweet apples and pears. On the tongue, you’ll notice the slightly toasted malts and light floral hops which start with light biscuit malts, before a sweetness, to form a buttery bitter finish.
ABK Hell Bier, Germany (16.9oz) $2.49 - This is a light, bright and very satisfying beer from one of Germany's oldest breweries. Lightly golden with a bubbly, medium white head that steadily shrinks to a thin foamy lace, the aroma is soft and sweet with grain and very flowery hops.The taste is full bodied grain with lots of green apple and light but persistent hints of pine and herbs, with a light bitterness that persists through to the finish.
ABK Rose Bier, Germany (11.2oz) $1.69 - One of the most shockingly-satisfying beers on our shelf is the rose beer from ABK. The ultimate summer time refreshment, Rose is a concoction of light ABK Beer and Organic Lemonade (brewed on-site) with a 100% natural rose color added from beets!
-David Driscoll