World tour of beers this week: Hansa
With just a hop, skip, and a jump over the border I am in Deutschland für ein Bier. Today I will be sampling Hansa (German for ship), a Dortmunder or export lager. Like Champagne or Bourbon, Dortmunders come from Dortmund, Germany. It is a classic lager style with bready malts and light bitterness similar to a Pilsner. This beer adheres to the 1516 Rheinheitsgebot German Purity Law stating beer can only be made with the three essential ingredients water, barley, and hops then later revised to include yeast.
Appearance: the sixteen-ounce bottle boasts a simple white label with a picture of an old ship and Hansa in big bold letters. I am serving it cold in my Samuel Smith tumbler. It pours a fulgent crystal clear golden color with a small white head.
Smell: dried grass, lemon zest, and sweet corn. The corn cannot be from an adjunct but it must be the yeast strain or possible malt used. It is not a bad smell, just unusual for the type of beer.
Taste: light cereal grains, and a clean Saaz hop like quality. This is a crisp, sessionable Dortmunder that is a perfect example of the style.
For you six-pack American lager drinkers, this is a great foreign substitute and they come in sixteen ounce bottles! Hansa can be found at every ABC, but if you are lucky enough to be in the Ocala area, my store has the very first Dortmunder: D.A.B. (Dortmunder Actien Brauerei). Another you may see at your local ABC is Ayinger “Jahrhundert Bier.”
Beer blogger Adam Shugan is the store manager at our Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala store