Style Profile: Kellerbier

Higher Revelation Kellerbier

“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy”- Ludwig van Beethoven

Kellerbier translates to “cellar beer” and is, in fact, less a style and more of a process. The method finds its spiritual homeland in Franconia, a northern region of Bavaria. Anyone who has been to Bamberg could speak to an incredible flexibility of flavor in products labelled as Kellerbier. 

They can range from pale straw to amber in color, with myriad flavor fascinations resulting from the interplay of malt choice and young fermentation character. Kellerbier generates as many possible byways, slants, and elevations as that Medieval capital in whose veins it flows. Our favorites were the kellerbiere from Fässla, with its turbid light amber appearance and uncomplicated mien (its liter steins a perfect counterpart to the melodious after-work drinking songs;) and the option provided by Schlenkerla, much lighter but with riotous fruit flavors, perfect for pairing with the decadent food prepared there.

Kellerbier refers to unfiltered and unpasteurized lager birthed in the foothills of Germany, so perfect for cold storage before refrigeration. The resultant yeast that makes it into package provides the beer with a unique (and changing) fermentation character, permeated with interesting fruity and earthy and green accents that enact a kind of agrestal pas de deux with the bready and nutty nature of its malt partner.   

Higher Revelation speaks to the infinite possibilities proffered by this tradition. It aims to reveal the stunning variance viable in the small deviations from main-line brewing process. Ours is a light kellerbier, with a remarkably refreshing feel. This mild bready backbone hosts a trove of nuanced accents, slowly disclosed with each sip.