THE ELUSIVE MR. FOX...
There are some beers that appear to be as elusive as the animals they depict on their labels. This of course could be deliberate, emphasizing its rarity, adding a certain mystique, and one such beer that hails from Germany succeeds in doing just that!
This after all is the land steeped in the lager tradition, it is the face of the country itself, and proudly displays this position globally as producing some of the finest lagers in the world.
All the more surprising then is that this brew is not bottom fermented (in the lager tradition) but chooses to be made from the top fermented ale yeast. This then is a rarity, but not the exception, as Germany still produces some dark ales as Altbier from Dusseldorf which predate the lager revolution. What makes this beer different is its colour...
Its influence is born out of the Pale Ales and India Pale Ales that begun life in Britain. So just how has this come about in a land that simply has no connection with the style?
The beer is the brainchild of Matthias Fuchs a doctor who's travels globally in the past took in many beer styles unfamiliar to the average German. But one style in particular struck a power chord during his stay in Britain - India Pale Ale!
This was further enhanced when travelling to the USA where their interpretation of the IPA style, using exotic heady aromatic and floral hops on the West Coast, took his passion to a new level.
Clearly his love of such beers never left him and although he lives in Wiesbaden, in 2011 he purchased the Old Turbine that once belonged to a glass Baron of Frauenauer in the Black Forest.
He set about renovating the property,y and whilst doing so, discovered in the attic a box that contained a number of hand blown English beer bottles that had been produced their some100 years previously for a client.
For Matthias the circle was complete, and knowing that an English brewer, or Innkeeper, had past connections with his new acquisition set his dream in motion.
On installing the new brewing plant at Frauenauer a number of sample brews were produced experimenting with different hop varieties.
The final result was the Frauenauer Rotflux Pale Ale. The use of Bavarian hops, both for flavour and aroma, along with spring water from the Bavarian Forest gives the beer more of an 'Anglo' rather than 'American' feel, which with current trends is not what you might expect.
The beer pays homage to the British pale ale style clearly something Matthias wished to emulate, and does so very effectively.
The beer also adheres to the German Purity Law of 1516 using only malted barley, water, hops and yeast - and no additives. Something appreciated by real ales drinkers worldwide...
Perhaps there will be more sightings of the elusive Mr. Fox in the British Urban Jungle in the future? It would be more than welcome, and would find many a happy home!
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