Felis ( Previously Known As Hoppy Cat Brewery ) Lichtenhainer

Lichtenhainer

 

Felis ( Previously Known As Hoppy Cat Brewery ) in Kontich, Antwerp, Belgium 🇧🇪

Brewed at/by: Malcroys Brewing
Traditional Ale - Lichtenhainer Regular Out of Production
Score
7.23
ABV: 4.0% IBU: 8 Ticks: 5
Smoky and sour, with this flavours this old german beer style is not for everyone. But if you feel adventurous enough, you'd be surprised by this light yet complex beer.
 

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7.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Huge, dense, pitting-in head, lightly yellowish tinted over cold hazed orange-golden beer. Phenolic smoked malts, wheat is obvious, ever so slightly earthy, mineral (as from meat - Zwancan opening other taster says). Sour and light-phenolic. Again earthy, lactic acid. Serious dry-out effect, lipsmacking acidity, light body plus acidthinning. Gets better and better. I just love this catty (wasn't going to use the new name).

Tried from Bottle on 23 Jan 2023 at 09:03


8.3
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

After Galea's Smokin' Wild, this Lichtenhainer by fellow Antwerpian craft brewery Felis (in the kettles of Malcroys - unsurprisingly as the brewers of either company are married with each other) must be the second attempt at this largely forgotten wheat beer style on Belgian soil. The frame of reference is not too big here and I regrettably never had the last of the 'authentic' Lichtenhainers (its brewer, Barfüss, having ceased activities in 1983), so reviewing a beer like this is necessarily a bit tentative - but all the more interesting. Egg-white, audibly fizzing, medium sized, very regularly shaped, small-bubbled head, quickly showing openings in the middle and in the end, dissolving; initially crystal clear, yellowish 'pure' golden blonde robe with fine strings of sparkling, shifting to a misty and eventually cloudy apricot blonde with sediment added. Aroma of smoked mackerel, even lightly smoked herring with onion snippets, unripe oranges, yellow plum, sourdough, smoked pineapple (Alvinne brilliantly taught us what that smells like), green apple, stewed rhubarb undertone, orange water, dried tarragon, something dusty tucked away deep in the background (old cotton cloth). Very crisp onset, sharpishly acidic - lactic acid, but in a very fruity, 'bright' way, evoking green apple, lime juice and green gooseberry, while a sweetish, pineapple- or peach-like core softens the sourness a bit; sharply tingling carbonation, adding a minerality which underscores the crispness and the sourness. Sourdough-like, slick malt body, wheat breadiness and (slightly) soapiness under this ongoing sourness, becoming a tad more bready in the end - as suddenly the smoked element attacks, adding that lovely retronasal effect of smoked herring and smoked sausages, as in the most genuine of Bamberg style Rauchbier. This smokiness is very pronounced, but adds a lovely meatiness to the whole which blends with the sourness in a combo of flavours many may find uneasy, but the sheer crispness and 'happiness' of this beer ties everything together. A vague herbal (even tarragon-like) hop bitterishness lurks underneath faraway in the finish, enough to add dryness and spiciness without becoming explicit, as it ought to be in any traditional Euro wheat beer style. The lovely Suzan Kok once again presents us, humble beer geeks, with a beautiful creation: though perhaps too sharply soured for a Lichtenhainer (which tended to be less sour than e.g. Berliner Weisse, or in some cases not even sour at all, from what I read), the flavours are bold, and the contrast and interaction of the sour and the smoked is all this beer needs to remain entertaining throughout the whole session. It almost seems as if Mrs. Kok and her husband are out to measure their abilities of who can stun the beer geek the most with original and daring recipes - the passion for 'new' beer and the general pleasure of creating is strong in both, and it shows. Their beers will always remain niche products for the educated beer connoisseur, perhaps, but as I have argued before about Malcroys: we definitely need more craft breweries like this in Belgium, and much less of the rumination of worn-out formulas that go down all too easily with the larger beer drinking audience. This little Lichtenhainer, in any case, was a true pleasure, so have a corresponding score.

Tried on 15 Oct 2021 at 22:33



7.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

5/II/21 - 33cl bottle from Malcroys webshop, shared @ home, BB: 15/XII/22 (2021-114)

Pretty cloudy beige to pale orange beer, big fizzy white head, little stable, non adhesive. Aroma: very malty, some caramel, sweet impression, sourish hint, subtle smoke notes, wort, some banana and banana peel. MF: lively carbon, medium to light body. Taste: sourish start, bit lemony, hint of vinegar, subtle smoky touch, fruity notes, some citrus. Aftertaste: refreshing, acidic, bit fruity, soft smoke, good!

Tried from Bottle on 05 Feb 2021 at 18:00


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Thnx to Susan ! Sampled in presence with the brewster. Pours clear blonde, small white head fades fast. Smell is wheat, fairly light, mild smoke. Taste is fairly tart ( lactic acid ) to the max, perhaps even a bit over the top , I 'd like in a Lichtenhainer. Mild (very mild, perhaps a bit too mild for the style) smoke. Providing a fleshy aspect. Mild carbo, medium body. Clear presence of wheat. Personally, i'd like a bit more complex tartness to round out the beer ( vs a very clear, straight forward Lactic acid tartness) . To be more within style parameters, I'd make it a bit more smokey, and also less sour. Yet it needs to be said that, on a personal level, I enjoy it specifically because it's not within parameters of a style i'm less of a fan of.

Tried on 11 Jan 2021 at 21:57