Löwenbräu 1747: A Lager with Soul

Now this one caught me by surprise. I spotted it in a local bottleshop and, at first glance, figured it was just another brew from the famous Löwenbräu of Munich, you know, the one with the rampant lion logo and those unmistakable Bavarian colours. It looked familiar, almost nostalgic. Back in the ’80s and ’90s, when Continental lagers started barging their way into British pubs and supermarket fridges, Löwenbräu was right up there with Stella and Carlsberg. But since being swallowed up by AB InBev, the old Munich brewery feels like it’s lost a bit of its soul, doesn’t it?

Anyway, we are not talking about them and their beers, we are talking about the Adelsdorf Löwenbräu in Bavaria, and their 1747 Helles style lager!

The Beers Packaging

It’s a pleasant enough label on a brown bottle, the overall aesthetic of the label is balanced and professional, and it does have rustic German charm to it. It’s a bold label (it easily stood out on the shelf in the bottleshop for me to pick it up, but it does also have a suggestion of heritage and prestige thanks to the lion emblem and minimalist layout. 
It’s refreshingly uncluttered; a label that says, “We’re serious about tradition, but not stuck in the past.”

The Beers Appearance

If I’d bothered to read the label before cracking it open, I wouldn’t have been quite so surprised, it’s unfiltered, so naturally hazy. That instantly lifted my expectations; this wasn’t shaping up to be just another run-of-the-mill Continental lager. Suddenly, it promised a bit more.

It looked darker than I’d expect from a typical Helles. Maybe it’s the haze, maybe it’s a touch more malt in the grist, hard to say, but it gives the beer a deeper golden tone.

Up top, you get a brilliant white head, bright, small, but nicely formed, with a steady stream of large bubbles working their way through the glass. It looks proper lively.

The Beers Aroma

I’ll be honest, I thought it’d smell like your typical Euro lager … but BOOM! Something different, and very pleasant indeed. There’s a lovely, sweet grain aroma straight away, with a subtle hint of fruit and a gentle spicy note in the background. It’s not what I’d usually expect from a Helles, but I’m not complaining. It was inviting, a bit intriguing, and definitely got me excited to get stuck in and have a proper taste of this nectar.

The Beers Flavour

That lovely aroma did its job well, and here I was, drinking it at last. I’ve got to say, it was a really pleasant experience. Not overly carbonated, so it didn’t have that fizzy sharpness you often get with standard lagers. Instead, it was smooth, semi-sweet, and gently rounded, with a subtle hint of orange and a touch of pepperiness on the finish.

What really stood out was how full-bodied it felt, richer than your average Helles. The word that came to mind while I was drinking it was “rustic”. And I mean that in the best possible way. It gave me the sense that this is the sort of lager folk might’ve drunk back in 1747, unchanged by time or modern brewing techniques. There’s a certain honesty to it.

Overall Impression

If you’re the sort who thinks all lagers are bland and boring (I am one of those people sometimes), this one might just surprise you. And if you already enjoy a good Helles, this offers just enough extra to make it stand out. I’ll definitely be seeking it out again,  and next time, I’ll make sure there’s a bit of sunshine and a big pretzel involved.

My Rating
My final rating was 8 out of 10 … but I’ll be honest, as I sit here thinking about it, and slightly wishing I had another bottle on the go, I reckon I might’ve sold it a little short. It’s one of those beers that grows on you the more you reflect on it. There’s an old-world charm to it; rustic, well-balanced, and quietly confident.