Friday, April 29, 2011

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel

Weihenstephaner Dunkel is the dark version of wheat beer, usually preferred during the winter season.

It has an alcohol content of 5.3%, slightly lower than its Hefe and Kristall counterpart.

A careful pour produce a decent foamy head. Carbonation seems light but it is enough to maintain the head very well. The beer itself is a dark amber, closing in on brown with ample haze to give it a nice soft look.

Caramel malt taste is detectable and takes on a bit of toffee note as it rolls across the palate. Banana esters come on strong on the back end with hints of bubble gum. The finish is sweet with little hop bitterness.

Overall, it is smooth and easily drinkable. It has a great balance of tasty flavours and goes down well.

Weihenstapher Dunkel is by far the best dark version of German wheat beer I tasted so far.

Weihenstephaner has been brewing great beers for a long long time. Every beer in their lineup is a winner.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Seremban Lake Garden

The Seremban Lake Garden which is just a stone's throw from the town centre is one of the most picturesque gardens in the country. The Royale Bintang Seremban Hotel is just beside this park.

Its lush greenery coupled with calm lake are a delight to the tired eyes and offer a calming effect on many weary soul.

A variety of indigenous and exotic trees provide welcome shade throughout the day.

The signboard which shows the distance and direction of the world's major cities from Seremban can be found here.

There is a nice and pleasant 4km jogging track all around and I fancy a chance to jog here one day.

The park is suitable for families with children and a wonderful place to lounge around.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Seremban

Seremban is the capital of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan and can be easily reached by highway and rail.

The town is small and can be easily explored on foot. The pace of life here is slow and the traffic flow here is more relax compare to the bigger cities like KL.

Some of the charming old shop houses which still survive until the present day

The Seremban Main Market is probably the best place to start in order to get a feel of the character of this small town.

The market is the place where the locals source for fresh vegetables, meat and fruits.

On the first floor of the market, there are stalls selling clothes, flowers and a wide selection of hawker stalls.

Some of the best food in town can be found at the market's hawker stall such as beef noodle, Hakka noodle and etc.

Negeri Sembilan is influenced by the Minangkabau and this is visible in some of the architectures in the town. Minangkabau derived from the Malay word menang kerbau which means "winning buffalo". This contribute to the unique roof architecture which resembles buffalo horns. This feature can be seen at Seremban Municipal Hall and Wisma Negeri.

Some of the earliest church, mosque and Hindu temple built in Seremban can be seen around the town center. Even though their size are insignificant, I'm already impressed with their architecture.

Seremban Parade is one of the shopping mall available in the town. It is strategically located opposite the Seremban Railway Station.

The railway station in Seremban was built between 1904 and 1910 for what then a significant sum of 26, 000 Malaysian Ringgit. It was built on three acre land. It is a stopover for passengers traveling between the southern and eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbier

After trying the Weihenstephaner Hefe, I decided to give the Kristall a try. Weihenstephaner had impressed me with their Hefe and I have high expectation on their other products.

A bottle of this 500ml Weihenstephaner is RM 19.50. It is a fair price since a pub will charge RM 27++ for the same item.

I believe it is brewed with the same method and ingredients as with their Hefe, just that the beer was filtered at the final stage. The alcohol content also remain the same at 5.4%

It poured a clear gold colour which is very easy to see through and a head that lasted for some time.

The taste is best described as a watered down and lighter version of their Hefe. It's sweet at first but soon develop with heavy banana tones and some clove. It is very well balanced and flavoured with a smooth finish

Overall, its a delicious and notably a fine wheat beer. Nonetheless, I prefer the Hefe over the Kristall. Something is just missing without the yeasty haze.