I am huge fan of Vienna-style beer. I purchased a six pack of Devil’s Backbone (DB) Vienna a couple of weeks ago. DB is an awarding winning brewery, but I found this beer to be bland to point of being boring. The DB website states that the grist contains Vienna, Pilsen, Dark Munich, and Caramel Malts. However, DB must being using one or more domestic malts because the beer does not have that classic continental malt flavor or aroma.
The recipe is posted in one of the NHC seminar presentations from sometime back. There is even a thread within the last six months that discussed it.
Edit. - found it
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=19628.0
Edit 2 - from the article linked by darkside - “Our Pilsner malt is Canadian Malting Superior Pils, which I like because of its low DMS potential and its delicate flavor. It’s a great base to build upon. The Vienna, Munich, and caramel malts are all of European origin.”
Most craft breweries (2000BBL+) breweries use 2 row as a base. Then they try to doctor it up with caramel malt.
I fixed it for the brewer. ;D
I knew that the base malt in this beer was not continental malt. It has that North American 2-row Melba toast-like blandness that all non-highly hopped beers that are made with domestic 2-row possess. Yuengling Lager tastes better than DB Vienna, and it is half the price.
Just about every bottle of this beer I’ve had has been bland, with a single outlier. No idea why that one beer was better. Bad handling between here and the brewery? Certainly that wouldn’t help flavors already compromised by the financial department.
fixed it for the OP.
Had DB Vienna a few years ago after they won the medal at GABF. It was good. Had it last summer again, and was disappointed.
Only if one likes bland tasting beer
It’s weird because DB is one state over.
I’ve seen my local Heavy Seas distributor stocking shelves with beers a week away from their drink by date, and that brewery isn’t even out of state.
None of their bottled/canned beers have been half as good as the ones at their brewpub. It’s well worth the trip IMO. Their Maibock certainly wasn’t lacking in malt character.
It is best on tap. I’ve found this to be true with most beers in general. They are fresher and less susceptible to handling and storage issues.