We've had a gradual trickle of beers from the Saxon Einsiedler brewery, all in resolutely typical German styles. So far there's been a Helles, Weissbier, Schwarzbier and Böhmisch, and now they've sent us their Zwickelbier, presumably an unfiltered version of the Helles, at the same 5.2% ABV.It looks significantly darker, however: a deep amber colour which I'm not convinced comes entirely from the haze. The flavour is nicely wholesome, consisting mostly of rough granary bread with a marmalade-shred bitterness and a sharper tang of metal on the very end. That finish is quick, however, so while it's not as crisp and clean as a clarified lager would be, it still has enough of its attributes to pass muster. There's a little bit of heat, too, suggesting some potentially headachey esters, but for me this was all part of the unvarnished charm of it.
A bit like the Böhmisch, this is more challenging than your typical factory-brewed German lager. It doesn't follow the usual Zwickel pattern of being a very slightly rougher Helles; it goes all-in with its lack of polish, and may be a little divisive as a result. I enjoyed it for all that.