My friends in Zurich, Greg and Alice, took me to Rappi Bier Factory (also in English) in nearby Rapperswil. They had three beers on tap, and the Big Blackbier I had from a bottle. Apparently their most popular beer is the Rappigold. The owner/brewer Steve tried a different yeast in the batch that was on tap, however, and it was, in a word, bad. Steve apologized for what he called the worst beer he’d ever brewed. Live and learn, I guess.

A glass of Rappigold at the Rappi Bier Factory — Rapperswil, Switzerland

Rob’s Picks
• XXA Xtra Bitter Strong Ale – 6.7% – Bit of a floral aroma. Sweet caramel kick to hop bite, finishes with good mellow maltiness. Kind of a strong amber.
• Big Blackbier – 8% – A strong stout (stout stout?). Good full alcohol and stout aroma. Flavors strong, too: alcohol, dark toastiness/smokiness. Not as heavy as it looks — effervescence helps with that. Good hoppiness and a subtle sweetness, too.

The Rest
• Rappigold – 4.8% – Hoppy honey lager. Watery and pretty sour. Hopefully Steve will go back to the original yeast in the next batch.
• Linth Maisbier – 4.4% – Corn beer. Bit of an eggy/corny aroma. Light, with a bubbly tang. Slight breadiness, and decent hoppiness. Corn taste builds up — a lemon wedge would be useful here.

They had a glass for sale, too, but only with the spartan “Bier Factory” name it. The version with the color logo was from a smaller, more expensive production and not for sale. With a bit of sleight of hand, though, I was able to walk away with the fancier one. I drank a whole glass of the crappy Rappigold — I think I deserved it…