Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
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How to Choose the Best Strawberries
Sausage Recipes of the Month
What You Should Know About German Beer(cont.)
Märzen
The beer most commonly associated with and served at Oktoberfest, this copper-colored lager is medium-bodied and malty tasting, with a surprisingly clean, dry finish. “Never cloying or too sweet,” says Carroll.
Interesting Factoid: Its name means “March,” because before refrigeration, the beer was brewed in the winter up until March (it’s made with lager yeast, which needs cold temperatures to work), cellared or stored in cool caves through the hot months, then drunk in October.
Try: Beers billed as Oktoberfest beers will generally always be Märzens. Try Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen, Hofbräu Oktoberfest, Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier, Allgäuer Oktoberfest.
Dunkel
The only thing guaranteed with dunkels is that they are darker and have a slightly higher alcohol content than a pils, helles, or märzen. Beyond that, the level of hop bitterness or malt graininess varies wildly. The word just means “dark” in German, and is not so much a specific style as a way of saying that the beer you’re about to order was made with darker-roasted malts.
Interesting Factoid: Although most dunkels are toastier-tasting amber to nut-brown versions of helles and pils, there is also dunkelweizen, or dark wheat beer. This style can be particularly rich-tasting, like a complex brown bread.
Try: Schneider Weisse, Hofbräu Dunkel, Maisel’s Weisse Dunkel, Paulaner Original Münchner Dunkel
Schwarzbier
You may look at this beer, an ultradark lager whose name literally means “black beer,” and think you’re in for a thick, rich, porter-type experience. On the contrary: Although it does have notes of roasted coffee and chocolate, schwarzbier is dry, light-bodied, and relatively low in alcohol.
Interesting Factoid: Philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe sustained himself on black beer during a period of illness when he wasn’t able to eat anything else, says Tomm Carroll.
Try: Köstritzer Schwarzbier, Einbecker Schwarzbier
Bock, Doppelbock
Sort of like dunkel, the words bock and doppelbock are less defined styles than descriptors meaning that the beer’s alcohol content is strong or doubly strong, respectively. The name bock, says Carroll, is a derivation of the name of the northern city of Einbeck, where the beer originated. Helles, pils, and hefeweizen beers can all come in bock and doppelbock form, e.g., weizenbock. They’re typically amber-colored or darker, and contain Cognac-y flavors and deliver a big alcohol punch. Think of these as equivalent to the double and triple Belgian Trappist ales.
Interesting Factoid: Rusty Olson, bar manager of San Francisco German restaurant Suppenküche, says doppelbock was originally drunk by monks during the Lenten fast to provide more protein and calories. A fast way to a buzz, more like.
Try: Spaten Optimator (doppelbock), Schneider & Sohn Aventinus (weizenbock)
Versions of all of these types of beers can be found through specialty beer importers like Shelton Brothers, at well-stocked Whole Foods stores, or at specialty beer bars like Spuyten Duyvil in Brooklyn, New York.
Altbier
With a name literally meaning “old beer,” this ale is from the northeastern region of Westphalia, where it has been brewed for hundreds of years. It tastes much hoppier than most German beers but not as hoppy as an IPA.
Try: Uerige Sticke Altbier
Berliner Weisse
Sometimes referred to as “the champagne of the north,” this Berlin-made wheat beer is golden, effervescent, low in alcohol, and extremely sour, with funky yeasty notes. It’s often served with fruit syrup. U.S. craft brewer Dogfish Head made a great version called Festina Pêche.
Try: Weihenstephaner 1809
Rauchbier
Dubbed “bacon in a glass,” this famous smoked style of dark lager beer is the specialty of the beautiful medieval town of Bamberg, in northern Bavaria.
Try: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier
Kölsch
An ultralight, summery ale-lager hybrid that, by law, can only be made in and around the city of Cologne. This style is becoming more trendy in the States: American breweries like Harpoon, Alaskan, and Goosetown brew it as a seasonal summer release.
Try: Reissdorf Kölsch
Gose
A specialty of the town of Leipzig, this is an unusual-for-Germany wheat beer, because it’s brewed with spices, in defiance of the Reinheitsgebot (it was an old style, so it was grandfathered in). It’s got coriander, salt (!), and tart barnyardy notes from Brettanomyces yeast.
Try: Leipziger Gose
First, you haven't really had German beer until you've been to Bavaria. As one person in Berlin pointed out, the beer scene's pretty boring up there. If you drink it imported in the States, you're just scratching the tip of the iceberg.
Second, weissbier was traditionally bottled with the yeast that fermented it (a top-fermenting almost wild variety). To provide more flavor stability it became...+READ
First, you haven't really had German beer until you've been to Bavaria. As one person in Berlin pointed out, the beer scene's pretty boring up there. If you drink it imported in the States, you're just scratching the tip of the iceberg.
Second, weissbier was traditionally bottled with the yeast that fermented it (a top-fermenting almost wild variety). To provide more flavor stability it became common for lager yeast to be used. Nowadays many brewers inject fresh yeast into the finished beer then flash pasteurize shortly before bottling to make their beers even more stable. All methods are currently in use.
Thirdly, many American craft brewers are like novice chefs who want to try every spice in the cabinet in their poorly equipped kitchens. Most can’t brew lager because they don’t know how and don’t have the brewhouse and storage capacity to do so. However, sometimes what they create can be inspiring to other brewers and enriching to the world's brewing cultures. What craft brewers lack in subtlety they make up for in creativity. It's possible to appreciate German and Czech, British, Belgian and American styles all at once, which is my approach. I love them all (if they're good).-COLLAPSE
It is disappointing that the didn't even point out the difference between German northern Pils beers and the Czech version. Jever is decidedly different than Budvar or Pilsner Urquel.
I agree with jabscoffier. Another vote for Franziskaner. I love their Hefe-Weisse and Hefe-Weisse Dunkel. Just tried the Kristalklar last night, very good as well.
Well, the beer that I brew is beer also.
This "beer snob" sez if it ain't German, then it ain't beer.
Snazzy new avatars!
I second ChristinaMason's comment. Purity is nice and all, but some American brewers are putting out the most interesting, creative beers in the world right now. What's wrong with massive hops?!
PS- If you dig Kölsch and want to try another American-brewed example, Stoudt's Brewing Company in Adamstown PA has a Karnival Kölsch is really great.
Paulaner Salvator is my all-time favorite doppelbock. I was actually introduced to it in the employee cafeteria of the Paulaner brewery in Munich- good times. Out of the bottle, however, I find it has a funny soy sauce flavor; I'm reduced to creeping around Brauhaus Schmidtz here in Philly and hoping its on tap. Totally worth it for that beautiful reddish brew.
Kristallweizen is indeed served with a lemon slice
Who researched this? The Czech did NOT invent pilsner beer. It was a german brew master (from Munich) who got called to Pilsen to do something about their horrible beer.
Augustiner Weissbier has always been my favorite wheatbeer
Maisels is a close second.
The cost of german beer due to the worthless american dollar
is forcing me to drink american swill instead.
I'm currently living in Berlin, and although there are some very good pilsners and some decent Schwarzbiers, I desperately miss American beer.
Yes, I'm serious. I think American craft beer is more interesting and more varied than what you typically find in Germany. Some American favorites include Old Rasputin imperial stout, Bell's Two-Hearted IPA, Brooklyn Brown, 3 Philosophers, Rogue Mocha...+READ
I'm currently living in Berlin, and although there are some very good pilsners and some decent Schwarzbiers, I desperately miss American beer.
Yes, I'm serious. I think American craft beer is more interesting and more varied than what you typically find in Germany. Some American favorites include Old Rasputin imperial stout, Bell's Two-Hearted IPA, Brooklyn Brown, 3 Philosophers, Rogue Mocha Porter, Dale's Pale Ale, Brooklyn Lager, a few of the Goose Island brews...I could go on. Ten years ago this was not the case, but these days, there is an amazing selection of widely varied, lovingly handcrafted beers in addition to the Miller and Busch blandness.
Sometimes I think the Reinheitsgebot was more of a curse than a blessing to beer brewing in Germany. I find Belgian beers to be much more varied and interesting because (as I understand it) they didn't have the same historic restrictions on additives and flavorings. This left more room for creativity, and as a happy consumer of Kriek and Kasteel, I'm grateful for it.
Germany is great if you love Pilsner or Hefeweissen. But if your tastes extend to the (even slightly) more exotic, going out for a brew can be something of a letdown.
That said, the Augustinerbraeu is putting out some good, crisp, flavorful pilsners and helles.-COLLAPSE
Why no mention of Altenmunster? IMO, it's simply the best of the German beers.
When I got heavily into the American craft beer scene in 1994, I, too, very stupidly took about 8 years off from drinking German beers. I was too excited by the local scene to care. Now, in the last five years, I have re-embraced the best Germany has to offer and I couldn't be happier. Several of my all time fave beers are mentioned in this article, but I have to give a special shout out to Gose....+READ
When I got heavily into the American craft beer scene in 1994, I, too, very stupidly took about 8 years off from drinking German beers. I was too excited by the local scene to care. Now, in the last five years, I have re-embraced the best Germany has to offer and I couldn't be happier. Several of my all time fave beers are mentioned in this article, but I have to give a special shout out to Gose. Tart, salty, spiced and refreshing. When I find it, I buy it by the case.
Now, I also bailed on English beer years ago and, guess what, I still haven't come back. Yawn.-COLLAPSE
I think the knock on American hefes that seems to be current in beer tasting reviews has some of the earmarks of being the beer equivalent to the anti-Merlot crowd in wine: appearing to be very discriminating when one is being more affected than discriminating.
And, yes, it's kristallweizen that might be taken with lemon by some at certain times of year.
Zeta, I didn't say these beers are fermented with lager yeast. I said that many of them are conditioned with lager yeast.
The fact that a beer is bottle-conditioned doesn't mean it can't be pasteurized after the fact, and I'm told this is generally the case.
I got my information from the importer of Schneider Weisse. I know a bit about beer, so you needn't talk down to me. cheers, Jim
Jim, sorry, but you are completely wrong. Hefe- (and Kristall-) weizen are made with top-fermenting yeast, Lager with bottom-fermenting. Traditionally, hefeweizens are bottle conditioned and therefore cannot be pasteurised.
I'm told that most hefeweizens are bottled with lager yeast, so any fermentation in the bottle is not going to add any appreciable flavor to the beer, particularly not the signature clove and banana notes. A notable exception is Schneider Weisse.
I believe most bottled hefeweizens are pasteurized, in which case nothing at all would occur, except perhaps autolysis.
"Many brewers still adhere to a now-repealed 16th-century law called the Reinheitsgebot, which forbids adding anything to beer besides the basic water, hops, and malt."
The law actually states "barley," not "malt" - and most brewers also add yeast to start the fermentation process. The Reinheitsgebot predates the discovery of yeast ergo it is not included in the law.
Another thing the...+READ
"Many brewers still adhere to a now-repealed 16th-century law called the Reinheitsgebot, which forbids adding anything to beer besides the basic water, hops, and malt."
The law actually states "barley," not "malt" - and most brewers also add yeast to start the fermentation process. The Reinheitsgebot predates the discovery of yeast ergo it is not included in the law.
Another thing the Reinheitsgebot included was a maximum price one could charge for a beer, this was also punishable.
Brilliant!-COLLAPSE
franziskaner is probably the best hefeweizen i've ever had. surprised it didn't make it into the article...
F.Y.I. "Factoid" means "a non-truth."
Whoops. Yeast was not originally stipulated, as it wasn't recognized as an ingredient at the time the law was written.
"Many brewers still adhere to a now-repealed 16th-century law called the Reinheitsgebot, which forbids adding anything to beer besides the basic water, hops, and malt." Fortunately the Germans also stipulated yeast. The malt was barley malt. No other malted grains. No expert here, just someone who did a little research a few years back....
Pils was not invented by the Czechs. The first pilsener - in the modern sense - was brewed by a bavarian brewer who was called to Pilsen to make a proper beer. But since this was way before Germany or Czechoslovakia were founded, these terms of nation-states are pretty useless anyway.
hey weirjf,
can you recommend any German stouts?
As for filtered german style american wheat beers I think sierra has a nice Kristal (clean, dry like Weihenstephaner Kristal) and they have another beer 'Kellerweis" (unfiltered) which tastes almost exactly like Franziskaner....
chris of CHOW
while I love microbrews... I'm also a fan of a nice stout german beer. German wine is also awesome and underappreciated.
the lemon is only added to kristallweizen.
"Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier" is actually three beers, an Urbock, a Marzen (as pictured) and a Weizen, all using smoked malt. I've not had the first. The Marzen is incredibly smoky, I found it to be nearly undrinkable except as an accompaniment to similarly strong food. The Weizen is much more drinkable, so make that one your first rauchbier, I'll suggest.
regarding hefeweizen: "and no, they’re not traditionally served with a slice of lemon"
While that statement is true, I might add that it is not unusual to get a drink in the summer that is half hefeweizen and half lemonade. Very light and refreshing - perfect when hiking in the Black Forest and emerging at a restaurant.
American craft brewers are doing great versions of some of these German...+READ
regarding hefeweizen: "and no, they’re not traditionally served with a slice of lemon"
While that statement is true, I might add that it is not unusual to get a drink in the summer that is half hefeweizen and half lemonade. Very light and refreshing - perfect when hiking in the Black Forest and emerging at a restaurant.
American craft brewers are doing great versions of some of these German styles - this summer I very much enjoyed Red Lodge (MT) Glacier ale, an altbier, and New Glarus (WI) Black Wheat, a dunkelweizen. Altbier is a very little known style. I was in Red Lodge with a German friend and when they said the Glacier ale was a German style, my friend said "there is no ale in Germany." So we are all learning.-COLLAPSE
DiveFan - Their are a lot of very good American wheat beers, including hefeweiss beers. I don't think the article was knocking these. I think the knock was on Blue Moon, Shock Top, and the other mass produced beer with marketing strategies designed to fool you into thinking you're drinking a craft beer.
I'm curious after reading this, is Weihenstephaner Original really only a bit over a century old? The Weihenstephan Abbey Brewery is officially dated back to 1040, but they were likely producing beer over 250 years before that date. If their Original is a Helles, and Helles originated over 800 years after the brewery was officially licensed, the Original must not really be their original style,...+READ
I'm curious after reading this, is Weihenstephaner Original really only a bit over a century old? The Weihenstephan Abbey Brewery is officially dated back to 1040, but they were likely producing beer over 250 years before that date. If their Original is a Helles, and Helles originated over 800 years after the brewery was officially licensed, the Original must not really be their original style, correct? Have any of their other styles been in production for longer?
It would be a shame if the oldest beer at the oldest brewery in the world only dates to the late 1800's.-COLLAPSE
Really? Maybe you could suggest some for me to try. I've tried a whole bunch of American style "wheat" beers and been disappointed overall. The best I've found are Victory's "Sunrise Wheat" and Brooklyn Brewery's "Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen Weiss" which is really a collaboration with the German brewery Schneider.
I'm a great fan of unfiltered wheat beer, but you lost me at 'one-dimensional, crisp, easy-drinkin’ wheat beers' made in the U.S.
Who makes those?
Maybe I haven't looked hard enough, but the U.S. 'hefeweizens' I've tried are all unfiltered and pretty good (but not quite to the described German level).