Support NeoGAF

[TaeOH]

Have any of you tried this?

My brother claims it's the best beer on Earth.

This thread was lacking GL and the Gold is my favorite. Its what I drink when not into the seasonal beers.

Just poured a Christmas Ale and was going take a picture, then realized my wife has the camera in her purse.

So...this...

Its good.

 

[tokkun]

Wehenstephan is considered by many to be the best German beer inside and outside of Germany. Their Hefeweizen is world class in my opinion. So is their "Vitus" Weizenbock.

edit: not that I'm telling you your tastes are wrong or some bullshit like that. Just that maybe German beer isn't your favorite since what many consider to be the best didn't impress you.

Weihenstephaner's hefeweiss is a great beer, but having a couple great beers that are more or less all simpler wheat beers doesn't make Germany the best beer producer in the world.

The range and depth of beer produced in the USA is far beyond it, and I would also argue that Belgian beers are as well.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Wehenstephan is considered by many to be the best German beer inside and outside of Germany. Their Hefeweizen is world class in my opinion. So is their "Vitus" Weizenbock.

edit: not that I'm telling you your tastes are wrong or some bullshit like that. Just that maybe German beer isn't your favorite since what many consider to be the best didn't impress you.

I've tried both, and like I said in my earlier post, they were great! I'm just not the biggest fan of Hefeweizen or Bock beers.

 

[WorriedCitizen]

Weihenstephan and Warsteiner are two of the biggest mainstream beers in Germany. You can compare them with Bud and Coors to get an indication of the quality of German beer but not with any microbrew stuff.

We have countless small breweries too and their stuff is often miles better then anything that you can buy in regular stores or supermarkets.

The argument with the lacking range and depth has some value. That is due to the German Beer Purity Law from 1516. The only legal ingredients are water, barley, hops and yeast. Everything else is not considered beer in Germany, neither by law nor by customers. However German beer is not just "some wheat beers"! That's a very ignorant statement. The vast majority of German beers have nothing to do with wheat at all.

Read and learn:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Germany

The breweries still brew crazy stuff too that one could sell as beer in Belgium and other places but over here it can't be marketed as such and i assume therefore it also completely falls off the radar of foreign beer experts.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Weihenstephan and Warsteiner are two of the biggest mainstream beers in Germany. You can compare them with Bud and Coors to get an indication of the quality of German beer but not with any microbrew stuff.

We have countless small breweries too and their stuff is often miles better then anything that you can buy in regular stores or supermarkets.

The argument with the lacking range and depth has some value. That is due to the German Beer Purity Law from 1516. The only legal ingredients are water, barley, hops and yeast. Everything else is not considered beer in Germany, neither by law nor by customers. However German beer is not just "some wheat beers"! That's a very ignorant statement.

Read and learn:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Germany

The breweries still brew crazy stuff too that one could sell as beer in Belgium and other places but over here it can't be marketed as such and i assume therefore it also completely falls off the radar of foreign beer experts.

If those are Germany's equivalent of mainstream macro-brews, then they certainly have it better than the average American who consumes Bud Light. However, with no knowledge of (or access to) the German microbrew scene, I really can't proclaim their beer the best. The purity law is nice and all, but wouldn't restricting those ingredients kill a lot of the creativity?

 

[tokkun]

The argument with the lacking range and depth has some value. That is due to the German Beer Purity Law from 1516. The only legal ingredients are water, barley, hops and yeast. Everything else is not considered beer in Germany, neither by law nor by customers. However German beer is not just "some wheat beers"! That's a very ignorant statement. The vast majority of German beers have nothing to do with wheat at all.

Read and learn:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Germany

Yeah, I know that Germany pioneered a lot of different beer styles. My point was that German brewers are really only considered to be the gold standard in a few styles, most of which are wheat beers.

Perhaps this is a biased view from someone who lives in the US and doesn't not have access to German breweries without international distribution, but when it comes to German styles like Maibock or Oktoberfest, I feel like US brewers are matching or exceeding what we see from German brewers.

 

[HappyBivouac]

Weihenstephaner's hefeweiss is a great beer, but having a couple great beers that are more or less all simpler wheat beers doesn't make Germany the best beer producer in the world.

The range and depth of beer produced in the USA is far beyond it, and I would also argue that Belgian beers are as well.

If you had read my posts you would see I agree wholeheartedly. I just had to represent Weihenstephan because I love them.

 

[HappyBivouac]

Weihenstephan and Warsteiner are two of the biggest mainstream beers in Germany. You can compare them with Bud and Coors to get an indication of the quality of German beer but not with any microbrew stuff.

We have countless small breweries too and their stuff is often miles better then anything that you can buy in regular stores or supermarkets.

The argument with the lacking range and depth has some value. That is due to the German Beer Purity Law from 1516. The only legal ingredients are water, barley, hops and yeast. Everything else is not considered beer in Germany, neither by law nor by customers. However German beer is not just "some wheat beers"! That's a very ignorant statement. The vast majority of German beers have nothing to do with wheat at all.

Read and learn:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Germany

The breweries still brew crazy stuff too that one could sell as beer in Belgium and other places but over here it can't be marketed as such and i assume therefore it also completely falls off the radar of foreign beer experts.

So your country's "bud/coors equivalent" is the 19th best beer in the world according to the cumulative scores of BeerAdvocate users? Right. Say what you want about that list, but it indicates something.

Also to set the record straight, warsteiner is crap.

 

[chaostrophy]

When it comes to German beers, I love the smoked beers from Schlenkerla.

I guess their doppelbock is new, I had it for the first time recently and it's quite delicious.

I like doppelbocks in general though, another great one:

 

[HiResDes]

That looks like gold in beer form.

 

[sharkmuncher]

Picked up the Trader Joe's 2010 "Vintage Ale" yesterday and was wondering if anyone has given it a try. It was pretty cheap ($5.49/750mL) and I was sceptical at first, but then noticed it was brewed by Unibroue. Seeing as I really enjoyed their La Fin du Monde, I figured I might as well give it a try. If its good, it has the potential to be a nice cheap 9% dark "Belgian" ale.

 

[slidewinder]

Oooo, going to have to pick some of that up. Unibroue is awesome.

 

[Clydefrog]

Drinking this right now. I must say it is fucking delicious.

 

[Clydefrog]

Picked up the Trader Joe's 2010 "Vintage Ale" yesterday and was wondering if anyone has given it a try. It was pretty cheap ($5.49/750mL) and I was sceptical at first, but then noticed it was brewed by Unibroue. Seeing as I really enjoyed their La Fin du Monde, I figured I might as well give it a try. If its good, it has the potential to be a nice cheap 9% dark "Belgian" ale.

I had the 2008 vintage ale. It wasn't my thing I was expecting goodness too having the Unibroue name on it.

 

[WorriedCitizen]

So your country's "bud/coors equivalent" is the 19th best beer in the world according to the cumulative scores of BeerAdvocate users? Right. Say what you want about that list, but it indicates something.

No way is a mainstream wheat beer the 19th best beer in the world. That says much more about the credibility of that website and its users then about the quality of the beers.

Perhaps this is a biased view from someone who lives in the US and doesn't not have access to German breweries without international distribution, but when it comes to German styles like Maibock or Oktoberfest, I feel like US brewers are matching or exceeding what we see from German brewers.

And how would you verify that if you only have access to freshly brewed beers from one side of the atlantic? These two styles are meant to be drunk fresh from the barrel. Imported beer after a long travel never tastes as good as the real deal. Not even Czech beer sold in Germany tastes like the real thing and the country is just around the corner.

I have no doubt that small breweries in America can produce awesome beers but it takes more then your gut feeling to convince me that America is a better beer producer then Germany.

But really to compare countries in the first place is a bit silly because quality of beer is much more a local thing then a national thing. I can drive to Franconia and i know i will get some really awesome beers and then i can drive a few hours to the north and i will have a hard time to find a beer that suits my taste.

 

[HappyBivouac]

Okay, but all you're saying is "Germany has a lot of good small/local brewers! You don't know, man!"

Since we don't know, could you go into more detail?

Also just out of curiosity about the perspective of a German native who has strong feelings for his country's beer--if you had to pick out a favorite overall beer style, what would it be?

 

[ChiTownBuffalo]

I miss this place.

 

[WorriedCitizen]

Okay, but all you're saying is "Germany has a lot of good small/local brewers! You don't know, man!"

Since we don't know, could you go into more detail?

Also just out of curiosity about the perspective of a German native who has strong feelings for his country's beer

My feelings are not that strong. I often repeat that i prefer Czech beer over German beer. I merely don't buy into the whole "America makes better beer then thou" thing based on comparing imported mainstream beers with freshly brewed stuff from micro breweries. It's a unfair and silly comparison.

None of us is in the position to fairly compare anything because none of us has access to the good beers of the other side.

As for smaller breweries. More or less each town in Germany has at least one local brewery and in most towns people are local patriotic about their beer. In some regions the dense of breweries is even denser. Bamberg for example has 8 breweries + a brew pub with a population of 70k people.

There are quite some mainstream brands across Germany like Oettinger, Krombacher, Warsteiner, Hasseröder, Becks etc. but i don't think they are as dominant as mainstream beers in America. As i said people are usualy very patriotic about their local beers.

if you had to pick out a favorite overall beer style, what would it be?

I would choose Landbier (country beer). It's a not very sophisticated style, just tastes fresh and wholesome. The perfect beer for getting drunk and still being able to enjoy the taste.

For a more sophisticated style i would choose Schwarzbier (black beer). It looks similar to a british stout but the taste is rather on the fresh and hearty side. Has more character then the average beer. It's the perfect beer to drink 1 or 2 of them just for pleasure and taste.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwarzbier

 

[ChiTownBuffalo]

For American craft beer fans:

Is it me, or does it seem like there aren't that many craft breweries east of the Mississippi?

Aside from a few exceptions, seems like all the good stuff comes from the west.

 

[scissorfight]

For American craft beer fans:

Is it me, or does it seem like there aren't that many craft breweries east of the Mississippi?

Aside from a few exceptions, seems like all the good stuff comes from the west.

there's a ton of good breweries:

Three Floyds
Bells
Great Lakes Brewing
Founders
Goose Island
Jolly Pumkin
Arcadia
New Holland
Two Brothers
etc...

 

[HappyBivouac]

For American craft beer fans:

Is it me, or does it seem like there aren't that many craft breweries east of the Mississippi?

Aside from a few exceptions, seems like all the good stuff comes from the west.

Well for starters where do you live? A lot of west coast beer geeks are dreadfully ignorant.

The list scissorfight posted is but a small chunk of the great breweries east of the Mississippi.

My feelings are not that strong. I often repeat that i prefer Czech beer over German beer. I merely don't buy into the whole "America makes better beer then thou" thing based on comparing imported mainstream beers with freshly brewed stuff from micro breweries. It's a unfair and silly comparison.

None of us is in the position to fairly compare anything because none of us has access to the good beers of the other side.

As for smaller breweries. More or less each town in Germany has at least one local brewery and in most towns people are local patriotic about their beer. In some regions the dense of breweries is even denser. Bamberg for example has 8 breweries + a brew pub with a population of 70k people.

There are quite some mainstream brands across Germany like Oettinger, Krombacher, Warsteiner, Hasseröder, Becks etc. but i don't think they are as dominant as mainstream beers in America. As i said people are usualy very patriotic about their local beers.



I would choose Landbier (country beer). It's a not very sophisticated style, just tastes fresh and wholesome. The perfect beer for getting drunk and still being able to enjoy the taste.

For a more sophisticated style i would choose Schwarzbier (black beer). It looks similar to a british stout but the taste is rather on the fresh and hearty side. Has more character then the average beer. It's the perfect beer to drink 1 or 2 of them just for pleasure and taste.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwarzbier

It just seems to me like you're belittling Weihenstephan just because they have wide distribution, and not on the merits of the beer itself. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier has a level of clarity, complexity, and just overall deliciousness that is pretty much unparalleled the world over for the style. Admittedly when it comes to comparing beers like this, it can really only concern beers that see the light of day outside of their own home towns. I have no doubt that there are better hefeweizens being produced in small towns throughout Germany, but you can't discredit Weihenstephan for what they've done just because they're a large company that sells products internationally.

I will say that I'm dying to experience fresh local German beer, as you're absolutely right that's not something you can experience anywhere else. And though the point of freshness is a valid one, there is another side to it. Some of the best beers produced in the US are beers like Barleywines and Imperial Stouts-- beers that take on different complexities and characteristics when aged. I know that some of these beers make it over to Europe but I'm not sure what exactly or how easy they are to find.

And from your side you have the big heavy hitting Doppelbocks--a true German beer style if I ever saw one. A lot of these beers, take Samichlaus for example, are often aged intentionally. My point being that it is not always the case that less time between bottling/kegging to consumption = better. One of the great things about beer, particularly strong beer, is that it can withstand time and travel and still be as good as the freshest stuff, and in some cases even better.

 

[RiggenBlaque]

For American craft beer fans:

Is it me, or does it seem like there aren't that many craft breweries east of the Mississippi?

Aside from a few exceptions, seems like all the good stuff comes from the west.

There are a lot of great breweries in the East, Victory and Troeggs in addition to what was just listed.

However, yes, a huge portion of the craft beer market is on the West coast, specifically Oregon, Washington and California.

 

[AbortedWalrusFetus]

For American craft beer fans:

Is it me, or does it seem like there aren't that many craft breweries east of the Mississippi?

Aside from a few exceptions, seems like all the good stuff comes from the west.

Troegs and Victory are in PA, Dogfish Head in DE, Ommegang and Brooklyn in NY, and that's just naming the big ones that are easy to get to from here in Philly.

 

[RiggenBlaque]

Troegs and Victory are in PA, Dogfish Head in DE, Ommegang and Brooklyn in NY, and that's just naming the big ones that are easy to get to from here in Philly.

Those too, and then if you want to add in some that aren't particularly great:

Harpoon
Magic Hat
Middle Ages
Matt Brewing Company (Saranac)
Ithica
Utica

Then of course there's Sam Adams (yes they count, and yes they make good beer), Allagash (who I don't know a ton about)

 

[HiResDes]

Those too, and then if you want to add in some that aren't particularly great:

Harpoon
Magic Hat
Middle Ages
Matt Brewing Company (Saranac)
Ithica
Utica

Then of course there's Sam Adams (yes they count, and yes they make good beer), Allagash (who I don't know a ton about)

I had this pretty good beer on draft from Ithica the other day. It poured an almost Scarlet color. Does anybody know what it could have been?

 

[levious]

Picked up the Trader Joe's 2010 "Vintage Ale" yesterday and was wondering if anyone has given it a try. It was pretty cheap ($5.49/750mL) and I was sceptical at first, but then noticed it was brewed by Unibroue. Seeing as I really enjoyed their La Fin du Monde, I figured I might as well give it a try. If its good, it has the potential to be a nice cheap 9% dark "Belgian" ale.

it has a strange aftertaste (medicine-y) like you get in gluten free beers but as far as I know it is not gluten free. I didn't like it.

 

[chaostrophy]

The impression I get about east vs. west coast beer geekery is that the west coast is more about locality, while the east coast/midwest is more about experimentalism. There are some great breweries in the east coast/midwest, but they're spread out. Maybe they have to attract interest outside of their immediate vicinity, so they come up with a lot of completely unique beers- often high-alcohol and expensive. While when I spent a few days in Seattle and Portland last summer, I was amazed at the number of small breweries in those cities, and how good their beers were. But they didn't seem to make anything crazy like Dogfish Head, Southern Tier, etc. do.

 

[AbortedWalrusFetus]

The impression I get about east vs. west coast beer geekery is that the west coast is more about locality, while the east coast/midwest is more about experimentalism. There are some great breweries in the east coast/midwest, but they're spread out. Maybe they have to attract interest outside of their immediate vicinity, so they come up with a lot of completely unique beers- often high-alcohol and expensive. While when I spent a few days in Seattle and Portland last summer, I was amazed at the number of small breweries in those cities, and how good their beers were. But they didn't seem to make anything crazy like Dogfish Head, Southern Tier, etc. do.

I think the west coast is just far more insular about it. The west coast ignores beers not made in the same area, whereas the east coast takes good beer from anywhere it can get it. Maybe it's a "We have Stone and Rogue so we don't need anything else" type of thing. Or maybe that's just the west coasters I have met :lol

 

[ShinAmano]

I will add Star Hill and Legend to the list of East Coast breweries...not sure their saturation outside of VA though.

By the way I did pick up some Infinium this past weekend...going to save it until New Years though.

 

[distantmantra]

I think the west coast is just far more insular about it. The west coast ignores beers not made in the same area, whereas the east coast takes good beer from anywhere it can get it. Maybe it's a "We have Stone and Rogue so we don't need anything else" type of thing. Or maybe that's just the west coasters I have met :lol

It's not so much "we don't need anything else," it's more that I like supporting local products. I'll gladly try an East coast beer if I can get it out here in Seattle.

 

[weremichael]

I miss this place.

Me too. Zoser Oatmeal Stout was yummy. I'm glad Mountain Sun is thriving though.

 

[gcubed]

In my opinion with my limited west costs visits is that the west coast makes great hop beers but lacks quite a bit in dark beers... Not that they don't have them, but a large percentage are very... plain. That could just be an east coast palette where I am used to more flavor in my stouts and porters

 

[RiggenBlaque]

I think most beer geeks are pretty insular about where they buy their beer from. I personally never buy Rogue or Stone beers because I hardly ever find them worth it. Stone's Vertical this year is a complete fucking mess and was a complete waste of money for me. I don't know if they're just overrated to begin with or they just degrade in quality from the trip from the west coast, but I rarely find any of their beers worth it.

Also, I can't believe I didn't mention Southern Tier, they're another high quality brewery.

 

[chaostrophy]

Also, I can't believe I didn't mention Southern Tier, they're another high quality brewery.

Just picked up some of their Choklat stout today.

I love how there's nothing subtle about Southern Tier's beer...like the Choklat isn't a stout with hints of chocolate...it's a beverage as intensely chocolatey as they could make it. And the Pumking tastes like drinking a pumpkin pie. They don't fuck around.

 

[tokkun]

My feelings are not that strong. I often repeat that i prefer Czech beer over German beer. I merely don't buy into the whole "America makes better beer then thou" thing based on comparing imported mainstream beers with freshly brewed stuff from micro breweries. It's a unfair and silly comparison.

None of us is in the position to fairly compare anything because none of us has access to the good beers of the other side.

As for smaller breweries. More or less each town in Germany has at least one local brewery and in most towns people are local patriotic about their beer. In some regions the dense of breweries is even denser. Bamberg for example has 8 breweries + a brew pub with a population of 70k people.

There are quite some mainstream brands across Germany like Oettinger, Krombacher, Warsteiner, Hasseröder, Becks etc. but i don't think they are as dominant as mainstream beers in America. As i said people are usualy very patriotic about their local beers.

So which specific German brewers/beers would you recommend? I have a local German beer hall that stocks 270 beers.

 

[sharkmuncher]

Currently drinking the Trader Joe's. Would consider this a meh beer. Worth about the $5 I spent on it, but not more. Would drink again, but probably would not actively seek it out.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I'm from Seattle and I'm not a huge fan of Stone or Rogue. I haven't tried all of their stuff, but what I have tasted, I haven't been a huge fan of.

The only Southern Tier brew I've had is their Pumking, but it was pretty damn amazing. Definitely the best Pumpkin beer I've had. I'll have to give some of their other stuff a try.

 

[bumbillbee]

I'm in NorCal, and haven't had a whole lot of Rogue. Only the Dead Guy Ale, so I can't really comment on the brewery as a whole. I do like Stone, but usually go for the IPA, which is probably my favorite single IPA that I can get for a reasonable price.

Really, though, the best thing about where I'm located is Russian River. Pliny the Elder is probably the best beer I've ever had (not that I've had enough for my opinion to be worth anything), and Damnation and Redemption are damn good Belgians. Can't wait to try their sour beers sometime. If only they weren't so expensive...

 

[gcubed]

so i'm going to Prague over new years, what should i drink?

 

[Wraith]

I think most beer geeks are pretty insular about where they buy their beer from. I personally never buy Rogue or Stone beers because I hardly ever find them worth it. Stone's Vertical this year is a complete fucking mess and was a complete waste of money for me. I don't know if they're just overrated to begin with or they just degrade in quality from the trip from the west coast, but I rarely find any of their beers worth it.

Also, I can't believe I didn't mention Southern Tier, they're another high quality brewery.

Southern Tier consistently ranges from "better than average" to "amazing" for me. Such a great brewery, and real masters at hiding the alcohol content on their big brews.

 

[Norfair]

there's a ton of good breweries:

Three Floyds
Bells
Great Lakes Brewing
Founders
Goose Island
Jolly Pumkin
Arcadia
New Holland
Two Brothers
etc...

New Glarus too

Another Wisconsin beer I like right now is this:

Most of Lakefront's beers are pretty average overall but I love this one.

 

[iapetus]

I think most beer geeks are pretty insular about where they buy their beer from.

Speak for yourself - I prefer to buy beers from across my country, and jump at the chance to get quality beers from further afield (such as the US).

 

[AbortedWalrusFetus]

In my opinion with my limited west costs visits is that the west coast makes great hop beers but lacks quite a bit in dark beers... Not that they don't have them, but a large percentage are very... plain. That could just be an east coast palette where I am used to more flavor in my stouts and porters

I have also found that even in the beers that are typically not that hoppy, west coast beers have made them extremely hoppy. I think I've made my views on hops clear previously in this thread, but I'll state it again; the amount of hops in some beers does absolutely nothing to improve the quality, and instead takes away from other aspects of the beer. Once you get too bitter you overpower any subtlety the drink may have had. This failing seems particularly keen in west coast beers in my experience. Although for me, one of the biggest disappointments I had with this was with Victory Storm King Imperial Stout. The bitterness of the hops lasted for so long in my mouth that it was impossible to taste the other flavors you'd expect from an imperial stout and really ruined the experience. Perhaps it was the vintage I bought, as I have heard older vintages were not quite as hoppy, but regardless it was disappointing considering the brew is so highly regarded.

 

[gcubed]

I have also found that even in the beers that are typically not that hoppy, west coast beers have made them extremely hoppy. I think I've made my views on hops clear previously in this thread, but I'll state it again; the amount of hops in some beers does absolutely nothing to improve the quality, and instead takes away from other aspects of the beer. Once you get too bitter you overpower any subtlety the drink may have had. This failing seems particularly keen in west coast beers in my experience. Although for me, one of the biggest disappointments I had with this was with Victory Storm King Imperial Stout. The bitterness of the hops lasted for so long in my mouth that it was impossible to taste the other flavors you'd expect from an imperial stout and really ruined the experience. Perhaps it was the vintage I bought, as I have heard older vintages were not quite as hoppy, but regardless it was disappointing considering the brew is so highly regarded.

i love hops, but i love their flavor moreso then bitterness. You want to give me a hop bomb and i'd most likely enjoy it, but of course i want hops in beers where appropriate. Lots of hops in a stout or porter isn't my ideal stout or porter. I brew a LOT of dark beers and very little hoppy beers. I enjoy complex flavors in my dark beers that come from the grains used and use just enough hops in them appropriate for the style, and of the hops i use they are usually more earthy hops that do a good job accentuating the flavors I expect.

Where in Philly are you? If you are ever in Delaware County hit me up, i give out as much of my beer as possible... I love brewing as much or more then i like drinking, and 5-10gallons of beer takes too long to drink!

 

[AbortedWalrusFetus]

i love hops, but i love their flavor moreso then bitterness. You want to give me a hop bomb and i'd most likely enjoy it, but of course i want hops in beers where appropriate. Lots of hops in a stout or porter isn't my ideal stout or porter. I brew a LOT of dark beers and very little hoppy beers. I enjoy complex flavors in my dark beers that come from the grains used and use just enough hops in them appropriate for the style, and of the hops i use they are usually more earthy hops that do a good job accentuating the flavors I expect.

Where in Philly are you? If you are ever in Delaware County hit me up, i give out as much of my beer as possible... I love brewing as much or more then i like drinking, and 5-10gallons of beer takes too long to drink!

I live near the art museum in the Spring Garden section of the city. About six or so blocks from Belgian Cafe, actually. I'll definitely hit you up for some beer :lol

In fact, since I am about to venture into homebrewing myself you can bet I'll hit you up for some tips.

 

[gcubed]

I live near the art museum in the Spring Garden section of the city. About six or so blocks from Belgian Cafe, actually. I'll definitely hit you up for some beer :lol

In fact, since I am about to venture into homebrewing myself you can bet I'll hit you up for some tips.

Ha that's not a problem at all anyone is welcome when I brew. I'd enjoy the company. have a bunch of brew and if you want to learn all the better. I do all grain but I can help on the others as well, we all started somewhere!

 

[GordonGecko]

Drinking on this right now:

 

[WorriedCitizen]

So which specific German brewers/beers would you recommend? I have a local German beer hall that stocks 270 beers.

That sounds like a decent amount of beers to choose from but i doubt many of them are small local breweries so i will give you some hints for less mainstream but still well known beers in the hope you have access to them.

First one is Rothaus Tannenzäpfle. This is pretty much considered the best "popular" beer of Germany's south west.

It's a very palatable Pilsener that comes in small bottles. It's definitely up to par with many Pilsners from smaller breweries.

Next one is Köstritzer Schwarzbier:

I talked about that beer before. It is regional but still quite popular across Germany so maybe it is stocked at beer hall.

Third tip. If you have access to Zirndorfer or any other Franconian beer give it a try:

But be aware that even if you can purchase one of these beers they will probvably not taste as good as they are supposed to. Long travel is bad for beer.

 

[HappyBivouac]

Köstritzer is actually pretty easy to find in the states. Would love to try the other two having read up on them.

 

[HappyBivouac]

But be aware that even if you can purchase one of these beers they will probvably not taste as good as they are supposed to. Long travel is bad for beer.

We're not talking about perilous sailing voyages across the Atlantic over the course of months and months here... beer is a drink that's made to hold up.