Those German home brewers are late in getting into the game.
One might say that Germans have more choice in beers unlike us here in the US so the motivation is not that great to start making your own.
Late is better than never.
Like Vince Shlomy says, "You know those Germans make good stuff!"
I'd like to walk into a German homebrew shop!!
Did anyone read the title of the second news article under the first paragraph?
The "declining variety" the article alludes to probably has something to do with most of the smaller and some of the bigger breweries, (even the ones that had been in continuous operation for hundreds of years), are being bought by larger "corporation" sized breweries. The names stay the same, but regionally it is getting hard to find beers that taste different. Where a few years ago, you could get a different Hefe just down the street, you now find the same tasting, differently labeled beer.
This is a somewhat recent development.
@Ewbish I also lived in Weurzburg for a couple years.
One may note that in GE.......you very rarely see broken glass or tossed bottles......they are flat out worth to much. I've often thought that America took a massive wrong turn with the twist off non reuseables. The germans don't "recycle" their beer bottles......they reuse them. They clean/sterilize and replace the gasket on the flippers if applicable, then refill and ship. I think this system alone has helped keep the price in check and it certainly cut down on wasteful disposal, trash, energy use.....etc.
I like the German situation better.
Craig
I don't. Try getting a Kolsch in Dusseldorf, or an Alt in Koln. The problem with Germany is that it is TOO regional, and most beers aren't available in any one place. It would suck being limited to what is in one's own back yard.
I don't. Try getting a Kolsch in Dusseldorf, or an Alt in Koln. The problem with Germany is that it is TOO regional, and most beers aren't available in any one place. It would suck being limited to what is in one's own back yard.
Belgium is a paradise... the country recognizes good beer, and it can be found anywhere, all over the country.
When were you there? Army?
Well....I never found that limiting. What with cruise control and the autobahn.......you're not more than 3 hours at any given time from any beer style you want.
Belgium and GE are the epicenters of beerdom. It's like the brewing gods blessed the countries along a line from Ireland, England, then to Belgium, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The rest of Europe was cursed. You start out in say......portugal, and beer is crap. As you travel through spain, and then france....it's all swill, but marginally improves.....until you hit Belgium and Germany, which seems to be the epic peak of beer goodness. You can go West across the pond to England and Ireland, and the beer is awesome.......or you can go East......and the beer remains awesome through the Czech Republic or SE to Austria and it's drinkable. Then........it tapers back to swill.......by the time you cross Slovakia you're back to sewage runoff (any good beer brewed in Slovakia....is shipped west...poor bastards don't even get to drink their own decent brew). By Hungary, you're willingly dropping hard currency for "imports".........In Romania......you look for horse dung filled mudpuddles to rinse the taste of the Romanian beer from your mouth.
Of course... if you noticed, the "beer" areas you mentioned are areas that, due to climate, traditionally grew grains.
Edit: and a lot of the German guys look like tools, we would be shoe ins. Yes ladies im American.
Yep, I was stationed in Schweinfurt for 7 years 95-2002. Lived in Wuerzburg for the last two of that. 3rd then 1st ID. I lived right across the street from the Marienberg.
Hey, if you were there for the reflag from 3rd to 1st, we were there at the same time!
"If you're going to be one, you might as well be a Big Red One."
At least once we were Big Red Ones.......we didn't have to sing Dog Faced Soldier at boards anymore.
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