German Beer. Holy crap Batman.

[AK7007]

You can't buy culture and history.

Some would say (me) you shouldn't bother with the culture and history. Some culture and history aren't as good tasting as the adaptation even! If its good beer, its good beer. If its good in your hometown, its going to be awesome because you can experience that all the time with friends, and that constitutes your very own beer culture!

If you have to be surrounded by the culture and history for something to taste good, then was it even that great tasting to begin with?

I would agree that the beauty of travel is in that culture and history. But that doesn't actually make the beer better. The best that I could see would be that travel gives you access to things that you could not get at home. (cask ale?)

 

[GHBWNY]

One thing to consider is that German beer is German beer. In America, nearly all of the recognized styles are American adaptations of the styles from other countries.

Amen to that. I STILL haven't found an American adaptation of a German style that compares. My first (U.S. Army) job when I got to Germany was in Bamberg. The day I arrived, they were celebrating their 1000-year anniversary of the founding of the city. I suspect that their beers are tastier (to my palate) because they've had *just a little more time* under their belt than we've had to perfect their craft.

 

[krackin]

Not as an excuse but a reason, US beer is a little behind the curve due to Prohibition, Great Depression then WW II. That isn't to say that the second two didn't affect other countries, that would be foolish. What it did do to the US was destroy small breweries as seen in other countries, thus styles and recipes, and in time replaced them with BMC.

 

[Yooper]

I used to live in Germany, and I learned to love beer. But our local gasthaus, across the street, had "Pilsner" and "Export". Both were excellent- but that was the beer menu.

Of course, that was 35 years ago............................

 

[RustyHorn]

In America, nearly all of the recognized styles are American adaptations of the styles from other countries.

I once put an English barley wine recipe from the 1800s into beersmith, but according to the bjcp guideline or whatever it's called, I was making an American barleywine! So, even these American styles are not really uniquely American. What American has done though is create some amazing hops. And I'm very grateful

 

[Onkel_Udo]

I used to live in Germany, and I learned to love beer. But our local gasthaus, across the street, had "Pilsner" and "Export". Both were excellent- but that was the beer menu.

Of course, that was 35 years ago............................

Mine was worse (1989-1990). Gasthaus A) Veltins (a pislner) and Gasthaus B) Warsteiner (a pilsner)....the second, third and fourth taps were the same as the first.

Next twelve Gasthauses...same story...Veltins or Warsteiner.

 

[iijakii]

I'm not really sure what you are debating here... sure there's some hipster towns here and there with a brewery on every corner, fresh microbrews served everywhere, etc.

...but America as in the common suburban mass that is everywhere (it seems), ask for a "beer" at a bar and you'll get bud light, not a fresh Dunkelweissen brewed across the street two weeks ago.

Well don't live in the boring midwest. There is umpteen times more variety in the US than Germany. I absolutely love Germany and German beers, but the majority of Germany is pretty much just one of the big 3 brands. Then you're lucky if they carry more than 3 of that brand's beers.

 

[gspot]

Yooper, Onkel_Udo, and iijaki pretty much echo my experience as well. I lived there for two years and have been back a few times since. While there is a nice variety in Germany across the nation, in any one locale you're not going to find very much more than the locally brewed beer. (That's not necessarily a bad thing--I adore German beer, and that's what I mostly brew.) In the U.S., it really depends on where you're at. In the larger metro areas or beer meccas, yes, the variety is much greater. But you have to admit, there's probably more locations in the US where all you can get is BMC. So maybe it's not that much different after all in terms of availability. I'd say that any German beer is better than BMC IMO.

I think we're comparing apples and oranges.

 

[BeardedBeerMan]

I'm reminded of an episode of Brew Dogs where they were in Brussels and made a beer completely against the Reinheitsgebot. They asked a local what they thought of American beer, their answer was "it's like having sex in a canoe, *bleep*ing close to water"

 

[ViciousFishes]

You've got to get to Kloster Andechs while in Munich. You will not be disappointed!!!

 

[Onkel_Udo]

I think we're comparing apples and oranges.

We are, but that is actually kind of the point. Contrasting and comparing the differences.

Even here in the boring Midwest, our local "tradesman" bar now has two local beers on tap (both 3-Floyds) along side BMC taps if you include Pabst Blue Ribbon. The tap room 5 blocks from my home in a hardcore dying in their beds steel workers neighborhood...15 taps of which one is BMC and at least three states and one foreign country is always represented.

In some ways it is the our lack of national beer identity that allowed the forest fire of innovation and variety to be ignited by a tiny spark from folks like Fritz Maytag and even Jim Koch to expand so (relatively) quickly. Sure a vast majority of beer swilled down in the US is, and likely will stay, mass market American Light Lager.

Hundreds of years of tradition and loyalty stiffled much of the German beer scene post WWII and consolidation guaranteed it could not innovate for a couple of decades.

England went through a similar phase but they bounced back to a modicum of variety much more quickly after the Big War. They then went through a similar consolidation period but a small but vocal minority kept Real Ale alive through CAMRA. It was like the monks hording scientific texts in the dark ages...England came out of the dark times more rapidly because of it.

Just before I stopped travelling for a living I spent a week in the Czech Republic (mostly Prague) and 5 days in Warsaw. Both countries were seeing a revolution in small scale breweries. The variety available in a typical Czech pub was 1, 2, or 3 similar beers but specialty pubs had popped up. Warsaw the same.

FYI, Prague in 1989...no beer variety at all. Three different breweries producing three version of basically the same two beers.

 

[imasickboy]

While there is a nice variety in Germany across the nation, in any one locale you're not going to find very much more than the locally brewed beer.

That's what I want here in PA when I walk into a bar. I want locally brewed stuff. I don't want Sam Adams seasonal, BMC, and 8 IPAs from across the country. I want a variety of the beers brewed by my local breweries. It sucks having to go to each different brewery or brewpub just to be able to have their beers.

It's a "grass is greener on the other side" phenomenon. I am fascinated by both traditional English and German beers. I imagine one would get bored by over-exposure to anything, so if you live in one of those places, perhaps you long for something like America's vibrant craft beer scene.

I long instead for English bitters, milds, porters, stouts, and German lager delights - so I'm focusing most of my home brewing on these styles. I enjoy a hopped-up American IPA or "crazy" oak-and-adjunct-laden stout as well, but a steady diet of those would be unsustainable for me.

I, too, would be waxing poetic about freshly brewed pilsners around every street corner. Not to mention the intriguing beer and social culture that comes along with indulging. Thanks for sharing your impressions.

Well said. I could have written that same post.

 

[sd_brewbie]

I was in Germany last year and really enjoyed the beer. Some awesome little brew pubs in Nuremberg. And drinking Pilsner Urquell by the liter in Prague.. good times. I did have an IPA from a brewery in Czech Republic called Pivovar Matuska... amazing, haven't found that beer in the states.

I find my self seeking out the Belgians and the more complex German beers on tap locally lately. Of course being in San Diego I am drowned in IPAs which I love too.

With my home brewing I have been trying to cover many styles while not being bothered about being to hung up on being exact to the style.

Edit: I like beer

 

[day_trippr]

You've got to get to Kloster Andechs while in Munich. You will not be disappointed!!!

^This^

I've frequently traveled to the Greater Munich Area on bidness and never missed an opportunity to blast down 96 at 200+ kliks to see the Brothers, pig out (literally) on pork shanks, potatoes - and huge mugs of their beers.

Of course, one cannot pull that off every evening - wouldn't be prudent
But there's plenty of good beer in Munchen...

Cheers!

 

[beersk]

I'm reminded of an episode of Brew Dogs where they were in Brussels and made a beer completely against the Reinheitsgebot. They asked a local what they thought of American beer, their answer was "it's like having sex in a canoe, *bleep*ing close to water"

Haha, this was an Eric Idle Monty Python bit from the 60's/70's. Very apt to mass produced American beer.

It's really great reading everyone's accounts on beer here, very interesting read.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

I feel a bit like I came across negative about the OP's experience so I do want to reinforce that everything he said is true. The beer is fresh. It is not American light lager and it is not the most boring of British mass produced ales.

Like everything, familiarity breeds contempt so I may have gotten a bit jaded.