German beer recipe with white radishes?

[SilentAutumn]

I did a search in the General and in the Cooking/pairings forums and didn't get anything. So I figured I'd ask here.

I'm looking for a good traditional German beer recipe that pairs well with German white radishes.

Back story: when my Dad was in the military some 40 odd years ago, he was stationed in Germany for a while and he still talks about going to the local pubs and getting a beer and a radish. I've been able to track down the white radish seeds and I'll grow them this coming spring.

But I'm looking for a good beer recipe to make. I've found some Munich lager recipes, but I have no clue as to their authenticity as a traditional German beer or if it's an Americanized version. My dad has no clue what he was drinking, just that it was the local beer and he hasn't had anything like it since. Supposedly it wasn't an Octoberfest beer or anything particularly special. I imagine it was fairly cheap at the time. Always on tap, not bottled. Anyone have a suggestion?

 

[dave5155]

It was probably a Munich Helles or a Munich Dunkel. Ask your dad if it was a light or dark colored beer and you will probably have your answer.

Edit: On second thought do you have any idea where he was stationed? There are parts of Germany that make and sell only specific types of beer. For example Koln Germany is known for Kolsch beer. It's law that Kolsch can only be produced there, Anywhere else it has to be called "Kolsch style". Dusseldorf Germany is know for it's Dusseldorf Alt beers.

 

[SumnerH]

A Munich Helles lager would be a great pairing with radishes.

You might consider ordering something from Weeping Radish brewery, too (it's good beer as well as appropriate names and labels for a radish/beer event):
http://www.weepingradish.com/

 

[SilentAutumn]

Thanks for the quick help folks. He was stationed in Hof, Germany - right near the Czech border. That adds a bit to tracking down a good recipe. I have no idea what the trade/import laws were like back then. I'm assuming it was a German beer and not a Czech beer.

 

[mrk305]

Thank goodness! When I saw your post I thought you were going to brew the beer with radishes......

 

[MeatyPortion]

Thank goodness! When I saw your post I thought you were going to brew the beer with radishes......

Ditto. I half wonder what would be like.

 

[dwarven_stout]

Ditto. I half wonder what would be like.

I'm sure it's been done.

Heck, if all my fermenters weren't full...

 

[SilentAutumn]

Well I had to ruin part of the surprise to get some information from my father. With that info and with the help of Ron Pattinson of http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/ and http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/, we were able to figure out that my father was drinking a pilsner called Löwen-pils from a now closed brewery.

So that good and bad information. One, the brewery is closed so there's no way to get a sample of the beer to even approximate a recipe. But its good because its from a brewery that most likely made a traditional, east German pilsner without a lot of tweaking. I also got a fun ride through history and learned a little bit about a region I'll probably never get to visit. It was a fun adventure all thanks to beer. I also found a recipe for some German stuffed baked potatoes using pilsner.

At any rate, can anyone recommend a traditional (east) German pilsner recipe? I'll try anything once. I was tempted to email one of the few remaining breweries in the town for help, but I don't speak German.

 

[Mongrel]

At any rate, can anyone recommend a traditional (east) German pilsner recipe? I'll try anything once. I was tempted to email one of the few remaining breweries in the town for help, but I don't speak German.

They probably speak English. Give it a shot.