Greetings from Semmes, Alabama

[tonyOb]

Semmes is a small community just west of Mobile, on the Gulf coast. I've been homebrewing for about 18 years, and I currently brew 10 gallon all grain batches. A couple of years ago I began entering competitions, and have been awarded a gold, a silver, and two bronze medals in various competitions. I enjoy brewing German styles, as my name (Oberkirch) and my heritage are German. My gold medal was for Oktoberfest, and the Silver was for Hefeweizen. I'm always up for a chat about brewing or beer, so feel free to drop me a message!

 

[gspot]

Welcome (Tony? )!! I'm originally from Bham but live in Arkansas now. Congrats on your medals. I'm really interested in German styles too because I lived in Düsseldorf for a couple years and drank a lot of alt, Kölsch, and pils. Make yourself at home and get ready for some good reading. This forum is the next best thing to brewing and drinking beer, which is high praise indeed! Oh, and Roll Tide! (Sorry, if you're an Auburn fan. )

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the group, from CO

I too enjoy German style lagers (drinking a Maibock as I write this). I was just pondering doing a doppelbock for the holidays, I love them, too. Great job on the medals!

 

[tonyOb]

I used to work for a company that sent me to Nürnberg for the SPS trade show every year. SPS is an industrial automation show, and the company I worked for manufactured hardened Industrial Ethernet switches. My surname is Oberkirch, and I speak a little German, but I'm by no means fluent. Attendees approached me and spoke like a native so my replay was, "Bitte, sprechen Sie langsamer, oder sprechen Sie English?" (Please speak more slowly, or do you speak English?). Most of the attendees effortlessly shifted to English.

The show ran Tuesday through Thursday during Thanksgiving week, which of course is not observed in Germany. The famous Nürnberg Christkindlesmarkt started the following Friday. I would work the show and take a few days off either before or after the show and go to the Christkindlesmarkt, then hit the Deutsche Bahn (German rail system) and travel Germany a bit. I once watched the Alabama-Auburn game at 2:30 am in my hotel in Nürnberg - I doubt my neighbors appreciated my enthusiasm - it was the year Auburn came back from a 24 point deficit and won the game WAR EAGLE!! (sorry G-spot, and RIP Phillip Lutzenkirchen).


Being a beer nerd, I tried to sample as many different styles as possible. The waiter at the Früh Pub just outside the Dom in Cologne raised an eyebrow when I told him I brewed Kolsch in Alabama. That's like telling a Frenchman from the Champagne region of France that I make Champagne in Alabama (but I don't). I've made a Merlot and a number of batches of Mead, but no Champagne. I also drank Hefeweizen at the Julius Echter Würzburger Hofbräu in Würzburg. They say Guinness is better the closer you are to Dublin; I can testify that Hefeweizen is even more delicious the closer you get to the origin as well. To date I have brewed the following German Styles:

Hefeweizen - many batches, including my first.
Pilsner
Maibock
Bock
Doppelbock
Kolsch
Alt
Schwarzbier
Oktoberfest
Rauchbier - I smoked my own Pilsen malt
Vienna Lager

Here's a great site for information on German Beers.

http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/Urbock.html

Anytime you guys want to talk about brewing German beer, or if you discover a technique that makes it easier or better, or any brewing talk, hit me up, and PROSIT!!!!

 

[tonyOb]

Welcome (Tony? )!! I'm originally from Bham but live in Arkansas now. Congrats on your medals. I'm really interested in German styles too because I lived in Düsseldorf for a couple years and drank a lot of alt, Kölsch, and pils. Make yourself at home and get ready for some good reading. This forum is the next best thing to brewing and drinking beer, which is high praise indeed! Oh, and Roll Tide! (Sorry, if you're an Auburn fan. )

Düsseldorf and Köln are kind of like the Alabama - Auburn of Germany, both in football (soccer) and bier. If you want to get the residents of one of the cities riled up, speak fondly of the other's football team or bier! I once brewed an experimental beer trying to cross the two beers, and called it a Düss-Kolsch. I served it at The Emerald Coast Beer festival in Pensacola and it was well received. It wasn't my favorite, and I doubt I'll brew it again. I was waiting for a Düsseldorfer or a Kölner to come give me hell for creating such a sacrilege! LOL!