That German Lager taste

[duncan.brown]

99% of these types of threads describing a "German flavor" are discussing bottled, pasteurized, and imported beers which still seem to have the flavor most are looking for.

Yup. If your idea of "German flavor" is the bottled beer that you can get in US supermarkets, then you can definitely do (better) on the home-brew scale without LODO. Or buy U.S. brands like Jack's Abby or Bierstadt Lagerhaus, which taste better than their German counterparts locally. If you're trying to recreate the "German flavor" of Tegernsee Hell as drunk in the courtyard of the Bavarian Monastery where it is brewed while looking out over Lake Tegernsee, forget it.

But then there's an interesting discussion about the way that presentation affects perception of taste. Does Hofbrau really taste better in the Hofbrau beer hall than it does in a pub in Hannover, or does it taste better there because I expect it to and I want it to?

 

[Lupulus]

This is the logical fallacy I struggle with. Low oxygen beers are so sensitive they can't really be bottled or transported without harm...
Another logical issue I have is that American macrobreweries also perportedly employ these same low oxygen techniques and yet budweiser original doesn't have remotely the same qualities as Weihenstephan Original. So is it the oxygen or is it something else?

You misread the first comment. Actually, modern German brewing's main purpose is flavor stability.
The point is to isolate variables.

Budweiser original is an excellent beer.
Budweiser makes exactly the beer they want to make. It's not the they can't make Weihenstephan, but that they choose not to.

 

[TheMadKing]

You misread the first comment. Actually, modern German brewing's main purpose is flavor stability.
The point is to isolate variables.

Budweiser original is an excellent beer.
Budweiser makes exactly the beer they want to make. It's not the they can't make Weihenstephan, but that they choose not to.

I apologize, I didn't misread it, I pulled that chunk out of context intentionally because it was a ready made quote and because I've seen it used elsewhere many times. I agree that flavor stability is their prime goal.


I think you misinterpreted my second point though too. I agree that budweiser is an excellently made beer, but my point was that if the German "it" flavor is a direct result of lodo brewing, yet beers brewed using the same techniques do not have that character, then clearly that character is a result of something else such as ingredients and recipe

 

[Lupulus]

But then there's an interesting discussion about the way that presentation affects perception of taste. Does Hofbrau really taste better in the Hofbrau beer hall than it does in a pub in Hannover, or does it taste better there because I expect it to and I want it to?

Although blinded tasting experiments cannot be ignored, the likelihood is that the pub in Hannover left the keg outside for a month or more and line cleaning may or may not be great.
BTW, at the Hobräuhaus the beer was most likely also in Holzfaß, which affects carbonation.

 

[Lupulus]

I apologize, I didn't misread it, I pulled that chunk out of context intentionally because it was a ready made quote and because I've seen it used elsewhere many times. I agree that flavor stability is their prime goal.


I think you misinterpreted my second point though too. I agree that budweiser is an excellently made beer, but my point was that if the German "it" flavor is a direct result of lodo brewing, yet beers brewed using the same techniques do not have that character, then clearly that character is a result of something else such as ingredients and recipe

Apologies then.
Indeed, modern brewing techniques are just one element of the process.
As they say with many rules in math it's necessary but not sufficient.
You should see in my posts that I try to avoid the taste trap. I don't like Lõwenbräu or Spaten but I don't know why... It's because they pasteurize even the beer they serve in Munich? Is there something else? I don't know but I do know that it's exactly what they intend to serve.
Cheers!

 

[Taket_al_Tauro]

as drunk in the courtyard of the Bavarian Monastery where it is brewed while looking out over Lake Tegernsee, forget it.

But then there's an interesting discussion about the way that presentation affects perception of taste. Does Hofbrau really taste better in the Hofbrau beer hall than it does in a pub in Hannover, or does it taste better there because I expect it to and I want it to?

That's a crucial point imho.
I was leaving near Munich 4 years, and while I enjoyed a good Helles from time to time, I was never blown away... but I'll also admit not to be the biggest Helles fan.
And Weihenstephaner Original, believe it or not, was avoided like the pest on Weihenstephan Campus, it had a reputation of giving terrible headaches if you drank too much of it...maybe it was only some kind of urban legend, but locals were dead serious about it. So there probably was something to it. Maybe they exxagerated somehow with LOB, and did not let the beer breathe enough, I dunno...

Anyway I find it interesting and funny at the same time that you guys are raving over these beers, while I'd go out of my way for a chance to taste a fresh example of some of your hyped IPAs across the pond, like Pliny or Hill Farmstead or what not.

It's really true that the grass of the neighbor's lawn is always greener

 

[Broothru]

I have been curious about that stuff. Nice thing about it is it still complies with KISS principle, for those of us interested in maintaining our laziness.

BrewTan B blended with NaMeta and ascorbic acid at a ratio of ~0.8 gr : 0.5 gr : 0.5 gr (note: 1.8 gr tot. blend) per 5 gallon batch in the mash (my mash water is about 7 gallons at dough-in) is a highly effective antioxidant. It also results in some of the clearest wort you'll ever see coming out of the mash. I also add a lesser amount of the blend [~1.4 gr total blend] to the late boil to provide further antioxidizing protection and to aid in settling trub before transferring to the fermenter.

Then pitch yeast before oxygenating. I know it sounds crazy but sequencing things this way really does reduce staling. There is less aggregate O2 pickup during the chill, hop stand, whirlpool and transfer. Since the yeast will quickly consume all the oxygen added to the fermentation, you 'feed' it all the O2 it needs when it needs it after the yeast is already present in the wort, thus reducing any staling that might occur. The yeast get what they need with little or none left around to stale your beer.

Ferment sealed in a primary-only single stage, transfer under pressure to a purged keg ~ 5 points before final gravity, attach a spunding valve and finish fermentation at room temperature. After a week, put the keg in the fridge/kegerator and be drinking carbonated finished beer the next day, or transfer to a serving keg with a floating dip tube and have clear beer after a few days of settling.

I'd tell you that's 75% of what LoDO is, but the guardians of tradition would then scoff in derision and label me an infidel for even mentioning such heresy. I dunno, it looks pretty non-threatening to me. Seems like "traditional" home brewing with a few minor tweaks that are neither sorcery or "fake science". Neither do these steps take much time or effort over what I would otherwise do. Quite to the contrary, the time interval grain to glass is at least one week quicker. It also results in some mighty fine "German flavor" in my stein.

So I'll tell ya' what. In order not to frighten or upset the folks who seem to prefer oxidized or otherwise short-lived beers, let's just call it "my processes and techniques" rather than "low-oxygen brewing" to prevent hurt feelings. I'm sure the mods are tiring of walking a tightrope worrying about when they're gonna' have to shut this thread down. And frankly I growing a little tired of seeing my online friends and family feuding over something so trivial. But if you want to talk about some equally simple steps I use to limit O2 pickup in other ways, shoot me a PM

Peace, out.

 

[duncan.brown]

Anyway I find it interesting and funny at the same time that you guys are raving over these beers, while I'd go out of my way for a chance to taste a fresh example of some of your hyped IPAs across the pond, like Pliny or Hill Farmstead or what not.

It's really true that the grass of the neighbor's lawn is always greener

Absolutely! What do I brew? The British cask ales of my youth that I drink when I go back home. The fine German lagers that I drink when I travel there on business. The Pliny that I drank when I lived in California.

What can I get in Wegmans? An awesome selection of craft beers from New York, Massachusetts, and beyond that rival any of these beers as delicious beverages in their own right. Jack's Abby House Lager is as good as many a helles that I have had in Bavaria. I'd still rather be drinking my helles in Bavaria, served from a Holzfaß.

 

[Bassman2003]

Duncan.Brown - thanks for your earlier post. Very thoughtful and nice list of processes. The main point I would disagree with is the mash pH. I have come to learn that 5.4-5.6 measured at room temps is the ideal for mash pH. An end of the boil knockout pH of 5.1 brings it down to the levels you mentioned. This addition is where I add all of my sauergut to lower the end boil pH and to retain as much sauergut flavor.

Yes, details, details and details. As is often said it is all of the little things that add up.

 

[Bassman2003]

Broo, you are spittin' the troof! Seriously, that is a lot of the low oxygen practice right there. Preboil or yeast scavenge your strike water, add sulfites and BTB (or other) and try to limit exposure going forward. Run your pumps at slow speeds, lower your boil intensity, cap your mash or other open surfaces. If one wants to keep it really simple just pre-boil or YOS treat your strike water and add 1-2 grams of sodium metabisulfite to your strike water.

This is for the hot side. I think at this point in time, cold side practice of liquid keg purging is pretty standard. Spunding is on its own but very much an improvement over force carbing as the tank CO2 has oxygen in it which takes your beer away from you day by day.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

Well...we won 1st Place Gold at this year's Bluebonnet, in two categories. Munich Helles, and Oktoberfest.
I know nothing about LODO, never even heard of it until now.

The mash was a single infusion. W-34/70 yeast. And untreated, filtered, city tap water was used.

This is pointed out as it is my personal experience. There were over 1,400 brewers entered in the Bluebonnet, with over 4,000 bottles of beer judged.

Hope this will help some of you here.

 

[Bassman2003]

This is the logical fallacy I struggle with. Low oxygen beers are so sensitive they can't really be bottled or transported without harm, yet 99% of these types of threads describing a "German flavor" are discussing bottled, pasteurized, and imported beers which still seem to have the flavor most are looking for. Some of them even exhibit classic oxidation flavors such as cardboard and yet still retain the "it flavor". That implies you can still attain that flavor with someone amount of oxygen in the mix

Another logical issue I have is that American macrobreweries also perportedly employ these same low oxygen techniques and yet budweiser original doesn't have remotely the same qualities as Weihenstephan Original. So is it the oxygen or is it something else?

I said wouldn't comment.. I was wrong

I think your first comment reveals how delicate fresh beer flavors are. That is why Anheuser-Busch has plants all over the world. Even the big money operations can't transport their product without losing the flavor they want. What happens to these beers when they are transported? They don't evaporate, they just turn into "good" beers with oxidation flavors that were not there from the start.

As far as Bud vs W. - I would say they are both very clean when consumed fresh at the source. They taste different because they use different ingredients and yeast. So yes, that Germanness everybody is after is not just low oxygen, but what we have learned is that the low oxygen allows the best flavors to shine through without and oxidation flavor to get in the way.

 

[duncan.brown]

@Brooothru, I completely agree with you. Let's call it "adopting techniques that reduce your total packaged oxygen on both the hot and cold sides" or ATTRYTPOOBTHACS so nobody is offended.

Then pitch yeast before oxygenating. I know it sounds crazy but sequencing things this way really does reduce staling.

I'm brewing a helles right now and I'm adopting this in my procedures. I used to oxygenate then pitch right away, but I'll pitch before oxygenating today. One other thing I do is to whirlpool my wort into my unitank (I fill through the racking arm pointed horizontally) and then let all the trub settle into a large sight glass before pitching. Here are some pics:

Hot break and hop material left in the boil kettle. This hasn't been chilled, as I go straight from my plate chiller to my fermenter.

Trub and break material settling out in the fermenter:

Clear wort before pitching:

Just for fun, here's the clarity of my first runnings:

 

[duncan.brown]

The main point I would disagree with is the mash pH. I have come to learn that 5.4-5.6 measured at room temps is the ideal for mash pH. An end of the boil knockout pH of 5.1 brings it down to the levels you mentioned. This addition is where I add all of my sauergut to lower the end boil pH and to retain as much sauergut flavor.

Yes, I'm cutting corners a bit here as I don't add sauergut to the kettle. I do this based on a presentation from Weyermann I found a while ago that suggested that you could drop the mash pH with acidulated malt and skip the sauergut at the cost of some mash efficiency.

 

[TheMadKing]

@Brooothru, I completely agree with you. Let's call it "adopting techniques that reduce your total packaged oxygen on both the hot and cold sides" or ATTRYTPOOBTHACS so nobody is offended.



I'm brewing a helles right now and I'm adopting this in my procedures. I used to oxygenate then pitch right away, but I'll pitch before oxygenating today. One other thing I do is to whirlpool my wort into my unitank (I fill through the racking arm pointed horizontally) and then let all the trub settle into a large sight glass before pitching. Here are some pics:

Hot break and hop material left in the boil kettle. This hasn't been chilled, as I go straight from my plate chiller to my fermenter.

View attachment 743715

Trub and break material settling out in the fermenter:

View attachment 743716

Clear wort before pitching:

View attachment 743717View attachment 743718

Just for fun, here's the clarity of my first runnings:

View attachment 743719

Beautiful! Looks just like a paler version of the Scottish ale I made today! Perfectly crystal clear first runnings, lots of hops break in the kettle, clear wort into the fermenter. It's a great feeling achieving that with nothing but a recirculating mash and whirlfloc!

I hope both beers taste as good as they look

 

[Broothru]

@Brooothru, I completely agree with you. Let's call it "adopting techniques that reduce your total packaged oxygen on both the hot and cold sides" or ATTRYTPOOBTHACS so nobody is offended.

I LOVE it! Can I co-opt the acronym?

I'm brewing a helles right now and I'm adopting this in my procedures. I used to oxygenate then pitch right away, but I'll pitch before oxygenating today. One other thing I do is to whirlpool my wort into my unitank (I fill through the racking arm pointed horizontally) and then let all the trub settle into a large sight glass before pitching.

Almost exactly what I do. I gently whirlpool in the BV after chilling below 70F/21C, cover let stand for about 20~30 minutes while the trub settles (it falls like a rock when it's dosed with the BrewTan B 'trifecta'), and then pump (underletted) into a unitank with the racking arm parallel to gravity. I even tried circulating left rather than right to account for Coriolis effect in the Northern latitudes (hate to admit it, but I really did. Conclusion: doesn't matter, works great either way!).

Here are some pics:

View attachment 743715
Yep. That's what the BV looks like after whirlpool

View attachment 743716
I've started cold crashing down to pitch temperature, waiting a few hours, then opening up the dump valve with the sight glass in place and letting the "egg drop soup" settle and compact. As the trub settles, it pushed the wort back up into the fermenter. Less trub, more wort. Then I close the dump valve, pitch the yeast, then oxygenate. Since the temperature goes quickly from boil to around 45F-50F, I'm not too worried about an infection taking up residence in the wort before fermentation actually starts.

Clear wort before pitching:

View attachment 743717View attachment 743718

Just for fun, here's the clarity of my first runnings:

View attachment 743719

It's a beautiful thing! If I didn't know better I'd say you'd taken pics of my brew day. I've read some articles saying that some trub is a good thing for the health and vigor of the yeast. I do add nutrients when pitching after trub dump and haven't experienced any lag in fermentation in the adaptive phase. If anything nearly all of my fermentations (with one recent exception) since adopting this methodology have been quicker and attenuated more completely. My beers also stay fresher longer.

 

[passedpawn]

@Brooothru, I completely agree with you. Let's call it "adopting techniques that reduce your total packaged oxygen on both the hot and cold sides" or ATTRYTPOOBTHACS so nobody is offended.



I'm brewing a helles right now and I'm adopting this in my procedures. I used to oxygenate then pitch right away, but I'll pitch before oxygenating today. One other thing I do is to whirlpool my wort into my unitank (I fill through the racking arm pointed horizontally) and then let all the trub settle into a large sight glass before pitching. Here are some pics:

Hot break and hop material left in the boil kettle. This hasn't been chilled, as I go straight from my plate chiller to my fermenter.

View attachment 743715

Trub and break material settling out in the fermenter:

View attachment 743716

Clear wort before pitching:

View attachment 743717View attachment 743718

Just for fun, here's the clarity of my first runnings:

View attachment 743719

What type of filter do you have on the bottom of your boil kettle to block the hop debris?

 

[Bassman2003]

Yes, I'm cutting corners a bit here as I don't add sauergut to the kettle. I do this based on a presentation from Weyermann I found a while ago that suggested that you could drop the mash pH with acidulated malt and skip the sauergut at the cost of some mash efficiency.

I would wonder about the hops for some styles as I believe 5.4 is there happy place in the kettle? Anyway, great looking wort! Clear all the way through the process is what we all should be after, no matter what style.

 

[duncan.brown]

What type of filter do you have on the bottom of your boil kettle to block the hop debris?

It's a Hop Stopper 2.0:

https://shop.theelectricbrewery.com/collections/hop-stopper
I used to use a stainless spider, but I like the hop stopper better. It can easily cope with the 10 oz of hops that I put in my DIPA without any blockage.

 

[csantoni]

Left: Spaten Oktoberfest
Right: My MO-ktoberfest, which I think is drinking more like a Festbier than a Marzen.

In addition to the nice "round" German taste, the Spaten has a caramel sweetness. Mine finishes drier and has a bit more carbonation bite and that unmistakable MO flavor.

I prefer mine, but I always like my own (don't we all?). I'll brew this again with some ingredient changes and might do some hot side ATTRYTPOOBTHACS techniques, my cold side is already pretty good in that respect.

I truly appreciate all the comments (yes, all of them) and pride myself on having started two threads that led to ATTRYTPOOBTHACS and CAMRA/enzyme discussions.

 

[Bramling Cross]

It's a Hop Stopper 2.0:

https://shop.theelectricbrewery.com/collections/hop-stopper
I used to use a stainless spider, but I like the hop stopper better. It can easily cope with the 10 oz of hops that I put in my DIPA without any blockage.

Is that pellet or leaf? I gather the 2.0 version can cope with pellets, but 10oz is a lotta pellets.

 

[duncan.brown]

Is that pellet or leaf? I gather the 2.0 version can cope with pellets, but 10oz is a lotta pellets.

T90 pellets. I checked the recipe and it's 8.7 oz, but close enough.

 

[Bramling Cross]

T90 pellets. I checked the recipe and it's 8.7 oz, but close enough.

Thanks for that! I've been considering giving the 2.0 a shot, but you've helped me make up my mind. It'll be a great upgrade.

Thanks again!

 

[mongoose33]

Any reason for not using the YOS method instead of boiling? to me at least it is far less work.

The key is to get the O2 out of the water. Whatever works.

I don't find the preboil method to be particularly difficult. I put on the electric element, do other setup chores, when it is boiling for 5 minutes I chill through my counterflow chiller down to around 150 (I use a RIMS to set final temp).

 

[Miraculix]

BrewTan B blended with NaMeta and ascorbic acid at a ratio of ~0.8 gr : 0.5 gr : 0.5 gr (note: 1.8 gr tot. blend) per 5 gallon batch in the mash (my mash water is about 7 gallons at dough-in) is a highly effective antioxidant. It also results in some of the clearest wort you'll ever see coming out of the mash. I also add a lesser amount of the blend [~1.4 gr total blend] to the late boil to provide further antioxidizing protection and to aid in settling trub before transferring to the fermenter.

Then pitch yeast before oxygenating. I know it sounds crazy but sequencing things this way really does reduce staling. There is less aggregate O2 pickup during the chill, hop stand, whirlpool and transfer. Since the yeast will quickly consume all the oxygen added to the fermentation, you 'feed' it all the O2 it needs when it needs it after the yeast is already present in the wort, thus reducing any staling that might occur. The yeast get what they need with little or none left around to stale your beer.

Ferment sealed in a primary-only single stage, transfer under pressure to a purged keg ~ 5 points before final gravity, attach a spunding valve and finish fermentation at room temperature. After a week, put the keg in the fridge/kegerator and be drinking carbonated finished beer the next day, or transfer to a serving keg with a floating dip tube and have clear beer after a few days of settling.

I'd tell you that's 75% of what LoDO is, but the guardians of tradition would then scoff in derision and label me an infidel for even mentioning such heresy. I dunno, it looks pretty non-threatening to me. Seems like "traditional" home brewing with a few minor tweaks that are neither sorcery or "fake science". Neither do these steps take much time or effort over what I would otherwise do. Quite to the contrary, the time interval grain to glass is at least one week quicker. It also results in some mighty fine "German flavor" in my stein.

So I'll tell ya' what. In order not to frighten or upset the folks who seem to prefer oxidized or otherwise short-lived beers, let's just call it "my processes and techniques" rather than "low-oxygen brewing" to prevent hurt feelings. I'm sure the mods are tiring of walking a tightrope worrying about when they're gonna' have to shut this thread down. And frankly I growing a little tired of seeing my online friends and family feuding over something so trivial. But if you want to talk about some equally simple steps I use to limit O2 pickup in other ways, shoot me a PM

Peace, out.

Look, nobody is saying that this is completely bs, if you look above there are quite some well differentiated opinions on that matter, not written in the rude way that I'm for example sometimes talk about things I don't like to see.

There is certainly truth behind the danger of oxidation, but the main question still is "do I REALLY need all that stuff to make great tasting beer?" And the answer is simple "no you don't!".

The question was not, "how can I make my great beer even better?" Or "how can I make the flavour last longer?", That's what I'm missing, differentiation.

So by all means trying to limit oxygen exposure in all stages, really great idea. No splashing, no freaking bubbles in the lines while transferring via gravity (ask me how I know...), lagering to really get the beer BRIGHT and clear before drinking with zero yeast, and of course, everything air tight from the point of fermentation start.

This will result in great beer, and there might be room for further improvements, but if you get these basics right, you will be able to create the it factor with the correct yeast handling and yeast strains plus right ingredients.

That's what should be kept in mind.

If you go further from there, great! Always new stuff to learn, and you probably know that I'm always doing experiments and new stuff, I love it. Just please please please, differentiation.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

Yup. If your idea of "German flavor" is the......

But then there's an interesting discussion about the way that presentation affects perception of taste. Does Hofbrau really taste better in the Hofbrau beer hall than it does in a pub in Hannover, or does it taste better there because I expect it to and I want it to?

Having had the pleasure of drinking Hofbrau beer at the brewery in Munich, and at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, plus other local pubs in the area, we detected no difference in the taste or perception of the beer.
But I assure you that the Hofbrau beer purchased at your local supermarket will not taste the same as the beer purchased in Germany.

 

[passedpawn]

If you want really fresh German beer, go to the brewery and get it right out of the brite tank haha. I ran into a drunk brewer in Dusseldorf and that's just what we did.

 

[Broothru]

There is certainly truth behind the danger of oxidation, but the main question still is "do I REALLY need all that stuff to make great tasting beer?" And the answer is simple "no you don't!".

I totally agree with this. I made good beers in the past, but believe I'm making better ones now.

The question was not, "how can I make my great beer even better?" Or "how can I make the flavour last longer?", That's what I'm missing, differentiation.

I'll disagree, in that the whole "low oxygen brewing process" that has been embraced by some as a means to achieve better beer with longer lasting flavor does make a discernible difference with minimal effort. In return that process is unduly dismissed and disparaged by some who feel threatened by the mistaken inference on their part that somehow they are being disparaged by by the "low oxygen brewing process" advocates.

We're all after the same result: better beer that tastes better and lasts longer.

We're all in agreement that less oxygen exposure produces better and more stable beer that does indeed taste better and lasts longer.

So by all means trying to limit oxygen exposure in all stages, really great idea. No splashing, no freaking bubbles in the lines while transferring via gravity (ask me how I know...), lagering to really get the beer BRIGHT and clear before drinking with zero yeast, and of course, everything air tight from the point of fermentation start.

Absolutely correct.

This will result in great beer, and there might be room for further improvements, but if you get these basics right, you will be able to create the it factor with the correct yeast handling and yeast strains plus right ingredients.

"Back to basics" should be the first step anyone should take in examining ways to improve upon their processes. I believe that's what you're saying, and I agree. Lost in the discussion, however, is that there are different methodologies to achieve the desired goal. We'll never be able to fully mimic the processes and procedures of a large scale commercial brewery on a Homebrew scale, nor should we attempt to. That would be an exercise in futility. LoDO processes are a Homebrew hack that allows us to accomplish on a small scale what renowned breweries achieve without having to resort to hacks.

If you go further from there, great! Always new stuff to learn, and you probably know that I'm always doing experiments and new stuff, I love it. Just please please please, differentiation.

We're singin' from the same hymnal, my Brother! My greatest enjoyment in this hobby is trying new things, always with the goal of brewing better beer and having fun. And I have seen a differentiation in my beers since adopting many (not all) of the "low oxygen brewing process."

Prost!

 

[Broothru]

Having had the pleasure of drinking Hofbrau beer at the brewery in Munich, and at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, plus other local pubs in the area, we detected no difference in the taste or perception of the beer.
But I assure you that the Hofbrau beer purchased at your local supermarket will not taste the same as the beer purchased in Germany.

Not sure that I totally agree.

Therapists who specialize in addiction recognize that the first step in recovery is removing the addict from not only from the addictive triggering behavior but also "set and settings" situations, since much of the endorphin rush actually comes from the environment. I have had many enjoyable occasions to have beers at the Hofbrau House in Munich, the breweries in Altstadt in Dusseldorf, Pils in Stuttgart and Frankfurt, Kolsch in Koln, and Helles while watching the glockenspiel in the Marienplatz. I'd always bring home some local beers (not the Exports) back with me to the 'States, and they never "tasted" the same when I drank them in my "basement bierstube". Being with friends in a festive mood was always not only more enjoyable but heightened other sensory perceptions.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

That is why Anheuser-Busch has plants all over the world. Even the big money operations can't transport their product without losing the flavor they want.

Just some thoughts to add - while freshness and the importance of location to brand image are certainly important as they impact the actual quality of the product and perceived quality of the product which affects customer satisfaction/sales, beer is heavy and expensive to transport. Geographic footprint probably has a lot to do with plant minimum efficient scale size, tax laws, and transport costs to maximize profitability, especially for the global adjunct lager brands.