"Re-IPAtriation," or "How an American comes home from 5 years to evaluate IPAs and American Pils"

It's not a sweetness like candy or refined sugar, but a malt sweetness that's just enough to let you know that the malt is good.

As far as a wide range between Pilsners (or Kölsch), I think "wide" would have to be better defined.

 

I need to get myself some of that Herren Pils.

 

Good write up. I do think that German pils are way better then the American ones I believe there are a few American brewers who do German styles right. Penn brewery makes good German beer. Troegs brothers studied in Germany and have a German brew setup, I believe their German styles are good.

The IPA just a mother IPA thing gets me. I took 40 days off on my way here and spent them all drinking away in Pittsburgh trying every beer I could and most IPAs were boring. For me a IPA kind of falls of around 2 months or so, my home brew IPAs are always the best.

I have been in Germany for 4 months now and haven't found a pils I truly loved yet. Do you have any suggestions? I absolutely love kellerbier style and wish I would have known about that before moving here.

 

In Kaiserslautern you should be able to find Rothaus Tannenzäpfle - highly recommended. Otherwise, not really knowing what you like in a pilsner, it's going to be hard to suggest, but you might start by looking for some über-regional beers like Schmucker, Stuttgarter Hofbräu, Welde or Alpirsbacher. Now that I mention Stuttgarter, if you like Kellerbier you will have to search out Schwaben Bräu's unfiltered pilsner (naturtrübes Pilsner) - maybe that's your style. One on the BA list which I have not had in many years and do not remember is Neumarkter Lammsbräu.

Good luck!

 

I have had the schwaben natural and thought it was good. The normal pils they make was too dry for me. I kinda stopped looking for Pils and fall back on wiezens when I don't see something I want. I might try searching out some pils. I will look for the Rothaus Pils

 

2 of the better mass-produced Pilsners, and probably available everywhere, are Jever an EKU -- the EKU Pils being one of my top 5 when fresh.

Other than those, I'd have to recommend going to smaller towns where you can find local breweries. The Brewery Bed & Breakfast listings are a great source for finding these. My experience with them, and the beers they brew, has been nothing less than fantastic for a beer lover.

 

Weihenstephaner Pils, Rothaus Pils/Tannenzäpfle and Alpirsbacher are the top 3 for me, but try 'em all! I'll have to revisit Neumarkter (they're usually sold in BioMarkt's).

 

See if you can find St. Georgen Bräu's Kellerbier. There is a beer store in Mannheim that always has a bunch, I don't know about Kaiserslautern. I had luck e-mailing the brewery via their webpage contact and they got back to me in a few days with a list of retailers in my area. You can probably find Monchhof Kellerbier, which is OK. I didn't love Dachsenfranz but that might be available in your area. Hacker Pschorr has a good one. Otherwise I think it's mostly a Franconian thing, oder?

 

Bierzwerg is highly recommended, quick shipping, huge selection. And € 6.90 for shipping per 24 bottles. They are also the national dealer for some new craft breweries.
I also ordered at Mein Biershop once, had an issue with the shipping costs (it showed more than it should have), after an email that was quickly sorted out. So, recommended as well.

 

The internet is your friend. I have used Biershop-Bayern's sister site Biershop-Braugasthoefe.de with some mixed results, however I would recommend them. A man's gotta have his Uerige fix. I have also ordered from Schlenkerla several times with no problems (you will probably need to do a bank transfer to pay though) and Hier-Gibts-Bier once with no problem. The others I have never tried.

 

Living in Southeastern PA, when I drink US craft brewed pilsners I first think of pilsners from Neshaminy Creek, Troegs, Manayunk Brewery, Triumph, Iron Hill, Victory (particularly their draft specialties), Sly Fox (particularly their draft pilsners), etc. so I ‘forget’ about Pennsylvania Brewing (Pittsburgh, PA). It has been a while but I remember enjoying Penn Kaiser Pilsner the last time I drank it (two years ago?). Kaiser Pils is indeed a tasty beer.

You mention: “I have been in Germany for 4 months now and haven't found a pils I truly loved yet.” Four months is a long time; I would have thought that being unable to find a ‘good’ Pils is Germany over a timespan like that would be inconceivable. Maybe it is a regional thing like other have posted?

I can state that I enjoy drinking Jever, Weihenstephaner Pils, Mahr’s Pilsner, and others.

As regards Kellerbiers (Zwickel beers), for the German brewed beers I would recommend Mahr's Ungespundet-hefetrüb and Furst Wallerstein Zwickel.

Good luck on your search for German Pilsners and Kellerbiers that you enjoy drinking. Please reports back when you find them.

Prost!

 

I have ordered from the beer compass before, I will have to check out the other places. My German is week but I can usually navigate through the pages so ill be ok.

 

I really just haven't been looking for a Pils I guess. It's weird cause most of the bars around here are Irish so I am drinking Irish beers or hefes. I must not be really looking for the pils I like I guess.

 

There are a few good pils brewers over here in the states, but I think the time/effort/skill required to do it probably weeds a lot of people out. The same applies to UK-style cask ale and Belgian wild ales, too. While not easy to perfect, it's certainly easier to make an acceptable American IPA, amber, stout, etc.
Kellerbier is another entity entirely. Pretty much nobody makes those. Prost serves unfiltered "keller" versions of their normal beers here and there, but true kellerbiers are almost nonexistant over here.

Oh yeah - a sweetness from Herren Pils is definitely there. To me that's one of the things that makes it great. Herren is one of the only pilsners I've had that can match the light breadiness from the Munich beers. It's rich and malty like a helles should be, but the hops still steal the show. It's the best of both worlds. I don't think it'll be the top choice for anyone looking for an IBU monster, but if you prefer helles (like I tend to), it's the ultimate pilsner.

 

What have I missed? I always thought a Keller was pretty much the brewery's house beer, but not filtered -- not out of laziness or trendiness, but more in line with the old-fashioned way of serving. Sort of like St. Georgen Keller. Have I missing something between a Keller and Zwickel beer?

This is the way I always felt about Dinkel Acker Pils.

 

I'd say not, on all of my trips to Germany you couldn't stumble into a Bierhall or restaurant without finding a Pils.

Most of the bars are Irish bars? That is weird.

 

Lots of American military in K-town, maybe even more now that they closed down Heidelberg. HD is a relatively small town (140k?) and we have 3 Irish pubs in the tourist center. Still, I'd think you could find a pils without too much trouble.

 

“ …true kellerbiers are almost nonexistant over here.” Maybe I don’t know what the word “true” means in this context?

From a BYO article entitled Kellerbier: Style Profile:

“Authentic Kellerbier is unfiltered, unpasteurized and strongly flavored with aromatic hops (Hallertauer or Hersbrucker are traditional).”

From the Oxford Companion to Beer on the Kellerbier:

“Kellerbier is an unfiltered, unpasteurized, very yeasty, malty lager from Franconia ….

An authentic Kellerbier should be strongly flavored with aromatic hops and brewed to a marzen strength of 5% to 5.3% alcohol by volume”.

Within the past year I have had the following unfiltered and unpasteurized lagers:

· Urban Chestnut Zwickel

· Sly Fox Standard Pils

· Sly Fox Keller Pils

· Brooklyn Gold Standard Export Kellerbier

· Victory Braumeister Pils of various ‘varieties’: featuring Saaz, Hallertauer Mittelfruh, and others.

· Voodoo Pilzilla

· Tired Hands Yellow & Green

· Triumph Aldstadt Lager

· Southampton Keller Pils (I still have several bottle of this in the refrigerator)

· Victory CBC Tettnang Pils

· Etc.

Cheers!

 

^ Funny enough - I don't think a single one of those makes it out here or to the western half of the country You're in a pretty good area for German beers to begin with, too.
Still even of the ones I have managed to try - I can't recall any that have tasted like the German ones I've had. While the ones in Bamberg from Mahr's, Spezial, and Schlenkerla were super malty, the ones near Munich (HB, Ayinger, Paulaner) were extra hoppy and herbal.