Best German styles in Madison area

Discussion in 'Great Lakes' started by EvilMidnightBomber, Mar 14, 2015.

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  1. EvilMidnightBomber

    EvilMidnightBomber Initiate (0) Feb 12, 2015 Wisconsin

    I'm trying to expand my beer appreciation beyond Stouts, Porters and Browns, and I want to start with some good german styles, probably Hefes and Pilsners. I made a list of actual german beers to track down, but it seems like with all of the brewing history around here someone local must be making something worthwhile.
    So, what should I be trying? I'd like to try beers from the Madison area first, but I'd be interested in anything from the Great Lakes area that's easy to get around here.
    For what it's worth, I like Vintage Weiss-blau, and NG Dancing Man is on my list to try when it appears again.
     
  2. twb0392

    twb0392 Initiate (0) Aug 1, 2014 Wisconsin

    Capital has been known to make good lagers; they make a good oktoberfest when it is that time of year, and autumnal fire is a different take on a dopplebock, but good. Also, a lot of people like their maibock.

    Two women from New Glarus is a pretty good pilsner, and available year round, although it really doesn't have a stereotypical pils taste. But, when edel-pils and/or hometown blonde are availabe, grab them. Hopster is out now from NG, and although the name is stupid, and its not a typical hefe(its hopped up), its pretty tasty.

    Wisconsin brewing companies ole reliable is a pretty good munich helles.

    Most the other breweries around here do mostly ales.
     
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  3. Ri0

    Ri0 Initiate (0) Jul 1, 2012 Wisconsin

    If you want German craft, then also look at the beer from August Schell out of MN.
     
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  4. twb0392

    twb0392 Initiate (0) Aug 1, 2014 Wisconsin

    Or stick with the good stuff from germany; ayinger, weihenstephaner etc..
     
  5. EvilMidnightBomber

    EvilMidnightBomber Initiate (0) Feb 12, 2015 Wisconsin

    Thanks for the responses. Definitely going to start with beers from Europe so I can get a feel for the styles before I try the american variants (picked up some Weihenstephaner last night). I'll keep an eye out for the beers mentioned above next time I'm putting together a mixed 6.
    Does Schell distribute to Madison? Haven't seen them before, but it's possible I just never noticed them.
     
  6. Ri0

    Ri0 Initiate (0) Jul 1, 2012 Wisconsin

    Yes, you can find Schell at Woodmans and Rileys.
     
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  7. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,174) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Try Lakefront's Big Easy Maibock this year -- great rendition to-style. And Sprecher's German style beers are always pretty good -- see Black Bavarian in the beer list.
     
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  8. velvetgrn

    velvetgrn Initiate (0) Sep 19, 2009 Wisconsin

    I don't think Two Women is a pilsner. Landbier is probably a better description.
     
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  9. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,174) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Unfortunately, that's what it's been labeled here at BA. But Landbier is also a difficult style to define as it can vary from brewery to brewery in Germany. That said, 2 Women can be labeled as "good." :slight_smile:
     
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  10. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,647) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah

    It is very similar to what are called Landbier/Lagerbier in several breweries around Bamberg. Sabine Weyermann is one of the 2 women, and Weyermann's malting is in Bamberg. @steveh is correct that Landbier is not easy to put in a tight box like Pilsners are.
     
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  11. velvetgrn

    velvetgrn Initiate (0) Sep 19, 2009 Wisconsin

    Check out more of the German style beers at Vintage. In the winter they have a roggenbier brewed to bock strength. One of my favorite beers of all-time. Scott also brews a fine alt, Kölsch-style brew, and tasty bocks as well.

    I also really like Next Door Brewing's gose which I think is called Egon. I believe it is a bit bigger than the style is traditionally brewed but very tasty. The salt and coriander are right up front.

    Also on the brewpub front, the Great Dane has lagers on tap year-round plus various seasonals.

    New Glarus brews an excellent Berliner Weisse as a limited release Thumbprint in the summer. Two Women is great as are Edel Pils and Hometown Blonde. They have seasonal bocks as well with a dark bock, Back 40, out in the winter while you should be able to find Cabin Fever now. It's a pale bock. I think these beers are less of an attempt to mimic German styles and more "Wisconsin bocks" - Americanized brews. Perhaps like the domestic bocks from 50-60 years ago.

    Ale Asylum has a great hefeweizen called Unshadowed which is now bottled.

    Capital has a German pils, Munich dunkel, and amber lager as annuals. They also brew a great Oktoberfest. From from through spring they offer bocks aplenty. The aforementioned Autumnal Fire, a blonde doppelbock, a dark doppelbock, an apple bock, and the current maibock.

    Also check out Lakefront and Sprecher from Milwaukee. Lakefront has a similar annual lager lineup as Capital plus most of their seasonals seem to be lagers. Sprecher's Black Bavarian is fantastic. Think Köstritzer schwartzbier but thicker and richer. They also have a great amber lager and seasonals.

    I'll second the Schell recommendation. In addition to the year-round lagers, they have a fresh hop pilsner and a Berliner Weisse series called Noble Star. Their winter seasonal is a rauch dunkles called Chimney Sweep which is fantastic.

    I don't know of many locally brewed rauchbiers. Brenner in Milwaukee has one but I don't believe they distribute to Madison. Valkyrie has Whispering Embers, a rauch Oktoberfest which is great but only available in the autumn. And I didn't see it down here this past fall. You are stuck with Schlenkerla's brews though they are nice to be stuck with. I only see their helles at Steve's but the other styles are easy to find. Vintage brews a Grodziskie in the summer which is a Polish smoked wheat beer, though. Another fantastic brew.

    I also recommend Rubee by Valkyrie, a nice Märzen. Hopefully, Night Wolf, their schwartzbier, will be available soon. Plus check out Lazy Monk's beers. I love their Czech and Munich style dark lagers. I believe LM is only available at Trixie's. As of last weekend they only had the golden ale and rye IPA. (The former is excellent.)

    For German imports go to Riley's. They carry 3-4 Kölsches - real ones from Köln. They also have Professor Fritz Briem's retro Berliner Weisse and gruit. In the singles coolers you'll also find Berliner Kindl, a Berliner Weisse. They've also started carrying some of Freigeist brews - a spruce gose, a smoked Lichtenhainer weisse, and another of their more off-beat beers. Riley's also has Uerige alt beers which are from Dusseldorf and I believe I've seen Leipziger Gose there on occasion as well.

    Other miscellaneous brews:

    Berghoff's Germaniac, their take on the Kotbusser, a nearly-extinct style.

    Leinenkugel's Big Eddy series has an imperial Oktoberfest and a big cherry dunkles.

    Southern Tier's Where the Helles Summer should still be around

    Sierra Nevada's Nooner Pilser is very tasty

    Wisconsin Brewing Company has a fine amber lager and helles.

    Both Port Huron and Tyranena have alt beers.

    Sorry for the rambling. Prosit!
     
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  12. velvetgrn

    velvetgrn Initiate (0) Sep 19, 2009 Wisconsin

    Landbier seems like a good catch-all category. Plus NG describes Two Women as being a "Classic Country Lager". Landbier just seemed appropriate.
     
  13. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,174) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Yep. Landbier translates to Country Beer -- no surprise, eh?
     
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  14. EvilMidnightBomber

    EvilMidnightBomber Initiate (0) Feb 12, 2015 Wisconsin

    That's quite a list! Looks like I have some work to do...
    I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the Vintage tap list. I did like the Roggen Bock (Tippy Toboggan?), but Bocks of Chocolates didn't do much for me. Haven't had the new maibock yet because the cask ales took precedence last time I was there.
     
  15. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,174) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Found some more Lakefront Big Easy Maibock and can't recommend this one enough; to-style and in its tastiness.

    I see some recent reviews that really don't reflect the beer I've been getting, makes me think there's some of last year's batch on shelves. Buyer beware.
     
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