Jever - The German Pilsener

Frankly, the import section of my Wegman's is not too big. For over a year there was no Jever on the shelf. If it wasn't for me reading Randy's (@Ranbot) recent post I would not have even thought to look for it.

The best advice I can provide is: get it while you can!

Cheers!

 

Right you are. Notice that his phone and fax area code is one for New York City.

 

We carry Jever and sell it by the bottle in sixpacks and of course by the case...Currently we are out of stock...I just texted the rep to see if it's available...If it is it should be available by Thursday at the latest

 

I almost finished my first case of Jever and i believe drinking it from a bottle adds to the experience, preferably cold but not too cold. But, i never like beer from cans anyhow. Someone stated that Jever is the German equivalent of Urquell and i can second that.

 

In some individual cases that is true. When's the last time you had a German Gose or Berliner Weisse that was better than the best American version?

 

For me it was the last time I drank a Ritterguts and a Kindl.

 

Have you had the Bräu Baker Berliner? It's fermented with both brettanomyces and lactobacillus, and very nice indeed. A Shelton Brothers import if that helps.

 

What, in your opinion, is "the best American version" of both of these?

 

Have not. The one guy who was doing legit Berliner Weisse in Berlin, Andreas Bogk, seems to have gone kinda silent.

 

August Schell makes a series of beers that are traditional lacto and Brett. The brewer Jace Marti studied at VLB in Berlin back before Schultheis closed, and that was a lacto Brett Berliner.

 

Jealous!

The more I hear about Schell the more I wish they were distributed here.

 

Kindl is better than Tartare? I'll have to track it down and see for myself.

 

Bear Republic Tartare is the best Berliner Weisse I've had and for what it's worth Paste rated it as the best outright sour in America. Unfortunately I haven't checked any of the Goses I've had, so I have no reference point on that.

 

Full disclosure: I'm not a big Gose (or sour beer of any kind) fan, but I enjoyed Schell's Goosetown Gose as a summer refresher. That said, I don't think it was as traditional as the Ritterguts I tried.

 

hmmm.Jever & Urquell taste quite different to me.
Jever fits the part of a typical North German Pils with high bitterniss, a light malt base and the dryness.
Urquell in comparison is maltier and smoother (due to the softer water) with a nice bitter kick at the end.
Its good if you get both versions non-skunked.

 

Agreed. Urquell's signature mild diacetyl (e.g. buttered popcorn flavor) is quite distinctive as well. Jever also has a very slight sulfur character (discussed previously in this thread). Jever and Urquell are both pilsners with a nice noble hop bitter finish, but otherwise there is little similarity between them.

 

I'm guessing that @Hamme is stating that Jever is a prime example of a German pils, just as Urquell is a prime example of a Czech pils, and not stating that they are similar to each other.

 

I can see that interpretation. Myself, I'd still place Ayinger's Bavarian Pilsner as a more prime German example over Jever (at least based on the last 2 fresh examples of each that I tasted).

 

I also think that Jever and Urquell are not "average" examples of their respective styles. They are both outliers in their own way. In some regard, though, with American expectations for both styles, both may be considered by many to be "ideal" examples of their styles.

 

I meant that they are reminiscent in skunkiness.