Introduction to German Beer

Hofbrau's hefeweizen is one of my favorites, but I find that the bottled version isn't as ester-heavy as the draft one. Even just looking at the bottles I've purchased, I don't see the same huge layer of yeast that Weihenstephaner, Paulaner, and H-P bottles have. Kind of a shame. In Munich it's probably my #1 weiss that's actually brewed in town. I lean toward the ones with lots of fruity notes vs. the ones that are earthier and more spicy. The Andechs weiss is the only one of the spicier ones that I really love. Ayinger's bottled weiss is similar (at least IMO), although on tap I find it to be a different animal. I don't really even like the bottled one, but on tap I think it's fantastic.

 

I had to pull out my Little Orphan Annie Decoder* to determine that your beer was bottled May 29, 2020 (well over a year old). Needless to say this is beyond my personal cut-off of 6 months so...

Permit me to state the obvious: old (1+ year old) beer will not taste like it should.

Cheers!

* Jess Kidden about the decoder. You can learn more here: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/hofbrau-date-codes.569169/

P.S. I applaud your desires/efforts to try German beers but you really would be best served to confine purchases to non-old beers.

 

The ancient Romans had an expression for this: caveat emptor.

As this saying is defined: "the principle that the buyer alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of goods before a purchase is made."

Cheers!

 

The age of typical German imports is why I find myself not buying them much. I appreciate the easy dating of Paulaner and H-P bottles, but over the last couple years I've noticed those dates getting older and older. The importer used to be in Littleton, so in Denver we'd have those dated 1-2 months ago. Now they're more like 7-8 months ago, even at the "good" stores. That's fine for Salvator, but it's less than ideal for everything else. Andechs bottles tend to be relatively fresh, obviously dated, and conveniently filled with magic. Those are among the only imports I buy super regularly as a result.

 

I think some of it is geographic. I recall seeing a much wider selection and fresher German/Austrian/Czech bottles in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Virginia vs. anything on the west coast and mountain areas. No clue about MI, but it's an American craft-centric state. I think they simply sell better in certain areas and get more attention as a result. It's pretty rare to see anything more than a year old in better CO stores anymore, though. There was a time when the largest liquor store in the country had Paulaner singles that were 4 years old in their cooler. Back when Paulaner USA was less than 10 miles away no less. These days, 6-12 months seems typical. Outside of bocks and Tannenzaepfle (which holds up scarily well), I consider 8 months to be my personal cutoff.

 

Your area sounds a lot like my area. Lots of old German beers collecting dust at my local beer retailers. But there are a handful of brands that aren't too old (but not the brands I prefer to buy most of the time).

I have been on the lookout for Jever which is less than six-months old for a very long time. I think it has been over two years since I have bought any Jever.

Thankfully there are plenty of high quality locally brewed German Pilsners available for me. Last week I purchased a six-pack of Sterling Pig Shoats Pilsner which was canned on 6/22/21. Woo-Hoo!

Cheers!

 

Life is good!

 

The # of American breweries making authentic/good German beer has been a much appreciated trend over the last few years. We went from having maybe a dozen nationwide to at least one in most major regions. For a long time, even drinking a mid-level Munich beer in a grungy U-Bahn station was a transcendental experience. More and more I find places that can replicate those flavors stateside. You can't replicate the experience of visiting Germany, but there are quite a few US breweries that can get you halfway there.

 

Having been myself, I'd have to argue "tons." But it is getting better.

 

Few would understand this, but you just made me so "homesick" for my favorite continental European city.

 

Yeah, but ever try picking just one of them up? Even some of the clean-shaven ones can be quite ... umm...let's say "corpulent".
"He ain't heavy, he's my brewer..."

 

Quite true, and I keep that in mind with my reviews and opinions.

But having the beer from its original source leaves a bigger impression and sets the bar of expectation -- as well as a keener definition of "to-style."