Introduction to German Beer

Me too, trying to save up for one last tour of my favorite European locations.

 

I sometimes peruse untappd to see new available beers and I noticed shoat recently added at total wine about 15 minutes away. If I feel up for a little drive or am close by I definitely plan to try that beer.

I know I’ve told you before but I luck out a lot with Jever. Usually 3-5 month range, not always though and I haven’t looked for a month or so but next time I’m at wegmans I will check.

 

You likely know this already but since this is Total Wine make sure you check the dates.

And yes you are indeed luckier than I am as regards Jever. My theory is that in my area beer consumers much more often choose to purchase locally brewed German Pilsners because they can be found fresh. Some examples: Sly Fox Pikeland Pils, Troegs Sunshine Pils, Sterling Pig Shoats Pilsner, etc. In contrast the Jever does not move as quickly so old stock just sits and sits. Regardless of the reason we are just stuck with old Jever.

But as discussed by @BigIronH above: "Plenty of great locally brewed German and American styles around me." So, no big complaints.

Cheers!

P.S. I recently had a draft pint of New Trail Lazy River Pils which I enjoyed drinking. While shopping at my local Wegmans I picked up a six-pack with the intention to purchase it but there were no dates on the cans. My policy: no dates = no purchase.

 

Who knows why @JackHorzempa but all the breweries you mentioned are readily available here too. As well as several other local lager breweries: tonewood, bonesaw, too name a few.

Distributor possibly too? Smaller state? We’ll probably never know.

 

It always seems popular (often rightly so) to blame the Wholesale Distributor. Yeah, let's go with that.

Cheers!

 

too easy not to

 

My best estimate of breweries here in the US that make good German-style beers is 84 per my online spreadsheet. These breweries are recommended by BA members so they must be good.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vvgzuuhF7JA9Q2TWIIM0WVK-pX2YG7LHR-uGu8NkA5U/edit#gid=0

 

Because, if it's on the internet...

How do the findings cross reference with all the low ratings lagers get on BA?

Far too many variables.

 

I'll see if I can produce a list in a post and add the overall BA beer rating for each brewery. You want to go out on a limb and make a prediction, good vs. okay? It's mathematically improper to take an average of averages, but with the 'law of large numbers' working here, it might be a fairly accurate number. I'll do that too.

Give me a little time to see if it's doable.

 

I'd rather make my own decision based on people whose palates I trust to know German beer. Call me a skeptic, but as it's been pointed out -- Sam Adams Octoberfest is a big seller.

 

In the original list of 84 breweries I found one duplicate and one that is not listed on BA, so I have the total BA Beer Rating for 82 breweries matched to their name. The average of the ratings is 3.86 which is a bit lower than I thought it would be.

Let's see of I can insert a block from a spreadsheet into a post. (Nope didn't work very well, but you get the idea even if they aren't pretty columns.)

State City Brewery/Bar/Eatery BA Rating
CA Moorpark Enegren Brewing 3.95
CA Vista Eppig Brewing 3.91
CO Denver Bierstadt Lagerhouse 4.21
CO Denver Prost 3.90
CO Fort Collins Zwei Bruder 3.95
CO Longmont Wibby Brewing 3.94
CO Loveland Grimm Brothers 3.82
CT Mystic Jealous Monk 3.58
FL Palm Harbor LagerHaus Grill & Brewery 3.60
FL Tampa Barriehaus Beer Company 4.01
FL Tampa Mr. Dunderbak's/Dunderbrau Brewery 3.79
GA Stone Mountain Stone Mountain Brewery 3.58
IA Amana Millstream 3.65
IL Chicago Metropolitan 3.87
IL Chicago Dovetail 4.09
IL Chicago Great Central 3.94
IL Chicago The Berghoff (not a brewery) 0.00
IL Millstadt Millpond Brewing & Incubator 3.66
IL Oak Park Kinslahger Brewing 3.79
IL Red Bud Lieferbrau Brewery 3.93
IL Urbana Riggs Beer Company 4.06
IL Waterloo Stubborn German Brewing 3.82
KY Lexington Blue Stallion Brewing 3.80
KY Newport Hofbrauhaus – Cincinnati 3.85
MA Framingham Jack's Abby 4.15
MA Salem Notch Brewing 3.95
ME Limerick Gneiss Brewing Company 3.95
MI Battle Creek Territorial Brewing 3.88
MI Cedar Springs Cedar Springs Brewing 3.91
MI Frankenmuth Frankenmuth Brewing 3.57
MI Wyoming Kitzingen 3.73
MN Minneapolis Utepils 3.91
MN New Ulm August Schell Brewing 3.67
MN New Ulm Starkeller Brewing/August Schell Brewing 4.08
MN St. Paul Waldman Brewery & Wurstery 4.04
MN St. Paul The Yoerg Brewing Company 3.73
MO Kansas City K C Bier Co. 3.90
MO St. Louis Urban Chestnut – Grove Brewery & Bierhall 3.81
MO St. Louis Hofbrauhaus – Belleville, IL 4.00
MT Missoula Bayern Brewing / Edelweiss Bistro 3.65
NC Charlotte Olde Mecklenburg 4.01
NC Whitsett Red Oak Brewery 3.81
NC Woodfin Zillicoah 4.09
NH Littleton Schilling Beer Co. 4.07
NJ Butler High Point (Ramstein) Brewing 4.02
NY Buffalo Hofbrauhaus – Buffalo 3.96
NY NYC – Brooklyn Folksbier Brauerei 3.99
NY NYC – Long Island Black Forest Brew Haus – Farmingdale 3.83
OH Cleveland Hansa Brewery 3.89
OH Cleveland Hofbrauhaus 3.62
OH Columbus Gemut Biergarten 3.72
OH Columbus Hofbrauhaus 3.77
OH Fresno Wooly Pig Farm Brewery 4.12
OK Moore Royal Bavaria Restaurant & Brewery 3.64
OR McMinnville Heater Allen 4.01
OR Portland Occidental Brewing 3.87
OR Portland Zoiglhaus Brewing Company 3.92
OR Portland Wayfinder 4.04
PA Downingtown Victory 3.99
PA Kennett Square Victory 3.99
PA Parkesburg Victory 3.99
PA Phoenxville Sly Fox 3.75
PA Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Brewing 3.78
PA Pittsburgh Hofbrauhaus 3.85
PA Pottstown Sly Fox 3.75
PA St. Mary's Straub 3.43
SC Columbia Bierkeller 4.35
TN Knoxville Schulz Brau 3.75
TN Memphis Wiseacre Brewing 3.92
TX Austin Austin Beer Garden 3.78
TX Del Valle Live Oak 4.15
TX Fredericksburg Altstadt Brewery 3.72
TX Houston Saint Arnold 3.77
TX Waco Pivovar Waco (Not on BA?) 0.00
UT Midvale Bohemian Brewery 3.62
VT Stowe von Trapp 3.92
WA Bellingham Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen 3.89
WA Burlington Chuckanut Southnut Taproom 3.89
WI Appleton Old Bavarian/OB's Brauhaus 4.02
WI Delafield Delafield Brewhaus 3.64
WI Eau Claire Lazy Monk 3.85
WI Glendale Bavarian Bierhaus 3.58
WI Middleton Capital 3.66
WV Shepherdstown Bavarian Brothers Brewing 3.65

Total average of the rating averages 3.86

 

I feel like this could be a thread all on its own...

 

@PapaGoose03 -- the ratings are on a 5 point scale*, right? Not sure what it's saying that there aren't any fives -- but it *does* kind of reflect BA lager ratings.

Sort'a sad, actually. I'd bet similar reviews of Ale breweries would produce some fives.

*Missed that these are BA scores.

 

No Sprecher (maybe Glendale?*), Lakefront, or Wisconsin Brewing? All three brew some good German beers.

*Not a brewery, but their beer comes from Sprecher.

 

They're not on the spreadsheet unless someone nominated the brewery. I added some breweries by 'mining' the brewery name database looking for "Bavaria" "Brauhaus" etc. in brewery names, but 95% of the list were submitted by BA members.

However, I did have some criteria for submitting a place, most notably that German-style beers should make up a large part of the brewery's portfolio. Maybe that kept the breweries that you mention from being nominated.

 

To diffuse any confusion, I should have edited the header to show only "Breweries" and not the "Bars and Eateries" part. The list is all breweries except for one that I mistakenly checked the box in the spreadsheet as it being a brewery.

 

To Paragraph B, Delafield Brewhaus has some German beers, but by no means a majority of their lineup (unless they recently went full Fatherland). It's also not German-themed in its decor -- more "early Americana brew-pub."