German Beer Appreciation 2025

I think we need a clarification here, but as a Doppelbock it's a German *style* beer, but being brewed in Austria makes it an *Austrian* beer.

There are a lot of Doppelbocks brewed here in the U.S. that I wouldn't call German beers.

As to that Malt Liquor designation on the label, that's a holdover from old U.S. laws on beer ABV in certain states. I think they've all been rescinded now, so I don't understand why European breweries still print that.

 

Yeah, the most infamous were the Texas beer excise tax laws (since it was among the top beer consuming states, so brewers followed their labeling rules) which used to define (pre-2021 or so) :

The US TTB uses this "definition" (yeah, quote marks appropriate):

You know that current popular expression "It is what it is." (It drives me crazy, 'cause what ISN'T was it is?) But for the TTB's Malt Liquor definition, it works.

As for Samichlaus when it was brewed by the Swiss (still not Germany ) Hürlimann brewery, didn't some US labels say Samichlaus Dark instead of Samichlaus Bier, also to met some US state(s) ABC laws?

 

Haven't tried what's considered 'malt liquor' before...though I have a couple in my collection for future consumption. From what I've heard, it's not an experience worth looking forward to lol...

Cheers from McGregor, Ontario! =)

 

There was a Hürlimann Samichlaus Dark but it wasn't for the reason I remembered, it was because, for a short time, there was a Hürlimann
Samichlaus Light. Obviously, not light-bodied or light in calories or, IIRC, not particular light in color, either. It was dropped early on. Here's Baltimore beer writer Rob Kaspar writing about it.

 

Through the late 70s Oregon required anything over 4%wt to be called ale, stout, or malt liquor. Some German fest beers had the designation "beer" marked out with "malt liquor" inserted. The designation was only a legal requirement. For a while the state countermanded ATF (TTB?) prohibition on posting alcohol content. The state required any malt product over 4%wt to list alcohol content on the label.

I remember trying Hurlimann's Samiclaus in CA in the 70s, but don't remember much about it (strong???). In those days,Oregon had maximum limits of 8%wt for any malt beverage. So even the malt liquor designation wouldn't have allowed it into the market there. I remember looking at several well known malt liquors for alcohol content, and most didn't have any. That indicate that they were below 4%wt. Rainier Ale and Olde English did indicate content. I remember Rainer Ale as 6%wt and Olde English 800 as 8%wt, but my may be failing, because other sources indicate both products were lower than those numbers in the 70s.

Brewers in the old days produced different labels for different markets. They even produced different beers (reduced alcohol 3.2%wt) for some. Rainier made reduced alcohol 4%wt Ale to get access to Washington supermarkets. Vintners also made changes. Gallo made lower alcohol 14% Thunderbird to be sold in Oregon groceries.

 

Yeah, that state exception was built into the then-ATF regulations (well, specifically both agencies followed the much amended FAA Act's regulations).

Until the Coors' SCOTUS lawsuit in the 1990s.

Well, since technically no decade start at a year "0" , 1980 would be 10th year of the 1970s...


Included the pic 'cause I've got several of those tiny Samichlaus mugs, below a logo'ed one with the a better image for the DARK on the neck foil.

(Yeah, still not a GERMAN beer).

 

Paulaner Lager. Readily available and delicious.

 

To you U.S. BA members who enjoy the German culture, I need some help. I've received two recommendations for modifying the German-American Places spreadsheet that I created and maintain on Google Docs (link below):

1. Add German festivals throughout the U.S. to help those of you who travel and might want to add a visit to a festival to your itinerary. Would such a feature of the spreadsheet be a research source for trip planning? Rather than a separate list for festivals I'd simply add a line to the spreadsheet for each event, and you could search the name column for the word 'festival' to find them.
2. Add breweries that do a great job brewing German styles and always have a number of them on tap (along with a few other non-German styles), but there isn't German food or ambiance to go along with the beers. (I think that I already added a few 'no brainers' breweries when I created the spreadsheet, so this enhancement would simply add more. The goal is to help you traveler find good German-style beers at your destination choices. Again, would you use the spreadsheet in your trip planning effort?

I'm not looking to derail this thread by asking for your responses here, but my spreadsheet planning threads are now located in the 'basement' of the North America forum with little visibility to get your attention, and that's where I'd like you to respond if you have an opinion on the topic. Thanks in advance for your help.

Here's a link to the thread:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/german-american-beer-food-venues.672290/

Here's a link to the spreadsheet.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vvgzuuhF7JA9Q2TWIIM0WVK-pX2YG7LHR-uGu8NkA5U/edit?usp=sharing

 

What, you doubt the most trusted source of information of that era, the Guinness Book of World Records (I mean, they even had a syndicated comic strip!)

As you can see from the 1977 >snip< from a 1977 article (center) on a German bar, The House of 101 Brews, some American writers didn't quite understand that 28 referred to the O.G. in Plato, not the alcohol content.

 

That's a pretty heady Dunkel -- reminds me of the shelf-aged Ayinger Oktos I'd get once in awhile. Was there any sign of gushing when it was capped?