German Beer Appreciation 2025

For me the month of September is the beginning of Oktoberfest type beer drinking. I tend to drink mostly Pale Oktoberfest (e.g., Festbier) beers in September and then ‘transition’ to Amber Oktoberfest (e.g., Märzen) beers in Oktober. The ‘heartier’ Amber Oktobefest beers are more appealing to me in cool(er) weather.

Today’s beer is branded by Tucher brewery as being a Festbier. Lots of information on the can:

The can lists “Aus Bayern” which translates to From Bavaria and there is an interesting symbol/logo (Protected Geographical Indication) listing “Bayerisches Bier”.

Also: “Authentic Bavarian Special Lager: A full-bodied golden Festbier, with a naturally balanced finish.”

I am often times leery when breweries provide descriptions of their beers since all too often the sensory qualities in the description do not match what I perceive but Kudos to Tucher for being dead center on the mark here. This beer is indeed a “full-bodied golden Festbier, with a naturally balanced finish.”

I very much enjoyed drinking this beer. It genuinely has the quality that Germans describe via süffig (i.e., great drinkability. And the fact that a four-pack of big cans (1/2 liter) only costed me around ten bucks makes this a great ‘bang for the buck’ sort of beer.

Prost!

 

Salad prep with a Weihenstephaner Festbier. The best Oktoberfest beer of the season for me, but many contenders to go. Cheers.

 

FWIW, when I attended the National Homebrewers Conference (HomebrewCon) in Portland in 2018, my wife and I visited pFriem and had beers and lunch there. I ordered the pFreim Kolsch and that beer was indeed a 'top shelf' Kolsch. I even purchased a couple of bottles of that Kolsch to enjoy back in the hotel. Is that beer 'better' than drinking a Kolsch in Cologne, Germany? I don't know since I have never visited Cologne, Germany. I can report that pFriem Kolsch is 'right there' with the imported Kolsch beers that I have consumed (and I had many of them).

Prost!

@John_M

 

For me it has been the best German beer ever. I like to go to Munich often, at least monthly. Most of the time I sit down at the old brewery from Schneider and if the weather permits sit out on the sidewalk beergarden drink this on tap and watch the tourist.

 

Twin posts!!
This is a nice one with good luster. I'll do a review after enjoying the other 3 Going with a Becker vs a mug. Works for me.

 

At the Winking Lizard and found to my delight that they have Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier on tap! Cheers.

 

Did your Kolsch tour include any of the craft brewers. My smattering of German beer drinking over the last 50+ years leads me to the conclusion that many of the bigger breweries' products have tended toward a uniform style. The ubiquitous Pils and the pale Fest beers are symptoms. Two counterpoints that remind me of those 70s beers: Tanzenapfle Pils from Rothaus reminds me of the Urquell from the 70s; and Kulmbacher Monchshof Schwartzbier has some similarity to the old Monchshof Bock.

 

Very good glass in hand. No wobble. I offered to buy it but the server asked at the bar and they said it was not for sale.

 

John, I was surprised to read this.

From all of my readings, Kölsch beers were served in Cologne by the servers (Köbes) carrying trays (Kränz). In other words, your empty glass was replaced with a new, full glass.

Do you understand why your experience in serving style was different from the above description?

Prost!