American Beers That Rival European Beers in European Styles

Victory Prima Pils is a solid German Pilsner

 

No American beer comes close Vitus or any other Weihenstephaner/Schneider/Ayinger beers. Problem with American breweries is they take too many shortcuts and use inferior ingredients (American wheat, for example, is mostly GMO'd and is not permitted to grow like it is in Germany). Unibroue make beer that is almost as good as its Belgian counterparts and in some ways better. But clearly nobody in the US is doing German styles as good as the Germans.

 

ahh gotcha, that's a shame It'd be nice to see more companies be successful while focus on traditional styles. Seems like everyone is jumping on the Jacks Abby wagon for "traditional styles" yet, peanut butter porters and IPLs are the farthest thing from that. High Point will be on my list to try, and I'll keep an open mid considering inconsistency issues.

 

Have you been to Germany? No pilsner that I know of, or tried, is as hoppy as Prima. This is partly due to German pilsners slowly becoming less hoppy over time, and the fact most German pilsners weren't that hoppy to begin with.

Prima was made to mirror Waldhaus Pils that the brewers sampled when over in Germany. Jever, when fresh, is quite hoppy, but personally I don't even find that beer to be as hoppy as Prima.

And I'm not knocking Prima as a beer, I simply wouldn't directly compare it to the average (and best) German pilsners.

 

To answer the OP....hmm, this is a tough one.

Disclaimer: I have yet to try anything from Olde Mecklenburg, New Glarus, or Live Oak. A few breweries I have heard great things about in terms of brewing German styles.

Belgian: I'll echo the sentiment about Allagash White. Admittedly when I traveled there I didn't sample a Belgian White aside from Hoegaarden. So take that for what it's worth. Otherwise, nothing that I can think of.

English; Victory's Uncle Teddy Bitter on cask is excellent. I've had many many UK bitters on cask, and Uncle Teddy's was just as enjoyable.

Czech: I don't have a ton of experience with Czech beers, and did not travel there. If I want a Czech pils, I'll grab a Pilsner Urqell, or if they're fresh, my two favorites Praga and Czechvar.

Notch Session pils is a favorite of mine, although I believe it's meant to emulate more sessionable Czech pilsners rather than something like Pilsner Urqell. Notch Pils is a dirtier, lower abv, excellent beer for any occasion in which drinking heavier is key.

German: Troegs Dreamweaver Wheat is excellent, and could possibly rival the Europeans. Their Sunshine Pils, while my favorite American take on a German pils, isn't QUITE there yet. Also, this year the can simply didn't taste as good to me.

 

I would say goose island is pretty good.

 

Let me reinforce @TongoRad 's recommendation of High Point's line up. Even the less popular beers are top quality. But at the end of the day you may have to travel for it. I can sometimes find one or another of a seasonal in the Philly area but almost always on tap. It's so well liked in Jersey that its mostly kegged and it's been close on three years since I've been able to buy any one of them in a bottle. ( So no comment here about inconsistency :-) ).

 

@Harnkus, Victory Moonglow is indeed an excellent Weizenbock that is deserving of praise.

Below is a list of other very high quality Victory beers that are of European styles:

In no particular order:

· Torching Blonde (Helles smoked beer)

· Zeltbier (Pale Oktoberfest)

· Victory Hip Czech (Bohemian Pilsner)

· St. Boisterous (Helles Bock)

· Dark Lager (Munich Dunkel)

· Braumeister Pils – Hallertauer Mittelfruh

· St. Victorious (Doppelbock)

· Lager (Helles)

· Braumeister Pils – Sladek

I also think that the Victory Sunrise Wheat is a very good Hefeweizen.

Other high quality US craft brewed Hefeweizen beers are Live Oak, Troegs Dreamweaver, Sly Fox Royal Weisse, Stoudts Heifer-in-Wheat, …

There has been some discussion about Urban Chestnut Zwickel and that is indeed an excellent Kellerbier. A brewpub in my area makes an excellent Kellerbier that they call Aldstadt Lager.

Sly Fox makes a number of high quality Europeans style beers: Charles Bridge Pilsner (Bohemian Pilsner), Pikeland Pils (Northern German style Pilsner), Oktoberfest, Standard Pils, Maibock (even better on cask), Keller Pils, etc.

I am sure that there are lots that I am forgetting.

Cheers!

 

The OP's question was: "[W]hat other examples are there where American brewers make a European style in traditional fashion where in your opinion exceeds the Euro benchmark in that style?"

Do you feel that the examples you provided exceed the Euro benchmarks for those styles? If so, please provide a list of the benchmark beers you are using for comparison.

 

Another one comes to mind- Yards Brawler, English Mild. I believe it even got Ron Pattinson's seal of approval recently.

 

I responded to the title of “American Beers That Rival European Beers in European Styles”.

Cheers!

 

I think he said it was "decent."

Again, a reminder that the OP is asking about U.S. versions that "exceed the euro benchmark." (I tended to forget this myself, so I thought it bears repeating....)

 

Michael, have you ever had a chance to drink Brawler served from a cask?

Cheers!

Jack

 

That's a very tough standard- not many beers will do that in their own country . I do think that Brawler wouldn't really seem out of place in an English pub, though, which seems a more realistic standard to meet.

Haven't had the pleasure. I don't know if the casks make it up to NYC, but if I ever do see it, it'll be my first priority that day.

 

Yea, that's why I was so harsh in my initial comment (and why, like you, I resorted to listing ones that would fit more or less seamlessly into the local scene where the style is most prevalent).

Need to get up and try the Brawler. I haven't had a proper UK cask beer in years.

 

And what are the Euro benchmarks the beers you listed rival?

 

Any IPA.

 

That's more of a reverse one, isn't it? Are there any European-brewed American style IPAs that can hold their own over here?

 

Considering no IPA's gonna taste the same after a loooong trip across the atlantic, it's kind of a moot point.

Shit, this whole discussion's kind of for naught, because no craft beer will taste the same fresh compared to after the several weeks it probably takes to get across the pond. (shipping, customs, etc.) I'd love to put America's beers up 1:1 against European counterparts, but it'll never happen. Closest we'll probably get is Stone's satellite in Berlin.

 

I've definitely had one or two good German made IPA's, actually.