Is German beer really THAT good?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by DieHippieDie, Oct 17, 2014.

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  1. herrburgess

    herrburgess Grand Pooh-Bah (3,077) Nov 4, 2009 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    On your way south to Bamberg and Franconia, you must stop here at Brauerei Schmitt in Singen (Thueringen). They brew my current favorite pilsner in the world (and a clear indication that by no means are all German pilsners created equal) on an ancient, museum-esque setup (see below). They have the Bock on tap now, too, I believe.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    #101 herrburgess, Oct 17, 2014
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  2. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Beer advocacy at its very best. Kudos to you for this post!
     
    #102 drtth, Oct 17, 2014
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  3. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    True but in the USA it's about as close as you would come.
     
    #103 dennis3951, Oct 17, 2014
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  4. Tut

    Tut Pundit (872) Sep 23, 2004 New York

    If you've been in Germany for over three months and have only been drinking beers from those huge national breweries you mentioned, you haven't experienced their real beer. There are hundreds of smaller breweries that only distribute in a limited area. Among many others, I've had great alt beers served from wooden casks that were some of the finest beers I've tasted. You need to branch out.
     
    #104 Tut, Oct 17, 2014
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  5. TheNightwatchman

    TheNightwatchman Initiate (0) Mar 28, 2009 Pennsylvania

    I can pretty confidently say that I'd be okay with drinking nothing but German beers for the rest of my life.

    That isn't to say I wouldn't miss other beers, but I think German beer is good enough that I would never grow tired of drinking it.
     
    #105 TheNightwatchman, Oct 17, 2014
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  6. Kurmaraja

    Kurmaraja Initiate (0) May 21, 2013 California
    Trader

    Actually ... it's pretty close. There are 76 breweries in the Portland metro area (and that's probably out of date already since I know of a number of breweries that have opened in the last month or so); 21+ in Bend, 30+ in Central Oregon, 12+ in Eugene, 15ish in Hood River, 10 or so on the coast near Portland, and maybe 40 or so in Washington in easy driving distance. So 200+ in a 2.5 hour drive? Extend that to Seattle, which is 3 hours, and you're looking at well over 300. Given how less densely populated we are than Germany, we're not doing too bad. ;-)
     
    #106 Kurmaraja, Oct 17, 2014
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  7. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    True be we do put coke into Jack Daniels whiskey!
     
    #107 dennis3951, Oct 17, 2014
  8. herrburgess

    herrburgess Grand Pooh-Bah (3,077) Nov 4, 2009 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    Gotta make it out there sooner rather than later. Cheers!
     
    #108 herrburgess, Oct 17, 2014
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  9. Kurmaraja

    Kurmaraja Initiate (0) May 21, 2013 California
    Trader

    My last post mentioning population density in comparing Germany to Oregon got me thinking that one point we're overlooking in this is that the US is a LOT bigger than Germany. We're comparing 80MM people to 320MM but with 226 people per square kilometer compared to 34 people per square kilometer! 4 times as many people in the US but with almost 7x the population density. Interesting context for "beer culture" when you've got the greater population density in Germany ... and also shows, perhaps, why it's possible for the US to have so much more experimentation. You've got a lot more separation between breweries and regions.

    You could add England, and Belgium to Germany and still not be at the same population level of the US. So maybe we should ask ... are European beers really that good? ;-)
     
    #109 Kurmaraja, Oct 17, 2014
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  10. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,647) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah

    It might be a higher number than you think. There are over 200 in OR now.
     
    #110 hopfenunmaltz, Oct 17, 2014
  11. Roguer

    Roguer Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,811) Mar 25, 2013 Connecticut
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Look, it's a legitimate question worth exploring. The question you should really be asking is: does German perfection overcome American ingenuity, and does either one really trump the other?

    In my opinion, you cannot, will not, find German style beers better than they make in Germany; the closest you can get is to hope they're in the same tier. I very recently ran across a Reissdorf Kölsch on tap at a local bar; I was thrilled beyond measure. It's an unbelievably beautiful beer in every respect, when I can get it fresh and on tap (which appears to be about every 15 years in the US).

    On the other hand, you won't find a DIPA or BBA imperial stout anywhere that can match up with the best the US has to offer.

    Does one trump the other? Not in my book. When other threads ask which country makes the best beer, I can't really choose the "best" from among Belgium, the US, and Germany. They all excel in quite disparate styles, and thus comparing them is not really fair.

    Germany does make, in my opinion, the best beers in their favored styles. They have a hand for delicacy and perfection that is unmatched. It's not better than what you can get in the US or Belgium (is Weihenstephaner better than Westmalle?), but it's the best in style, without a doubt in my mind.

    In short, don't try to compare them; that's an exercise in futility. If you want the best German style beers, then yes: get German beers, period. If you want the best dry-hopped beers, then you should probably look to American brewers. :wink:
     
    #111 Roguer, Oct 17, 2014
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  12. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,647) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah

    Yes, you should. Some even make lagers. :wink:
     
    #112 hopfenunmaltz, Oct 17, 2014
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  13. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,174) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Society Pooh-Bah

    If you want to call that whiskey. :wink:

    You're kidding, right? That flat, warm swill? :wink: No -- I'm the one who's kidding -- it's all back to the line between tradition and innovation. You can't forsake one just for the other.
     
    #113 steveh, Oct 17, 2014
  14. herrburgess

    herrburgess Grand Pooh-Bah (3,077) Nov 4, 2009 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    I'm sure I'd try some of the lagers, but if/when I do make it out I want to primarily be drinking what the locals are drinking (which, I assume, are a vast array of west-coast-style beers that take advantage of being so close to one of the world's great hop-growing areas).
     
    #114 herrburgess, Oct 17, 2014
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  15. jRocco2021

    jRocco2021 Savant (1,083) Mar 13, 2010 Wisconsin

    http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/72/224/
    http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/72/106399/
    http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/72/84866/
    http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/72/74625/
     
    #115 jRocco2021, Oct 17, 2014
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  16. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Yes, population density and size are often overlooked in making comparisons. Its theoretically possible, in Texas, to drive 800 miles in an almost straight line and never leave Texas. I know people in Colorado who think little about driving 400-500 miles to get to a U. of Colorado Football game played in Boulder. I know people in Salt Lake County in Utah who think nothing of driving 8 hours or so across most of Nevada to do a long weekend in Vegas.

    I've met people in more than one European country who've never been more than about 25 miles from the town where they were born. Hard to find those type folks here in the US... :-)

    So think your observation in another post about how many breweries are within "easy drive" of Portland is pretty apt.
     
    #116 drtth, Oct 17, 2014
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  17. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Or you could look to the country where that "innovation" was first developed. :-)
     
    #117 drtth, Oct 17, 2014
  18. dank203

    dank203 Maven (1,271) May 21, 2012 New Jersey

    oh man, I'd miss all those as well...and you're the one living in Germany. I believe that it could get boring...however some of my favorite beers are german, aventinus weizenbock is one., my first craft beer was ayinger hefe. so I have unlimited respect for german brewers,... unless I were living there for 3 months or longer, who knows I might get bored too
     
    #118 dank203, Oct 17, 2014
  19. Roguer

    Roguer Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,811) Mar 25, 2013 Connecticut
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Are you suggesting that I missed England? I'm asking because I'm not entirely sure. I don't mean to exclude England (and the UK in general), but I have less experience with their excellent cask beers, and cannot - from my own experience - put them up there with Germany, Belgium, and the US.
     
    #119 Roguer, Oct 17, 2014
  20. herrburgess

    herrburgess Grand Pooh-Bah (3,077) Nov 4, 2009 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    They are definitely up there. :wink:
     
    #120 herrburgess, Oct 17, 2014
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