Jever - The German Pilsener

well on this note I had a 20 or so year old bottle, i know it doesn't age but i had it lying around and figured why not, it was vile

 

Is this another "full circle" thread of BAs discovering well-brewed German lagers?

 

A popular complaint but, of course, all the skunking happens AFTER it arrives in N.A., at the retail level when the closed cases are ripped open and the beer stocked on shelves and in the coolers. (Even back when Jever came in plastic open-top crates, they were never light-struck - but I never took the chance and always grabbed one from the second level of the pallet).

Ain't it something? It does seems that too many US importers, distributors and retailers are stuck in the past and do not realize that many modern US beer drinkers would jump at the chance to buy the well-respected imported brands in cans, especially those that are typically sold in green glass. Of course, that won't be until the beer geeks out-number (or maybe just "out-buy"?) the "lightstruck is the flavor of imported beer" crowd. Supposedly when Pilsner Urquell eliminated their "single serve" 22 oz. bomber bottle, retailers were told to replace them with 500ml. cans and many buyers complained that it "didn't taste the same". (I even experienced trying to buy cases of cans and retailers refusing to sell them to me because they were their "singles" stock and didn't sell 24 at a time and have to re-order See, there is (well, "was") a benefit to PA's "case law").

 

I bought light struck bottles of Jever in Germany out of the plastic crates on the second level.

 

EDIT:

Were they "loose packed", 24 bottle crates? In the US, the Jever in the plastic crates were also "wrapped" as sixpacks (like these Lime Jever sixes), so had cardboard on the top of the bottles - combined with the high sides of the crate - it always worked out for me. Still, as much as I liked the plastic crate for other uses*, I was happy when they switched to totally closed cardboard for the US market.

* Like cellaring (bottom shelves of one of my cellaring racks w/4 Jever cases):

(there's also a crate behind the seats in my truck, holding maps, gloves, chain, rope, bungee cords, ice scrapers, etc.)

 

No, because it's stale, skunked and hard to find in the US.

 

Guten Morgen!

 

I miss that Stingo.

 

Ah, so do I. I was finding it on shelves up to a year after bottling but they've all since disappeared.

Collaborations often seem less than the sum of their brewers but Boulevard and Pretty Things really nailed that one right to the floor.

 

Loose packed 24 bottle crates.

 

Jever is discussed enough. It's a very good Pilsner. Pilsners do not get much discussion because frankly, they live within a fairly limited set of parameters - and the discussions would get boring. I say this as a lover of pilsners, and a loather of the narrow scope of many craft beer drinkers (e.g., stout, ipa, stout, repeat)

 

It's my 'go-to' Pilsner when I want a nice hoppy Lager. Here in Ottawa it's cheap & available in tall-boy cans. Really hits the spot on a warm day.

 

I like it a lot, but have only had it in Germany. Never seen Jever or Tannenzapfle in Colorado.
While I prefer Bavarian (specifically Franconian) pilsners, both of those are fantastic.

 

Not to nitpick (OK, who am I kidding, definitely to nitpick), but Jever defines the North German pilsener, which tends to be hoppier than pils made in other parts of the country.

Fresh Jever is pretty much #1 on my list of beers I want to try. I have yet to see it on shelves, fresh or otherwise, but I am on the lookout.

 

I noted the emoticon but I will respond anyway.

I personally would not specifically utilize the word “better” to describe US brewed German style beers but I would definitely use the word “fresher”. I can purchase US brewed German style beers that are only 1-2 months old. I can’t make that same statement concerning German imported beers.

For me “fresher” is a positive feature.

Cheers!

P.S. Whenever I see Jever less than 5-6 months old I buy it. Unfortunately finding Jever that ‘young’ is challenging.

 

It might interest you to know that the various ‘sub-styles’ of German Pilsner were very recently discussed in a Germany forum thread. Below is an amalgamation of folk’s posts:

“North German: hoppy, bitter, dry (Jever, Flensburger....);
Sauerland / Middle German: dry, a lot less bitter (Warsteiner, Krombacher ....);
South German: more malty, slight sweetness (many Pilsners from Bayern & B-W).

Franconian: as malty as Bavarian, almost, if not often as, hoppy as northern Pils! Commercial examples: Huppendorfer Pils, Gampertbräu Förster Pils, St. Georgen Bräu Buttenheim Pilsner...”

http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...-bought-and-drunk.118015/page-11#post-3921834

Cheers!

 

Very cool, thanks @JackHorzempa!

 

I lived in an area of Germany where Bitburger was king....a lot of the locals at the pub used to say Jever was shitty, I was OK with it, still like Bitburger better

 

Who would do that? Certainly not me. Granted, while I decidedly gravitate towards craft and the more authentic to their independent roots German brews, Jever is pretty much the only beer brewed by a big conglomerate industrial German brewer that I'll willingly drink in (relatively-speaking*) selection-starved Berlin. The other industrial pils brands available here, while 'drinkable' are rather devoid of much of anything resembling hops character.

Speaking of the Jever brand, I've heard rumors that the IBUs have been reduced over recent years. Anyone have any data on it?

* The average bars and restaurants typically will only have one pils style (due to the tied house system) and it's typically an industrial one (due to the tied house system), and most are not much more than a shadow of the style in comparison the the good independent ones (which generally aren't found much unless you know where to look, and even then they're tough to find).