German Beer Appreciation Thread (2026)

This is true and why I drink these styles more than others. The good news for us here in the U.S. (considering the tariff discussion) is many of our craft beer breweries are putting out excellent product in these styles now. As @JackHorzempa often points out, if we want fresh beer of good quality we can seek out our local breweries. Prost!

 

I've mentioned before that there are certain characteristics of some German brands that US breweries just can't seem to match. The US breweries are making good attempts, with many good results, but I'll really miss something like Spaten Oktoberfest or HB Maibock if a six-pack is going to mark up.

Can't even imagine Augustiner six-packs.

 

Well i did not buy a sixer but just a single of Augustiner Maximator back in November from my pricey former bottleshop in Hendersonville, NC for $4.50. We'll potentially see if tariffs go into play and the effect on future pricing.
Might as well talk about the beer that i am enjoying. Its good. Its bready and fruity. I think a couple of these would satisfy a fast at the monastery yesteryear. Bottle code =L057192548 which translates to February 26 (day 057), 2025 bottling date.
Cheers!
Tom

 

Just cracked the first Rothaus Pilsner from a recently acquired sixer for $22.99 in Asheville. Best before 02-27-2026. Tasting lively and refreshing. Nice flavor, dig the spicy herbal hop.
Cheers!
Tom

 

You are forgetting tariffs.

 

For fuck's sake! Leave beer alone!

 

My bet is the tariffs will never happen.

Cheers!

 

FWIW I agree with you 100% here.

But the person who started this thread for 2026 states....

Maybe @ATL6245 could be King Solomon here?

Prost!

 

@AZgman No, not relevant.

In the Covid days, once my Total Wine exhausted their supply of ABT12 in roughly the second half of 2022 and had to acquire more stock, the price point shot up by $5-6 per four-pack due to Covid based inflation (remember that The Fed wanted to raise all waters and keep the economy moving forward by increasing the money supply in order to avoid deflation/depression due to the world pausing). This was not true of all European beers but it was noticeable to me since i like to keep ABT12 around.

I created an MS Access database about 15 years ago (just to try to learn something new) because i am an accountant at heart and i wanted to track all facets of my purchases/imbibing. The first screen shot is from the Access database (price per bottle), and the second one is a current price of ABT12 at TW in Greenville, SC.

That said, if tariffs come into play ABT12 will likely exceed $30 which makes me sad and i question if i can continue to buy it - i likely will since Americans rarely make Quads (but i am sure @JackHorzempa has a stash of his homemade brew ).
Bar prices you can enjoy at home.
Cheers!
Tom

 

@Bavarican, @ATL6245 my 2¢ regarding the question of which focus for this thread …

1 - If only beers brewed by German brewers are allowed…
- the focus highlights these beers. which is good.
- the number of folks posting from outside Europe will skew towards aged beers and likely deteriorated quality. which is bad.

I for one would REALLY like to learn more about German beers that are unavailable over here, especially the small brewers who only distribute locally. This will require more folks from Europe to join BA and be active.

2 - Allowing German style beers brewed anywhere…
- opens the “community” to a much wider audience. which is good.
- allows the potential for misinterpretation of style, or just poor representation of style. which is bad.

I would love to have access to Adambier, Rheinländische, Lenhainer, Ungespundetes and others. Even if someone claims to brew one of these in North America, few of us would ever know if they are properly representative of the intended style. Having cross pollination with European consumers could help identify imposters.

In summary, I am on the fence (leaning towards more open) regarding how inclusive this thread should be.

 

*Innovative* interpretation.

Which is often, indeed, bad.

 

Ha ha. I debated making that comment. So happy you did. I love innovative interpretations, and FORTUNATELY they rarely work. Call me a traditionalist who enjoys the rare occasion of being wrong.

 

Nothing extraordinary, although it was 7.99/4 pints and has a spicy freshness that is unbeateable. I also appreciate the only exported fest-wheat-ale. If you visit Safety Harbor/Oldsmar and maybe even Clearwater be sure to visit Luekens (this is not an ad I assure you). The alcoholic beer market is run by Luekens in Tampa Bay, especially Clearwater unless you want to pay a premium. Oldsmar is especially good. I drink a lot of beer (manybeersofjg).

 

I really didn't want to touch this with a 10ft pole but Jack here provided me a sword. In keeping with the general instructions laid out by @Todd in the End of Year Thread Lockdown Protocols, the OP sets the parameters. It's my understanding it is only for beers made in Germany (note: the tile states "German Beer Appreciation (2026)" and not "German style Beer"). Plus the clarification by the OP. So those are the parameters. That said, it also leaves open the opportunity for a separate German Style Beer Appreciation thread. That's my nickel's worth (with inflation and all). Prost!

 

Point well taken.

 

I spent a ton of time in and around Oldsmar about 25 years ago for work- I need to get back to the area sometime. There was a little storefront BBQ place that was really good (Georgia Boy?). Not sure if it’s still there.
Cheers!