Moving to california this summer ( south of Fresno) My favorite beer styles are German beers ( malty lagers, wheat beers) Sure, I like IPAs, but only when I get into a kick and that never lasts for long. 2-3 weeks every year or so. Am I moving from one beer graveyard to another for what I like to drink? At least there is Sierra Nevada.
Not necessarily close to Fresno but if you are in the Oakland area, check out Linden Street Brewery - several solid German-style beers.
Unfortunately, you're likely moving to a beer graveyard period depending on how far south of Fresno you are. Sudwerk is your answer, but local options will be limited. What.
Does Sudwerk even bottle/can? Not like I'm going to drive that far just for a brewery I've heard is mediocre from people who like German style beers.
Also can't help Fresnoites but Ol Republic makes some fantastic germanic lagers: http://olrepublicbrewery.com/The_Beer.html I wish they had better distribution outside of the Sacramento area. Occasionally you'll find their stuff in SF Bay Area, but not often.
i have seen Sudwerk bombers in SF Bay Area, but particularly their Cascaderade India Pale Lager, which you're probably not interested in. We also got their Bourbonator (bba dopplebock) in 22s too. Don't think I've ever seen a six pack of their beers.
You'll probably have easy access to Gordon Biersch bottles in your area and, you know, Pivo Pils... FW also usually has Hefeweizen at the brewpub.
Sudwerk absolutely bottles and cans, bombers and six packs, and are fairly widely distributed across the state. They make exceptional beers, IMO.
Cool, good to know they are available! It's always hard getting opinions about breweries who do a lot of German style beers. You never know if it's someone like myself who has high standards, or if it is someone who just doesn't like them, or someone who thinks if it isn't hopped to shit/barrel aged that it's "crap."
Sudwerk has been been around since the early 90's. They were amazing early however, they went through some growing pains and had to 'split' from the restaurant. Their beer for several years got very generic and un-inspired. Over the past couple years, they've really stepped up their game and are making some amazing beers. If you go to the brewery, go to the Dock Store, not the restaurant. They are looking to get the restaurant back.
Second this. Outstanding beer coming from these guys. They just finished an expansion so maybe more of their bottles will start getting out of the Sac area...
