Introduction to German Beer

Except that damned July.

 

I could say the same thing to Anchor about dating their beers properly...

Why only these styles on draught?

I think this applies to many German styles, but not all. Pilsners, especially Northern German Pilsners, are hop forward to me.

Regarding body, I wouldn't say a style such as Doppelbock is lighter in body. I could probably say the same for Rauchbier too.

 

What other month has an "L" in it? Besides "A" (April), of course.

But what's the first letter of Anchor's most patriotic brand name and what patriotic holiday is July best known for? Liberty Ale/4th of July! Simple! And, remember that Liberty was first brewed in celebration of Paul Revere's ride in 1775 on the 18th of... oh damn, back to April!

 

Well hell, you never taught me THAT secret code! Probably would'a worked!

 

In recent years, I never had to get past the first digit, since the beer inevitably was bottled in the previous year.

 

Maybe as just a hey I can grab a pint without investing in a whole six??? Just guessing here...

As for alt...I can only name two readily available to me, and that's only because recently an older NJ brewery finally started canning their flagship "gesundheit" which is an altbier, other than that long trail ale. Though Kane, farther from me, just brewed one a month or so ago I thin. That's all I know, not readily available so I haven't tried it.

 

Luckily in MA we're seeing a lot (well a lot for this style).

Tributary, Notch, Schilling, and Jack's Abby (or maybe it's Springdale?) to name a few.

 

Lol, I spit my beer, I guess Casper is within view of Bumfuck Idaho. You should argue or should I saw discuss things with my wife, ugh no thanks, I think I have an internal off switch to the brain to keep my sanity. But I do love imported German beers, very much actually, but I have a strange palate and I’m date conscious, and perhaps too much so. But Red Oak is less than 10 minutes from my house so I feel comfortable there. No intent to be pain in the ass here, my apologies if it came across like that.

 

Another thread:

I'm "just kidden."

I agree with you. I never cared about knowing the exact day of the month when buying Anchor in the real world anyway. Beers without dates or codes were better targets for folk's anger than Anchor... but I'm a total hypocrite because sometimes I do the exact same thing - getting more annoyed by bad dating practices than undated product.

My most recent experience with this was coming across a beer with "Vintage:___" on the label and some code in the blank spot. I went to the brewer's FAQ on their website. (Ever wonder when Anchor will ditch the webpage with their formula BTW?) The brewer's FAQ had the question: “How can I tell if my beer is fresh?”

This was the answer: "Each of our beers has an 'Enjoy By' date. It’s that easy." Um, no (unless I missed something). Instead, you go to the question: “What about beers that can be cellared?” The answer to that question tells you that the middle two numbers in the code indicate the year of production. This is essentially worthless for a beer that the brewer categorizes as "year round" in their release calendar (which I had to look up). If it's December 2020, and you have a beer with a 2020 code, your beer can be fresh or a year old. Thanks for making me go through all of that effort for nothing.

All of the hoop jumping just to arrive at nothing useful (for a brewer that actually bothers to date their product and is attempting to communicate this to the consumer) was enough to annoy me.

 

Nah, it's the like the cult musician who only had one big hit and has to play it every night.

Plus, Anchor's webmaster finds that single FAQ question is responsible for 29% of the site's traffic.

Yes, that did happen, but in most cases, while one might find old Anchor products on retail shelves, it's a rare store in which one has to wonder which decade the beer was bottled in.

 

I feel bad (not that I should) when a performer opens a show and then ends a show with the same song.

Basements are a whole 'nother story.

 

Hey, you been peeking?!

 

I say dive in and wing it (my normal method as well - fear no beer) but with a little added qualification. There's been a lot of good advice about styles and freshness, and some of these imports can get pricey, so I'd say modify the dive in approach with a little knowledge of both style and bottling date or whatever is used. I say further that if you try something that doesn't seem quite right, maybe it really is that age factor coming into play - so don't give up after one attempt, and don't sell the domestic examples short - they are out there but can be hard to find truly accurate representation (I'm lucky - Jack's Abby and vonTrapp are readily available here).

The flavors might seem tame compared to some of the "typical" IPA's, fruit bombs, and stouts, but there's happiness to be found in the subtle as well. That's why a quick dip into the Pool of Style Knowledge would be good before diving into the fun part of drinking and discovering.

 

TRUTH! (If I can count my dining room closet...)

 

And the garage. And the storage unit.

(and no, it's not *all* beer in either)

 

Hard seltzer too right?

 

Guess you haven't been peeking.

(you were supposed to say, "just the storage unit." )

 

Those were some of the German styles I tried brewery fresh when I starting drinking quality beer.

Me also!

I was speaking at most German styles, there are always exceptions.
Cheers.

 

Not sure if anyone pointed out the decoction mash techniques employed by traditional German breweries, but I find it to be the primary difference (aside from style constrictions). I can immediately recognize the dense, smooth malt character that comes from decoction mashing even if the experts say no

 

And my favorite German beers hail from Kulmbach. Magic stuff, at times