Ranking your favorite German breweries.

KROPF DARK, that settles it. this thread is closed

 

Absolutely. And I'll to your excellent short list (especially Kneitinger) with some more good ones:

Zum Schluessel
Malzmuehle
Kuchlbauer
Glaabsbraeu
Faessla
Waldschlossbrauerei Frammersbach
and on and on ...

 

Well, I do know that some of my ancestors were hill folk back in the "old country," and that most of my family are hillbillies today. (Maybe that's why I'm partial to Highland single malts??)

 

Coloradogets shit on when it comes to German distro. But my list looks like this...
1. Ayinger and it ain't even close. Jarhundert bier is one of my favorite beers of all time.
2. Sherlenkerla . I haven't seen the helles, and we didnt get the fastenbier, but everything else is great.
3. Everything else. After my top two I am just as likely to pick up a paulaner as I am a hacker pschorr. Nothing wrong with these beers, I just like ayinger and Scherlakerla a bit more.

 

These lists are pretty good really. Traveling in Germany gives you an idea of beer and culture combined, and beers are in every town. The beers are not nearly as monolithic as many assume.

 

1.Schlenkerla
2.Schneider
3.Weihenstephan
4.Uerige
5.Riegele
6.Crew Republic
7.Freigeist
8.Ritterguts
9.Strassenbräu
10.Ayinger.

 

Bayreuther
Aktienbrau
Weltenburger
Ayinger
Andechs
Aecht Schlenkerla
Paulaner
Weihenstephaner
Schlagl
Kulmbacher

 

1. Ayinger (Alt Bayrisch is one of my favorite beers in the world, and their Oktoberfest is the best as well)
2. Schneider
3. Weihenstephaner
4. Münchner Augustiner
5. Hofbräu
6. Jever
7. Paulaner
8. Bitburger
9. Köstritzer
10. Gaffel

Austrian brands (related, but not German)
1. Trumer
2. Augustiner-Müllner Bräu
3. Stiegl
4. Ottakringer
5. Gösser

 

My favorite is a glass on the patio in that nondescript Bavarian town enjoyed alongside locals. The experience is easy to replicate throughout that region.

Otherwise give me an Oktoberfest beginning in September and typically get a six/four of all ones above but last year really enjoyed the Hofbrau whereas it has not always been my favorite.

 

@ZAP see the two posts above, especially @hopfenunmaltz 's.

Do you want JUST imports? Because you'll get wildly different lists depending on one's experience traveling to Germany.

This would be akin to going to the Germany forum and asking them to list their favorite US beers. And the list might look something like this...

1) Stone
2) Sierra Nevada
3) Dogfish Head
...etc.

Whereas my list might go something like this because I'm in the US...

1) Notch
2) Hill Farmstead
3) Allagash
...etc.

I think you'll be ok going to England for cask ales and Scotland for Scotch.

 

You can find some of those in Munich if you try.
Tegernsee has an outlet in Munich, right across from Schneider.
Schönram can be found in Munich.

 

Ayinger and Bayerischer Bahnhof.

 

Exactly. If someone started a “best British breweries” thread, then no doubt - despite it being 2019 - we’d still see Sam Smiths being mentioned (shudder).

@dcotom congrats. Scottish (well three quarters Scottish and a quarter English - I don’t talk about the second part) here, born in Glasgow. Just got back from a London>Cotswolds>East Lothian trip with my wife and two small kids. You’ll have a great time when you make it over.

 

This is an extremely tough question. I was fortunate last month to take a bucket-list trip to Germany and enjoy beers in Cologne, Dusseldorf, Munich and Bamberg over two weeks. Needless to say, Germany is filled with the best beer in the world IMO. I thought that before the trip even, just based on the imports, but after visiting it’s just forever confirmed in my mind.

That being said, I think it’s almost too hard to choose favorites, but I will try anyway with my ‘approximate tops!

1.) Augustiner … This may be the only one on the list that I’m sure of. Went there three of four times, at multiple locations while in Munich and was just blown away with each visit. The Lagerbier (from the barrel!), Edelstoff, Dunkel, Maibock… All phenomenal. If I went back to Munich and could only go to one brewery, this would be it. Just last week I found a local import shop that actually had 6-packs of Edelstoff, actually kept cold and fresh most importantly, which has made my heart grow fonder even more… Needless to say, I’m headed back to buy even more!

2.) Spezial in Bamberg – So when it comes down strictly to the beer, Schlenkerla would edge Spezial out. However, I’d give the nod to Spezial when in Bamberg due to a larger variety available (a few beers versus just two at Schlenkerla) plus that incredible Spezial-Keller location on top of the hill. Just a better overall ‘experience’, if you will. I am a Rauchbier fein, so visiting this city was just unreal.


3.) Cologne… This pick my be cheap, but I say Cologne as a whole… The Kolsch served all over is just incredible and it’s just too difficult to pick particular favorites… Päffgen, Peters, Gaffel, Gilden, Fruh, Reissdorf, etc.. I just love absolutely love this city and it’s beer. The small nuisances between the flavors of the Kolsch between the different breweries is an experience. Some with a bit more noble hop characters, others with more malt complexity… But all so crisp and beautiful.


4.) Hofbrauhaus… Now, we only walked through the touristy location in Munich, but did go to the beer garden (Hofbräukeller) and had one of the best Helles of the trip. The Garden was beautiful, relaxed and really wish we spent more time here. Back home, we go to our Cleveland location once and a while and always enjoy the beer immensely. The imports are top notch as well, with last year’s Oktoberfest being the best. Can’t wait for this years!


5.) Paulaner … Also one of our most frequently visited while in Munich. Always amazing beer, fantastic food as well. The Paulaner Oktoberfest is a classic, one of which I need to buy each year! Always been a huge fan.


That’s my best shot… Aside from #1 though, it’s just too difficult… Aecht Schlenkerla, Keesman, Ayinger, Schneider, Köstritzer, Rothaus… All up there as well and many others I’m forgetting, I’m sure. We simply just had too much incredible beer over there!

 

Probably Henninger. It's Frankfurt's beer, but I've never seen it in the states.

 

Don't be too hasty. My father in law's parents came to NYC from a small town south of the Danish border in 1930. My mother in law's parents arrived from Hamburg in 1927. Both families can trace their German ancestors back at least 3 generations in their home towns. My wife's Ancestry DNA results showed her to be 66% English, 20% "western European", followed by Scandinavian & other.

 

Someone asked me this the other day and I'm not sure I can. It's tough to compare a brewery like Weihenstephaner that brews a dozen or more wonderful items to a place like Schumacher that might have 2.

Generally speaking, I feel like most of the breweries that are near but not actually in Munich produce a very high level of beers. Andechs, Weihenstephaner, and Ayinger being prime examples. In Munich I'd say Augustiner and Hofbrau are head and shoulders above the others, although everyone has at least 1-2 gems.

In Bamberg there aren't many bad beers to be had and there are about 25 great ones. There are some places with occasional consistency issues, though.

Haven't been to Regensberg, but the bottles I've had from there are pretty amazing. Flavor profiles remind me of the breweries surrounding Munich.

Never had anything less than stellar from Dusseldorf or Cologne. They might not have much in terms of variety, but they do what they do rather well. Fresh altbier is something to behold. I appreciate Kolsch, but it doesn't captivate me like it does some people.

Outside of those areas, Jever and Rothaus are making great beers in other regions.

 

I’ve lurked on here long before an account. This is a great subject (even though I can only get what imports Ohio allows in), and I’d add (for my first post):

Julius Echter Hefe-Weissebier Hell (Wurzburger Hofbrau).

While I could concede that the Andechs might be the best of this category, I love that Julius has its differences as less sweet, less tart, less clove, and more like drinking an apricot inside-out without at all being like a wit.

 

What a garbage list...not one IPA on there.

But seriously, I'm planning on possibly hitting up Oktoberfest (I've already been) next fall and doing this exact trip. Dusseldorf, Cologne, and Bamberg (never been to any of them), and obviously Munich.

My brother wants to go, but my other brother is hesitant since he's a Bud Light drinker...