I am new to enjoying beer in Germany. Before running into an American in a Stuttgart hotel that reminded me of the joy I got from homebrewing in my college days - I had been drinking standard Pilsners, Kolsch and Alt beers. I knew they were better than Coors, Budweiser or Molson to my taste, but never got excited about it. Since that time I have been traveling ever further to search new Getränkemarkts and looking for new different beers. At my local Getränkemarkt Maisel & Friends has arrived - and I like the variety. A bock/stout and... "Oh my" an IPA - I love it. Recently I went with my to the Chiemgau region and I started checking out breweries there tasting beers near the source that I never heard of. I learned wheat beer isn't my thing, but I can appreciate it. I also learned reading about Bavarian beer culture and it's evolution is very interesting. My question is, after being woken up from my taste slumber, what is there to drink and explore in the Rhein-Main area? Just curious what others turn to and how you handle this great "problem" of being aware.
I love all of the offerings from Faust. I also enjoy the IPA & DIPA from Crew Republic out of Munich. Camba has some good stouts...
Koln is not too far away, right? Maybe you would enjoy the Freigeist beers? “Freigeist • Germany Freigeist is the experimental offshoot of Cologne’s revolutionary small brewery, Braustelle. Brewers Peter Esser and Sebastian Sauer strive to break the chains of the modern mainstream brewing industry by reviving and updating Germany’s unique, historical beer styles, many of which disappeared only a few decades ago. At a time when the global beer revolution seemed to have been passing Germany by, Freigeist’s edgy, challenging-yet-balanced and drinkable interpretations have helped re-establish the country as a major force in brewing. Brewery Website: http://www.braustelle.com/ beers Freigeist Abraxxxas Freigeist Bière De Vie Freigeist Geisterzug Gose Freigeist Geisterzug Gose (Rhubarb and Quince) Freigeist Hibiskuss Freigeist Hoppeditz Freigeist Ottekolong Freigeist Peated Abraxxxas Freigeist Peated Porter Freigeist Phoebe Caulfield Freigeist Pimock Freigeist Salzspeicher Freigeist Salzspeicher (Cherry and Raspberry) Freigeist/Jester King Sauer Power Freigeist/Nøgne Ø Best Brewjob Ever Freigeist/Trois Dames Smuggler’s Gose Cheers!
In Germany (perhaps more so than any other great beer culture), what you drink depends on where you drink. Where exactly do you live -- and how willing are you to travel?
I live in the Rhein-Main area. Specifically north of Wiesbaden direction Limburg.... and I work in Frankfurt. Regional for me consists of what comes from Frankfurt, at least considering from what is carried in my local drink markets. Frankfurt beers, from what I see, come from Binding and Licher. I know beers from Pfungstadt as well, but that is about 100km from my house and not really local. I am looking for something out of the ordinary though, and have learned in Germany - a man might have to venture to get some variety. Willingness to travel is relative. I have been traveling to bottle shops and do travel quite a bit, within southern Germany, for my job. What I am looking for is good variety to try out. Köln is not that far away and we have friends there, so next time we go up there I will see out the Freigeist!
That's a tough one -- a bit like someone moving from Germany to, say, Mississippi, and looking for that much-ballyhooed "American 'craft' beer revolution" s/he read so much about on the internet. In short, FFM is about as bad as it gets for German beer/culture; it really is a Apfelwein town. The good news is that if you are regularly getting over to Southern Germany, you should be able to find a good variety of beers: traditional as well as "craft." I'd say it is well worth your time and effort to get to Bamberg (or at least Franconia) and start exploring there. Any chance of that? If so, let me know and I can give you (many, many) more details.
Have you visited the NaÏv Brewpub in Frankfort? That brewpub has been discussed many times in Germany threads by Tony (@boddhitree) and he has a favorable opinion of that place. Here is one of Tony’s posts: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/looking-for-help-in-frankfurt.210136/#post-2767785 Cheers!
Frankfurt is not the best for German beer. People have written here about good bottle shops or places to go in Wiesbaden, but I don't have any personal experience with that. I'm a huge fan of Düsseldorf and highly recommend the "big 4" Alt brewers there - Uerige, Schumacher, Füchschen, and Schlüssel (n.b., not to be confused with Schlosser). Generic Alts like Diebels and Frankenheimer are just that - generic. Likewise if you are drinking Dom Kölsch there are probably better examples to try. I hope I don't sound like a broken record, but if you're looking for quality, "traditional" German brews, the internet is your friend, specifically these two (sister) websites: http://www.biershop-bayern.de and http://www.biershop-braugasthoefe.de. Grab a variety pack and see what floats your boat. Or go to Schlenkerla's website or Kneitinger's website and order a box of goodies (and they will be goodies). Also I second @-N8 's recommendation of Faust. Everything they make is good, Pils, Schwarzviertler Dunkel, Dopplebock, Hefeweizen, etc., all good.
A bit out of the way, but if you are willing to go to Köln not so bad, but the Siegburger Brauhaus in Siegburg (across the river from Bonn) is pretty good. I think it's a seasonal, but they make one of the best Schwarzbiers I've ever had. Perhaps the other stuff is good but not worth going so far out of the way for, so maybe send them an email seeing when they expect to make it again. but http://www.siegburger-brauhaus.de/ Up in Köln Braustelle isn't that bad itself - nothing remarkable - but decent. The one thing is their Helios Tripelbock while sort of meh fresh is *really* good aged for a year. In Frankfurt itself, Naïv, as mentioned, is worth a stop. It's not the best, but if you are in the area it's worth checking out. If you are willing to travel further afield, going somewhere like Leipzig offers up interesting beer like Gose, which incidentally has become a really (relatively) popular style in the US in the last couple of years. If you want to step out of the German tradition, I'd say head to Berlin where there's some interesting stuff going on. But things are changing so fast (things have exploded here in Bremen just over the last six months or so) that keep looking, new things are popping up all the time. And of course, you aren't that far from Belgium and the Netherlands, both great places for beer.
Thanks for all of the suggestions. A really great community here. Looks like I will rely mostly on bottle shops around home and do most of my exploring when I venture out for work/vacation. I am headed back to the Chiemgau region again this weekend and see what I can find there. My agenda is already pretty packed but with any luck, I will post a review or two of cool places. At a minimum I think I`ll find a couple beers to review.
Down in the Cheimgau you should be able to easily find the Hofbrau Traunstein Biere. IMO, their Gastroweisse (and their other Weizens) are world-class...and their "normal" offerings -- including their Helles (which you can also find from the wooden barrel) and Zwickel -- are excellent as well.
IMO, Traunstein is an excellent brewery. I have enjoyed drinking all of the brands that I have tried but the Zwickel is my favorite. Another brand I would specifically recommend is the Dunkel: “Self-Defined Style: Dunkel Specifications Strength (ABV): 5.3% ABV Dark Munich style brewery malt is processed in a traditional mashing process using old traditions. A fine caramel flavour and a high original gravity is a special feature of our beers. With your first mouthful from a refreshing glass you’ll be convinced by the quaffable, distinct beer aroma. Best With: Dark lagers are the ideal accompaniment to all manner of sausages, particularly hearty variations including bratwurst and kielbasa. It also works beautifully with baked ham.” Cheers!
When in the Rhein-Main region, take a trip to Frammersbach on a sunny day. Frammersbach is in the Spessart hills (mountains?) The local brewpub (of Waldschloßbräu) is a great place.
Also - be sure you are talking to your bartender and other patrons when visiting places, they're always a great source of information. Tell them where you are from if you are from out of town - I found out about Braustelle from a bartender in Amsterdam before I had seen it on here (maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough, who knows ) and found out about the Siegburg place chatting with somebody somewhere about some gypsy brewer (can't remember who now) that was brewing there. I've been shocked actually that several places I've added here weren't on here (Berlin Bier Shop for example). We get used to thinking everything there is to see is on the internet, but between how fast everything is changing and sites like this not being as popular with German beer drinkers, it's definitely still worth talking to people.
+1 to this. Waldschloss Export is one of best beers I have had during my last several trips to Germany.
Just wanted to thank you for this link. Been looking for a somewhat cost effective way to get my hands on Ayinger's entire lineup, and, because of this excellent store and you - I have. Ordered monday, package arrived today friday, every bottle intact. Cue glorious drinking.
The site is indeed mouthwatering and they ship to the European Union, so i am in. As far i see the most economic option would be having 18 beer cardboards from a single brewery to make up for the shipment. But then you have more options as the bierpaketen; Herein contained are also specialties of smaller breweries that their beers usually sell exclusively to their own village around and are hardly known nationwide. In return, these beers are brewed with passion and of the highest digestibility and excellent quality. http://www.biershop-bayern.de/?bierpakete=92 Love it!
