Merry Christmas

 

Hofbrauhaus Wolters Brewery: Braunschweiger Beer

 

No, this is not a liverwurst flavored beer. Hofbrauhaus Wolters is a brewery in Braunschweig, Germany (English name, Brunswick). It is a city I have never visited in Germany, and so I cannot testify to the quality of their beer there as compared to other regions in the country.  However, the Hofbrauhaus Wolters brewery, which produces many varieties of beer, is exporting their products to the US. The chain Total Wines and More has several of their products-in cans. Up until recently, I have always turned up my nose at canned beer, but I have had good success lately in finding imported German beers in cans that are quite superior to what I had been spending decades trying in the US in bottles or draft.

If you go to their website, you will see that they produce virtually every variety of beer popular in Germany, Pils, Dunkles,  Hefeweizen, Lager, Maibock-you name it. Total Wines and  More has the first three available-in cans. I have tried the pils, and its not bad. As always, I add that it's probably much better in Germany.

As I write this, I am drinking another one of their canned products. It's called Brunonia Lager. It's 4.8% alcohol and good, with a smooth taste and no after taste. I am not a professional beer expert, so I won't go into the "floral hops", "hints of biscuit" talk. It's just a nice beer.

A New Brewery for Erlangen

 

When I was stationed in Erlangen from 1966-1968 with the US Army, the town had three breweries in operation, Erichbrau, Kitzmann, and Henniger-Reifbrau. Eventually, Henniger and Erichbrau were bought out by a larger brewery (I think it was Tucher of Nuremberg), and Kitzmann was bought out in 2018 by Kulmbacher, a major brewery in Kulmbach. Erlangen, a town which in the early 20th century, had earned a reputation as a "Bierstadt" (beer city) has been struggling in recent years to maintain that tradition. The re-establishment of an old brewery (Steinbach) has helped, and a few years ago, another former Erlangen brewery, Weller Bier, was re-established. And today, I read in the Erlanger Nachrichten that a new brewery is being opened in Erlangen, Entlas Brau. 

https://www.nordbayern.de/region/erlangen/entlas-brau-will-erlangens-tradition-als-bierstadt-fortsetzen-1.10386612

The owner of Entlas Brau, Vincenz Schiller, is the son of Thomas Engelhardt, owner of the Entlas Keller located on the grounds of Erlangen's annual Bergkirchweih. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Engelhardt several years back when I was writing my book on Erlangen. During the warmer months of the year (April-September), the Entlas Keller is open and features a limited daily menu, often with duck, as the name Entlas Keller implies (Ente=duck).

Hopefully, if I ever get back to Erlangen, I can sample the new brew.

Recommendation: Dinkelacker

I recall that when I was in the Army in Germany way back in the 1960s, one of the German brands I particularly liked was Dinkelacker of Stuttgart. It is the major brewery in Stuttgart, and is imported to the US. Lately, I have been having good luck with German beer in cans (here in the US). That is particularly true of Dinkelacker pils, which comes in .5 liter cans. It is clean, smooth and no after taste. I have not tried the bottles yet.



The ad for Dinkelacker says it is floral, grassy, and biscuity. I have no idea what that means. It's just a good beer.

Is (Imported) German Beer Better in Cans?

Call me crazy, but recently, I have been having great success buying German beer in cans rather than bottles. All my life, I have preferred draft beer, bottled beer, then canned beer in that order.

I don't know what the reason is, but it seems the canned versions of German beers I have bought in the US taste closer to the real thing than the bottled or draft varieties in stores or restaurants. True, the 5-liter kegs are good, but you need to consume them quickly before they start to go stale. I guess they are better for parties. I should know this, but perhaps, the pasteurization-preservative requirement for imported beer in the US has been loosened for cans.

The first time I was pleasantly surprised was with Bitburger in cans a few years ago. I am particularly excited about the Veltins Brewery Grevensteiner Land Bier pictured above. I also currently have a few cans of Paulaner in my fridge. It is pretty good, but I definitely prefer the Grevensteiner.

All in all, the above beers have a smooth, clean taste and a frothy head like I expect in Germany.

Next time you are shopping for German beer, give them a try.

Grüner Bier Lives!

Back in the 1960s when I was a GI in Erlangen, there was a local beer I really enjoyed. It was  Grüner, a brewery located in nearby  Fürth. next to Nuremberg. This beer was featured at at least one restaurant in Erlangen, Koenig Otto (which is now a hotel).

Eventually, Grüner was bought out (with many other local breweries) by the major Nuremberg brewery Tucher and disappeared. Now I have learned that it has been revived by Tucher and not only that, they have their own brewery-restaurant in Fürth, the Grüner Brauhaus, located at 1 Theresienstrasse.

http://www.gruener-bier.de/

Needless to say, when I get back to Erlangen, a trip to have dinner at the Grüner Brauhaus restaurant in  Fürth will be on my list.

A Beer Recommendation (in the US) Veltins Grevensteiner

There is a lesser known brewery that has reached the US market recently, Veltins from the Nordrhein  Westfalen area of Germany. I have seen it on draft at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim, but have generally passed it by in favor of other beers on tap.

But yesterday while visiting our local Total Wine and More store, I picked a 4-pack of Veltins, Grevensteiner  Land Bier in cans.

Was I surprised because it had the real taste of German beer. Creamy, frothy head, clean, malty. I like it!

https://www.grevensteiner.de/en/

The Veltins brewery has different varieties of beer, but what I am writing about here is the Land Bier. I don't know what it is like on tap or bottles, but the cans are great. Really.

Beer in Bamberg

Bamberg town hall


Bamberg is a picturesque town in the northern Franconian region of Bavaria. If you are old enough to remember the song and film, "Town Without Pity", it was filmed in Bamberg and nearby Forchheim and based on a story set in Bamberg. During my time as an MP in nearby Erlangen, in the 1960s, Bamberg was referred to by GIs as the "Town Without Pity".

Bamberg is also one of those towns in Germany, like Dortmund and Kulmbach, that is noted for beer. (Need I even mention Munich?) When I was first there (Our MP company had a detachment in Bamberg), I enjoyed Bamberger Hofbrau, which I thought was one of the best beers in the region (just my taste). I even got myself a Bamberger Hofbrau wall poster that unfortunately disappeared over time after I got back home. As for the brewery itself, it was eventually bought up by the Tucher brewery in Nuremberg. Below is what I think is an exact replica that I just found on the internet.




However, Bamberg is most noted for its Rauch beer or smoked beer. It is dark and has a smoky taste to it. Personally, I prefer to stay with the pils-helles types.

Here is a website (in German)  that promotes Bamberg beer.

Here is a more specific one (in English) that lists the top breweries/restaurants in Bamberg.

Going strictly from memory, one of the main brewpubs is located right on the street that runs between the town hall (built over the river Regnitz) and the famous cathedral (which holds the remains of a former pope). If I recall correctly, the restaurant used to belong to the now defunct Bamberger Hofbrau. On my last trip to Bamberg in about 2004, we had dinner and beer there under new ownership, but I don't recall the brewery.

You can find the Schenkerla Rauch beer in the US now as well as their regular beer in bottles or cans. I have tried the regular stuff and it wasn't bad (for an import, of course).



But if you are ever in the vicinity of Bamberg, it is well worth a visit and not just for the beer. It is a beautiful little town.

Erlangen Bergkirchweih Cancelled Due to Corona Virus

Bad news to report. The annual beer fest in Erlangen (Bergkirchweih), arguably the 2nd most popular in Bavaria, has been cancelled die to the Corona virus. Also cancelled are nearby fests in Bamberg (Sandkerwa) and Forchheim (Annafest). The news was announced this week in the Erlanger Nachrichten.



The Bergkirchweih begins every year on the Thursday before Pentacost and lasts 12 days. It is a great event. I am sure it will be missed in Erlangen this year.

German Beer at Rasselbock's (Mar Vista)

I had a nice experience Friday night in terms of German food and drink. For quite some time I have been meaning to try Rasselbock's German Kitchen and Beer Garden, both in Mar Vista (W Los Angeles) and Long Beach. Friday night I had to take my wife to LAX for a trip to Mexico. Since it was about dinner time, I headed north to Mar Vista and had dinner at Rosselbach's.

It's a small place, but I got a table and ordered dinner and a couple of beers. The first one I chose was Weihenstephaner Lager. I was very pleasantly surprised. It came with the type of tall, creamy head you would get in Germany. The taste was also excellent. It had that creamier texture common in German beers as opposed to our watery swill. It was also quite smooth, and with the exception of the Las Vegas Hofbrauhaus, was probably the most authentic tasting German beer I have had in the US. Of course, it was served American-style cold.

The second beer was Spaten Oktoberfest. It was fine, but I should have stayed with the Weihenstephaner.

Another thing I liked is that they bring your beer in a glass of the beer you order, for example, my Weihenstephaner came in a Weihenstephaner glass (just like the one above-.5L) and the Spaten Oktoberfest came in a Spaten Oktoberfest glass.

The food was also very good though the menu is pretty much limited to schnitzels and wursts, which suits me fine. The only real negative is that the establishment is in the middle of a homeless encampment.