Hacker-Pschorrbrau Oktoberfest Beer

Recently, I wrote about how I was pleasantly surprised by my purchase of a 6-pack of Hacker-Pschorbrau (bottles).

Well now, I am even happier with my purchase of 12-pack box (bottles) of their Oktoberfest Maerzen. At 5.8% alcohol, it has an amber color and a rich, smooth taste-with no aftertaste. Nothing fancy-just good taste.

As I always note, German imported beer has historically suffered in comparison to that drunk in Germany, but that situation has improved considerably. Again, I have been away since 2013, and that may affect what I consider authentic, but I am very happy with the improvements in German beer imports. That includes Hacker-Pschorrbrau. 

Bavarian Festbier

 

It's approaching that time of the year again, and to celebrate in advance, I picked up a 4-pack of cans of Paulaner Oktoberfest beer and a 6-pack of bottles of Weihenstephaner Fest Bier. They are both very good, though likely a tad better in Bavaria.

Paulaner is a Munich brewery,  and thus, its "Fest" period is the world-famous Oktoberfest in Munich.

Weihenstephaner is the world's oldest brewery and is located near Munich in the town of Freising. That town has several beer-centered events throughout the year (below).

By the way, this may be a bit sacrilegious, but I am in the habit of drinking my German beers at home in a frosted mug. There is nothing wrong with really cold German beer. It also helps build up that big creamy head that is a must with German beer. 

Looking for German Beer in Big Bear

 

This past week, we headed up to Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino mountains for three days, also spending some time in Lake Arrowhead with relatives. Over the years, Big Bear has acquired a reputation for German food and beer not only by having a couple of German restaurants, but also by having a very popular Oktoberfest celebration (which I have yet to experience).

At any rate, we rented a cabin-style house for three days and set out to find any German restaurants still remaining. It appears that at the moment, there is only one German place in town, the German Deli on Big Bear Blvd. It is currently only open to 3 pm, so dinner was out of the question. We dropped in for lunch. The menu has no schnitzels, basically just various types of sausages. (There is also a deli counter).

Cutting to the chase, I first ordered a bottle of Flensburger, which is marketed in the US with the old-style flip tops. After that, it was a Weltenburger Fest Bier, Maerzen (can). Both were quite good. 

For you German history buffs, Flensburger comes from the town of Flensburg on the Danish border. Flensburg was the site of the Doenitz post-Hitler government for several days after Hitler's suicide in Berlin. Several of the Nazi leaders convened in Flensburg where they negotiated the final surrender of Germany to the allies.