Oettinger Brewery

Out here in California, I am always looking for German import beers that I have not previously tried. While visiting the Old World Village in Huntington Beach this week, I saw that their deli shop was featuring beers from the Oettinger Brewery, which is located primarily in Oettingen, Bavaria. I picked up a can of what they call "Bavarian Helles". 

Also featured were other Oettinger products, including pils, special export, and "Thuringia beer". That caused me some confusion, and originally I thought Oettingen was in the state of Thuringia. It is not, but the Oettinger company also has breweries in Braunschweig and Mönchengladbach, as well as a now-closed brewery in Gotha-which is in Thuringia, part of the former East German DDR.

Oettingen

According to their advertising, Oettinger describes itself as "an affordable beer" available throughout Germany.

What I had was good. It was in a large can and was 4.7% alcohol. Maybe I should have gotten the export. It was 5.4%. Next time

Erlangen Bergkirchweih 2026 is Coming

As I often do around this time of year, I am announcing the soon-to-begin Erlangen beer fest (Bergkirchweih), which will run from May 21 to June 1, corresponding to Pentecost. This is the world's oldest beer fest, dating back to 1755.

I have picked out a couple of articles that describe the coming events. The first (in German)  is from the Erlanger Nachrichten (newspaper) and describes the beer being brewed for the event by the Nuremberg-based Tucher Brewery.

The  second article, from Pixelschmitt, is in English and is a guide to the events for visitors.

When I was stationed in Erlangen in the late 1960s, there were three breweries in existence: Erichbrau, Kitzmann, and Henniger. On my last visit in 2013, that list was down to two, Kitzmann and the recently re-established Steinbach. Since then, Kitzmann has been bought up by the Kulmbacher brewery which still produces the Kitzmann recipe out of Kulmbach. 

However, also in recent years, two new breweries have opened, one is the Weller brewery in the Thalermuehle area of Erlangen. The other is Entlas Keller, produced by a small restaurant of the same name, which is located on the festival grounds, but which remains open during the year. I have yet to try it.

I'm not sure exactly which beers will be featured this year outside of Tucher and Steinbach. I assume Entlas Keller will be serving their own beer. In recent years, the old Erichbrau recipe has also been available. I am guessing that the Kitzmann beer recipe will also be available from Kulmbach, which, like Nuremberg, is not too far away, though not as close as Nuremberg. My personal favorite is Kitzmann.

The Bergkirchweih is well worth a visit. There are attractions for all age groups.

Mannheim Beer? Eichbaum Helles

 In the world of German beer, Mannheim is not a place generally considered on a par with Munich, or even other beer cities like Dortmund.  Today, I experimented with a .5 liter can I picked up at the Old World Village store in Huntington Beach, California. Introducing Eichbaum Helles.

This product is produced by the Eichbaum Brewery of Mannheim. The alcohol content is 5.0%. It has a clean, crisp taste, and while it doesn't stand out (to my taste) among imported German beers, it is what I would expect-in other words, superior to American brews, especially the major brands.  

Like any good German brewery, Eichbaum has its own brauhaus/restaurant in Mannheim. 

As of last October, the brewery, which goes back to 1679, was faced with financial insolvency. Apparently, it is still holding on since its products are still on the US market.

Anyway, if you are tired of the usual Munich imports and want to experiment, it is worth a try.

My New Book

 

This is to announce to all my friends, enemies, and readers that I have just published my 4th book. Unlike my first three books, which had nothing to do with drugs, DEA, or law enforcement, this one is autobiographical. It is the story of my law enforcement career, beginning as a US Army military policeman in Germany in the 1960s, my 2-1/2 years as a US Customs agent, and my 22 years with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), lasting to 1995. It also has chapters about my experiences dealing with campus anti-Semitism issues when I was teaching at the University of California at Irvine from 1998-2016. In addition, there is a chapter dealing with militant Islam, based on my personal experiences from about 2006 to the present.

The book is available on Amazon, either in hardback, paperback, or E-copy (Kindle).

Bismarkhbrau From Eibau

 

We have previously written about various beers produced by the Eibau Brewery in Eibau, Germany on the German border with Poland. This is yet another Eibau Brewery product. It is called Bismarkhbrau -Das Pilsner. It is 4.8% alcohol, and I just picked up a 4-pack of tall cans at Total Wines and More. The cost is reasonable, I think about 12 dollars for 4 cans.

I am not sure why the variation in the spelling of the former German chancellor's name. 

Henninger Beer From Frankfurt (or Dortmund?)

 

I recently picked up a 4-pack of Henninger beer at Trader Joe's, for under $8. They are tall cans, 1 pint 9 ounces, and the alcohol content is 4.8%. Henniger is one of the major breweries in Frankfurt, at least it was, but looking at the can confused me.  According to information on the can, it was brewed and canned in  Dortmund, Germany, one of the country's largest beer-producing cities. Could it be that a Dortmund conglomerate had bought out Henninger? This has been happening in Germany over the past few decades, resulting in what many Germans call "industrial beer".

Henniger was established in Frankfurt in 1869, and in my past visits to Frankfurt, I was not excited about the beer-but that's just my taste. Going to Henninger's current website, I learned that, indeed, the company went bankrupt in 1996 and was sold to the Radeberger Group in 2001. Yet, the brewery still keeps its iconic Henninger Tower (Frankfurt) logo, and its Radeburger Group address is still in Frankfurt.

So what is with the Dortmund angle? I could write to them and ask, but why bother? Why don't you?  

Früh Kölsch From Cologne

Kölsch beer is a special type of German beer brewed in the city of Cologne. Rather than describe exactly what it is and how it is brewed, I will let you read about it here.

There are various breweries in Cologne that brew Kölsch. One of them that imports to the US is Früh Kölsch, by the Cölner Hofbräu brewery. Comparatively speaking, this is a fairly young brewery (1904).

The alcohol content is 4.8% and a 6-pack of bottles runs about $15 at Total Wines and More. 

Bamberg's Schenkerla Brewery

Bamberg town hall

Bamberg is a lovely town in northern Bavaria's Franconian region, and it is also noted for its beer. The Schenkerla brewery is particularly noted for its Rauchbier (smoked beer), which, as the name implies, has a smoky flavor to it. To be honest, smoked beer is not exactly to my taste. I have tried it in Bamberg but prefer to stick to the more traditional brews.

Schenkerla does, however, have a variety of beers, and it also offers a pale lager, which I have been able to find in my local Total Wines & More. It comes in a 4-can pack and can be recognized by its blue label. The cans have the same color and label design as the bottles (pictured below).

The alcohol content is 4.3%, and the taste is similar to that of Bitburger, with a slightly bitter taste. 

Franconia Bierfest Schedule 2025

Bamberg

A hearty welcome to the eternal beer fest calendar, in which we have compiled the important dates for the Franconian beer lover. Naturally, that includes the oldest "church fair" in Bavaria, the Michaelische Kirchweih (first mentioned 1100 AD). Classics like the Bamberger Sandkerwa, and the newest ones like the Bayreuther Beer Days, or the Schweinfurt City Festival. (You can find the exact dates on the respective websites.)

We wish you a lot of fun!

Courtesy of Bierland-Franken.de, I am cross-posting their schedule of regional beer fests in the northern Bavarian region of Franconia (Franken). If you click the link to the respective fest websites, you can get the exact dates.

If you are in the region this year, these beer fests are not to be missed.

Weltenburger Kloster Hell

 Weltenburger Kloster Abbey Brewery is the oldest monastery brewery in the world (1050), and its beer has been imported to the US for many years. Up to now, however, all I have ever found in the US is the darker variety. Last week, however, I picked up a 4-can pack of helles at Total Wines and More. It is 4.9% alcohol content, and I liked it, but to be honest, I preferred the darker variety. I have never been there, but it is considered well worth a visit if you are in the area.

There is a note at the bottom of the can that it was "brewed according to the original recipe by the Bischofshof in Regensburg". The abbey itself is located near Regensburg on the Danube.

The abbey

Abbey biergarten

Tucher Pils (Nuremberg)

 

Last year, while vacationing in Vermont, I stumbled upon some cans of Nuremberg's Tucher Festbier. Being very familiar with Nuremberg's brews from my army days in Germany, I was never a fan of Tucher as German beers go, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I found in Vermont. 

This week, while shopping at Total Wines and More I found they were selling 4-pack cans of Tucher Pils, so I decided to try it out. Four cans cost me about 9+ dollars. Each can is 1 pint 9 fluid ounces at 5.0% alcohol.

It was good, though I preferred the above-mentioned Tucher Oktoberfest. If pils is your preference, it is worth a try.

The Tucher brewery, which dates back to 1672, has its own restaurant, the Tucher Mautkeller, located in the heart of the old town. The ancient city itself is well worth a visit. In addition, the city has two beer fests, one in spring and one in the fall. Aside from that, Tucher beer is also sold at neraly Erlangen's annual beerfest, the Bergkirchweih, held in May-June for 12 days during the Pentecost period .It is Germany's oldest beer fest.

Ettaler Maerzen

 I am recommending a "new" beer I discovered at Total Wines and More yesterday. I am referring to Ettaler Maerzen from the Ettaler Kloster Brewery in Ettal, Bavaria (Est 1609).  This beer, which is called Mythos Spezial Maerzen, comes in 1 pint cans, 4 to a pack. The cost was about 17 dollars. The alcohol content is 5.5%. It has an amber color and a smooth, creamy taste. While it is pricier than most of the German beers, I wanted to try something new.

Ettal, Bavaria

Ettal Abbey

Wernesgruener Pils Legende

 

Wernesgruener Pils Legende is a German import that you might like to try if you prefer the lighter pils variety. My wife picked up a 4 pack of the tall cans last night at Aldi's for about 5 dollars. It is 4.9% alcohol and has a nice smooth taste. I had never heard of it before.

The brewery dates back to 1436 and has undergone a couple of changes of ownership. It is now under the Carlsberg Group of Hamburg. I don't know if that is part of the Carlsberg Danish brewery or not. The brewery is located in Steinberg, Saxony, close to the Czech border.

Comparing Two Oktoberfest Brews

 Hofbräuhaus and Warsteiner Oktoberfest

This week I picked up a couple of new German beers that I had not previously tried (at Total Wines and More). It's Oktoberfest season, so plenty of Oktoberfest brews are on sale (including US brands I don't bother with).  What I tried this week were Muenchener Hofbräuhaus Oktoberfest and  Warsteiner Oktoberfest.

Hofbräuhaus is produced by the famous restaurant of the same name. This brewery is also one of the handful (6) of officially recognized Munich breweries, and as such, has a beer tent at the Oktoberfest. This particular beer came in a 1.5 liter can and is 6.3% alcohol. 

I had previously had the HB Oktoberfest beer at the Las Vegas Hofbräuhaus. It's been too long to tell if there is a difference, but suffice to say, I liked both just fine.

Warsteiner is brewed in the town of Warstein in North Rhine Westphalia. It is a major brewery and is exported all over the world. I had never had much luck trying Warsteiner at various sites, but as I have mentioned many times, German exports are now much closer in taste to the authentic taste in Germany. 

As for their own annual beerfest, the only thing I can find is that Warstein celebrates something called Bayrischer Woche (Bavarian Week) in October.

The .5 liter can I bought is 5.9% alcohol. It has a smooth, creamy texture and I think the taste was authentic.

As to which I prefer, hard to say, but I will go with the HB. Maybe it's the added .4% alcohol,

Tucher Festbier

 

Tucher is the largest brewery in Nuremberg (founded in 1672). Since I was stationed in nearby Erlangen in the 1960s while in the Army, I am familiar with Tucher. To be honest, it was never one of my favorite beers in Germany. 

However, earlier this month, I happened to be in Montpelier, Vermont, of all places. Checking out a small grocery store downtown, I was surprised to find a can of Tucher Festbier (as pictured above) on the shelf. I figured what the Hell, why not? That evening, I had it with dinner and I liked it. Of course, it's been 11 years since I drank it in Nuremberg, but like most of the German imports these days, it was just fine.

In case you are wondering, it is a 500ml can and the alcohol content is 5.8%.

The Von Trapp Family Lodge and Brewery in Vermont

 If you have ever seen The Sound of Music, you know the story of the Von Trapp family, well-known singers who fled Austria after the Nazis took over the country. What you might not know is that the family eventually settled in Vermont, outside the picturesque village of Stowe. There they established their own resort hotel, brewery, and beer hall with an aim of reproducing the beers, food and ambiance they remembered from back home. Earlier this month, we spent a week in Vermont and had a chance to visit the location. It is well worth visiting if you are in the area.

First, we had late lunch- early dinner at the brewery and beer hall. As for the beers they brew, there are several varieties, including Helles Lager, Vienna style lager, Koelsch, Czech pilsner, Bavarian style pils, grapefruit Radler, smoked lager, and Oktoberfest. My favorite was the Czech pilsner,, which had a creamy texture and a big foamy head.

The Trapp Family Lodge lodge, located a short ways up the hill, sits overlooking the scenic mountains and forests of Vermont and is quite large. It also has a dining room. Pricey, but highly recommended if you are in the area. 

Eibauer Brewery (Cont) Berliner Geschichte Bock

I have posted several articles on the Eibauer brewery located on the German-Polish border. They have many varieties of beer, which I won't list here-you can check out their site. Several varieties are available at Total Wines and More. Most recently, I tried a can of Berliner Geschichte  Bock, which I liked. It is only in the last year or so that I have discovered German bock beers. This one is 6.7% alcohol and comes in a half-liter can. If you are interested in all the stuff about aroma and senses, check this Beer Advocate description. (I don't bother.)

Eibau

Whatever your taste in beer, I recommend the Eibauer products. The best bet to find them is at Total Wines and More.

Bamberger Kaiserdom in Zihuatanejo

 

We just got back from a week's vacation in Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. On our first day, we stopped into  Soriana's supermarket in Zihuatanejo. In the import beer section, they had Bamberger Kaiserdom, including pils, dunkles and keller bier. I picked up a bottle of the pills along with a can of Karlsbrau pils (a brewery in Homburg). They had smaller bottles of Munchner Lowenbrau, which I passed on. 

While the latter was OK, I want to focus on the Kaiserdom. I have previously written about Bamberg beer and have visited the city several times. Bamberg is a famous beer city in Franconia, and is noted for its Rauchbier (smoked beer) which is not exactly to my taste. When I was stationed in nearby Erlangen in the 60s, one of the local beers I most enjoyed was Bamberger Hofbrau, which closed down in 1977. (I understand it has been recreated and must look into this further.)

As for the Kaiserdom, I really liked it and wished I had tried the dunkles and keller bier as well, but at 80 pesos (about 5 dollars US) I decided to pick up a 6-pack of Bohemia, my favorite Mexican beer, founded in 1905 by a Czech brewer who immigrated to Mexico. If you are interested the Kaiserdom pils alcohol level is 4.9%.

Einbecker Pils

 

I had always heard of the Einbecker brewery but had never actually tasted an Einbecker. Years ago, an American friend who had studied at the University of Goettingen told me that Einbecker was a really good beer. The town of Einbeck is located about 40 km away from Goettingen in Lower Saxony

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Einbeck

While shopping at Total Wines and More this week, I found that they were stocking 4-can sets of Einbecker Brauherren Pils for about $14.00, so I picked up a 4-pack. The results are good because this beer has the nice smooth taste and creamy head that we expect from a German beer. The alcohol content is 4.9%, and the cans come in one-pint size. Highly recommended.

Of course, Einbecker has several varieties of beer to choose from, and you can browse them at their website here. The brewery has been in existence since 1378 and is currently the only brewery in Einbeck.

A Word About Imported Czech Beers

I know this goes against the grain of this blog, which is supposed to be about German beer. Recently, however, I have run into a bit of a snag in finding my preferred German brands at Total Wines and More. Of all the German beers I have written about on this site, my favorites have been the Hoppebrau microbrewery of Bavaria and the products produced by the Eibau brewery by the Polish border especially the bock (Das Bock) beer. Most of the rest of what Total Wines and More offer are the well-known Bavarian brands in 6 packs.

So a couple of weeks ago, I decided to give the Czech brands a try, particularly the ones that come in single .5 liter bottles. In past years, I found that the Czech imports had been disappointing, especially since my visit to Prague in the 1980s, when I came to the conclusion, that after German beer, Czech beer was the best. Now it seems that the Czech beers have caught on and improved their exports as the Germans have done. I must say that I am very pleased with what I have tried thus far.

Here they are:

Samson dark lager ($3.99 a bottle) They also have an original lager and a Czech lager, which I assume are light in color. (I have only seen the dark lager at my store.)

 Lobkowicz Golden Lager -$2.99 a bottle

 Rychtar Lager

Platan Lager $2.99 a bottle.

The bottles are all .5 liter sizes and range from 4.5% to 5.2% alcohol content.

I should also mention that the store also carries some of the larger Czech brands like Pilsner Urquell, Czechvar, Staropramen, and Praga in 6 packs or cans, which I think I will also try.

*Update: Rather than post a new article on Czech beer (This is a German beer site), I will just update this one to advise that I have picked up some Pilsner Urquell, Praga, and Czechvar in order to compare them with the above beers. While I found them to be OK, I still prefer the above,  lesser-known brands in the .5 liter bottles. As always, that's just my personal taste.