Reissdorf Koelsch

This week, I stopped into the Phoenix Club in Anaheim for dinner and noticed that they had a new beer on tap-Reissdorf Koelsch from Cologne. I normally don't drink Koelsch-style beer (a lighter brew originally produced in Cologne), but thought I would give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. As always, I make the distinction that when I drink German beer in the US, it is never the same product as it is in Germany-with the notable exception of the Hofbrauhaus in Las Vegas, which ships its product in from Munich in kegs and there is no change of taste.

But back to Reissdorf Koelsch. I won't try to describe the taste as a beer connoisseur would. That's way above my pay grade. Let's just say that it had a clean, full-bodied (not watered down) taste to it. If you happen to run across it on tap in your local German restaurant, I suggest you give it a try.

From Erlangen to Frankfurt: Henninger Beer

Today, along with Binding, Henninger is one of the top two breweries in Frankfurt am Main. What many don't know is that the founder of the Henninger brewery in Frankfurt, Heinrich Henninger, actually began his brewing career in Erlangen.



In 1816, Henninger's father, Johann Henninger, purchased a beer company from Georg Vierzigmann, one of Erlangen's early beer giants. In 1847, ownership passed to his son, Heinrich. In 1861, Heinrich Henninger sold his company and went on to make beer in Nuremberg and eventually Frankfurt in 1872.

In Erlangen, the company retained the Henninger name. In 1906, it merged with the Reif Brewery to become Henninger-Reifbräu. That was the same company that existed in the 1960s when I was stationed in Erlangen. I still have a Henninger mug (shown above) and a Henninger glass to this day. Henninger in Erlangen was eventually bought up by a larger brewery and disappeared from Erlangen except for the annual beer fest when the recipe is revived for 12 days.

* Source: Erlangen-An American's history of a German  town (University Press of America, 2005, p 108.)

Erlangen's Oldest Brewery Closes (Kitzmann)

                                             






                                                                                                                                                                       

Sad news. Kitzmann, the oldest brewery in Erlangen, where I was stationed in the 1960s, is closing down.

https://www.inside.beer/news/detail/germany-300-year-old-kitzmann-braeu-closes-unexpectedly-forever.html

When I was stationed there in the late 1960s, there were three long established brews, Kitzmann, Erichbrau and Henniger Reifbrau. The latter two were absorbed by Nuremberg's Tucher brewery. In the past couple of decades, two defunct breweries were reincarnated, Steinbach and Weller.

Kitzmann was my favorite, and their brewery had a delightful stube and biergarten.

Many Germans lament the trend for smaller breweries to be  bought out by larger breweries, which they say results in what they term, "industrial beer". The beer scene just won;'t seem the same in Erlangen without Kitzmann.

Drinking Beer With a German Survivor of Normandy

Last week, I stopped in at the Phoenix Club bar in Anaheim  for a couple of beers after attending an Angels game. The Phoenix Club is a German cultural location. They hold an Oktoberfest every year and many other German attractions. I enjoy the pub because they feature nice German music on the weekends and their draft beers are close to the real thing in Germany.  They usually feature Bitburger, Dinkelacker Oktoberfest, Veltins, Koestritzer and Spaten. On this occasion, I was able to add to my collection of German beer glasses buying a .5 liter glass from the Bayreuther Bierbrauerei.

On my previous visit, I had exchanged pleasantries with an elderly German named Karl. He is a regular and comes in with his German hat and German shorts. On this occasion, last week, however he was present with an American couple with whom he participates in a German dance club. Aside from speaking German with Karl, I also talked a lot about Germany with the American. He informed me that Karl had been a German soldier at the Normandy landing at Omaha Beach. He gave copies of  a couple of pages taken from a book entitled, Normandiefront: D-Day to Saint Lo Though German Eyes. One page had the cover and the other photographs of three German soldiers who were at Normandy on June 6, 1944. One of them was our friend Karl. He is pictured at the bottom of the page. Karl showed me the leg wounds he had received at Normandy. One of the other soldiers was killed and one taken prisoner at some point by the British.

As one who has visited Normandy, I urge every American to visit it if in France. It can only reinforce your pride as an American. It is such an experience that I was fascinated by Karl. He was 18 years old at the time and did not want to be there. He gladly signed the page beside his picture for me. I hope the reader will not take it the wrong way when I say I am happy that Karl survived that day in 1944. Today Karl is 92 years old. Of course I mean no disrespect and I do not forget that the Americans, Brits and Canadians who died that day never had the chance to live until a ripe old age.

What a horrible war.

The Beers of Dortmund

Dortmunder Aktien Brauerei
                                                 


The city of Dortmund is historically a city of coal and steel, located in the Rhineland area. Many years ago, I spent a night there while hitting more memorable cities in the region like Cologne and Duesseldorf, and I remember very little of it. It is hardly on the tourist map.

Yet Dortmund is famous for beer. The two main beers are Dortmunder Aktien Brauerei (DAB) and Dortmunder Union, both of which export to the US. Dortmunder Union, however, is  now produced by Dortmunder Aktien

In 2009, The Beer Geek wrote an article on Dortmund and reported that as in other parts of Germany, larger breweries have been buying up the smaller ones resulting in what my German friends call, "industrial beer". This is also the case in Dortmunder. Of course, there are restauarnts which brew their own minibrews, increasingly popular in Germany.

http://thebeergeek.com/tag/dortmund/

Where Is Franconia's Most Beautiful Biergarten?

Hat tip Erlanger Nachrichten/Nord Bayern




The Franconian region of northern Bavaria is one of Germany's biggest beer-drinking areas. Aside from Nuremberg, the region has countless small towns that hold great beer fests throughout the summer months.

The Erlangen Nachrichten/Nord Bayern (newspaper) is holding a context to identify the region's best biergartens. The ten winners receive a book on the best Franconian beer gardens and beer cellars. The below article is in German.

http://www.nordbayern.de/region/jetzt-mitmachen-wir-suchen-frankens-besten-biergarten-1.6266095

Erlangen's Beer Fest in Full Swing

As I write, Erlangen (near Nuremberg) is enjoying its annual Bergkirchweih. It is Germany's oldest beer fest and Bavaria's biggest (after Munich). From the Erlanger Nachrichten, here are some photos.

http://www.nordbayern.de/region/erlangen/live-feierabend-auf-ins-bergkirchweih-wochenende-1.6186614




The Bergkirchweih runs for 12 days during Whitsuntide. The two local brews, Kitzmann and Steinbach, have their own s sitting areas, as well as Nuremberg's Tucher. I prefer Kitzmann myself. In addition, they also dust off the original recipes for two of the defunct breweries, Erichbrau and Hennigerbrau. Everyday, a complete ox is roasted.

If the wildness, expense, and over-commercialization of the Oktoberfest is not for you, I suggest Erlangen.