Which Are the Best German Beers -in the US?

                                                 













                                                                                                                                 

As I have said many times on this site, imported German beer in the US is not the same as when you drink the same brands in Germany. There are many factors; freshness, the travel, pasteurization etc. As yet, the only time I have tasted authentic German beer in the US is at the Hofbrauhaus in Las Vegas, which serves the exact same tasting product as their parent enterprise, Munich's Hofbrauhaus.  The Hofbrauhaus also has restaurants in Chicago and Pittsburgh, but there the beer is brewed on site. Not quite the same as Vegas, which imports it directly from Munich in barrels. (I was told once that they actually ship the kegs upside down for the purpose of "re-blending" the beer. It seems to work.) In other places that serve Hofbarushaus beer, the taste is not the same as in Vegas.

But when you go to the supermarket or your favorite German restaurant in the US, which is the best brand to buy-the one that comes closest to authentic German taste?

That's a matter of opinion and taste, but I would like to offer a couple of suggestions. Again, this is based on my experiences with German beer in Southern California, where I reside.

I have had good success with Bitburger, both in cans from the market (Trader Joes) and on tap at the Phoenix Club German restaurant and stube in Anaheim. Bitburger is actually designated as the house beer at the Phoenix Club, a German-American association and cultural center. Bitburger is one of Germany's most well-known brands and widely exported. You might recall that the town of Bitburg was the center of controversy back when President Reagan visited the local military cemetery during a state visit when it was revealed that members of the SS were buried there.

I have also recently had luck with Flensburger, which is sold in flip-top bottles. You can get it in pils or dark, but I prefer the pils. Flensburg is located in northern Germany on the Danish border, and became known in the closing days of World War II  when the remaining elements of the German government relocated there under Admiral Karl Doenitz as Hitler was committing suicide in Berlin.

Until I can get back to Germany, I will have to content myself with what's available Stateside.

German Beer Coasters Promoting Islam!!??

Last month in a small town in the German state of Hesse, some genius dreamed up the idea of promoting peace and harmony between Muslims and non-Muslims by putting pro-Islamic information of beer coasters. That went over like lead in your beer as complaints came in from both sides. Apparently, many Muslims didn't want their religion associated with alcohol in any way (even though Turkish Muslims drink and even make a great beer-Efes Pilzen).

https://www.rt.com/news/459615-germany-drink-coasters-islam-row/

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/