German Beer Guide

June 21, 2006 at 6:44 pm · Filed under World Cup 2006, Fans corner

German beer hops + malt + water + yeast = Beer

Germany is one of the world’s largest producers of beer. They produce about 10% of the world market volume in about 1.200 breweries. If you’re planning to hit Germany for FIFA World Cup be sure to get your hands on as many of great beer varieties as you can and dont forget to try the German bratwurs.

Altbier

“Alt” is the German word for old and Altbier is one of the German common varieties of beer. The most popular and best-known altbier is Diebels.

Dortmunder

Yes, it’s from Dortmund and is also known as export. Dortmunder is a strong, pale lager with a good balance of hops and malt and a touch of sweetness. The Royal Fürstenberg Brewery brews an excellent export.

Berliner Weisse

Refreshing wheat beer with a low alcohol content which is often called the Champagne of German beers. Berliner Kindl Weisse and Schultheiss Berliner Weisse are the two main brands.

Weizenbier

Also known as weissbier, hails from southern Germany. Be aware that some weizenbier is served cloudy, so don’t reject it. Erdinger is one of the major producers of this type of beer.

Munich Dunkel

Munich dunkel is a low to moderate alcohol content beer. Erdinger Dunkel is a bit darker and has a bit more alcohol than most.

Pils

Dont mistaken it with Czech pilsner. German pilsner has more hops and less malt than the Czech version; it’s a simpler and cleaner beer. Excellent choices are Holsten and Astra.

Märzen

Munich lager with a good balance of bitterness and malty sweetness and high in alcohol content. Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen is the best choice during Oktoberfest.

Bock

Bock is the oldest German beers and is traditionally fairly high in alcohol. There are three versions of bock. Helles, Doppelbock and Eisbock - the strongest type of bock. Franziskaner is a very good choice.

Helles

The caramel beer from Munich. One of the most popular brands is Augustiner Helles.

Rauchbier

“Rauch” is a german word for smoke. A smoke-flavored beer from Bamberg is very hard to find. The most common variety is Heller-Trum Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier.

Prost!