German BeerGryphon’s Pub at GPSCY

23 September 2012Header image source: thebeerjournal.com

Spectrum of beer

Lagers•Light-bodied•Light-colored•Less bitter

Ales•Heavy•Dark-colored•BitterTotally wrong!

Beer can’t be describedin a single dimension!!

Color(malt character)

Hoppiness (hop quantity)

Body(malt quantity)

Dimensions can be further broken down

• Malt type– Barley– Wheat– Rye– Sorghum– Rice– Corn– Etc.

• Hoppiness– Bitterness– Hop flavor– Hop aroma

• Hop Flavor/ Aroma– Citrusy– Herbal– Piney

Other qualitiesto consider

• Yeast – Saccharomyces

cerevisiae– S. patorianus– Brettanomyces

• Bacteria– Lactobacillus

• Barrel aging

• Added flavorants:– Orange peel– Coriander, nutmeg– Fruits– Candi sugar– etc.

• Water• Carbonation

Ok, but what’s an “ale” and what’s a “lager”?

Plzen

Pale Malt techniques (from UK)

Lage

ring

Hop

s

5.2% ABV

MunichHelles

Brewed in Munich

4.9% ABV

German Pils

Brewed inJever (westof Hamburg)

JeverPilsner

SpatenHelles

German noble hops are showcased in a crisp, pale

beer

A more malt-oriented brew that is otherwise

comparable to pils

Reinheitsgebot (1516)

• Limited

ingredients

• Protected wheat

• Protected German

beer market

8.5% ABV

Altbier

Brewed in Düsseldorf

4.8% ABV

Kölsch

Brewed inCologne

ReissdorfKölsch

UerigeDoppelsticke

Crisp ale fermented atlager temperatures

Made like Kölsch, but darker/ more bitter; sticke

even moreso

Popular German DrinkingVessels

Maßkrug

(maß)Weizen Glass

1L 0.5L

Varying thickness

showcases beer’s color

Handle helpsfor carrying

and prost-ing

Room forsome head

The Beer Stein

“Stein” refers to the fact that it is madeof earthen ware, not that it is a mug.

Lid opens with thumb, for one -handed drinking

Lid keeps your beer clean; size denotes status

5.4% ABV

Hefeweizen

Brewed in Freising (north of Munich)

An exceptionally fresh-tasting example of a

hefeweizen

Flavorful, high-alcohol, freeze-distilled dark wheat

lager

SchneiderAventinus

12.0% ABV

Weizen Eisbock

Brewed in Kelheim

(b/w Munich& Nuremberg)

Weihenstephaner Hefe-weissbier

Traditional Bavarian

Clothing

Lederhosen translates as “leather britches”…which

they are!

Dirdnl can also refer to a young woman, in southern

Germany

The Theresienwiese (during setup)

& Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen

Oktoberfest!

5.4% ABV

Rauchbier

Brewed in Bamberg

5.8% ABV

Märzen

Brewed inMunich

Made by one of the 6 breweries that provides for

Oktoberfest.

Smoked malt leads to aromas

and flavors reminiscent of ham

Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest

Aecht SchlenkerlaRauchbier

Märzen

Today’s Beer TastingNo.

Name ABV

1 Jever Pils 4.9%

2 Spaten Helles 5.2%

3 Reissdorf Kölsch 4.8%

4 Uerige Doppelsticke Altbier 8.5%

5 Weihenstephaner Hefe-wessbier 5.4%

6 Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock

12.0%

7 Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen

5.8%

8 Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

5.4%