Kim's Guide to German Beer: Severely Incomplete

I'm terribly sorry; I wasn't overly pensive today about where God might be today (although we were at a monstary). However, since we did visit the world's oldest Klosterbrauerei (literally a cloister brewery... and as I'm sure you all know "cloister" can refer to a group of monks). I'd like to make an important note here because a German woman we were with felt it necessary to point this out: it is not the world's longest running brewery, some place she mentioned has this title. The reason for this is because the "oldest" brewery was bought by a label in Munich and, therefore, lost it's own label and, consequently, it's running time. However, my thoughts on Weltenburg (where the monstery is) shall be saved for a later date (as well as a blog dedicated to Dachau and why I didn't take pictures of the concentration camp).

This is "Kim's Official Guide to German Beer: Severely Incomplete."

I'd like to first mention the most beer I've had in one day here is 2 half litres and even then there was a number of hours in between the two half litres. I have not been drunk. I have not been tipsy. I drink wine and beer for taste (my family raised me that way) and have never before been drunk. I will admit to being a tad bit tipsy during Passover last year, but even then I was alright (besides trying to use the steamcleaner to vacuum the carpet in my grandma and mom's place... no one allows me to forget it, so I might as well just get it out of the way. I'd like to say in my defense that I never knew they had a steamcleaner and have never used the vacuum there before, so it could have been an honest mistake had I not had a bit too much kosher wine).

But I digress and ramble. I will credit some of this information to our director who gave us a list of beer that we will encounter here, but the commentary is my own. Also, if I haven't tried it, I'll be sure to say, "Ich weiB nicht (I don't know)."

Brewery (Brauerei) and Biere (Beer). Easy enough, right? Now the beers:

Helles Bier = your typical lager beer ("hell means light in color"), sometimes called Zwickel
Kim's verdict: I've only had one, but it was smooth. The froth was about an inch thick I think
and it was bitter... obviously not my favorite part. The taste was, of course, better than American beer, but it's not my favorite. A bit to weak for my taste.

Dunkles Bier = dark beer with a bit more body, often served in a squat mug
Kim's verdict: I am not going to be unbiased about this. Dunkles is my favorite (there's an umlaut over the "u" as well by the way). This stuff is strong and harty. Every dunkle I've had has been smooth and the taste is indescribably amazing. The world's oldest brewery specializes in these and, oh boy. It was as smooth as silk and had a rich taste.

Weißbier = literally, white beer due to the addition of wheat into the brewing process, giving the beer a cloudy, white color. AKA Weizenbier = wheat beer, always served in a taller glass with a vase like foot
Kim's verdict: Ich weiB nicht.

Pils, Pilsner = a lager beer brewed in the style from Plzen (Pilsen), Czech Republic. More yeast gives it a slightly more bitter taste. Always served in a distinctive, tapered glass with straight sides
Kim's verdict: I've had a couple of Pils. I don't think they are as smooth as some of
the other beers, but it's a little sweeter. It's also a bit more stout, in my humble
opinion.

Roggen = Rye grain is added to the brewing process
Kim's verdict: Ich weiB nicht.

Bock = strongly flavored with a higher alcoholic content
Kim's verdict: Ich weiB nicht.

And some popular mixtures:
Russen = Weißbier & cola
Kim's verdict: If you want a beer, this isn't your drink. I bought one for the sake of trying it and it tasted like beer-flavored Coca-Cola. I can see where this might be popular for those beginning on the path of beer drinking, but as someone who likes a good beer, I would probably order this again only because a WeiBen Cola is cheaper than buying an actual Coke. But it's good as a Coke product, I'll give it that. America needs to think about investing into something like this.

Radler = ein Helles & lemonade
Kim's Verdict: A little FYI about this drink first: it's called "radler" because a "radler" is a bicyclist. This beer (along with Russen) have lower alcohol... obviously. Around here, if you're on a bike and are caught drunk-biking, the Polizei can and will take your license away... your driver's license for peddling a bike drunk. So, this is popular with those who are about to bike home, I guess. The girls on our program drink it because I think the alcohol tolerence is a little low and it doesn't take too terribly much to push them over the edge. As for me, it's so-so. I don't like lemonade.

And in case you needed more proof for the sheer seriousness that Germans take with their beer:
Reinheitsgebot, Purity Law, 1516, issued by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria in Ingolstadt, is the oldest law for food production in Germany, allows only four ingredients for brewing beer: water, hops (only the dried blossoms), malt (barley or wheat), and yeast (for fermentation).

Yep. There's a beer law here. Thank heavens.

I've told numerous people that I'll never touch an American beer again and they just say, "Wait until you're back in the states and need a beer." At that point I'll tell them I only drink Corona or Heineken anyway. Obviously, not American beers.

Anyway, I'm off to download pictures.

Cheers!