Here, a tall, tasty, cold brew is never too far away. Some interesting places I've found bars include the grocery store, Leiman Community Pool, local parks, my tiny gym, McDonalds, the ice cream parlour and Autobahn rest stops (seems dangerous).
Beer is a huge part of German culture and is an art form. With over 1300 breweries all adhering to the German Beer Purity Law known as "Reinheitsgebot," a cold one is hard to resist. Beer selection can be very granular and will vary based on the region and the season, but it's pretty hard to go wrong.
And our beer collection is delicious!
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| Ashlock beer collection |
I love our beer collection too! Some trivia on beer - Like American brewers, German brewers place a lot of emphasis and marketing spend on your beer experience with their brand in a bar. Most bars will pour the beer brand in its own branded glass and even place on a branded coaster.
ReplyDeleteEach glass is designed to complement the type of beer as well. For example, Pilsners have a thin-rimmed tulip glass, in order to place the beer forward on the tongue, where the herbal notes can be appreciated more thoroughly. Hefeweizen (literally "yeast wheat") glasses are thicker rimmed, and place the beer more towards the middle of the tongue where apparently the yeast appreciation taste buds congregate.
Then there are the general purpose glasses.
Ordering a large boot glass is good clean fun, for the person taking the last sips will usually get splashed. "Bier Stein" is German for beer stone - the original mugs were made out of stoneware pottery rather than glass and oftentimes had a cap on the mug to keep in the freshness and the bugs out. Bier Steins, aka Masses in Bavaria and usually made out of glass today, can run up to several liters and act like a foix-gras goose funnel, placing the beer directly down the throat.
For more beer analysis, stay tuned for the upcoming Oktoberfest posts. Prost!