Boring German Beer

[Zizzle]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe...uTSL_story.html

I hope they don't just blame the economy and realise that consumers tastes are changing.

Would at least love to see the german equivalent of a AIPA. Big zesty noble hop PA - ala Victory Pils from Pennsylvania.

 

[Bribie G]

I remember German Beer in the 1970s - it was nearly all Dort style except in Bavaria, you could go to the corner store or the vending machine at the service station and get a couple of 500s of lovely bitter smooth liquid nectar.
Now the big names are stuff like Henninger and Oettinger - pretty poor examples compared to what beer used to be like.

 

[bconnery]

Florian mentioned that he had a few German IPAs on his recent trip so evidently there is some branching out going on...

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

It was funny a few months ago, I purchased a 6 pack of Oettinger cans, because it was cheap and the missus wanted something to make as a Shandy (and my beer is too good for that), or a "normal" beer to drink on its own. (She's variable like that - as most women are).

I had a schooner of home brew (APA quite likely).

I then thought "I'll save the good beer and drink the cheap stuff" and had a can of oettinger.

I almost threw up. My frick, it was awful.

It went down the sink.

I used to drink this stuff all the time. I generally don't set high standards for commercial beer, I understand it's there for a purpose - but seriously, was it always this bad?

Goodness knows how I'd go if I tried a BUL Becks/Hein/Grolsch/just about any other Euroswill made alongside Tooheys/XXXX/VB.

Goomba

 

[Diesel80]

I then thought "I'll save the good beer and drink the cheap stuff" and had a can of oettinger.

I almost threw up. My frick, it was awful.

It went down the sink.


Goomba

Geez I really need to get into AG, i don't mind this ott stuff, if it is only good enough for your sink, then you sir have just convinced me to kick the kitz to the curb. If i can produce a beer good enough to water your garden, then i reckon i will be onto a winner.



Cheers
D80

 

[[email protected]]

Geez I really need to get into AG, i don't mind this ott stuff, if it is only good enough for your sink, then you sir have just convinced me to kick the kitz to the curb. If i can produce a beer good enough to water your garden, then i reckon i will be onto a winner.



Cheers
D80

D80 I AG, and I think the Oettinger is good for what it is (especially the cans). It deserves a bit better treatment than the sink. I doubt many new AGs could make a german pilsner better than the Oettinger considering for the price.

 

[loikar]

I would choose an Oettinger Pils over ANY mass produced Australian beer.
This includes the 'Imports' that are brewed locally.

That being said, I did buy a batch recently from Dan Murphys that had reacted with the cap for a nice metal taste.
But that'll have more to do with DM's storage conditions rather than the beer.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

D80 I AG, and I think the Oettinger is good for what it is (especially the cans). It deserves a bit better treatment than the sink. I doubt many new AGs could make a german pilsner better than the Oettinger considering for the price.

I agree wholeheartedly - I probably can't make a pilsener to compete with a good one on the market - they're a bit more difficult than an APA, I will admit.

But the tinny, hop-extract flavours in oettinger - now that I've not had any for a long time - make it undrinkable. I agree it's fantastic value and at least it's made in Germany. But now undrinkable.

Think of it like drinking Nescafe for 20 years, starting to drink quality barista brewed coffee, and 6 months later someone offers you a Nescafe and you think "I used to drink this, so I'll tolerate it. Sure, I'll make an allowance mentally for the fact that I'm probably used to good coffee now, but I know that it won't be that bad, so long as my expectations are realistic" - then you take a sip and it is that bad - worse in fact.

I remembered after I posted, that I in fact gave it away to my Euro-swilling brother, not down the sink. I'd forgotten that detail.

I have a habit of saying to him "I'm going to pour x out on the lawn, if you want it, then come over and grab it, you've got a day". I did it last night with a batch of ginger beer I really didn't like.

He's fussy, not extremely, but there are some things he'll drink that I won't touch.

As for the AG argument - it's all been said before. It's cheaper than expected, it's easier than expected and it produces good beer. I have to say in the 2 years I've been an AG brewer (after 10-11 years of K&K/Extract), that my brewing ability has increased considerably in the last few months or so, as I've really nailed my house ale, and produced a fantastic roggenweiss.

abc is right - you won't nail it 1st time, but it will likely be better than your kit beer. It takes a bit of tweaking to get your AG brews as good as a commercial beer, but it can be done. Like anything practice makes perfect.

My harshest critic (SWMBO) has even said so.

Goomba

 

[cdbrown]

I think going from a crafted APA to the oettinger pils would be quite hard on the palate. You should have persevered and finished off the can rather than giving the sink a drink. Once you reached the end of the can you'd have wanted another.

 

[Nick JD]

Last cans of Oetinger I had were pretty good - not spectacular, but your bog-standard euro kinda thing. Pils malt and something noble to a user-friendly IBU.

I'd buy it again, especially when it's cheaper than Aussie crap.

I find myself steering away from hoppy APAs and hefes and Belgians - end of the day it's always the clean german/czech lager kegs that empty first.

Guess it's the reason pale lager outsells everything else by miles worldwide. Big, in ya face APA taste is fantastic ... till it becomes a bit annoying. Belgians a great in small doses - not really session beers.

I love the subtlties of a well made lager. What I'm trying to say is if I want a whole bunch of beer, I appreciate something more subtle.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I think going from a crafted APA to the oettinger pils would be quite hard on the palate. You should have persevered and finished off the can rather than giving the sink a drink. Once you reached the end of the can you'd have wanted another.

I actually had a Zweic after my APA the other day and it was great. I followed up with Burleigh Munich Helles (3.5%) and like it.

I'm quite sure it's the fact that Oettinger isn't that good.

It's interesting, what actually triggered my comment was BribieG saying that in the 70s german beer tasted way better. He's considerably older than I (I was only just conceived in the last few weeks of the 70s) and sees a difference.

I can see the difference between Heineken/Becks/Stella/Kronenberg/Asahi/Kirin/Peroni brewed in the early 00's, versus the rubbish "german" beer we have now. It's either really poor quality but still brewed in Germany (Oett, Henn) or BUL.

My other younger brother, who's a died in the wool Euro lager/pils drinker (can't understand my fascination with different beer styles) can pick it up. He laments the fact that beer now, by virtue of being BUL or cheaper Europils, doesn't taste the same as 10 years ago. He now drinks more "micro" Aussie brewed pilseners now as a compromise to this.

His, relatively uneducated palate can pick it up.

My relatively more educated that his palate can pick it up.

It just ain't the same. And I resent (and so do many other non-beergeek friends of mine) paying "premium" prices for "German" beer which is knocked out the same factory as XXXX/VB/Tooheys/Carlton.

I'm off to get a restaurant pack of Heineken, brewed in Holland, for my end of year camping trip. I know it won't disappoint me.

Goomba

 

[argon]

I find myself steering away from hoppy APAs and hefes and Belgians - end of the day it's always the clean german/czech lager kegs that empty first.

Guess it's the reason pale lager outsells everything else by miles worldwide. Big, in ya face APA taste is fantastic ... till it becomes a bit annoying. Belgians a great in small doses - not really session beers.

I love the subtlties of a well made lager. What I'm trying to say is if I want a whole bunch of beer, I appreciate something more subtle.

I'm the same... love my bold beers, but keep getting drawn to the more sessionable and subtle lagers. Annoying, cause it takes so long to push out a well done cold fermented long lagered bo pils, compared to a quick and dirty heffe

 

[MarkBastard]

I'm still in the 'bigger is better' phase. Will let you know when I pass up a double IPA for a pale lager.

 

[Ryan WABC]

I'm still in the 'bigger is better' phase. Will let you know when I pass up a double IPA for a pale lager.

I'm in exactly the same boat. I'd rather drink less of a bigger beer than session the shit out of a pale lager.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I'm the same... love my bold beers, but keep getting drawn to the more sessionable and subtle lagers. Annoying, cause it takes so long to push out a well done cold fermented long lagered bo pils, compared to a quick and dirty heffe

This is the sole reason I'm considering a 50L keg - just so I can only brew once and it be there for a long time.

Though I have to admit, my last 3.5% middie was a great quaffer - and nothing challenging whatsoever.

Goomba

 

[MarkBastard]

I'm in exactly the same boat. I'd rather drink less of a bigger beer than session the shit out of a pale lager.

I'd rather session a big beer :chug:

 

[Nick JD]

I'd rather session a big beer :chug:

Me and my liver disagree on what we like.

 

[manticle]

I'd rather session a variety of beer.

Anything can be well made, anything can be shit. The thing I like most about beer is its diversity.

I like apa (as long as it's not passionfruity) AND pale lager. Just make them well.

As for boring German beer - isn't germany the home of altbier, kolsch, rauchbier, Doppelbock, weizen, dunkel, munich lager and marzen?

I find that pretty interesting.

 

[jlm]

I'd rather session a variety of beer.

Anything can be well made, anything can be shit. The thing I like most about beer is its diversity.

I like apa (as long as it's not passionfruity) AND pale lager. Just make them well.

As for boring German beer - isn't germany the home of altbier, kolsch, rauchbier, Doppelbock, weizen, dunkel, munich lager and marzen?

I find that pretty interesting.

And don't forget schwartzbier. Fantastic style we need more of.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Anything can be well made, anything can be shit. The thing I like most about beer is its diversity.

ahhh - wisdom