Germany

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Beers 1 - 20 of 28:

Cannabia, Organic Beer (Germany) Made by the Dupetit company in partnership with Dortmund's Kronen brewery, Cannabia is beer brewed organically with hemp flowers as well as hops (and legal in the UK with only microscopic levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol, the 'active ingredient' in cannabis). It pours a fairly deep yellow with a thin white head. The nose has nettles, hops and a resinous quality. On the palate it is a beer driven by its clean citrus flavours, but there's a trace of malty sweetness and only a background of that oily, resinous character as well as a bit of spice. Actually quite a nice beer, if unremarkable other than for its unusual ingredient. 4.8% ABV, 33cl, ?1.75, Vintage Roots.

Christoph Hald, Organic German Lager (Germany) A classic Bavarian lager brewed for organic specialists Vintage Roots by Christoph Hald. It pours a pale gold colour with a frothy white head. The nose is citrussy and inviting, with crisp, light floral notes. In the mouth it is fairly substantial, with a bit of weight and mouth-filling richness of lemony fruit, with the finish staying nice and bitter. Not hugely complex, but clean, tasty and enjoyable. 5.0% ABV, 50cl, ?1.99, Vintage Roots.

Duckstein, Premium Beer (Germany) Now owned by Carlsberg, Duckstein has been brewed since 1987, to a 500-year-old recipe. Dark malt, Hallertau hops and selected yeast cultures is the recipe for this top fermented Altbier, which is fermented in tanks containing beechwood chips. It pours a dark gold colour with a good, off-white head. There's a toffee and gently woody note on the nose, and a nice deep fruitiness suggesting plums and red apples. On the palate it is dry and savoury, with a hoppy bitterness and more of those smooth, caramel and smoky wood notes. It has good body and a dense fruitiness on the mid-palate, before that crisp hop articulation freshens the finish. 4.9% ABV, 50cl, ?1.79, Asda, Morrisons, Tesco.

Eichbaum, Ureich Premium Pils (Germany) This Pils pours a pale to medium gold colour, with a persistent, creamy white head. Clean, herbal and floral on the nose, there are nettle and leafy summer garden aromas as well as aromatic hints and just touches of malty biscuit aromas. On the palate it has a typical hint of sweetness, then quite complex flavours of fresh, bitter, oily hops and very zesty citrus cut through. There is really good hopping here, with a very adult bitterness of chicory and bitter leaves in the finish, in a moreish, fresh style with plenty of bite and contrast. 4.8% ABV, 33cl, .

Erdinger, Wei?bier (Germany) One of the most ubiquitous of the German wheat beers, Erdinger has a medium gold colour, with lots of swirling yeast haze in the glass. The nose is really quite clean, crisp and citrussy, with a little hint of yeastiness and grass, but rather neutral overall. On the palate the texture is creamy and dense, and this is a very smooth, sleek, tasty beer that is nevertheles a touch non-descript. A good wheatbeer, and I enjoyed it, though not very distinctive, and one for those who don't like too much of wheatbeer's "elastoplast" character. 5.3% ABV, 50cl, ?15.48 per dozen, Asda, Majestic, widely available.

Heller-Trum, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen (Germany) This is a highly distinctive "smokebeer" from the Heller brewery, which started out as part of Schlenkerla tavern in the town of Bamberg. The almost indecipherable label must be drawback for many non-german speaking beer browsers. Smokebeer is produced from malt smoked over beechwood, and has some similarity to peat-smoked malt in the whisky industry. This beer pours in a thick, dark, chocolate brown stream with a fluffy cream head. The nose is immediatly, and almost overpoweringly, smoky: exactly like smoky bacon being crisply grilled. Beneath are some nutty malt notes. On the palate it is a full, smooth, rich-textured beer with that dark, roasted chestnut and woodsmoke flavour playing against bitter malt notes and a nice, more lean hop and acid balance into a long finish. It's really difficult to grade such a singular beer (some people will hate it), but this is beautifully made and well worth trying in my opinion. 5.1% ABV, 50cl, ?1.99, Easywine, Beersofeurope, Peckhams.

Krombacher, Pils (Germany) This Pils from Krombacher pours a pale golden colour with a foamy white head. Lemon pith and a grassy notes dominate the nose, with a touch of starchy, grainy character and a hint of sweet malt. In the mouth it is quite sweet, with a fairly rich texture adding to a slightly cloying quality at first. The bitter, grassy hops start to take hold through the mid-palate, with a fat, waxy lemon fruit note too. Whilst that slightly cloying sweetness never really goes away, this finishes both rich and dry, with enough bite from the hops to give it enough interest to merit three stars. 4.8% ABV, 50cl, ?1.75, Beersofeurope, , Beerritz.

L?wenbr, Oktoberfest Bier (Germany) This has a light yellow/gold colour and foamy, dense white head. On the nose it is very crisp, citrussy and fresh, with sweetness, some background spice and a nettly, hoppy edge. On the palate it is particularly creamy-textured and thick, with a caramel sweetness at first, then a nicely sour raft of herbal and underripe pear flavours fills in. There is a bittering dryness on the finish, though a little biscuity richness keeps it quite full. A very nice lager-style beer, though perhaps a little too sweetly flirtatious. 6.0% ABV, 50cl, ?1.29 - ?1.59, Majestic, Morrisons, Sainsbury's.

Maisel, Maisel's Weiss (Germany) (RP) A classic German wheat beer from Bayreuth. It is a hazy pale brown in colour and contains natural yeast sediment. It has a superb aroma of spices ? coriander to the fore ? and ripe bananas. Banana builds in the mouth, balanced by spices and ripe malt. The finish is long and complex: yeasty, spicy, fruity and wonderfully refreshing. A memorable beer. 5.7% ABV, 50cl, ?1.39, Onlyfinebeer, , Surf4beer.

Maisel, Maisel's Weisse Dunkel (Germany) Maisel's Dunkel Heffe-Weissbier pours a burnt toffee colour with a creamy, cappuccino-coloured head. The fine, typical clove and lemon notes are there, with just a touch of chocolate and spicy sultana cake. On the palate this has a broad, generous texture, with the creaminess of the beer spiked by clove and burnt toffee brittle notes. This is a fairly restrained beer, with a cool lemony quality to the fruit and acidity on the mid-palate that maybe just doesn't give it enough tang and bite to really push it through to the finish. The malt and hops are nicely balanced, and it is a very pleasant beer, but just misses out on four stars as it is slightly too well-mannered. 5.4% ABV, 50cl, ?2.39, Onlyfinebeer, , .

Paulaner, Bavarian Wheat Beer (Germany) This beer pours a cloudy light gold/pale yellow colour with quite a creamy, thick head. The nose is phenolic, with a big, sharp, clove and elastoplast aroma. There's a clean hop character beneath, and a sense of crisp fruitiness, but that yeasty medicinal character is dominant. On the palate this has a nice full texture and is more focused on fruit: crisp, underripe pear and a lemony acidity, with still that slightly medicinal edge, which adds a nice component in the mouth. There's a hint of caramel warmth in the quite long finish. A complex beer. 5.5% ABV, 50cl, ?25 X 20, Luvians, Majestic.

Paulaner, Oktoberfest Bier (Germany) Light-medium yellow-gold with a dense, creamy white head. Intense, sweet citrus nose, with notes of tangerine orange and orange peel, a yeasty creaminess and a slight wheatbear character. Like the L?wenbr?u, this Oktoberfest lager has plenty of body and texture, with a slightly more rounded, smooth and harmonious palate of earthy and fruity flavours and a nice bitter tang into the finish. Perhaps less complex than the L?wenbr?u, but a more substantial beer too. 6.1% ABV, 33cl, ?0.89, Majestic.

Paulaner, Original M?nchner (Germany) This beer has a very pale, pure gold colour and a medium-density white head. The nose is terrifically grassy, with notes of nettles and and just a little high note of wheat-beery bite (though in fact this is 100% barley). On the palate it is beautifully refreshing, with a dazzling palate of citrus and hop flavours that are clean and crisp and a big streak of lemony acidity into a hoppy finish. Really nice beer in a summery, bright style. 4.9% ABV, 50cl, ?20 X 24, Luvians, Majestic.

Pinkus Müller, Hefe Weizen (Germany) (RP) An unfiltered wheat beer that is warm fermented, the Hefe Weizen is made from a blend of wheat malt (60%) and barley malt (40%) and Tettnanger hops. It is krausened in the bottle to encourage a second fermentation. The beer is cloudy and pale with a big peppery aroma underscored by banana fruit and creamy malt. There is fruit, malt, gentle hops and spices in the mouth with a light but lingering finish that is peppery, fruity and malty with a light touch of hops. 5.0% ABV, 33cl, ?1.29, Pitfield Beer Shop, Vinceremos.

Pinkus Müller, Original Alt (Germany) (RP) Bioland Pilsner malt and Tettnanger hops from an organic zone of the vast Hallertau region of Bavaria are the raw materials for this beer. After primary fermentation with an ale yeast culture the beer is stored or lagered for a remarkable five to seven months in horizontal tanks in the brewery cellars. A carefully controlled lactic yeast culture is added to give a hint of sourness and a touch of vinous fruit. The beer is also krausened, which means a portion of partially-fermented wort is added to encourage a powerful second fermentation. The beer that emerges is pale with a hint of bronze and a thick and lively collar of foam. The aroma offers biscuity malt, tart fruit and gentle spicy hops. Juicy malt, tangy fruit and bitter hops dominate the mouth while the finish has enormous length with a touch of sourness, ripe fruit, toasted malt and pungent hops. 5.0% ABV, 33cl, ?1.29, Pitfield Beer Shop, Vinceremos.

Pinkus Müller, Pils (Germany) (RP) made with pale Pilsner malt and Tettnanger hops and aged in the cellars for at least two months, the Pinkus Pils is a revelation in the age of bland and fizzy pale lagers. It is bronze/gold in colour and has an aroma of juicy malt, gentle hop resins and a surprising note of apricot fruit. There are herbal, bitter hops in the mouth with toasted malt and rich fruit, followed by a bitter-sweet finish with ripe fruit, juicy malt and floral hops. 5.0% ABV, 33cl, ?1.29, Vinceremos.

Pinkus Müller, Special (Germany) (RP) Made with pale Pilsner malt and Tettnanger hops and aged in the cellars for three months, the Pinkus Special is extremely pale with a slight haze: it is not filtered at the end of maturation. It has a massive fruity aroma reminiscent of ripe pears, with toasted malt and floral hops. Bitter hop resins dominate the palate with juicy malt and fruit, while the lingering finish has tart fruit, sweet malt and bitter hop resins. It is a wonderfully refreshing beer. 5.0% ABV, 33cl, ?1.29, Vinceremos.

Schneider & Sohn, Aventinus Doppelbock (Germany) Dark, nutty brown colour with a very thick, pillowing cream head. Lots of clove and spice on the nose with a big bite of oily, grassy hops and a flood of smoother, malty notes. On the palate that great power of clove and spice-cupboard flavour has real attack, with a fabulous weight and texture and a creamy sweetness emerging to play against the hops, spice and chocolaty background. Very focused and long, this has terrific complexity too and is sensory overload in a glass. However, it is also a brilliant beer. In 13 Asda stores, but being rolled out to more in 2005. 8.0% ABV, 50cl, ?1.54, Asda, Luvians, Onlyfinebeer, Peckhams.

Schneider & Sohn, Schneider Weisse Original (Germany) Probably the single biggest name in wheat beer in the UK, and very widely available, what a pleasant task to announce that Schneider Weisse is also bloody good. Darker than many of its style, it pours a deep, cloudy amber/brown with a towering off-white head. It is fabulously aromatic, with masses of cinnamon and clove playijng against juicy orange fruit and a bubblegummy, Bazooka Joe note. There's a hint of malt loaf too, in a complex picture. On the palate it is dense and creamy textured, wtih those exotic spice notes to the fore, and plenty of vivid fruit character. It's a real humdinger of a wheat beer, with superb freshness, also sorts of dark, toasty hints, and great length. Bravo Schneider & Sohn! 5.4% ABV, 50cl, ?1.59, Asda, Luvians, Morrisons, Safeway, Surf4beer, quite widely available.

Valentins, Weissbier (Germany) Valentins wheat beer is made by Park & Bellheimer of Pirmasens, in the Rheinland-Pfalz area of Germany. It pours a hazy, pale toffee colour, with a fluffy, high-rise head. The nose is strongly medicinal, with plenty of clove and antiseptic notes, and an undercurrent of lemon. On the palate this is medium-bodied with a certain richness to the mouth-feel, and a hint of sweetness plays against clean, crisp citrus flavours and a touch of spice, in a fairly straightforward, enjoyable, if unremarkable weissbier. 5.3% ABV, 50cl, No known UK stockists.