10 Great German Beers for Oktoberfest—or Any Fest
As Oktoberfest winds down, so does the drinking public's infatuation with German beer. And although you may have glugged enough märzenbier—the robust, full-bodied lager typically served during the celebration—to fill a few dozen glass boots, this is not the time to thumb your nose at Deutschland's intoxicating bounty.
The country's canon of beer styles shoots far and wide, veering from crisp, bright lagers to hefeweizen's cousin roggenbier and the sour, smoky Lichtenhainer. (Trust us, you'll want to taste them.) So instead of saying auf wiedersehen to German brews, take these foreign styles for a spin. We doubt you'll give them the boot.
1/10Aecht Schlenkerla Helles
For hundreds of years, most beers were inherently smoky due to malts being dried over fires. Though the technique has been pushed aside by modern kilning techniques, Germany's Bamberg, in the Franconia region, still specializes in smoldering brews known as rauchbiers (rauch is German for "smoke"). While some call to mind puréed bacon, this rendition presents an understated smokiness and sparkling clarity.
2/10Mahrs Bräu Kellerbier Ungespundet Hefetrüb
To ensure consistency and create a more shelf-stable product, most beers, especially lagers, are filtered. (You don’t want lingering yeasts to muck up flavors.) One notable exception is the hazy, unfiltered kellerbier ("cellar beer"). Bamberg's Mahrs makes one of our favorites, a 14-karat beauty boasting a fresh hop bouquet, heady effervescence, and a dry, refreshing finish.
3/10Roggenbier
One of Germany's more deliciously obscure styles is roggenbier (roggen is German for "rye"), a close relative to the hefeweizen. In contrast to wheat-driven hefeweizens, roggenbiers contain up to 50 percent rye—a spicy element that jibes with hefeweizen yeast's notes of cloves and bananas. Flying Dog recently released the draft-only Roggen, and you'll find a commendable bottled example from Seattle's Reuben's Brews.
4/10Original Ritterguts Gose
Once upon a time, Leipzig was known for gose (goes-uh), a sour, wheat-focused ale spiced with coriander and salt. (Think about how salt sharpens flavors, not a bag of Doritos.) The ale flies in the face of Germany's Reinheitsgebot purity law—as a regional specialty, it's exempt—presenting a laser-like tartness and a low ABV (4.2 percent) that makes Ritterguts a great workday brew.
5/10G. Schneider & Sohn Wiesen Edel-Weisse
Since it was founded in 1872, the German brewery has specialized on smooth, wheat-driven ales hefeweizens and other thirst-slaking delights. (The nutmeg and clove–nuanced Schneider Weisse Original is a total treat.) For an appealing riff on wheat beer, try the Wiesen Edel-Weisse. Bright and floral, it's more in line with an American white IPA.
6/10Freigeist Bierkultur Abraxxxas
The brewery's name should be the first clue that Sebastian Sauer and Peter Essel are not boring German beersmiths. At Cologne’s Freigeist ("free spirit"), the duo are driven by the notion of resuscitating the country’s bygone quaffs such as the eastern-German wheat beer known as Lichtenhainer. Smoky, bracingly tart, and anointed with hay, bread, and light ash, Abraxxxas will take your taste buds for a loop.
7/10Brauerei Pinkus Mueller Organic Münster Alt
While Germany is known for its lagers, some brewers were not so quick to bid goodbye to ale yeast. In Düsseldorf, not far from where Germany hits Holland and Belgium, that meant a copper-brown ale that would come to be known as the altbier. Brauerei Pinkus's version is a brisk, fruit-forward, and malty exemplar of the style. ____
8/10Uerige Sticke
One of altbier's tastier offshoots is the sticke alt (sticke, pronounced “shtick-uh,” means “secret” in the local dialect), which is brewed just twice a year by Düsseldorf’s Uerige. This version is opulent and robust, with an attendant bitterness matched by a malty complexity.
9/10Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse
During their 19th-century maraud across Germany, Napoleon's forces stumbled upon a tart, effervescent German ale that soldiers called the "Champagne of the north," a more fanciful term for Berliner weisse. Try the beguilingly sour 1809, which blends a sparkling pop with hints of pears and lemons.
10/10Hofstettner Granitbock Ice
The eisbock is a rather literal style. In a process dubbed fractional freezing or freeze distillation, brewers send a stronger lager into deep freeze. Removing the ice crystals (alcohol solidifies at –173°F, compared with water's 32°F) creates a more concentrated beer with a burlier body, amped maltiness, and elevated booze. This version from Austria's Hofstettner (so close to Germany!) is made by caramelizing the wort (the sugar-rich broth that becomes beer) with white-hot rocks and fermenting the beer in granite troughs. Caramel flavors rule the palate.
