Pils and thrills

Our interest in quality beer has grown exponentially in recent years, leading to the creation of some fantastic local craft brewers. We are not alone; other countries have seen a similar increase in popularity. But whereas the British needed to revive their dying traditions and the other countries to invent them, Germany never lost its culture of fine local beer.

As a callow youth I spent several summers working on the building sites of Germany. There I was introduced first to Alt, the wonderful bitter brown beer of Düsseldorf and then shortly afterwards to Kölsch, the local brew in the nearby rival city of Köln, or Cologne. In many pubs there was only one beer on offer.

Sometimes it was the only drink besides schnapps and apple juice. Asking for anything else risked causing serious offence. Even today, the waiters in the brew houses of the Altstadt in Düsseldorf will direct you to the nearby river Rhine if you ask for a glass of water!

Other readers will have had similar experiences in other parts of Germany. I never made it to the Oktoberfest in Bavaria although every town seems to have its own mini fest. A summer working in West Berlin was mildly disappointing, in beer terms at least, as the favoured drink was Berliner Weisse – an innocuous brew served with fruit syrup.

However, there were plenty of ‘foreign’ beers from elsewhere in Germany to try out, assisted by the 24-hour licensing laws, which made Temple Bar look quite sober at times.

I did learn that German beer was local and small and not necessarily in need of reinvention or innovation. The Germans already had black beer, brown beer, pilsner, weissbier, smoked beer, Bock, Maibock, Doppelbock, Helles and Dunkel, to name but a few. It was part of their culture. Even on the building site where I worked, the tool shop that stocked the pickaxe, lump hammer and other instruments had a fridge full of chilled bottles of beer.

As a student I quickly worked out that these were cheaper than the alternatives – bottles of lemonade and water. By now I feel sure the health and safety inspectors will have put an end to this practice, but back then most of my German kollegen happily sat down to a lunchbox of cold meats, pickles and black bread accompanied by a bottle of beer.

Germany has more than 1,200 breweries producing about five thousand different beers, more than any other European country. Most popular is pilsner, familiar to us here in Ireland, which varies a little in style according to where it is made.

It is dangerous to generalise but roughly speaking the beers become heavier and maltier (and often stronger) the further south you travel, and lighter and hoppier as you go northwards. Each brewery will make a range of beers reflecting local traditions, and often produce seasonal beers at various times of the year. Many consumers simply pick up a crate of beer from the local brewery, dropping back the empties from their last purchase.

Most beer drinkers would agree that only Belgium rivals Germany in range and quality. Germany also has the perfect food to wash it all down – a huge range of delicious, wickedly fatty pork, liver pates, and charcuterie of all descriptions, including the amazing rib-sticking schweinhaxe, a roast knuckle of pork, the first lunch I ever ate in Germany. Of all the porcine wonders, the Thuringian roast bratwurst were the most memorable; grilled on a barbecue and sprinkled with beer to crisp the skins, they were the perfect accompaniment to many a beer.

Sadly I couldn’t find an Alt bier in Ireland, but this week I feature four very different German beers. Erdinger Weissbräu, available in four styles, including one of the best non-alcoholic beers, is the best-selling wheat beer in Ireland. Apparently we really like it; Ireland is its biggest market outside Bavaria.

The owner, Werner Brombach, will travel over for the Erdinger Dublin Oktoberfest on Georges Quay in the IFSC, and Erdinger has released a special Oktoberfest beer, available for the next four to six weeks.

Kölsch is a speciality of Köln, a unique top-fermented ale that looks like a lager. Jever Pils hails from Friesland in northern Germany – made with more hops than most pilsners, it has a more bitter flavour. Augustiner, Munich’s oldest independent brewery, makes several delicious, characterful beers.

jwilson@irishtimes.com