On the great German beer tradition: Nebel says, ‘Das ist doch mein bier!’

Delirium Tremens: Hoppy Beer, Part III: That explosion in your mouth was a hop bomb

Though I enjoy the smell of napalm in the morning, I do prefer waking up to the aroma of a fresh hop bomb. What's a hop bomb? Imagine a conventionally hopped beer, say an average India Pale Ale (IPA), taken to a whole new level of flavor, bitterness and potency, and you'd have the Double IPA, the beer world's equivalent of an air-to-ground missile. But this time, the target is your taste buds.

Delirium Tremens: Worthy winter warmers: A variety of American seasonal beers

While most people dread the winter, beer enthusiasts embrace the colder months with open arms, aware of the delicious elixirs breweries save for this special time of year. Hats, boots and multiple layers are superfluous once you understand that the best cold-weather protection comes in liquid form.

Delirium Tremens

On the great German beer tradition: Nebel says, ‘Das ist doch mein bier!’

November 20, 2009

When most people think of Germany and beer, they think of one thing: Oktoberfest. It's a great party, but there is typically only one type of beer served.

When I was abroad in Germany last year, I did not make the journey to Munich for the festival. I've come to learn that, although seven million liters of beer are consumed at the two-week event, Oktoberfest is by no means the be-all and end- all of German beer culture. In fact, there is a vast world of German beer that thrives during the other 50 weeks of the year.

Germany has a robust brewing heritage, thanks in part to the Reinheitsgebot of 1516, literally a "purity commandment" for brewing beer. It stipulated that beer could only be made with three ingredients: malted barley, hops and water (it was assumed that yeast had to be used for fermentation).

The Reinheitsgebot was first enacted in Bavaria as a way of reserving wheat for bakeries: beers made from wheat were so prevalent at the time that bakers had to compete with brewers for their share of the crop. Wheat beer was the regional specialty of Bavaria, yet this law prohibited its brewing.

Soon the law spread to the rest of the German principalities in order to discourage the use of undesirable beer ingredients, such as mushrooms. Though it is now defunct, the Reinheitsgebot achieved a high standard of quality for German beer, a principle that persists in Germany to this day.

Germany has more breweries than any other country in the world, with about 1,300 currently active. Many of these breweries produce typical German beer such as Pilsner, the clean and bitter lager that is the number one style of beer in Germany. Lager, however, did not really become popular until the 19th century. The real interest in German beer lies in unique old-world ales and the cities from which they hail.

Bamberg, for instance, is a small city in northern Bavaria known for its Rauchbier, which means smoked beer. The beer is brewed with smoked malts—that is, malted barley cured in smoke. The result is a distinctive brew reminiscent of smoked meats: think liquid bacon.

To the west is Düsseldorf, where a malty, well-hopped ale called Altbier is the regional specialty. In Leipzig, a city in eastern Germany, there has been a revival of Gose, a tart wheat ale brewed with coriander and salt.

Thanks to its Reinheitsgebot, high number of brewers and plentiful hop, wheat and barley harvests, Germany has one of the world's greatest beer traditions. Unlike American and Belgian craft beer, German styles are not particularly flashy, and no well-crafted German beer ever seems over-the-top. Instead, German brewing techniques honed over the course of centuries produce ales and lagers that are modest yet flavorful, unique yet well-balanced. To me, German beer is all about quality and simplicity.

Although Oktoberfest is not the sine qua non of German beer, the city and surrounding areas of Munich might be. Bavaria is where the real German beer culture exists, and the region's capital teems with beer gardens, taverns and breweries.

The majority of the beer produced in Germany is made in and around Munich. It is therefore no surprise that the following three beers are all brewed in the Munich area. These beers also all happen to be types of wheat ale, Bavaria's beer specialty.

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier

Hefeweissbier or Hefeweizen is a style of wheat ale that showcases the complex flavors of the top-fermenting Bavarian yeast strains. "Hefe" is German for yeast, and the best Hefeweizens are unfiltered, so the full yeast flavor comes through in the beer. The yeast contributes what are often called "phenolic" flavors that are reminiscent of banana, fruit and clove. Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen is the crowning example of the style and is eminently drinkable. A steal at around $2.50 per .5L bottle at Bootleggers.

Erdinger Oktoberfest Weissbier

This wheat beer is interesting because it departs from the normal Oktoberfest styling, which is a stronger, more malty lager. The Erdinger is more like a Hefeweizen, with yeasty, fruity notes and superb drinkability. The best part about Oktoberfest is that when it's over, all of the festival-specific beers go on sale! Pick up a six-pack of Erdinger on the cheap at Bootleggers this weekend.

Schneider Aventinus

Probably one of the top-five German beers brewed today. This beer is technically a Weizenbock, a wheat beer of Doppelbock strength, and at 8.2 percent ABV, Aventinus is one of the strongest German beers available. Basically, this beer is like a darker, heavier and stronger Hefeweizen. Aventinus has a fantastic aroma of ripe fruit and a delicious, creamy mouthfeel. Flavor is sweet, herbal and spicy. You won't be disappointed with Aventinus. A .5L bottle is completely worth it for about $3.50 at Bootleggers.

The Bowdoin Orient has created a new promotion in partnership with Bootleggers Beverage Warehouse in Topsham, Maine. This week only, Bowdoin students can receive 10 percent off Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, Erdinger Oktoberfest Weissbier and Schneider Aventinus upon presentation of a Bowdoin ID.

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