Oktoberfest: A Canadian living in Munich's perspective

No surprises! Showing up on the first day we knew there was no way we'd get in a tent and had to limit ourselves to strolling around. It's basically like walking through a mosh pit, but sober.

Beer Prices

If you go to Oktoberfest and you don't drink... "you're gonna have a bad time" but the beer prices keep increasing, now at 9,80€ for a maß (liter) of Augustiner. In some tents you'll pay up to 10,15€ which basically means you're paying 11,00€ if you're generous with your waiter. Just to give you an idea, I can buy 20 bottles (10 liters) of Spaten, Löwenbräu or Augustiner for 13,00€ at the store.

A half chicken will soak up some of that alcohol but will also set you back another 10,95€. You should probably skip that looping roller coaster ride if you want to keep the rest in you and 8,50€ in your wallet.

There's also this app you can buy for 99¢ call Bier Inspektor, in which you insert the price of a liter and then measure how much beer is in your maß by taking a picture of it. The app tells you how much you're getting robbed if your beer head is taking over on the golden stuff.

Beer facts

Apparently Augustiner is the only brewery who will still serve their Oktoberfest beer from wooden barrels.

More facts: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e42da600-44cc-11e4-9a5a-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3Eu6nRtS5

I was watching the extensive coverage of Oktoberfest and an interview with the organizers of HB (Hofbräu) revealed that HB is the most popular of the Munich Breweries around the world. The HB tent is also known to the locals as the "Tourist Tent" filled with Aussies, Brits and Americans. The organizer denied that this is true and insisted on the authenticity of the brand and the strong presence of the local crowd. He seemed to be the only one with that opinion.

The Parade

There's a parade on the opening Sunday consisting of different marching bands and the breweries' carriages. Fun for the whole family, there was only one drunk holding a huge flag pole but his buddy helped him out.

Quick tips

To fully enjoy this still very traditional event be respectful of others at all times, we're all there for the same reason celebrate and enjoy some tasty beers. 

Don't bring anything you wouldn't want to lose or get stolen.

Don't go on drinking on an empty stomach, there's a lot of tasty treats and those big pretzels are life savers!

Remember dilution, is the solution!

Prost!

Köln, Kölsch City!

A few years ago I came to Köln, everybody told me yeah go see that big ass church it's worth it. At the time I was aware of Kölsch but this time around, with the church out of the way, I really got to dig in to the beer.

I had heard of this little brewery/restaurant called Braustelle, it's off the beaten path but a great find. Their flagship Helios is obviously a kölsch but they also have a variable the Helios Weizen (at first I thought it would be served in a 0.2L glass like the other beers but I didn't complain about the full sized weiss glass they brought me that beer was good! From the tap I also tried the Simsons (no P) Weizen which was also very tasty and a little stronger.

The ladies ordered the Pink Panther which I got to sample, a pink juicy fruity concoction which reminded me of a mix of gueuze and kriek but I didn't like it so much I turned my attention to other bottled beers they had and tried their Phoebe Caulfield a beer made with rye (Roggen Bier) thick as molasses and dark as the night almost stout like very good but it could have a longer sustained taste in my opinion. I also had the ribs, first time I saw ribs on a menu and to my knowledge pork is really inexpensive compared to beef, yet ribs don't seem to be as popular in Germany.

Tap vs Bottle

Clearly if I have the choice between tap or bottle I will not think twice but I read that for kölsch the moment when it comes out of the tap you should hurry up and drink it because the longer it's out the worst it gets and I'm guessing this is why they serve it in 0.2L glasses. Although it is better enjoyed fresh out of the tap I tried Peters, Reissdorf, Gilden and Mühlen in bottle and out of all of them Mühlen was the closest to it's tap version. I felt like the other ones sort of tasted like generic eurobeers and were lacking that fresh crisp taste of kölsch.

Shop

It's always nice to know a place where you'll find most beers and in Köln the Biermuseum is the place to go shop.

Books

I also looked at some books on the subject and found these two by Frank Mathar, if anyone read these I would appreciate any feedback. 

Gluten Frei Bier bitte!

A friend of mine loves beer, unfortunately he's no longer able to tolerate gluten so I did my best, with the help of other redditors, to assemble a variety of gluten free beers available in Germany. Prost!

Neumarkter Lammsbräu Glutenfrei 0,33L 4.7%

Where to find it

RESIDENZ Bio Reisbier glutenfrei

RESIDENZ Bio-Reis-Gold glutenfrei

Gluten free beer made of rice in 0,5L at 4,3%

RESIDENZ Bio-Reisbier dunkel glutenfrei

RESIDENZ Bio-Reis-Gold Dunkel glutenfrei

Gluten Free dark beer made of rice (Landbier) in 0,5L at 4,3%

Where to find it

Lebensfreude - das glutenfreie Bier in 0,5L at 5,0%

Where to find it

Riedenburger glutenfreies Hirsebier in 0,33L at 4,7%

Exclusively brewed from millet malt!

Where to find it

Schnitzerbräu Hirse (Gluten free) in 0,33L at 5,0%

Schnitzer Bräu Hirse Lemon (Gluten Free Radler) in 0,33L at 2,6%

Where to find it

Spalter Buchweizen in 0,33L at 2,5%

Brewed with buckwheat (100% Gluten free)

Where to find it

A first glance at the craft beer scene... in Munich

This is likely going to be the first part of a few articles as I venture into the endless beer culture of Bavaria. I have been a fortunate Canadian living in Ottawa for the most part of my legal drinking days and a part of me was reluctant to leave the expanding craft beer scene behind and move to Munich. What we have in Canada is nowhere near the boom that is happening in the United States but it is much closer than the baby steps taken by a handful of Germans who want to stay in the beer game. After all, if they want to keep their title they must find a way to merge culture and craft in order to compete with the new wave of expanding micro breweries worldwide.

This is an interesting point in time where the German brewers want to have the Reinheitsgebot inscribed in of the UNESCO's World Heritage list and also where other brewers are trying to get away from the traditional brewing methods and break through the conservative German palate with new flavors and ingredients that are being shamed by the purists.

Why would one dare brew some American Pale Ale when we have perfectly good Helles? Who needs a Belgian Wit when we have our Weissbier? Porters and stouts are nothing compared to our Dopplebock. The simple answer is variety.

That simple answer leads to the first problem craft brewers will encounter, the customer.

A good read:

Germany Wants World Heritage Status for Its Beer

Part 2: The German Beer Consumer

Pub Review: Tap-House (Munich)

I've been eyeing this place for a couple of months now and finally got the chance to head out on Saturday to the Tap-House in Munich. I had already lined-up a few beers I wanted to try from a large selection of beers. I was a bit worried that showing up on a Saturday evening around 9 pm, the place would be packed and we'd have to squeeze in at the bar and wait for a table but to my surprise the place was almost empty.

Right on the corner of Rosenheimstr. and Orleansstr. and walking distance from Ostbahnof is nowhere near the "hip" and current local hangouts but still very accessible.

The Menu

You can see for yourself there's a lot of beer both on tap (vom Fass) and bottles, you can spot the fridge when you walk in. You get a variety of German local craft beers and a few from bigger breweries. It's peppered with Belgian, Italian but most interestingly American beers. Among them were Allagash, Sly Fox, Firestone and Sierra Nevada.

The Service

I thought I'd go for the beer of the week, in a very bad Deutsch I requested the Kürzer Alt and asked if it was good. To this question the waiter replied that it was an alt beer. Ok... thanks for the elaborate response. In general I don't expect much from the wait staff in Germany, they don't get much tips and are usually not so enthusiastic about "tourists" and/or speaking English. In this case, I'm going off the beaten path and paying top dollars for craft beers which are trying to pierce the very stable and present beer market of Bavaria, I'm expecting a bit of shared knowledge.

I was recommended an Austrian beer from Freistädter which was apparently better, also pricier than the beer of the week. I was  then offered a Camba Amber Ale, which was delicious. I'm not fully aware of the affiliation that Camba has with the Tap-House but Camba seems to be their "house brew" so I'm gonna go with Camba owns Tap-House.

The Vibe

Very new, clean, pub atmosphere featuring huge barrels stacked up in the middle of the bar. As I said to my surprise the bar was almost empty but still had a steady flow of walk-ins throughout the evening. This place would definitely be a go to bar in North-America simply for their menu. But the layout is very open, there's a lot of sitting and standing room and could also host bands. I will definitely go back and attempt to get a little more out of the staff because I'm certain they enjoy talking about their product as much as I enjoyed tasting them. 

A robot pouring a weissbier

Most beer lovers already know that there are a few neat techniques to pour a Weissbier but this technique is by far the laziest and coolest one!

Almost human-like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP4LG64lUeA

A Crew for You

I've been looking around town (Munich that is) for some local craft beer and if you're not from here it get's a bit tricky. After being here for three months or so I've realized that stores and businesses don't realize the impact of online presence. After asking around on reddit and cruising facebook and translating many German websites I finally found what seems to be one of Munich's hidden gem.

Getränke Oase

They have a facebook page and my first impression was, WOW! They have a lot of beers in that small shop. Belgian, American but most importantly German Craft Beers. 

The first two I tried were from the highly recommended Crew Brewery.

The Detox and The Escalation. I personally preferred the Escalation, I was looking for something bitter and hoppy and the Detox had a great citrusy aroma but lacked a bit of IPA grit. Both very well balanced beers they come in 0,33cl bottles and are a little more expensive but someone's gotta pay for those cool labels!

Check out their other beers.

The Maibock

So you think you know red ales, you've got what it takes to drink strong beers and you've tasted all the brown ales you could find? Well combine all of that together and you might get very aroused by Maibocks.

I've always been a fan of German style beers and now would be a great opportunity for me to give a warm shout out to the homeboys at Beau's. I've been living in Munich, the beer heart of Germany and let me tell you I'm discovering something new every week. Just want to let you guys know that Beau's has been dead on with what they've been sellin' ya.

At first I was looking at German beers the wrong way, I thought you have your Pils which are bah, normal, you have your Weißbier, you'll find good consistent ones and pretty bad ones. Then we proceed to the typical Helles which every brewery can make, it's usually regarded as the "regular" type of beer. In the winter and the cold months you have your dopplebock, starkbier (strong beer) and the Maibock which I'm sipping on right now.

Only a handful of breweries seem to be interested in making the Maibock, it's lighter than the starkbier but still contain on average 7% alcohol and is dark orange/light brown in color. It's the bridge between the cold winter and the summer time and opening of beer gardens. If you're interested in a bit of culture I wrote a piece on Maypoles.

Wherever you are there's likely a brewery trying to reproduce this spring flavor, check it out and let us know what you think about it. The one from HB is the best I've had so far. Cheers!

Bierland Bamberg and The Rauchbier

With the highest concentration of breweries on earth Bamberg is not only know as a UNESCO World Heritage city but also known as the capital of beer. Known for their "Rauchbier" smoke beer, the city itself counts 8 breweries. Since 1818 the town has been a host to over 70 breweries, most of the town's operations were oriented to crafting beer. 

Rauchbier

The most popular one is Schlenkerla, made by Heller-Bräu Trum. In Bamberg, Spezial is also know for it's Rauchbier and they have a few varieties including a smoked Weissbier for those of you who prefer white beer. If you follow the Rauchbier link you will also find a recipe as Rauchbier can also be used for marinating pork or lamb!

Drinking your first Rauchbier, you'll probably think WOAH, this is just like drinking pure smoke and after 0,5L you won't have another one. I found that different brands have different levels of smokiness and some are even very rich and creamy, it is possible to enjoy more than one at a time. The stronger ones will leave a smoky aftertaste on your palate so if you have to try lighter beers first, I recommend you do that.

The Aecht Schlenkerla is the Rauchbier you are most likely to find in your neck of the woods, in Canada for example I know they have some for sale at the LCBO (Ontario) and SAQ (Québec). Elsewhere, visit your specialty beer store to see if they have it.

Still in style

There seems to be a revival of Rauchbier among the craft brewers lately. Fort Collins Brewery (Colorado) has a Rauchbier called Out of the Ashes, Beau's (Vankleek Hill, Ontario) made this interesting Banana Rauchbier which was surprisingly delicious! 

Had a Rauchbier lately? Tweet it to @beerfeederguy 

Top 10 sexiest beer labels

When it comes down to beer, are we more likely to make a decision based on the beer label? Is a formal label associated with a refined, more expensive product? What about the sexy beer labels? Are they just a cover for mediocre beer? I thought I'd round up a few of the sexiest beer labels and let you decide.

#10 New Albanian Brewing Company's Naughty Girl Blonde India Pale Ale

You had me at Naughty, check out their website they have some insane artwork! http://newalbanian.com

#9 Palo Alto Brewing Company's Hoppy Ending Pale Ale

Not only hilarious play on words but I bet this one has a good palate and a great finish! 

http://paloaltobrewing.com

#8 Wasatch Beers' Polygamy Porter

If you're into that you can buy gear on their site.

http://www.squatters.com/shop/default.aspx

#7 Old Dominion Brewing Company's Morning Glory Espresso Stout

                                      

Guaranteed to get you up and running! They have a blog with killer recipes here.

#6 Amager Bryghus' Lust series

Unfortunately they don't have an english version of their website. But if you're from Denmark, here you go! http://amagerbryghus.dk/index.php

#5 Clown Shoes' Tramp Stamp Belgian India Pale Ale

They have close to 7000 followers on Twitter, all wanting to get into 'dem jeans! You can wear them on your chest for 15.99$ and while you're checking out their store, check out the other beer labels!

#4 Rubbel SEXY LAGER

From the makers of Delirium in Belgium, a vintage look and a reasonable alcohol volume! For more info on this one you can visit Shrimper's blog. He's got an informative bit on this beer's marketing. And yes, that IS a scratch remove bikini!

#3 l'Alsacienne "sans culotte"

From France it is now reportedly brewed by Brunehaut brewery which looks a lot classier than what the label above suggests, you be the judge.

#2 Buckeye Brewing Cleveland's Summer Girl

Spotting this one on the shelf will definitely make you look twice! There's not a lot on Buckeye Brewing Company and if anyone would care to send some information my way, @beerfeederguy.

#1 St. Pauli Girl

 

She's the obvious choice, she's been around for a while she's had a guest appearance in the US version of The Office.

It has been updated!

And it seems like the older version wasn't even blonde! In fact on their website you can see a carousel of St Pauli Girls going through the years.

Did I miss one? Post them on Beer Feed's Facebook page.

Beer culture: Pouring a weissbier

Weissbier 101

The weissbier is usually good. It is also know as Hefeweizen, Weiss, Weizenbier and Wheat Ale. It is pronounced "vice-beer". It means white beer in German. It is unfiltered, hence the residue at the bottom of the bottle.

The glass

You should always pour a weissbier in a glass. There is residue at the bottom of the bottle, you don't want to drink it out of the bottle. Never wash the glass in a dishwasher, traces of detergent may affect the integrity of the glass and the quality of the head.

The bottle

You should store the bottle in an upright position so that the residue stays at the bottom of the bottle. This will prevent the yeast from moving around and you'll end up with too much head. If you can, the suggested temp. is 5º - 7ºC.

The pour

There's the slow and steady method where you angle the glass and when there's just less than a third of beer left in the bottle you give it a twirl to dissolve the residue still at the bottom and then pour the rest.

The other method is the inverted pour which takes a little more skills but definitely a crowd pleaser .

For Hoegaarden lovers, this guy seems to have found a way to pick up at a party.

Beer Culture: The Shower Beer.

Most of us have a favourite beer, if you're reading this blog or following @Beerfeederguy on Twitter you likely have more than one. But what about your favourite place to have a beer? A group of dirty beer lovers decided it was time to clean up their act and do it right. The "Shower Beer" was born! 

How it all started?

Can't really tell but sure glad it did! According to the Urban Dictionary the oldest definition dates back to March 12, 2004.

Do people actually know about this? ...and how awesome it is!

For redditors out there the subreddit /r/showerbeer has close to 1000 posts and 17 000 subscribers. The first post dates back to the summer of 2013 so this movement on reddit seems to be a new thing and will likely pick up very quickly.

The main offenders are usually male but you'd be surprised at the number of ladies who also enjoy a cold one in the shower. You'll find a few inspirational couple pictures (this seems to be the favorite) and a few pieces of literature on the subject.

So you have to clean yourself with one hand?

Not quite, you see two guys put their shower caps on and brainstormed Shakoolie! A shower beer holder made with velcro. They've also produced a game card so you know exactly when a shower beer is a good move.

You can also check out showerbeer.org if you're a fan of shower beers and need you're "badge".

Even Good Guy Greg knows about shower beers...

Quota filled in Czech Republic

I recently spent a few days in the beautiful sceneries of Czech Republic and I must admit that this is the farthest I've gone east inside of Europe. First we need some beer facts because that's all we really care about right? Czech Republic is number one in the per capita consumption of beer, a smashing 132 litres crushing second place Germany at 107 litres throwing Canada in fifth and the U.S. in twelfth.

Most of you will think about Pilsner Urquell and Kozel and perhaps Czechvar (the original Budweiser) which has an interesting trademark dispute with Anheuser-Busch.

Finding some literature on Czech beers was proven difficult, there are a few blogs worth reading and I managed to find a tiny book on the most popular breweries in Czech Republic which was more of an advertising brochure. "Come visit our brewery. Our beer is good. Free sample. Address/Phone number." For 79 Czech korunas (or crowns), I didn't make a fuss.

If you're curious about the exchange rate...it's awesome. We were told that in Czech Republic you can buy a fresh half litre of beer for no more than 1 euro, well the closest we got was 1,10 which in my opinion is why their per capita is so high, it's as cheap to buy a beer in a restaurant as to buy one in a superstore. The other reason why their per capita is so high would be attributed to their beer's alcohol by volume (ABV) which is usually below 5%.

A few things to note when ordering a Czech beer, you'll often have the choice between a 10 º and a   12 º beer, this has to do with the pre-fermentation process and something called the "Original Gravity", chemists read more here. I was recommended the 12º Lobkowicz and was not disappointed.

U Dvou Kocek in the heart of Prague prides itself in brewing it's own beer, you can watch the process near the entrance while you gulp down a cold one.

You'll notice that not all Czech beers are not all pilsners and pale lagers, you'll also be surprised by the refreshing taste of their "Cerne" dark beer. Guinness lovers will notice that it's not as rich and creamy but some of them have strong chocolate and a certain sweetness on the nose which is very nice when you need something different.

Eggenberg's Nakoureny Svihak (Cesky Krumlov, CZ)

Until I return, I still have a lot to learn about Czech beers, I welcome your comments or any contribution you would like to make to this article. I will be working on a beer spa article as well!

If you're curious about Czech beers or beer travels to Czech Republic I encourage you to visit these links:

Czech beerfest
Czech beer guide (a bit outdated but a few words of encouragement might bring them up to par)
BBC's surprising facts about Czech beer

This ain't no mecca man, this place is FULL!

The year is 2013 and by now the earth's population reached too many billions already. Six million of them make their way from the four corners of the globe to participate in what the Germans call, "die Wiesn". Commonly known to foreigners as Oktoberfest or the biggest shit show on earth, the 16 day festival held from the end of September to the first week of October is often said to be overcrowded and  overpriced. This shouldn't stop you from enjoying the atmosphere and the beer tents with a few tips and a bit of luck.

Accommodations

source: neatorama

Probably the biggest challenge during the Oktoberfest will be to find a place to crash. Hotels and regular tourist accommodations in Munich will double in price during the season. You may have better luck couch surfing or crashing at a friend's place if you're so lucky. Make your reservations in advance. I found that no matter when you're looking to book a flight to Munich between mid-September and early October, the price will be higher than usual. Maybe it's time to use those air miles you've been saving for a rainy day!

Getting in a tent

source: insideamashtun.blogspot.de

Fact is, the safest way to guaranty your place at a table is making a reservation (one year in advance, almost). You can drop a hefty 300 euros which means that this is the amount of money the guests at your table will be spending (half a chicken and two litres of beer).  If you go as a large group such as five or more good luck getting a table together, one or two can easily squeeze in on the same table but getting there early is key. Obvious factors such as dinner time, Friday and Saturday evenings or statutory holidays will make it even harder to get a good seat. To get organized you can visit the Oktoberfest website showing all the information on reservations, opening and closing times and tips to have a safe and enjoyable time.

DOs and DON'Ts

source: gadling.com

Clearly the rules about alcohol apply, for some reason Oktoberfest seems to be a place to show off how much you can drink, hell yeah! It's the aftermath that can be quite unpleasant, hopefully you're not scheduled to take an early flight or a 6 hour bus ride the next day.

Don't take a nap on that hill... you know the one where all the people puke and piss!
Don't throw your mug, these things weight a ton.
Don't stand up on a table and raise your glass unless you're certain to down every single drop of beer.
Don't go on an empty stomach, buying beer and food can get quite expensive.

Do "Prost" your neighbours and table mates, getting to know the people at your table. They're likely there for the same reason and won't refuse a casual chat.
Do check your stuff (phones, jackets, sunglasses, etc.) Sucks to say but people steal shit!

To the point

With this information you should be able to profit from this amazing conglomerate of drunks who made a point to get together and enjoy some of the world's best brews.

Got pics from this years Oktoberfest? A video of your buddy chugging 5 beers in 3 hours? Or perhaps you wrote a blog post similar to this, in any case I'd be glad to hear about your experience.

Prost!