Euro Lagers - Part 3: Germany

Germany is known for the Bavarian Purity Law (one of the older trade barriers) and its lagers (the word lager means 'storehouse' in German) and most of them taste very similar to each other. For that reason I am starting this post with one that tastes better than all the rest.

Hacker-Pschorr Munich Gold (Germany - Munich) 5.5%

Full gold in a glass with a malty and sweet aroma tinged with a dry hops halo. The taste is bitter more than sweet and has a very dry hops taste than nearly masks the malt. A perfect pilsner style lager which should come as no surprise as all the Hacker-Pschorr's products that I have tried are of top quality (their Hefeweisen is truly wonderful). Because it's so much a true pilsner, people who prefer their lagers yellow and fizzy but bland probably won't like: it really is quite bitter. Oh and it comes in a cool (and very useful) swing-top bottle.

Beck's (Germany - Bremen) 5.0%

A lightly malted, slightly skunky lager (green bottle!) with a dry hoppy tone and a hint of spice. A nicely drinkable European style lager.

DAB (Germany) 5.0%

A malty aroma with more than a touch of dry hops. A sweet malty body with a watery mouthfeel with a dash of dry hops and a slightly bitter finish. The taste is sweeter at first than the average Euro lager but the dryness of hops prevents DAB from tasting too sweet, the end result of which is a slightly sweeter but mostly average Euro lager.

Wernesgruner (Germany) 4.9%

A very pale beer with a full frothy head. This beer, brewed in accordance with the German purity law of 1436, has the dry hops flavour I associate with a pilsner. It is quite bitter though otherwise a fairly mild malt flavour and sweetness. Not any surprises in this half-litre can, this beer is very typical of german pilsners: bitter and generally ordinary.

Warsteiner (Germany) 4.8%

Light gold colour in a glass with a malty smell. Musty very bitter taste, hoppy but not sprucy at all. A good lager taste and good with food because the bitterness clears the palate nicely.

Lowenbrau Original (Germany - Munich) 5.2%

Yellow and fizzy, obviously European with its dry hops flavour (not to be confused with beer that has been dry-hopped). A little sweeter than a Grolsch. Somewhat malty, a little bitter. A rather plain pilsner all-told. Drinkable but not remarkable.

Krombacher (Germany) 4.8%

Very pale gold in a glass. A bitter classic European pilsner with its trademark dry hops flavour. Some grain malt flavours also, and some sweetness but more or less a typical pilsner. Very pleasant and easy to drink but not exotic by any measure.

Bitburger (Germany) 4.8%

Malty sweet aroma with more than a hint of dry hops. Also a light fruity touch of something like white grape juice. Pale gold in a glass with a good frothy head.

A nice dry hops taste with plenty of bitterness and some light malt flavour. Bitburger is really quite bitter and as such would pair nicely with food and is nicely refreshing.


 In case you missed it, here are the earlier Parts to this Euro Lager Saga:

Euro Lagers - Part 1: The Czech Republic
Euro Lagers - Part 2: Scandinavia

Euro Lagers - Part 1: The Czech Republic

With so many European Lagers/Pilsners out there with such similar flavours I thought they ought to be posted en masse starting with the Czech Republic and two from the town that lent its name to the class of beer.

Pilsner Urquell (Czech Republic - Pilsen) 4.4%

A delightful gold in a glass, fully carbonated with a nice head. This pilsner comes from the Czech city of Pilsen, and this is where the pilsner was born and from which the pilsner name is derived. A pleasant malt background with a distinctive dry hops bitterness and a somewhat fruity finish. It's aroma malty and slightly bitter & metallic. A beer with a distinct taste and a good story to boot.

Gambrinus (Czech Republic - Pilsen) 4.1%

"ORIGINAL - Gambrinus has all the merits of beers brewed in Pilsen, especially including a delicious, slightly bitter flavour, rich colour, ample foam and full carbonation."


A pleasant light flavoured beer but with enough dry hops bitterness and character that you can still tell it's a pilsner. Definitely well carbonated - can't be drinking this one too quickly without belching. Surprisingly dark golden colour for a pilsner but still well on the light side of an ale.

Czechvar (Czech Republic) 5.0%

Gold in a glass, this beer is bitter and has a dry, hoppy flavour. Despite being quite bitter with that pronounced dry hops flavour I mentioned, Czechvar is also quite watery and has a quickly fading aftertaste.

Yellow, fizzy and refreshing but, as the label brags, this is a proper European, pilsner. The Czech Republic is the home of the town of Pilsen (of Pilsner fame) and there can be no doubt that this solid beer draws heavily on that proud, dry, hoppy tradition.

Lagers from South East Asia

Yellow and fizzy lager is international - brewed and drunk everywhere. Here is a round up of three from South East Asia.

Tiger (Singapore) 5.0%

Pale gold. Very carbonated, light, sweet, malty. Yellow, fizzy international lager. Refreshing and with very little aftertaste. Not much to distinguish it from any other beer of this type but if a lager is all you're after this one will do the trick - though you might as well buy local.

Singha Lager (Thailand) 5.0%

Very sweet taste that somehow didn't interfere with the pleasant, though standard, lager taste.  I also really like the bottle cap.

Chang (Thailand) 5.0%

Very strong malty smell and sweet like creamed corn. The taste is along much the same lines, but also a very slight hint of hops and bitterness. A pretty nice international lager.  A really cool bottle cap and label.

Rockbottom Brewpub (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Rockbottom Brewpub Sample Tray (Canada - Nova Scotia - Halifax)

Six bucks for a sampler? Yes please! All of Rockbottom's brews were good and their seasonals were real standouts, can't wait to see their next batch of seasonals as the calendar turns. I also very liked the menu that comes with complete descriptions of their beers (which I didn't read), ABV, IBU and suggested food pairings: if only every restaurant treated beers with such respect! Our server was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, chatting with me about beers and their various events (a firkin of their specially made cask beer every Saturday!).

Deadwood Wheat 5.0% [12 IBUs]

Bread-like aroma. Slightly tart flavour with a touch of hops and a distinct grain taste.

Big Water Brown 5.5% [17 IBUs]

Very roasty, nearly coffee dark malt flavours at first. Nutty, grain & rye bread, sweet and slightly bitter with some fruit tones. A watery mouthfeel keeps it refreshing.

Fathom IPA 6.9% [70 IBUs]

Very floral, sweet, citrus (grapefruit) and melon hop aroma. That'll wake up your taste buds! Flavour is much the same (super nice) but more bitter than the aroma and the hops has a sprucy green edge as well as floral, sweet and really nice. A grain finish and floral bitter hops aftertaste.

Balticus 7.8% [70 IBUs]

Strong wooden tones come through in the aroma with spice and nut flavours as well as a smell that I can only describe as almost salty: very interesting. Some wooden tones come through in the flavour with hops and spice - quite a bit of bitterness as well as a mild high alcohol burn. This seasonal porter is also sweet with a touch of caramelized sugar.

Desecration 8.6% [65 IBUs]

Very floral hops aroma, sweet with grapefruit and melon tones but also a slight sticky sweet edge. This Imperial Red has punchy fruit and melon tones with a bitter hops finish. A nice beer with excitingly sharp tastes. The combination of alcohol burn and fruit tones almost make it a little wine-like but not a barley wine because it is not nearly that malty.

Jacktar Stout 6.7% [70 IBUs]

Chocolatey aroma, quite sweet with a hint of hops. Chocolatey taste as well as quite bitter with quite a bit of hops flavour too. Touches of fruit. A bitter finish. The hops seems to outshine the dark malt flavours to star in this one.

Take the Long Trail

This great craft brewery located in Vermont makes great beers and also has directions to the brewery printed on every bottle, gotta love it. Funny labels too.

Long Trail Ale (USA - Vermont - Bridgewater Corners) 4.6%

A deep amber colour, sweet but quite bitter. A full malty taste, roasty too. A nice change from bland beers and those that only show bitterness with a strong hops taste. Quite a malty and roasty aroma.

Long Trail Double Bag (USA - Vermont - Bridgewater Corners) 7.2%

Hoppy and caramel malt aroma. Light caramel flavour with quite a bit of bitterness. Not much of a hops flavour (other than the bitterness) but there is certainly some hops discernible. Also quite a hefty mix of dark malt tones: coffee, roast and dark chocolate flavours. In the same vein as the Long Trail Ale (bitterness and in colour) but definitely a unique beer that is quite good in its own right.

Long Trail IPA (USA - Vermont - Bridgewater Corners) 5.9%

Deep gold in a glass. A tangy strong hops aroma that tingles the back of your jaw and the sides of your tongue. A very hoppy taste and quite bitter but also a little sweet and nutty, floral with a strong malty finish.