On The Buses

We continue our beer tour of Europe from the last edition of B & C by concentrating on the nations to the north. In contrast to Britain, the northern European beers are dominated by the lighter lagers and seasonal specialty ales that highlight the sensational produce of the area. As the ‘Beer Bus’ finished up in Italy, it’s only natural we begin the second part of our journey in Germany.

Germany is the world’s greatest beer nation, and beer is an integral part of their customs and culture. In the Catholic south of Bavaria there is always a reason to celebrate with a different beer style for in any given season. It seems almost every village and hamlet has a brewery, even if only to refresh visitor’s palates. From these little breweries come the ancient recipes and special blends to create beers for all seasons and celebrations.

Germany can lay claim to making beer a civilized drink for two main reasons, the Reinheitsgebot Law or the ‘Pure Beer Pledge’, and the introduction of bottom fermented lagers. The pure beer pledge or German Purity Laws were enacted in the sixteenth century stipulating that beer can only be brewed with malted barley and wheat, hops, yeast, and water. Not only did this enforce cleaner beers, but essentially restricted imported beers from entering Germany allowing for local breweries to flourish. German brewers launched a campaign against imported ‘chemi-beers’ suggesting these beers as inferior to their own. This tactic assisted the small ‘hometown’ breweries who displayed plaques announcing their beers adhere to the Purity Laws. In Bavaria, the only change since brewing began is the switch from warm to cold fermentation. Munich or ‘the monks place’ became the major town along the salt route from Austria to Northern Germany. Being so close to the Alps, brewers began to store their beer in deep caves to withstand hot summers. The lower temperatures encouraged yeast to settle to the bottom of the fermenting vessel resulting in turning malt sugars to alcohol more slowly. The result is a cleaner, less fruity and more stable beer.

But what about the beers I hear you say, well here goes with a fairly condensed list based on geographical location. As Germany has 1500 breweries, we can only scratch the surface and describe a few drops available here in Australia.

Any discussion about German beer has to include Becks and Lowenbrau. . Beck’s is the most popular German beer in the world: brewed in Bremen since 1873, and in strict accordance with the German Beer Purity Law of 1516. Beck’s is one of the fastest growing International premium beers that arrived in Australia in 1906 and became their largest buyer within 3 years. As a lead-in to Beck’s being brewed here in Australia in 2005, two advertisements will be aired titled “Life beckons, choose wisely”. These high profile ads are an investment in a brand that has seen a 40% growth rise in the past twelve months The success of Beck’s is based on a few important factors, including an emphasis on being a German ‘spitzen Pilsner von Welt’ or ‘world class premium pilsners’, and the inclusion of Hallertau hops of Bavaria, considered by some to be the finest pils hops in the world. The use of these hops may cause a few raised eyebrows due to the lightness in colour and put to question its strength and character, but after a swallow or two you will experience a clean crisp taste with plenty of back bitterness and a full rich flavour. Beck’s has a clear crisp white blond appearance with a creamy well-compacted head, subtly sweet aroma, with emphasis on lightness in style.

Literally translated, Löwenbräu means Lion's Brew. It can be traced back to the medieval days of 1383 when an innkeeper brewed his own beer at the "Zum Löwen" or Lion's Inn. The lion is also the traditional symbol of Bavaria so Lowenbrau represents a traditional Bavarian-style beer. Lowenbrau Pure Bier beer is made from the highest quality ingredients giving it a superb natural head, golden colour, distinctive, refreshing flavour and a pleasant, enjoyable aftertaste. Limited to only 4 natural ingredients which include a special strain of Löwenbräu lager yeast, two-row barley, that’s malted with special technology to get its unique blend, a light Pilsner type malt of special composition and the finest aromatic hops from the world’s largest hops growing area, Hallertau, just 50 kilometres northeast of Munich Add to that their soft, clear and clean Bavarian well water and you’ve got a very special beer..

A classic of the Munich wheat beer style, Schneider Weiss is a delightfully spicy version that leaves a clean clove presence on the tongue. Traditionally brewed for Oktoberfest, the flavour profile is a balance of fruity sharpness with a sweet, clove infused hop maltiness. The lemony clove aroma gains richness as the beer warms.

Brewed in the small German Rhineland Lake District town of Bitburg since 1817, Bitburger is a Bohemian style pilsener, which uses the finest of locally grown spring barleys (Alexis, Arena, and Steiner); plus four hop additions (Hersbrucker, Huller, Perle, and Tettnang). In the past, the ice from nearby lakes was used in the lagering process. Today, Bitburger still has a three month extended lagering policy and is not pasteurised which helps to maintain the delicate balance of malt and hop flavours, while the export variety is sterile filtered. Rhineland Pilseners tend to be hoppier than those produced in the Bavarian South, but less dry and bitter from those of the Prussian influenced north. Golden straw in colour, Bitburger has a hop driven aroma with subtle tones of vanilla, mild caramel malty sweetness, and slightly floral hoppiness. As is the case with most pilseners, it’s moderately bitter on the palate with hints of smoky hop flavour and citric fruitiness.

Austria not only lost an empire but a beer style as well. Best known for the Vienna style based on red malt which master brewer Anton Dreher perfected in the Vienna suburb of Schwechat. The brewery went bust in 1930 and the style of beer became a fading memory. Today Austrian beers imitate the Bavarian styled lagers. In Vienna, Zipfer has a fine perfumed hop with well balanced malty mouth feel. The other major beer region of Styria is most noted for their hops where Gosser Pale and Dark Ale are brewed in Graz. The pale ale combines the sweetness of caramalt, maize and rice with noble hops Hallertau, Spalt, Styrian and Golding. Gosser Dark provides a malty mouth feel, mild hop bitterness with a smooth sturdy presentation and finishes with a nutty malty flavour.

The Czech Republic formerly referred to as Bohemia gave us the first cold fermented Pilsener. Monasteries dominated beer production until the thirteenth century, when ‘citizen breweries’ began suppling beer to the Moravian aristocracy. Regional hops go back to 850 AD and still held in esteem today. Pilsner Urquell is the flagship of the Czech brewing industry, and has been since 1842.Urquell means “original source” in German, the official language of Bohemia, once part of the Austrian empire. And as it says on the bottle, Pilsner Urquell is the original pilsner from the Pilsen, the birthplace of the pilsner lager style. Adding to its mystique, the beer introduced the now famous conical pilsner style glass when the world was switching over from stoneware and pewter tankards. Pilsner Urquell is golden in colour with a rich, well-compacted creamy head. The flavour and aroma profile is driven by the use of Saaz hops, which provide a floral, spicy aroma and adequate back bitterness without going over the top. Equally important in its structure is the renowned Moravian barley malt, which provides a malty softness and overall balance to the beer.

Talk about beer from Holland and the word Heineken isn’t far behind. G.A. Heineken was so appalled at the depravity and drunkenness caused by gin drinking that he swore to his mother that he would brew for the people if she bought the Haystack Brewery for him. Now enjoyed in over 170 countries, Heineken's global success has been built on a passion for quality, a dedication to innovation and a respect for the world it lives in. Heineken lager contains no additives or preservatives, and only the purest natural ingredients are used in the six week brewing process. And thanks to three generations of the Heineken family, the Heineken lager enjoyed all over the world today is still brewed to the original recipe, perfected in Holland in 1873.Another popular Dutch beer treat is Grolsch premium lager. Grolsch has been producing superb beers since the early 1600’s when Master brewer Peter Cuper established the brewery in his hometown Grolle (now Groenlo) in Gelderland. Considered a small independent brewery until recent times, Grolsch products have been synonymous with three major factors: extended lagering and fermentation, unpasturised beers, and that infamous swing-stoppered bottle. The swing top dates back to 1897, when other Dutch breweries started phasing them out claiming they were too expensive for mass production. A seemingly useless appendage for modern drinking habits, it provides a distinctive novelty factor and instant recognition for all Grolsch products. Grolsch Premium is a fresh hoppy pilsner style lager with plenty of Herschbruger and Hallbrtauer hops for aromatics and Yakima and Golden Nugget hops for bitterness. All natural and triple cold filtered, the lager is well balanced with rich malty yeasty sweetness and a subtle bitter finish. The extended lagering provides that distinctive European flavour and classic golden colour.

The image of drunken Vikings marauding the countryside is as much a part of Scandinavia as the land itself. They brewed a barley based beer they called aul and handed down the method of top fermenting ales to all of Europe. And similar to Holland, the beers are dominated by two breweries, Carlsberg and Tuborg. Carlsberg has been brewing in Copenhagen since 1847 and remains a popular favorite around the world. Its light hoppiness compliments a dry malty mouth feel, with a sweet malty finish. Carlgerg’s slogan on the side of a building in Copenhagen’s city hall says it all “Probably the best beer in town”.

If Carlsberg Lager is noted for its light refreshing nature, then their Elephant Malt Liquor would be infamous for its unexpected stampede on your brain. Carlsberg Elephant is named for the life-size carved granite elephant that flank the breweries arched entryway. Golden-hued it starts off with a crisp floral character followed by a malty, yeasty aroma. Strong wheat like presence takes over and remains in the background Carlsberg Elephant is technically described as a German styled bock, or strong beer based on the high alcohol level, golden colour, with a sweet malt barley flavour. The smoothness of this delicious drop implies extended lagering for maturation.

Tuborg was first brewed in 1873 at Aktieselskabet Tuborgs Fabrikker in Copenhagen, and joined forces with the household named and well loved Carlsberg Breweries in 1970’s.Exquisitely presented and worthy of the Danish crown on the logo, this quality, full bodied, refreshing beer offers all the complexity of its Carlsberg brother, with the ice cold bite of a clean, smooth lager. A low astringency and yeast tone leaves a carbonated, smooth tasting mouthfeel, rich in body. Equal dry & warm characteristics with less bitterness than the well known Carlsberg Green label; leave an enjoyable after taste on the palate. Independent Distillers in Melbourne are now the proud wholesalers for Tuborg and Carlsberg.

Where Germany brought civility to beer, the Belgians brought the passion. It’s hard to take in that such a small country could produce so many fantastic styles of beer. This revival worldwide of Belgian ales is nothing short of phenomenal. They give us pale ales, golden ales, brown, red, and white ales plus the fruity iambics and abbey ales, not to mention their ‘specialty ales’. The list is seemingly endless, but for the everyday drinker the people in Belgium consume vast amounts of lager like the rest of the world. Brewing giant Interbrew’s Stella Artois was first brewed as a Christmas beer in 1926, and was so popular that it became an all year round beer. The name ‘Stella’ also comes from the Latin word for star, probably linked to the traditional star atop the Christmas tree. Stella Artois has a bright crystal clear pale gold appearance and a delicate hop aroma that requires pouring into a glass to truly appreciate. The pilsener lager has a pleasing hop flavour leaving the palate with a combination of grainy malt flavour, moderate hop bitterness and a slight citric sourness in the finish.

Hoegaarden White Ale has become a bit of a cult drink with the younger Belgian set, and with good reason. Its creamy light lemony taste is an ideal refresher beer, with hints of coriander and curacao. Its history goes back to 1445 employing a secret recipe, the purest of ingredients, and locally grown wheat.

When Trappist monks were hounded out of France during the Revolution, they took their brewing skills north. Chimay is by far the most famous Trappist brewery. The local water is soft and acidic, and the malts are considered a blend of caramalt with candy sugar. Add some Hallartau and American Yakima hops, then prime it with sugar and you have a beer with great depth of complex flavours with fruit and spice from the hops. Chimay has three beers, Red (Premiere), Blue (Grande Reserve), and White. Leffe is Belgium’s original abbey beer, with origins back to 1152. The Blond is made with clear malt of medium strength which provides a dry, fruity, lightly spiced beer that’s full, creamy and delicately sweet. The Leffe Brun is sweetened with brown sugar and balanced with a slight bitterness from roasted malts. And finally the lambic fruity beers whose most famous face in the beer world is Belle Vue Kriek. Kriek is the Flemish word for cherry, and along with its spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, and a long fermentation in oak barrels, provide a sweet and sour explosion in your mouth.