Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
We return, again, to the former East Germany and the Thomaskirche Brewery and restaurant. Great and beautiful churches abound in Germany and it is great to have a beer out on the patio and gaze upon the imposing church walls.
Just sit back and enjoy the traditional German varieties of pils, weissbier and schwarzbier.
On to Germany and a Brauhaus. The vibe and beer are completely different from Ireland but the classic quality is the same.
At the Waldschlossen, you can have their Zwickelbier which “is a pale, full-bodied beer. It is brewed on the basis of an original Waldschlösschen Brewery recipe. The special feature of this beer is the fact that it is left unfiltered. It is a bottom-fermented beer with an alcohol content of approx. 5.5%”
Also check out the links on the history of brewing and their brewing process. You will learn something fun for sure.
TODAY: URUGUAY V. GERMANY
The game for 3rd place. This will either be a cracker of a game because there is no pressure or all the stars will be on the bench as the rookies get a taste of World Cup action.
And it is a match for past cup winners as well!
So we head to Uruguay for the penultimate beer of the 2010 World Cup!
And we toast the fighting spirit of the Uruguayan squad with Dorada from Mastra…”A moderately strong English Ale. The balance is almost even between malt and hops, or sometimes to the bitterness. The easy thing to drink is essential in this style. Emphasizes the use of hop bitterness, as opposed to the aggressive middle and end hopping is seen in American ales.
TODAY: GERMANY V. SPAIN
At the beginning of the tournament, Spain would have been the heavy favorite in this match up. But now. All the momentum is with goal scoring Germany. So to be contrary. Here is a light beer from Spain for your pleasure.
“Reserved for the most demanding palate. Alhambra Reserva 1925 is a high quality beer crafted to perfection. With its deep, exquisite taste and exclusive masterpiece in bottle design. Reserva 1925: Our vast brewing experience, to enchant the beer connoisseur.”
TODAY: GERMANY V. ARGENTINA
Germany did not get an easy road, did they? First they get England, who even when not playing well, are not an easy out. Then they get an Argentina squad that took apart a pretty good Mexico team.
My beer of choice for this tilt is a completely German style, kolsch. Fru Kolsch is a prime example of this light and refreshing brew.
If you have the appropriate glassware (it is called a stange which is German for pole). By all means use it. It really does affect the taste and aroma.
TODAY: England V. Germany
No one would have thought this would have been possible. A titanic clash in the 2nd round. Can Germany regain the flair of game 1? Can England find the scoring that came so easily in qualifying?
Since this will be a battle, I have selected an appropriate beer. Bengal Lancer from Fullers. According to the fantastic Jeff Evans (if you don’t have one of his books, you are not a true beer geek).. “To my mind, Bengal Lancer sensibly marries a high score on the hop register with excellent drinkability. Bundles of Golding, Fuggle and Target hops present a resin-like bite and dry the palate, bringing tropical fruit and lemon jelly flavours to complement sweet, biscuity malt.
A little peppery warmth reminds you that this is not exactly a quaffing beer, but the way the leafy hops and their tangy fruit dominate the very dry finish means that you’re hardly likely to bolt the glass anyway. In short, it’s a solid, satisfying beer with bags of character.
The number of serious, grown-up IPAs available in the UK is increasing every day. Fuller’s latest take on the style is one of the best.”
TODAY: GERMANY V. AUSTRALIA
One of my favorite breweries in Germany is in Michael Ballack’s hometown of Gorlitz on the German/Polish border. Landskron is famous for their hefeweizen which will be perfect for a light and frothy game between the efficient Germans and the underdogs from down under.
Gose is a little known East German specific style that is one of my favorites. I had it in Leipzig and was hooked. Now there are two brewers in Portland re-creating this forgotten beer. Cascade and now Upright Brewing.
Here are the specs:
Gose – Upright’s first German-style beer. It’s a neat style that dates back nearly 300 years and uses a unique ingredient – salt.
Malts: organic pale, wheat, organic caramel 15
Hops: hallertauer mittelfrüh
Also: coriander, salt
Yeast: French saison
5.2% abv
If you are still in need of Oktoberfest style beers, this new entrant has what you are looking for…
Julius Echter
They have a pretty good German Hefe as well as pils and a dark beer. Plus they have been around forever while most of the other breweries in Franconia have gone under.