On the Road Again

By John Rosnow

This article gives you a little insight on my most recent trip to the beer or in this case bier capital of the world, Germany.

I spent two weeks over in Germany this July for my annual training in the Army Reserve. Yes there was a lot of work to do, but I also managed to enjoy some of the local beers and wines.

My first stop was the local American Shoppette, much like a 7-11 that is open 24 hours a day. There I purchased a six-pack of the original Budweiser Budvar for $2.35. (That was the price for the six-pack, not each bottle).

I stayed in the Wiesbaden area, which is very close to the Rhine River Valley; home to quite a few vineyards. I had the opportunity to visit a few of them on the weekend. Several of us drove along the Rhine River and stopped whenever we seen a sign for a castle. Some of the castles were now being used as vineyards.

The timing was also perfect for the Annual Beer Festival in Mainz. www.bierboerse.com. There was plenty of beer on hand as well as several places to eat. The festival has 2/3-beer vendors and 1/3-food vendors. The location was right along the Rhine River. We set out for the event early Saturday evening. It was bigger and better than anticipated. The majority of beers were on tap. There were several of the large breweries there, e.g. Pilsner Urquell that served both its traditional pilsner as well as Budweiser Budvar (the original Budweiser). The Guinness booth served not only Guinness Stout, but also Kilkarneys - a very good amber, almost Scottish like Ale and Strong Bow Cider. There was also the Belle-Vue line of lambics. These were some of the only bottles of beer that were at the festival. I also had the opportunity to try a few beers that are normally not served outside of the local brewery. One of my favorites was cherry beer from the Waldchesbrau in Frankfurt, http://waeldches.de. It had a sweet, full body and a red amber color. The taste was phenomenal. Eibauer Schwarzbier was another one of the beers that was quite unique. It was dark in color and had a spicy taste to it.
One other item that is becoming more popular in Germany is alcohol free beer. The Germans often refer to this as drive beer because it is usually the drink of choice for the designated driver. There were actually some very flavorful alcohol free beers in Germany. I was used to having one with lunch. One of my favorites was one made by Clausthaler http://www.binding.de/marken/index-e.html. There was a lot of flavor to this non-alcoholic brew. It also had a very good write up on the Beer Advocate web page, http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/review/290/842/#842.

That sums up this trip to Germany. Feel free to check out the photos from the Bierboerse at http://community.webshots.com/album/20813018wAIuzmUrAn.

Prosit!

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