So since the start of my work delegation in 2012, I have now lived in Erlangen, South Germany (Bavaria) and also currently Rotterdam, Holland. Now like any typical British man I have quite an acquired taste for beer. Now aside from Guinness I'm not really an ale-type drinker. When it comes to beer these days, in the UK I'm a premium lager drinker - The likes of Peroni and Kronnenburg. I tend to keep away from lager I consumed as a teenager, such as Carling and Fosters, unless I'm in a shitty pub with not much else on offer.
So now after 15 months of living in Europe, I could say I'm quite the expert in a wide variety of beers. So let's start where it all began... Germany.
German Beer
Now if you're travelling to Germany and are hoping to consume the sort of beer you are used to drinking back home, forget it. Germany is a country that seem to only want to live off their produce and that's it. They are a country very proud of what they produce. What they produce is the best and to them, only the best will do. This is evident when driving on any German road and noticing almost all of the car are German. Being either a VW, Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz, 80% of the cars sold in German are made by German manufacturers. The story is no different with the beer. Unless you are in a decent restaurant in a major city you are only going to be able to order a German made beer, however this isn't a bad thing. There is German legislation which states that Beer brewers can only use certain ingredients in their brew so the beer is a lot more natural than general British beer you will normally drink; which is pumped with chemicals. Also, especially in Bavaria, there are many local breweries in the towns and villages, meaning the beer you will buy in a pub or more commonly, at the brewery is generally no older than 48 hours old. The vast amount of breweries also gives the rise to a large choice of different beer.
Helles oder Weißbier
The two most popular types of beer in Germany are Helles Bier and Weißbier. Now I'm not a big fan of Weißbier and therefore haven't drank so much of that, so can only briefly go over this beer. Weißbier (translating to English as White-beer) is commonly known to Brits as wheat beer and this is a cloudy beer made from wheat in the brewing process rather than barley which is commonly used in beer production. It has an acquired taste and to me comes across a cross between a lager and an ale - somewhere in between the two. It generally has an alcohol percentage of 4.5% and costs around €3.50 in most German pubs and breweries. Erdinger is a popular type of Weißbier and can be purchased also in the UK - although it will have had a longer shelf life and therefore won't be as good as anything you buy over in Germany from the pubs.
Helles (translating to English as Light) is more of what I can describe as a lager, however it is a lot less gassy and has a much smoother taste - even the 8% festival beer versions. I can drink all types of helles however there are a few in Bavaria that are absolutely exquisite. To name a few of my favourite brewers, St. Geroges Brau, Zirndorfer and Tucher. These 3 brews of Helles are the best beer I've tasted in the whole world I'd say. Also at around €3 per half litre (a little under a pint) you could drink this beer all day and still have money in your pocket for when you go home. The alcohol content sits between 4.5-6.5%, but still you wouldn't expect this, as they don't give that strong after taste as from the likes of Stella.
Dutch Beer
The Dutch again are a fan of their own beer, however the names mentioned here will be already well known around the world. The Dutch have 3 main brewers - Heineken, Grolsch and Bavaria. Bavaria is the least popular manufacturer of beer, and to be frank it tastes like a very standard lager. The battle for the title of Dutch beers lies between Heineken and Grolsch. Now before moving to Rotterdam for my current spell with work, I would always turn down an offer of Heineken. It just never ever appealed to me. Out of a can in the UK it tasted bitter and for me, it was just a no go. However living in Rotterdam and occasionally going to Amsterdam, I didn't really have much choice. However for some strange reason, Heineken in Holland tastes a lot better than it does in the UK, whether it be my taste buds changing or the fact that there is some difference in what's sold in the UK, I don't know. But Heineken definitely has a good kick to it. At 5% you can taste the strength and it seems to blow my head off a lot more than the 5% beers I drank in Germany. However I have to agree now, it definitely belongs up there with world premium lagers. Grolsch on the other hand, my head can seem to handle. Again it has an exquisite taste for a lager and I find it hard to pick a true favourite between Grolsch and Heineken. I guess then the taste is in the tongue of the beholder. Half a litre of these beers in Holland will set you back around €5 which is normal for prices in Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Belgian Beer
Another discovery from living in Rotterdam is that a vast variety of beer you can purchase in Holland is actually from Belgium. These beers are very different to any other beer I have drank before. It starts by being served at 0.25L and comes generally in something more of a chalice than a glass. When paying around €5 for a drink this small it comes as a shock at first. To then realise these Belgian beers are normally at least 7%. After a night on these bad boys you can more than expect a banging headache in the morning. Some of the Belgian beers that I have tried so far are from the likes of De Konick, La Chouffe and Duvel. The consistency of these beers are swaying more to be an ale-type beer. They are strong and they do have a lot of variation in taste between brews.
My Evaluation on European Beer
On a whole, the beer you can buy in Europe is definitely more superior to that that is on offer in the UK. Both Holland and Germany are a must if you want to spoil your beer loving taste buds to some truly amazing beers. Bavaria is known to have the most breweries per square km than in the rest of Germany and for amazing quality with lots of choice for as little as €3 a pint you cannot go wrong here. I would always recommend Germany for any beer lovers and even if the beer was priced at €5 like Holland I would still put German beer first. The fact that the beer is cheaper just means you can drink more... It never seems to give you a hangover either. A clear winner. Prost!
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