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I didn't appreciate the fine art of German Beer Brauerei(brewery) until I first went to Germany. I was lucky enough to work in the storybook like Black Forest where they served a beer called Rothauspilz. I remember it was quite a tasty beer, not too strong and it had a little red insignia on its label. Soon I learned just from my travels in a very small region, that restaurants would typically serve only one brand name of beer, but by going from inn to inn, restaurant to restaurant, one had the opportunity to try a vast selection of beers from many different breweries. Many people collected the coaster from each brand of beer that they tried.

Beer was simply everywhere. You could get it at the train station, the amusement park and even McDonald's. In the hotels, the Germans started drinking beer first thing in the morning. It was great and delicious and put you in a great mood right from the start of your day.
I soon became keenly aware of the difference between American beer and German beer. Actually, you can't compare the two, only contrast them. American beer tastes like it is full of chemicals. That's why you have to serve it so cold, because if a Bud light gets too warm, then it seems like you are just sipping on warm, bitter preservatives. The icy coldness is a clever disguise.
German beer is more hearty, rich, wholesome and delicious.
When I tried my first Weizen(wheat) beer in Munich, made by the fine Bavarian brewery Paulaner, I felt as though I were drinking nectar from heaven. It was thick beer, smelled like bread dough yeast a bit, but was incredibly smooth and delicious. German beer is made according to "Reinheits Gebot", a law of purity that was created centuries ago, a law that set the standard for German beer today.
I craved Paulaner Weizen beer years later. Our micro-breweries in this country do a fine job, but they don't match up to Paulaner. German beer is brewed to perfection. How can something taste perfect, I ask myself. I don't have any rational answer, but all I can do is tell you to go to a beer establishment in Munich, order just a regular beer and after only one sip, you will be convinced.
Then there are the regional differences in Beer as well. Northern German Beer from the Rhineland is characterized by its bitterness, for example Bitburger Pils. This is a very bitter beer, as Pilsners are, but it really does taste good. The regular beer in Southern Germany tends to be a bit sweeter I find.
If you want good dark beer, then go to Austria and try their Goesser Dark. This is first rate. Spaten Beer in Germany is stronger than the Spaten they export to this country as far as I can tell. Salvatore Paulaner was a nice strong Bavarian beer with a unique flavor that held my interest for some time
Well, it was many years ago that I had my love affair with German beer and I believe that these years are long gone, but still the recollection of the smell of Paulaner Weizen beer takes me back and invokes in me a sort of nostalgia. And just like a beautiful musical excerpt can trigger off a memory and pull an archived chapter out of our lives, so can the taste of a good German beer.

Learn more about this author, Melissa Rapp.
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