Three German lagers and an ale walk into a bar…

This week’s blog post comes from our beer aficionado, Denis Cooper. Denis is talking German beers.

Three German lagers and an ale walk into a bar…

Back from my holiday which is great as I only need two six-month holidays every year. I enjoyed my escape from civilisation but the whole time away I ailed for a decent ale. Note to self, never underestimate the comforts of home (reads: how good the beer is in Nelson).

After my brief sojourn it was great to come back to see what new crafts have been brewing in the craft brewing industry. Grabbing my immediate addiction is a newly created craft brewer from Wellington called Tiamana.

Tiamana (Maori for German) is a one-woman company who specialises in brewing classic German-style beers. She brews four main styles, all of which are totally quaffable whilst burning a few wieners on these hot summer nights.

First off for a thirst quenching appetiser is “Pilski'” a Berliner Pilsner, 5.6%. An enjoyable easy drinking pils with a herbal, slightly minty refreshing zing. A more malt-forward example for a pilsner, results in a sweeter note than most but still a wunderkind brewski.

A lager but not as we know it is “Kreuzberg”. It’s a traditional schwarzbier or German dark lager. This 5.3%er is brewed with dark malts, giving it the aroma and appearance of a stout but retains the light body and clean crispness of a lager albeit mixed with coffee and cola. Very refreshing and adds a new flavour dimension for all the lager louts out there.

“Witzig” Lemongrass Witbier, 5.1%, is a wheat beer with the characteristic big foamy white head and cloudy liquid appearance. The taste is true to form, that of coriander and lemongrass with a very high effervescence, combines to a prickly but very refreshing back of the mouth experience. You could food pair as a sauerkraut dressing but probably better with fried rice.

And for after dinner is “Old Fritze”, a 7.5% Doppelbock that is a perfect couch sinker. It\’s rich, complex, and as smooth as the top of my head, yet still amazingly, a lager! It oozes sweet malt flavours and is like drinking liquid brandy snaps.

Prost! (German for cheers)