Bosch Porter

Style: Porter
Brewed: Brauerei Bosch (Germany)
Tested: Bottle, 2013, 2014

It is really hard for me to write about this porter. Why? This beer apparently won the European Beer Star 2007 for the best dark beer? Sounds great, so where is the problem. The problem is - no matter how hard I try. it does not taste like Porter to me! Really. Excellent dark beer? Yes. Porter? NO, no, no. Want a porter try something else.

London Stout


Style: Stout
Brewed: Meantime Brewing Company (London, UK)
Tested: Bottle, January 2015

I think that Friday may be a good time to introduce this one to you. It is enough time to get the next flight to London, get pumped with this Stout and come back to work on Monday (or stay longer...).
London Stout is really something. If you consider Guiness as an example of a very good Stout (it really is!), then London Stout is amazing, ass kicking stout. Dark, rich in taste with wonderful, very fine foam. Thanks for Martyna and Richard for a possibility to try this one.

Stella Artois

Style: Lager
Brewed: All around the world
Tested: Bottle, 2013, 2014

I have to admit that I really enjoy people tasting this beer and acting happy since they are having a Belgian beer...
Just to make it clear - its not a bad lager, it is actually quite a good one. Still its a shame for the Belgian beer. Stella Artois has nothing to do with the Belgian brewery tradition. Trapist beer, blonde, wittbeer, ale and many others - these are clearly Belgian beers. Brewing lager in Belgium is like getting a "Schnitzel" in Paris. It may be good, but it will be a shame for Paris cooks. Decide for yourself.

Dolden Sud

Style: IPA
Brewed: Riedenberger Brauhaus
Tested: Bottle, still getting it;)

Let´s be honest - German market is weird - anything but the Pils-type is priced as a luxury (with the average price of over €7/l). So what can you say if you accidentally stumble upon this one? IPA? In Germany? Priced at €4,5/l? Clear first idea - this must be a crap. Still at this price, this would be a shame not to try - and surprise, surprise - its really a good beer. It may not be the best IPA you ever had, some people may complain about the relative low bitter taste (IBU 55), but the truth is - if you are an IPA fan, there is now way over this beer (at least if you live in Germany). Additionally - let´s not forget - you may get this one in the BioMarkt (which is usually close to your local Rewe) - and this alone makes it 10x better accessible than any other IPA in Germany. Well done Riedenberger!

Xoco

Style: IPA
Brewed: Mashsee Brauerei (Germany)
Tested: Bottle, January 2015

Personally, I am a big fan of beer experiments. But, from time to time an experiment may go wrong. This actually is the case here. Well, it is supposed to be an IPA with the chocolate. Yes, you can feel some chocolate aroma here, but the IPA part is lost. Bitter taste is gone (if I´m right it has IBU 30, a joke for an IPA). Sorry folks - it may be interesting to try one, but IPA fans will rather be disappointed.

The Brale

Style: Brown Ale
Brewed: Braufactum (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
Tested: Bottle, since 2014 and still doing it


Piece of history (last year;). We were sitting down and having a nice Kellerbeer (really nice, no joke). Everybody was praising it. Then, we have decided to try The Brale. It was like the lightning strike. Awesome! Partially we felt ashamed to consider the beer before good.
Yes, The Brale is that good.
Sadly, the pricing is similar to to other beers sold by Braufactum (€7/l), but this time the economical argument does not apply - it´s the only brown ale you can buy in Germany (correct me if I´wrong).
So, no alternatives, we are all doomed. Pay, cry and enjoy!

Palor

Style: Pale Ale
Brewed: Braufactum (Germany)
Tested: Bottle, 2014

Just to summarize - this is very good pane ale, tasty, bitter and aromatic. Certainly worth trying. But...
Braufactum has set the price of Palor at €7,01/l, if you consider the market (Köstritzer Pale Ale!!!), this price is a joke! Why would anybody buy Palor, if you can get probably better (question of taste) beer at the much better price... Of course, I understand that Braufactum is a small brewery, and the costs of production are higher. Still the market decides, and setting the price at this level is like stabbing the knife in its own back.

Köstritzer Pale Ale

Style: Pale Ale
Brewed: Köstritzer (Germany)
Tested: Bottle (many bottles), 2014

Köstritzer Pale Ale can be used as an argument in the discussion which beer is better  - company or crafted. Let me put some things straight - its a company beer and its the best pale ale I have tried in my life. On top of this, Köstritzer Pale Ale is one of the best beers I have tried in Germany. If you add to this that pricing is very reasonable - approx. €2,5/l. if you can buy in the regular shop (some ridiculous online shops will double this price) there is no reason to drink another Pale Ale (at least in Germany). One point  - dear Köstritzer - your distribution network sucks, I simply cannot understand, why can´t I buy Pale Ale everywhere where you are selling your dark beer. Please, do something about it. Beer locator is nice, but not sufficient (http://www.koestritzer.de/produkte/koestritzer-meisterwerke/#prettyPhoto[iframe]/0/).

Indianer Bock

Style: Bock/Kozlak
Brewed: Brauerei Max Wolf Karlsruhe
Tested: Bottle, December 2014

Small and big boys just have to love Indians. They have awesme skills, they have bows, arrows, squaws, bisons and all these things. Now, on top of this, they have this awesome beer! I like bock-type biers and I love ale. Indianer Bock is a tream went true - the best of both worlds. Rich, thick and aromatic beer. F... awesome this one. Go. Buy. Drink!

Zywiec Premium

Zywiec Premium

Style: Lager (close to Pils)
Brewed: Zywiec Brewery, Poland
Tested: Since over 15 years on the regular basis

This time polish beer, but even Germans (and people all around the world) can get on their way home. The chances that your favorite shop has it, are high. It is an important bier for me: many years ago, when the polish bier culture was not so strong, this was the only bier you could get and be sure of its quality! Nowadays I hear people saying - "aaaa, Zywiec, this commercial shit...". Its bullshit - for a company style Lager (which is a bit stronger Pils actually) this still is an excellent bier. If you can get one, go for it.

Warsteiner Weihnacht

Warsteiner Weihnacht

Style: Festbier*
Brewed: Warsteiner
Tested: Constantly since X-mas 2014

An example, showing that even a commercial brewery can come out with a beer that is worth trying. This beer is darker that the common Pils, more bitter and has an excellent aroma. But hurry up, X-mas time is over, soon you will not be able to but this one anymore. Worth trying.

* Since "European Beer Star Festival" carries "Festbier" as a separate category, I think its fine to call it so

Schönramer Pils, Pils

Schönramer Pils

Style: Pils
Brewed: Private Landbrauerei Schönram, Germany
Tested: Bottle, December 2014

This Pils was awarded with the Gold Award at the World Beer Cup 2014...
Do I need to add more?
If you can get this Pils go for it. It is surely not the cheapest one on the market (different online shops sell it at around €6/liter  -for comparison Licher is at €1,5), but its worth any cent you spend on it. Excellent and original adaptation of the Pils idea. I love it!

Licher Pilsner, Pils

Licher Pilsner

Style: Pils

Brewed: Licher Privatbrauerei

Tasted: Several times from 2009 to 2015, bottles and from the tap

Now this one is not going to bring me friends. When I first came to Hessen, I wanted to try some local bier. The name Licher was on every bar, shop and sign you can imagine. So I got it. Big mistake. I would say, this could have been the worst beer I have tried in Germany. I have to admit, that I have tested this one on my guests from Canada, UK and Poland and nobody ever liked it! Years passed, and I was still avoiding this beer. But recently, in December I got a bottle and drank it. Surprise, surprise - it was acceptable! Not good, but at least the first sip didn´t make me to throw away the rest of the bottle. Somebody told me, that the company moved from one hands to another and the new owner is working on the whole production process. Possible. Still, almost any Pils on the market tastes better than this one. Avoid.

Backbone Splitter, IPA

Backbone Splitter

Style: IPA
Brewed: Hanscraft & Co, Germany
Tasted: Bottle, February 2015

Excellent, strong and bitter IPA, nothing more, nothing less. If you can get one go for it!

Westvleteren XII, Quadrupel

Westvleteren XII (12)

Style:       Belgian Trapist Beer
Brewed:  Westvleteren Brewery, Belgium
Tasted:    Bottle, X-mas 2012; Bottle, Bar in Toronto, 2013

Very specific beer - dark and tasting like anything I have tried before. Just to give you a comparison: I was siting at the table with some other beer drinkers. We had it and the first comment was: "its not a beer its a champagne". 

Since its considered to be the best beer in the world (eg. ratebeer.com), we might be wrong, but I think that I would never pay this kind of money for this beer again. Worth trying if you can get one (just to be able to show off).

Foreword

Foreword:

Its just another blog about beer you may say. Hey Beerlander, what gives you the right to write a blog about beer? Well, here is my background 

Q. What type of beer for you prefer?

A. A good one.

Q. Would you give better note to any type of beer?

A. Rather not, good beer is a good beer 

Q. Would you say craft beer is better that company beer?

A. I wouldn´t dare to say so, in many cases it is, but again that´s the question of taste

Q. Why do you think people will read your blog?

A. Because - I am the only one:)

    Seriously - the vast majority of other beer blogs are made for people who prefer craft 

    beer. In my blog you will find reasonable opinions on any beer I came in contact with. 

    ANY!

Q. Are you a professional beer taster?

A: No I´m not. I wont tell you whether the beer have a smell of hickory or wet dog fur. 

    What I will tell you is whether the beer tastes good and whether you may like it or not 

    (remember, you always decide for yourself).

Q. Is there any element of the beer you wont rate?

A. Yes. I wont rate "the bottle". I have seen many blogs (especially German ones - sorry 

    guys) who will make a big fuzz about the bottle or the sign the brewery uses. Sorry - 

    but who cares. Check these one out (http://www.alebrowar.pl/en/piwa/golden-monk/). Ugly isnt it? But its one of the best beers I 

    ever had. So if you care about the label - I don´t care about your opinion on the 

    beer. 

    So simple.

Finally - let me present this small guy. Layout was designed by my son - Mateusz.
 I have decided to let him comment on any beer I have tried. 

I will probably add more Q&A later