Decent organic beer on the rise from Spain to Switzerland!

You know that you have too much on your plate when you do not find the time to write about organic beer. Or at least that is the case for me. Thankfully, I have been drinking plenty - and sampling some new ones over the last few months as well. The most delightful beer experience was in Madrid (of all places), but Red has written all about that far more eloquently than I ever could. If you are ever in Madrid, do find the Naturbier brewery (nice German name ;-) ...) Red is standing outside of. It is well worth it! - If Spain can produce decent organic beer, it should come as no surprise that in German speaking lands, good organic beers are spreading a plenty. On a trip to Switzerland in March, I tried Naturperle, a beer from Appenzell, and found it delightful and refreshing. It is a light beer, so it should taste even better now in summer, slouched on a bench in a beer garden. It's the kind of beer that after a hot and sweaty day means instant relief and relaxation. - If you know me, you will know that I used to scream "Viva Chris Hani, Viva" (and the like) ... but that me uttering "Viva!" in relation to Bavaria is somewhat far fetched. But I have always admitted that Bavaria does have the best beers in the world (especially wheat beers). The "Viva Bavaria" brew by Riedenburger is no exception. In fact, it is exceptionally good and does deserve the 'Best of Bio' prize it won last year. Again, it is on the light, drinkable side, but with a strength of taste and falvour that the Naturperle can't quite muster. - This piece has lightness as its guiding thread ... and I am glad to report that, after the rye-wheat beer, I have managed to locate the new organic Pilsner by Stoertebeker breweries called 1402. It doesn't taste that old ;-). Rather, it tastes fresh and crisp. Of the beers presented here, though, it is my least favourite. For my taste, it is a little too light (or at least it was in spring when I tried it.) For the summer now, all three beers are highly recommended. And while the North Pole ice melts and climate change accelerates, there is at least one bit of good news to report: Organic beers are on the rise. And, by and large, they are pretty fine brews. I drink to that!

New Year, New Beer ...

I don't believe in Nature - in some primordial Other, that is 'out there' and needs to be kept untouched. The idea of Nature as the opposite of human civilization is a silly one. It is itself a result of industrial civilization. Historically, the idea of Nature as Other has done much harm. 'Protecting Nature' was used as a prime argument by colonial plunderers to clear indigenous people off land, for example. Sadly, this even continues today.... - When nature reserves and parks are used as places where a more sustainable way of living on planet earth is tried out and 'showcased', though, I rejoice. When a good beer results, you can certainly see me smile. So I was smiling all the way when I came across the Rother Braeu brewery, which is located in the Naturpark Rhoen. Rother Braeu is that rare beast of a brewery that practices what it preaches. It sources locally as well as organically. It mainly sells regionally as well, which is why it took me ages to get hold of their Ur-Pils - a fine, crisp brew that can only be described as refreshing. Ur-Pils is a true lager, as the name suggests. As such, it is as brilliant a thirst cruncher as you will ever find on planet earth. - Rother Braeu is the kind of (small) business I love. But I have to say, that I am also excited by more and more mainstream breweries getting into the organic market. Stoertebeker, brewed in beautiful Stralsund, is a major beer in northern Germany, for example. In one go, they have added four organic beers to their range. I only got hold of the Roggen-Weizen (a rye wheat beer) so far. And I was sceptical. I am not really into dark wheat beers (as I like the sparkling, champagne-like character of wheat beers above all else). But this one stays delicate despite its darkness. It is creamy more than sparkling, but it goes down very well. - Flensburger - or 'Flens' as it is known to the German beer drinker - is one of the very big brands of German beer ( and it's better than some of the other big names, such as Beck's). Opening a Flens is always fun; it makes 'plop' as you remove the ceramic bottle cap. With their organic Kellerbier, the fun does not end there. It's an easy to drink (also slightly darker) beer. It is not light enough to drink for a whole evening at a party, but it goes well with a nice meal. Flens Organic will never become my favourite. But I hope it will get more mainsteam beer drinkers into organic mode! Indeed: May 2008 bring many more new organic beers to the market. My taste buds are ready to sample them all. Happy 2008, everyone. And: Prost.

No cranberry, no bullshit ;-)

This site is not about advertising, least of all beer. But if I were to advertise beer it - obviously - would have to be organic. I would recommend some of my all time favourites, such as Neumarkter Lammsbraeu or Golden Promise. Nonetheless, I have to give credit where credit is due. And Pilsner's response to the yuppification of beer deserves a big cheer - not least because it made me laugh out loud (sorry to my fellow U-Bahn passengers). I am not against trying weird stuff with beer. Some North American micro-breweries, in particular, create some amazing tastes - that I may not necessarily call 'beer' tastes - but that are nonetheless a worthwhile challenge to human taste buds. But all that lager with sweet tastes added? The Beck's Lemon of this world? They are disgusting. They deserve derision. They deserves this add campaign: No lemon, no cranberry, no bullshit!

North Coast Brewing not much to Berlin taste, sorry

The Fort Bragg where the North Coast Brewing company is located is no doubt a far cry from the Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where the U.S. military used to run a counterinsurgency school, training people in all sorts of evils. Their beers make a much better export, for sure, than torture. That said, I am not so sure these beers were worth dragging around New York all day after buying them in the Village in September. I have to confess, that I remembered how my back hurt that night with every sip I took. To be fair: It is not that they are badly produced. My criticism is more to do with snobbery, I guess. The Cru D'Or, for example, is the kind of heavy, strong (8%) beer, that I only really like when it is an original Chimay (of which I drank far too much when I had passed my Logic exam at university. But that's a different story ...). With this Cru, I never got over the label "Belgian style". Well, indeed. Belgian-style but, er, not Belgian. Not special, just heavy. Not exquisite, just ok. - The same can be said of the Old Plowshare stout. Again, I freely confess that stout is not my favourite kind of beer in the first place. I also confess that I had not had a good day when I drank it. But I also know that a good beer can lift my mood. A special taste on my tongue can make my eyes glint with joy. This time, it wasn't to be. The stout made me think of Scotland. A vague memory of a similar taste in some wee pub on the east coast came to mind. That was all pleasant enough. But nothing special - again.

No to genetically modified Bud

Cheers - three more organic beers!

The first weekend in Berlin in ages, combined with a football match, finally gave me time to catch up with some organic beers I had recently hunted down. It was, as always, a pleasure. Though, frankly, the best thing about the Angel lager by Broughton Ales is its beautifully designed bottle label. The beer itself is pretty flat. As a German, I am demanding about lagers. And this one just didn't have the crisp freshness that makes you go "ah" with pleasure after the first sip. Broughton should stick to ales. Their Border Gold Organic Ale I remember to be quite satisfying. - As was the Wolfshoeher Bio Pilsner. It's all you want from a Pils. It's quite light but not without the slight bitter tinge that is a must in a good German lager. It is, in short, very drinkable. The kind of beer you can make your regular with a meal.
Wheat Bear (Weissbier, as they say in Bavaria) is rightly called the champagne among beers. And so, as Germany became the first team to qualify for EURO 2008, and Scotland managed to defend first place in its qualifying group, I finished off Saturday night with a treat: the Bayreuther Bio Weisse. This beer may be a niche product of brewing giant Maisel - but this is a fine niche. It produces a satisfying head, it pearls on your tongue and it sparkles down your throat to leave a warm, satisfied feeling in your stomach. I recommend it!

Shock revelation: German loves beer (but make it organic)

To say that I love beer is admittedly pretty dull. I'm German, after all, so the fact that I don't eat sausages is surely more newsworthy than my devotion to our national drink. But, so be it. One of the truths in my life is that few things can give me more simple pleasure than a good, cold glass of beer at the end of the day. In retrospect, it all started at my very first ball (and I haven't been to many since). I returned all sweaty from the dance floor and found an unaccompanied beer on the table I was sitting at before. I took a sip - and was in instant heaven. When you are really sweaty and thirsty, there is nothing better than a Pilsner. Period.
Wherever I go, I try new and local beers as much as I can. So in Canmore, Alberta, I of course returned to the Grizzly Paw Pub and enjoyed their wonderful taster sets (see picture above). I particularly liked their seasonal light ale, though sadly I can't recall what they had put in it to make it special. Their Rutting Elk Red is also quite a good impression of a Scottish ale, somewhere between a 70 and an 80.
If I had unlimited space and a partner as tolerant of clutter as my friend and fellow beer lover Red Constantino - see his beer collection here - I would probably be lugging home beer bottles from around the globe all the time. That not being the case, I have restricted myself to collecting bottles that not only contain fine beers, but also seeds of the agricultural revolution. Organic beers are one indication of how organic has started to go mainstream in recent years. Drinking the stuff used to be the preserve of greenies like me who had to buy it in more or less obsucre organic shops (ten years ago, my quest for organic beers was akin to someone collecting rare books and visiting antique book dealers around the world). Now, shop assistants know what you are talking about when you ask and you can even buy them - "no problem"- in any run of the mill beer and wine store in, say, Alberta. I thus could happily add two new bottles to my collection last week:
Fishtale is a very fruity beer, that to someone like me is almost like a "desert beer"; I think it has too much fruityness to go well with many meals. But I liked it - though I am not entirely sure I support the idea of a "wild salmon" beer (I am vegetarian after all ...). The slogan "you should have tasted the one that got away" is kind of cute, though.
Paddywhack by the Nelson Brewing Company from BC, is an all the more hard-hitting and ale-like affair. It's got above 6% alcohol and a heavy - some would probably say hoppy - taste to it. It's again not a beer I would regularly have with a meal as it has a very strong taste of its own. But it is a perfect late night, finishing off the day after a nice hike or a swim in the lake kind of affair.



I will keep you posted on other gems I find. Please, if you ever visit me, bring a bottle! Organic beers is one of those few products I could become a marketing shark for. It's all we need in one: Pleasure and Revolution (and, yes, as Emma Goldman reminds us, it has to be in that order: "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution!")