Pav Explains... German Beer

The 1-Liter maß at Munich's Hofbräuhaus	Hefeweizens at Augistiner in Munich

Germans know what they're doing when it comes to beer. Munich in particular is famous for its local brews, but it's hard to find a bad one in Germany. While German beer can be strong, it's not much stronger than many beers in say, Texas. Most of the brews are between 5.2 - and 5.8, but they are all natural - there is a federal mandate that polices how beer must be made, just like they have a code in Russia for making vodka.

So what kinds of beers are there? Pils (Pilsner) is the most common, it's like Budweiser, but with flavor, body, aroma, and a natural head. Hefeweizen is an unfiltered, cloudy wheat beer. Hefeweizen must have 500 calories a pop in it, but it's worth every one of them. These are served in a tall glass that flares out at the top. There is an art to pouring a hefeweizen, near the finish of the pour, you have to swirl the bottle to gather up the wheat, which you pour onto the top of the head that should be above the rim of the glass. My German might not be great, but my hefe-pouring is.

My favorite beer here is the Hell (means light, not where the prince of darkness resides), which is like a Pils, but not nearly as bitter. These are mainly common in Bavaria, especially Munich. The Augustiner and Spaten Bräuhauses make a mean one, and while the Hofbräu Haus' Hell isn't the best, the drunken singing there can't be beat. You'll also find all sorts of other beers, Alt (means old, these are dark beers), fruit flavored beers (cherry is the most common), Stark Bier (strong beer, Spaten's Optimator is my fave), and even a Radler (mix of Pils or Hefeweizen and lemonade or sprite, popular with bike riders taking a breather at a biergarten).

The standard beer in Germany is 0.5L, but it possible to get a smaller pils. In Munich, the Maß is the norm - this is a 1L behemoth, but you will normally only get a Pils or Hell in this size, Hefeweizens are almost always served in a 0.5L glass.

By the way, Heineken is not German, it's from Holland you moron.