Hofbräu Original Lager

Surprisingly, I don't drink that many beers from Germany. When I think of Germany, and I get past the world wars, I think about their love of beer. Specifically, I think about their purity law with regard to beers. Sometimes I think the US should have a standard where you can put a special sticker on your beer if you comply with the German purity law. Also, Germany should not call it the German purity law. That connotation brings up... issues.

This is a clear beer. I don't know if it comes across in the picture, but this beer is very, very clear. Most pilseners would have a rough time trying to get even close to this clear. It is a bright gold, and it looks lovely. The head is quite voluminous, and it dies down very quickly to a patchy webwork of lace halfway covering the top of the beer with the familiar ring around the sides. This lager is even bringing lacing, and that is a genuine surprise. The aroma is sweet malt and wort. I'm already enjoying this beer.

First sip is surprisingly bitter. There are some flowers gently nestled in some yeast that sits on top of the sweet malt of fresh bread, but the bitterness is enhanced by the dryness of the finish. I suspect this might be good for sipping, if you let it warm up a little bit.

Tip-in is sweet malt of that fresh baked bread with very light flowers and some yeast peeking in. The middle gets thick and smooth as the bread puffs up and the yeast becomes more focused and the wort finally comes to the nose. The finish is a crisp snap followed by dryness with a lingering bitterness that isn't nearly as bad as it was in the sip.

Bottom Line: Traditional beers are traditional for a reason. This is pretty good.

3.25/5