European Beer: Why Go Back to the Continent?

American craft brewers are the best in the world. They’re upstarts, they’re innovators, and they break all the rules that the Euros traditionally think we should be following. I think that attitude and the quality craft brew it produces is tops.

Now the big “BUT”:

Don’t ignore the Europeans, beer people: They are doing crazy, amazing stuff with malt, hops, barley and yeast and they are unbelievably good brewers with sophisticated palates. Here’s five reasons to include beer from across the pond in your drinking repertoire:

1. Bring Tha Funk

Most yeast strains have been bred to minimize funky “off flavors” like phenols. Hefeweizen yeasts, for example, were bred to promote it. And it’s good. You’ll find it in large quantities in quite a few German weissbiers like Paulaner, Weihenstaphaner and Maisel’s Weiss.

2. Buck Wild

I’ve seen a lot of American brewers experimenting with wild yeast and bacteria innoculations instead of pitching sterile-prep strains into their beer. Who perfected that? The Europeans! Perfect examples of original wild ales are the legendary Cantillon and Kasteel beers from Belgium which ferment spontaneously with the Brett strains of yeast that they paint the walls with in Brussels.

3. Cleanest Beer on the Planet

When brewing started mankind didn’t know about microbes. They didn’t know that cleanliness would allow you to produce consistent, clean tasting beer that is utterly quaffable. The Europeans figured it all out and then figured out the best ways to filter, mash, lauter and brighten the beers for spectacular flavors. The Europeans are having a hard time figuring out the ungodly amounts of hops and flavor additions Americans prefer, but that’s only because they spent so long perfecting clean and smooth flavors. Appreciate them in beers like König Ludwig Weiss and Lev Czech Pilsner

4. Innovation

The Europeans literally have spent a millennium brewing beer the same way, over and over, with consistency and cleanliness. They’re now taking that amazing brewing skill and are experimenting with new flavors and techniques to great effect. Check out Italy’s Baladin Brewery or Germany’s Braufactum for a sample.

5. Ingredients

Hops and barley grown in different climates with different soil, different water and different techniques tastes different. In my home-brewing I’ve noticed that my hefeweizen comes out better if I use grain grown in Germany. By drinking the European stuff you’ll be able to experience the continental variation in growing climates and techniques.

Alpine Village has long been a bastion of import brew and you will find large quantities of the stuff on our shelves. You can also try over 60 European beers in an unlimited-tasting format at our annual Euro Beerfest on June 27. Come by and see if you can find some inspiration in the Euro brews!