Oktoberfest: This is a special brew created just for the annual celebration—it usually has a bold taste, amber color and high alcohol content. Beware: drinking this all day will likely leave you with a hangover that’ll have you cursing Crown Prince Ludwig in between toilet heaves.
Hefeweissen: This is an unfiltered wheat beer, and is usually lighter in both color and taste. Hefes use less hops, so they taste less bitter—but it is also high in alcohol. Sometimes it is garnished with a lemon, although most beer afficianados would argue against fruiting this already flavor-rich beer.
Pils (Pilsener): This is one almost everyone here in the United States is familiar with—many mass-produced American beers are Pilseners. Although the term is now something of a catch-all, the original pilseners were created in what is now the Czech Republic in a town called Plzen (hence the name). The Czech and German versions vary slightly, but their enjoyment of each does not: both countries are among the most prodigious per-capita beer drinkers in the world.
Bock: There are several varieties of Bock beers, with their common characterisic being strong flavor and high alcohol content (usually over 6.4%). Considering their sweet, malty flavor, it can be easy to drink a lot of these; but much like the Oktoberfest beer, you may end up feeling like you’ve been kicked in the head by a goat (or, incidentally in German, a “bock.”
Although the Munich celebration is over (it runs from late September until early October because of the ideal weather), the German tradition continues throughout the month in various locations here in the U.S. Below are some locations where you can still get your autumnal groove on. While you are there, be sure to do as the Germans do: with every new beer, raise your glass to a friend and say “Prost!” (Cheers!).
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