An old German saying… "Beer turns thirst into a beautiful thing" Germany is a major contender in the world of beer with 1300 breweries producing over 5,000 brands of beer. Germany is home to the Reinheitsgebot, a German purification law that beer must only be made with water, barley-malt, and hops. Yeast was allowed later on. Though made from just four ingredients — malt, hops, yeast and water — German beers come in all descriptions: From mild to strong, from straw- blond to jet-black, from assertive to delicate, from robust to sublime, from seductive to matter-of-fact, from elegant to earthy, from racy to substantial ... and they all taste absolutely magnificent. Here is just a sampling….. Weihenstephan Original Lager 5.1 % .................................................................. $4 Light golden color, slightly carbonated with an aroma that is crisp, and flowery. The taste is exceptionally well balanced between clean hops, and sweet malt. Weihenstephan Hefeweisen 5.4 % .......................................................................... $4 This medium bodied ale pours a cloudy golden color with a magnificent creamy head. The complex nose and taste is banana and clove and citrus because of the fresh yeast flavors. Gaffel Kolsch 4.8 % .......................................................................................................... $5 A light bodied lager has a delicate but hoppy character that is balanced by the malt, fruity flavors - honey, orange, lemon and perhaps a touch of grapefruit. Paulaner Salvatore Doppelbock 7.5 % ..........................................................$4.5 The first authentic dopplebock (double bock) beer. A very rich and full bodied yet superbly balanced, true to its world-renowned reputation. Hacker Pschorr Hefe Weizen 5.5 % ............................................................... $4.50 Brewed with 60 % wheat, 40 % barley - using top fermenting yeast, it is then slowly lagered and remains unfiltered throughout the finish. Paulaner Original Munich Lager 4.9 % .............................................................. $4 When the Original Münchner was brewed for the first time at the end of the 19th Century, it was a spectacular success, with its hoppy taste yet, subtle, light and elegant, it became very popular. This is Paulaner's No. 1 export beer in over 30 countries with its wonderfully spicy, naturally hearty taste. Uerige Alt 4.7 %..................................................................................................................$5.5 Bitter and full of flavor...simply delicious. Einbecker Mai-U-bock6.5 % ........................................................................................... $5 This famous specialty beer with its refreshing taste is produced every Spring. Kostritzer Schwartzbier 4.8 % ................................................................................ $5 Dark Ruby red color with a tan head. roasted and slight chocolate aromas. Dry taste then finishing slightly sweet, low to medium body. 1809 Berliner Weisse 5 % ....................................................................... 16.9 oz / $8.5 “1809” is a very traditional interpretation of the “Berliner Style” Weisse with an intense blend of lactic tartness and complex fruitiness. It is bottle-conditioned, unfiltered and unpasteurized. “1809” is fermented in traditional open fermenters and horizontal lager tanks. Schlenkerla Rauch 5.1 % ...........................................................................16.9 oz / $6 Malt kilned over beechwood gives this beer its distinctive, full, penetrating smoky taste. Not for the faint hearted, but a world classic nonetheless. Schneider Weisse Aventinus 8.2 %.................................................... 16.9 oz / $7.5 Dark-ruby, almost black-colored and streaked with fine top-fermenting yeast, this beer has a compact and persistent head. This is a very intense wheat doppelbock with a complex spicy chocolate-like aroma with a hint of banana and raisins. It finishes in a rich soft and lightly bitter impression. Jever Pils 4.9%....................................................................................................................... $4 This is probably the most bitter of the Nothern German Pilsners. Aroma is resiny hops and booming malt leading to a beer with a typical pure white head. Beautiful beer of character. For the experienced palette, dry, bitter & fresh. Italy Consumption of Italian beer, though considered a growing phenomenon, is not as widespread as in its European neighbors, mainly because of a historical preference for wine in the country. But, in recent years a considerable number of microbreweries of very-high quality have spread throughout Italy. Here is our favorite…. Baladin Nora 8%..............................................................................................................25 oz / $16 This special brew has been concocted from an ancient Egyptian recipe. Unmalted kamut, ginger, myrrh, and orange peel are used to represent the balancing spices of ancient times. The myrrh provides the bittering that allows to mostly forgo the use of hops. The aroma has notes of violets, roses, cyclamen and citrus fruits. Full-bodied with an intense taste in which citrus aroma contrasts pleasantly the balsamic (mentholated) overtone. It finishes with tones of bitter resins. Bottle conditioned, don’t fret: the “expiration” date is set to just a few months after bottling for legal reasons only, this beer only improves with age and any “expiration” date should be disregarded or perhaps cherished! Poland Poland may not be one of the first countries to spring to mind when thinking of beer, but it does have much in this sphere to warrant attention. It combines elements of the Czech, German and British traditions while maintaining unique styles of their own. Currently, there are around 80 breweries active, including three micros founded in the 1990's. Hevelius Kaper 9.10%...................................................................................................... 16 oz / $5 Strong lager, amber in color, malty with alcohol essence but still smooth, hints of spice. Zywiec lager 5.6% .............................................................................................................. 16 oz / $5 Pale golden beer, essence of malt and pea pods. Taste of sweet maltiness with a hint of grassy, bitter hops. Zywiec Porter 9.5% .......................................................................................................... 16 oz / $5 Dark, strong beer brewed according to the traditional recipe from 1881, with the Munich malt and special malts for caramel and color plus the highest quality aromatic hops. Everything together creates a unique combination of taste. Sri Lanka The following excerpt from Michael Jackson regarding Lion Stout..." ‘Which was your most unusual beer hunting trip?’ I am often asked. Among them, I always cite a visit to Sri Lanka, in 1986, to track down a cask-conditioned stout... The indigenous drinks of Sri Lanka are toddy (a "beer" fermented overnight from coconut sap) and arrack (a coconut brandy). There also remain colonial influences from the Portuguese, Dutch and British, especially the latter, who found that the hill country provided a perfect climate in which to plant tea. The men who ran the plantations thirsted for British beer. There seems to have been brewing in Sri Lanka in the 1860s, but the Ceylon Brewing Co., brewer of Lion Stout, traces its history to 1881. Its original brewery, in the hill town of Nuwara Eliya, which spreads from 3,500 feet to more than 6,000 feet, was perfectly placed for the planters…” Lion Stout 8% .......................................................................................................................................$5 As described by Mr. Jackson….Pruney, mocha aromas and flavors; tar-like oiliness of body; peppery, bitter-chocolate finish. Austria Already in the 14th century there were restaurants in Austria in which beer was retailed and in 1384 the first Viennese brewery was officially mentioned. By the end of the 15th century bottom fermented beer was already brewed and also the use of hop for beer production had become customary. But the triumphant advance of beer began in the second half of the 19th century with the industrial production of pale, bottom fermented lager beer, to whose development Austrian brewer Anton Dreher contributed a lot. Austria became one of the most important beer export countries. And Austrian brewers were very successful at Paris World’s Fair in 1867. Austria had definitely become a country of beer. Stiegl Pilsner 4.9%.........................................................................................................16.9 oz / $5 A fine, lively type of beer, with a bouquet produced by premium quality Saaz hops to stimulate the senses - that's Stiegl Pils! Stiegl Weizen 5.1% ...................................................................................................... 16.9 oz / $5.5 A hefe weizen that is hazy apricot in color. Lemon, clove and yeast essence with a bubbly effervescence. Gosser Lager 5.2%............................................................................................................................$4 The bottom fermented, light coloured Lager beer delights the palates of beer-lovers around the world. It has a mild aroma of malt and a refreshingly dry flavour derived from the balanced addition of the hops. Eggenberg Urbock