Battle of the Brews...,,Stop the Press

As you know the current qualifier features a selection of German beers that are the most prevalent in the bars, offies and supermarkets of the United Kingdom. This does not mean that they are the best representations of Der Fatherland, just that they are the ones that are most likely to have been sampled by the regular readers of this blog. So, over the next few weeks, I am going to give you some homework. Don't pull that face, you might actually enjoy this.

First up, and a huge big up to King Dave for this, is the Marks and Spencers branded German Pilsner. "What!!!" I hear you cry. But courtesy of Dave the most Regal, it transpires that this lager is brewed for M&S by none other than the good people of the World renowned Houfbrauhaus in Munich. So I suggest the next time you are passing one of these establishments, pop in and sample.

Next up for your pleasure is DAB, a Dortmunder from, surprise, Dortmund. It is a personal favourite of mine, and can be purchased at a very reasonable price at Oddbins, which has a branch at Baildon, just off Otley Road. They also have Union, which is the same style, on draught in the Cocina Mexican restaurant on Manningham Lane in Bradford.

The next two choices come from the same region, the Ruher valley, and are both Shoutys most, and least, favourite. They are Kolsh and Alt. See if you can guess which is which. These may prove harder to find, If you don't fancy ordering a case online, I might suggest Czerwicks in Brighouse, or the Narrow Boat in Skipton. The best places to try and find these styles of beer will definitely be a Real Pub or Free House such as Fannys. If you have sampled Bock beer before, you will have a good idea of what Alt tastes like. If you still cant find either of these brews, I will win the lottery, and I will take us all off to Cologne and Dusseldorf.

The last style to try is one that you shouldn't have any trouble finding. The Mighty Weissbeer. There are several brewers of this style, and not all are German, but I would hazard that the Prince of the bunch is Erdinger. A lot of chain pubs will not carry a white beer, but Wetherspoons usually have one, in a bottle, and most independent pubs will have at least one on draught.

I will allow three weeks for you to get out and discover these lovely, lovely beers. But be careful. If all you are used to is the bland offerings of multi-nationals, you may find yourself suffering from a severe case of flavour. This is because you are drinking something that has an ingredient known as taste. Enjoy.