Pure Germany: Schwaben Brau Meister Pils

I am always amazed and impressed with the beer drinking culture of Germany, and how the Germans are true masters of the craft and art of brewing.

Strict adherence to the Reinheitsgebot or Germany Beer Purity Law of 1516 has given Germany what is often called pure beer. What is pure beer? It is beer that is brewed with four ingredients: water, malt, hops, yeast, and nothing else. So when a friend of mine was recently in Germany a few weeks ago I was happy he came back with some good German beer. I was very happy that Schwaben Brau Meister Pils from the Schwaben Brau brewery of Stuttgart, Germany was one of the beers he brought back.

This beer is a Pils by style, and is a very good one. German Pils tend to have a more aggressive hop character and both aroma and bitterness than Czech pilsner. This beer is a very good example with good hop character on a crisp and clean malt palate.

Meister Brau Pils pours to a beautiful, bright, pale golden color, with a thick, creamy, white head, and a moderate carbonation. The nose is excellent on this beer, with fragrant herbal/grassy hop aroma. The palate is very crisp, and clean with good pilsner malt flavor. The body is very round and polished on this beer making it very drinkable. Meister Pils finishes with more great pilsner malt flavor up front, then ends with an zesty, herbal/grassy hop bite that lingers.

The beauty of a beer like this is its simplicity. This is just a great beer that is flavorful and drinkable. It is the kind of beer you could drink liters of, and would be a great beer to match with a number of different dishes from hearty fare, to fish, to salads and pastas.

I'm not sure if this beer is availabe in the the U.S. as my friend brought this one back from Germany. It is a beer well worth seeking out, and is a great example of Pils. For more information about this beer and the brewery, visit their site at: http://www.schwabenbraeu.de/