by John Mizer
September 19, 2005

It's Oktoberfest season, and I just had to break out the leiderhosen and tip my feathered cap to our Bavarian beer buddies across the pond. American brewers have been so overtly influenced by German beer, and it remains incredibly unnoticed by the consumer. The impact of German brewing has permeated our society, and isn't going away any time soon.

Beginning with the lager... Lager yeast was discovered in Germany. The word "lager" means "to store" as this strain of yeast takes longer to ferment and age than ale yeast. Guessing conservatively, I would surmise that 98% of the beer consumed in the good ole' US of A is some form of lager. Although this strain of yeast is more tempermental and high maintenance, the result is a smooth, quaffable brew. Many brewing techniques and/or advancements stem from Germany, as many immigrant brewers brought them to America and began to flourish in the mid- to late 19th century. Many are still prospering today, such as Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors, who are by no coincidence the largest (by far) three producers of beer in the USA.

Hefe-Weizens, Marzens, Kolsches, Alt Biers, Schwarzbiers, and Rauchbiers are also readily available at the local brewpub or in the import section of the beverage store. They offer a taste of some styles that haven't been Americanized for mass consumption purposes.

One last thing... Bock beer is NOT the bottom of the barrel beer but we'll save that topic for another day.

Cheers,

Johann