Tag Archives: German beers

Brauerei C & A Veltins, Meschede-Grevenstein, Veltins Grevensteiner Landbier, german beer

Veltins Grevensteiner Landbier

Veltins Grevensteiner Naturtrübes Landbier

http://www.grevensteiner.de/

Brewed by  Brauerei C. & A. Veltins GmbH & Co.
Style: Pale Kellerbier / Zwickelbier |
Meschede-Grevenstein, Germany

Brauerei C & A Veltins, Meschede-Grevenstein, Veltins Grevensteiner Landbier, german beerBrauerei C & A Veltins is a brewery based in the west German city of Meschede-Grevenstein. Veltins is one of the more popular breweries in Germany

Brauerei C & A Veltins, Meschede-Grevenstein, Veltins Grevensteiner Landbier, german beerIn the 19th century, twin brothers Carl and Anton Veltins (the C and the A!) brewed in GrevenStein, an excellent beer that gained popularity well beyond its borders of Sauerland, the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia. This region has many mountains (from which the name “Sauerland” comes) and is therefore an ideal place for the production of exceptional beer. The naturally cloudy Greven Steiner Original is brewed with soft spring water and freshly harvested hops.

Brauerei C & A Veltins, Meschede-Grevenstein, Veltins Grevensteiner Landbier, german beerThis present beer is inspired by the first beer brewed by the brothers. Then, as now, it was named Grevensteiner, and uses the traditional brewing methods the twins used all those years ago. A direct descendant, Susanne Veltins has directed the company since the mid 90’s.

Top German Bundesliga club FC Schalke 04 play in the Veltins-Arena, the football stadium, with a top capacity of 55,000, which is sponsored by the brewery.

Kellerbier (“cellar beer.”), sometimes referred to as Zwickelbier, is an unfiltered and unpasteurized pilsner.

Review: Bottle of Veltins Grevensteiner Landbier: 5.20% ABV

Brauerei C & A Veltins, Meschede-Grevenstein, Veltins Grevensteiner Landbier, german beerA nod to the German purity law. Comes in a lovely 0,30 cl Steinie bottle with a label that shows the history and tradition of the brewery.

A very good looking beer. On pour a nice creamy head formed, very frothy, that stuck around.  The colour of the beer was a dark cloudy amber colour. Some good lacing.

The aroma was very, very sweet, a quite piercing smell on the nose. A sweet smell, of bread crust, malts and some fruit, I liked it

Brauerei C & A Veltins, Meschede-Grevenstein, Veltins Grevensteiner Landbier, german beerA very smooth beer, easy to drink, soft on the tongue and lovely to taste. I liked it, for me it was like having a nice cup of tea (I am not a coffee drinker!), the creamy caramel kicking in and some biscuit flavours, so relaxing and refreshing!

Malts and caramel taste, and balanced overall.

No aftertaste, not very hoppy at all, pleasant finish.

Recommended and will be on the look out for these again in the near future.

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Bad Manners under the bridge, London

Bad Manners under the bridge, London

Bad Manners are an English ska band, from North London, fronted by the larger (extra-large?) than life Buster Bloodvessel. Big in the ‘80s, during a period when ska was popular, Bad Manners spent an amazing 111 weeks in the UK Singles Chart between 1980 and 1983 and the band had 15 hit singles in the U.K. with such classics as  “Lip Up Fatty”, ” Ne-Ne Na-Na Na-Na Nu-Nu” (Yeah, really!), My Girl Lollipop”, “The Can Can”, “Special Brew” and “Walking In The Sunshine” and were up there with Madness, The Specials and The Selecter as the leading Ska band of the time.

Bad Manners under the bridge, LondonFormation:  A group of six school friends in 1976, from North London, formed the band. Fronted by Buster Bloodvessel (born Douglas Trendle), the band were mostly made up of self-taught musicians and a lot of energy. After becoming popular in the pubs and clubs of their native surrounds with their unique stage performances and huge leading man they quickly gained a following, which got them a record contract (without even recording a demo tape) with Magnet Records in 1980.

Where did the name come from? Buster Bloodvessel is a name taken from the bus conductor off the Beatles’ movie Magical Mystery Tour.

TV work Growing up in the 80’s, Bad Manners were a stable diet on TV, from Saturday morning Breakfast shows like Tiswas, Cheggars Plays Pop and the rest to evening appearances on, of course, Top of The Pops, over 30 in fact. Sometimes manic, always fun, the more noted appearances included that Can Can dress with the big fuck off Doc Martins, and on Tiswas with lots and lots of flying custard pies! The TV work and colourful performances gave them a chance to showcase their music to a huge audience and endeared Bad Manners to the British public.

Eventually they got banned from TOTP, when Buster, unannounced, painted his head red, which messed up the lightning and view from the TV screens. Not the worst thing in the world, but there you go.

Ban Manners and more specifically their eccentric front man, were always good fun to watch on TV. Buster with his really long tongue, big shiny bald head, even bigger belly, and always wearing something mad, was a sight to see

Bad Manners under the bridge, LondonIn 1985 Buster mooned (indecent exposure) the POPE! Yeah you read that right! In Italy, for the San Remo Festival, wanting to outdo Barry White, who was just coming off stage, and shock the crowd, Buster dropped his pants, and his rather large and not that hard to miss bum was picked up live on state TV. Unfortunately for Buster this festival was a favourite of his Holiness Pope John Paul who was watching the whole spectacle back in the Vatican. This resulted in a lifetime ban from Italian TV, and perhaps eternal damnation in the next life as well.

Buster is a big man with big ideas…….so it was only natural that if he was to have a Hotel called “Fatty Towers” for big people, it makes perfect sense (I Guess!). The hotel located in Margate, opened in 1996, and catered for the larger clientele, or at least those with huge appetites, had massive beds and baths, held annual Belly of the Year contests, and more importantly had extra-large food portions on its menus. Apparently the St John’s Ambulance were on speed dial in the event of misfortune!

Alas the venture didn’t last, as touring whilst running a hotel was too demanding, and Fatty Towers closed in 1998.

The legend of Buster’s eating habits…..eating 28 Big Macs, had ate a shark and once on the Isle of Wight ate 15 lobsters. So Buster was always a fat bastard, but when his weight topped 31 stone (197kg) and he collapsed during a show, then things had to change as his life was clearly in danger. Buster underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2004 and now he weighs in at a very respectful 13 stone. He lost roughly 18 stone (114kg) in just over 10 months, which is about the size of many a man! This new lease of life now means that the Hackney-born crooner has even more energy to bounce around the stage, Lip Up Fatty no more!

Bad Manners under the bridge, LondonTouring Bad Manners are a hardworking band, permanently gigging which takes them all over the world, from as far afield as Japan, Australia and New Zealand, the Americas, all round Europe, and the length and breadth of Britain. Yet despite the years the band still packs out venues, albeit small sized venues such as leisure centres, pubs, theatres, festivals.

To really appreciate Bad Manners you really have to experience them live. Their live concerts are legendary. A lot of sweaty dancing will be involved, a huge amount of fun, and a decent slice of good time Ska. This is one reason why the band still gig and are still popular even after all these years…..nights full of skanking

Seeing them for the first time, in Under the Bridge, London, I can definitely confirm that they are a great live act. Brilliant, and without a shadow of a doubt one of the best gigs I have ever attended. Great fun, friendly crowd, and a good set that was well over an hour where by the end everyone was hopping around like crazy. Top stuff…….

 

Under The Bridge

Address: Stamford Bridge | Fulham Road, London SW6 1HS, England

http://underthebridge.co.uk/

The concert was set in Under the Bridge, a very fancy purpose-built music venue in west London, just under Chelsea football club’s stadium, Stamford Bridge, hence the name!

The place holds about 500 people, and cost Mr. Chelsea, Roman Abramovich, a cool £20 million to refurbish what was the Purple nightclub

I have to say the venue was fantastic, really was.

The band were illuminated with great bright LED lightening, the sound was perfect, and it was dead easy to get a view no matter where you were in the room, as the stage was raised, no looking between people’s heads and awkward glances over peoples shoulders. Also plenty of room to sit, lots of bar stools around, toilets impeccable, everywhere all clean and tidy. Perfectly designed, and very classy, but not in anyway pretentious.

As for the workforce, friendly door security, and the bar staff were ultra-friendly, chatty and quick to get your order.

The Sheephaven Bay

                                 Address: 2-3 Mornington Street, Camden, London NW1 7QD

                   http://www.sheephavenbaycamden.co.uk/

Sheephaven BayMaking my way from the tube stop on Mornington Crescent, and just off Camden Town High Street, I went to meet a few old friends at The Sheephaven Bay, a good Irish style back street boozer. I have had beers in this pub before, always has a cracking atmosphere, feels homely, and even though it’s an Irish pub, it’s definitely not an “Oirish” pub, this is the real deal, warmth and charm, and none of your “O’Neills” plastic shite here!

Plenty of space, good beer on tap, lots of banter, and football on the box, but not so loud that you can’t hear yourself think……..great pub to spend a few hours in. Recommended.

 

Zeitgeist at the Jolly Gardeners

49-51 Black Prince Road, Lambeth, London SE11 6AB, England

Southwark, Vauxhall

http://zeitgeist-london.com/gastropub/

Was meeting a friend here who is part of the whole London St Pauli thing, and as this bar is German run and is the place to see all German national games and Bundesliga I and II games, we decided to meet here.

Bad Manners under the bridge, LondonHave to say I completely missed it at first as it still retains the old name of the previous pub, “The Jolly Gardeners”, with “Zeitgeist” written in much smaller signage, so was very easy to pass. Think it’s officially called “The Zeitgeist at the Jolly Gardeners”. Clever, eh? Hmmm! This Victorian pub is just behind Lambeth Bridge and about 10 minutes from Vauxhall station. It was what looked like an old style British boozer on the corner of the street.

Inside though there is a Germanic feel to the bar, German flags, and a range of authentic German beers (or biers) on draught and in bottle covering most styles, from Warsteiner, Paulaner, Jever, Kolsch. Bitburger, Holstein, Krombacher, etc. Food is also available, schnitzels and sausages and all the rest. The bar’s popular with German expats, who gather to watch Bundesliga matches on two big screens.

Bad Manners under the bridge, LondonService was on the slow side, very slow, snail’s pace. Average time waiting for beer was about 20 minutes. Happened to loads of customers, ended up as a running joke, was actually quite funny how bad it was. One St Pauli fan had enough, got up and left!! Bar staff didn’t seem too bothered about all the thirsty customers, not rude or anything just they looked a bit stoned to be honest or perhaps that’s a German look? They looked a bit clueless and didn’t seem to be upto the job. I do know that they would be out on their ear if this was in an Irish bar, can’t be that slow when people need a drink!

Not much of an atmosphere either in the bar, bit dull, but to be fair St Pauli were getting beaten so I guess that put a dampener on things.  Either way won’t be going to this scheisse hole again. One of the worst………..

 

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Finkbräu De Luxe, a Lidl special.

Finkbräu De Luxe

Finkbräu De Luxe

https://www.oettinger-bier.de

Brewed by Oettinger Brauerei
Style: Pale Lager
Barad-dûr, Germany

Finkbräu De Luxe, a Lidl special. Finkbräu De Luxe, another Lidl special. Special in that its dirt cheap, catering for students and those that are skint, you can get a bottle for about 50 cents, or less depending on where you are.

Brewed by Oettinger Brauerei, a brewery giant from the small town of Oettingen in Bavaria, Germany who have a long history, dating back to the year 1731.

With most brands selling nationwide, Oettinger Brauerei have a reputation for offering a wide range of beers and soft drinks on the low price range, and for mostly getting involved in the retail sector. These low prices have made them a hit, with the brewery one of the main market leaders in the country.

Review: 25 cl Bottle of Finkbräu De Luxe: ABV: 4.5%

Finkbräu De Luxe, a Lidl special. The Lidl France special that’s as cheap as shit.

On pour a good creamy head appears but which dies a death. The beer has a lovely clear yellow colour. Quite a bit of fizziness, and didn’t have any lacing.

Aroma is a typical beery smell, a strong smell of sweet grains,  which I liked.

There was little or no taste, or at least nothing I could discern. A slight initial taste found at the start, of hops, but fell flat on the mouth. Also was a bit dry in the mouth, no taste at all, disappointing. No real stand out taste here, some malt and hop flavors but mostly watery.

Not great!

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Holsten Pilsener Premium. A British classic, from North Germany!

Holsten Pilsener Premium

www.holsten-pilsener.de/abfrage.html

Brewed by Holsten-Brauerei (Carlsberg)
Style: Pilsener
Hamburg, Germany

When I was a kid Holsten Pils was a big player. I remember the great ads they had on the box, and the London football team Spurs had them as a shirt sponsor on and off for over 10 years.

hi 011Me, just a nipper, wasn’t quite sure what all the fuss was about, but that’s the power of advertising, making Holsten a major player in the UK lager market.

Not so sure how the beers sell these days, not so well perhaps, but I managed to find a few cans for a review, and I might add these were bought in Germany and not the standard fare you might get back in the UK. Not really tried Holsten before so wasn’t sure what to expect.

The beers are made by the Holsten Brewery (Holsten-Brauerei AG), originating from Hamburg, Northern Germany. Founded in 1879 Holsten have seven breweries in Germany, and also brew in the UK (Northampton). The company was acquired by the Carlsberg Group in 2004.

Its biggest-selling product is the premium brand Holsten Pilsener, a 4.8% abv pale lager, first produced in 1953 and sold all around the world

Review: Can of Holsten Pilsener Premium: 4.8% ABV

This typical Northern German beer is brewed according to the strict  purity laws of the Reinheitsgebot of 1516 using only the finest quality, pure, all natural ingredients – hops, barley malt and spring water. Standard issue for German brews.

hi 013The aroma is grainy with a nice hoppy smell , giving a typical pilsner smell, all lovely and sweet.

On pour a large frothy head appeared,  which didn’t hang around. The colour is a clear golden yellow colour. There is some fair lacing. Looks decent enough.

Enjoyed the taste, a nice balanced crispy mouthful of flavours (barley, grain, yeasty) whizzing around, all tasty. The taste is mostly grassy hops with a hint of sweet grain. Lager taste

There was a hoppy bitter aftertaste which was a little strong in the end

Overall it is a very smooth lager, not strong but clean, crisp and very drinkable, definitely a good session beer. I felt it had a lovely feel to it which was soft on the mouth. I liked it, best I had in a long time, nice and refreshing, and one I will return to again in the future.

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jever pilsner Friesisches Brauhaus zu Jever Germany beers Jever Pilsener

Jever, Small Town Beer with Big Reputation

Jever Pilsener

http://www.jever.de/

Brewed by Friesisches Brauhaus zu Jever Germany
Style: ABV German Pilsener
Germany

jever pilsner Friesisches Brauhaus zu Jever Germany beers Jever Pilsener

Jever

From the very small town of Jever in the North of Germany, close to the Netherlands and facing the fierce winds of the North Sea, comes a very popular Pils that has been on the go for over a 150 years.

It says a lot when the main tourist attraction in the town is the brewery, but heh that’s my kind of town! Jever Pils has been brewed by the “Friesisches Brauhaus zu Jever” (the Jever Frisian Brewery) since 1848, and have used the refreshing pure soft water from the same well for over 100 years. Add the usual German purity laws and the end product is a Pils that is loaded with more hops than a regular pilsner.

Founded by Diedrich König, the”Friesisches Brauhaus zu Jever”, the brewery was sold to Theodor Fetköter, who developed the previous family owned enterprise into a large scale brewing operation. This north German Pils is popular, and hoppy, and is as good a Pils as you can find on the market.

Review: Can of Jever Pilsener: 4.9% ABV 

The Classic Northern German Pilsener with the famous bitter taste.

jever pilsner Friesisches Brauhaus zu Jever Germany beers Jever Pilsener

Jever

The appearance was one of a clear golden yellow, with a pretty decent sized foamy head that stuck around, with good lacing. This Pilsener looks lovely, a very clean looking brew with a good body. Good carbonation and looked tasty

The aroma had a smell of malt and herbal hops with a hint of citrus. A strong lager smell

The taste, wow, that’s a taste and a half, initial shock, full of tastes from start to finish. Sweet grainy lager malts and hops, with a slightly metallic tang to it. Very hoppy bitter taste!

Dry grass finish with strong bitterness. Overall, a good solid dry pilsner that’s tasty, VERY TASTY!

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