German Bier

Lutherans, like most Germans love their beer. So what German beer do you like? Have you ever been to OctoberFest in Munich? I have been once in '85 and I like Spaten and others. The local brewery in A-Burg called Heylands was very good. I also like Wiezen (sp).

I would agree that it can be harmful for some people and for those who have an addiction they should stay away. But, you have to admit that Jesus turned the water into wine at the wedding of Galilee. Some will say that it had no alcohol content, but how would you know that? Plus wine is wine, it is fermented and will have some amount of alcohol in it. Plus the bible says to take a little wine for your stomach. The bible does teach against being drunk, this is clear. But to have a glass or two of wine or beer is no sin. But it is a sin to be drunk.

In my family, who are mostly Lutherans and Catholics it is common place for wine and beer to be served at gatherings. Nobody has ever been drunk and shown themselves to be a bad example. It teaches the children that moderation is the key as in everything in life.

I'm more of a wine drinker. I just don't drink very much.

I think it actually can be used as a solid tool for witnessing. I mean, you're a Christian and you drink alcohol...plenty of people would be asking why. I think jeff that going the path you are can easily slip into legalism. When we are ruled by do's and don'ts...not to mention your post is rather offensive and judgmental (you basically insinuated that you can't be a Christian and consume alcohol). It doesn't really have a place here and is off-topic. A debate on whether we should/shouldn't consume alcohol is best served elsewhere.

Let's not even touch on the subject what we drink during communion, which we should be very willing to do.

Aibrean said:

I'm more of a wine drinker. I just don't drink very much.

I think it actually can be used as a solid tool for witnessing. I mean, you're a Christian and you drink alcohol...plenty of people would be asking why. I think jeff that going the path you are can easily slip into legalism. When we are ruled by do's and don'ts...not to mention your post is rather offensive and judgmental (you basically insinuated that you can't be a Christian and consume alcohol). It doesn't really have a place here and is off-topic. A debate on whether we should/shouldn't consume alcohol is best served elsewhere.

Let's not even touch on the subject what we drink during communion, which we should be very willing to do.

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You are right it can be a tool for witnessing. I agree with ya and actually we had communion today and wine was served. It is always a blessing to receive the true body and true blood of Christ. In this I am more Lutheran than Presbyterian as I take communion to be the very blood and body and not just a spiritual sense. God Is Awesome!

How about proverbs on drinking wine and enjoying your life? Legalism is indeed dangerous ground. With that said, we have many freedoms. If drinking is causing harm to our neighbor, than dont do it.

I really like Boulevard Pale Ale, especially on tap. Sam Adams will do in a pinch.

I grew up in a time when good beer was very hard to find. You had to go to a place that served imports and pay high prices. Then the microbrew scene changed all that, and I'm so happy.

Not that there weren't some great things about my little old home town beer joint. I just wish I could have the best of both worlds - Great tasting beer at a reasonable price AND pickled eggs and sausages on the bar with an open pool table for a quarter a game.

Lowenbrau, Hopfenkonig pilsener, and most any Schwarzbier are pleasing to my palate. I can drink St. Pauli Girl (both colors) and Bitburger too.

shanethetheologian said:

Lowenbrau, Hopfenkonig pilsener, and most any Schwarzbier are pleasing to my palate. I can drink St. Pauli Girl (both colors) and Bitburger too.

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I love black beer too, and heavy beers; I have a keg of Waterloo IPA on tap right now, and am sipping a pint even as we speak.

My favorite dark beer is Leffe Brun from Belgium.

I also enjoy a good festbier or marzen (and they are subtly different). In fact each of the last three years I have brewed a batch and lagered it all summer, in the traditional manner. Each batch has been better than the one before. I think experience is making the difference.

shanethetheologian said:

I also enjoy a good festbier or marzen (and they are subtly different). In fact each of the last three years I have brewed a batch and lagered it all summer, in the traditional manner. Each batch has been better than the one before. I think experience is making the difference.

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I'm coming over to your house! I have brewed a lot in the past and would say that successful brewing relies on these three things in this order:

1. Cleanliness. Clean sterile equipment is a must; bad wild yeasts and bacteria can screw up a batch of beer at any stage. Chlorine bleach is a brewers friend!
2. Quality of ingredients. Good malt, good hops, good yeast are a must, but don't over look the water either. Some reginal styles of beer use hard water, some use soft water. Hard water varies also, some is more alkaline than others, some are higher in various elements such as calcium, magnesium, iron etc.
3. Experience is no. three, but one and two depend on 3 also.\

No. 2 is the reason I quit. about 12 years ago it became difficult to get good hops. There were issues with the malt and malt extracts as well; I went from consistently good results batch after batch to hit or miss. The company I was buying supplies from contacted their supplier. I cultured both the good and the bad batches using 3M's pietri film system for both yeast and bacteria. The yeasts were consistent in both good and bad batches; ruled that one out. Water was good (using reverse osmosis water at that time). I did however find a bacterium that, with my limited resources, I could not definitely identify but under a microscope it appeared to be a streptobacillus; possibly a lacto bacillus. The manufacturer claimed to be doing tests, but said that they could find nothing in their products, nor, as they told me, did they find anything in either my good beer or the bad beer that I sent them.


They gave me a lot of free stuff to try; some worked once or twice, then a bad batch.


In about 6 months, that supplier was no longer in business. I was so put off that I no longer brew.

Aibrean said:

I'm more of a wine drinker. I just don't drink very much.

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...hence the nick "AiBrean" rather than "Anebrean"

dario68w said:

How about proverbs on drinking wine and enjoying your life? Legalism is indeed dangerous ground. With that said, we have many freedoms. If drinking is causing harm to our neighbor, than dont do it.

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Proverbs speaks a lot more about drinking wine and destroying your life.

Because I don't want to be like the world, look like them or have their values (let's face it, why do they need Christ if I look and live just like them? You can't sell a guy a car he already owns) I don't hardly ever drink. Most Christians I know who walk the talk rarely drink too.

It's all about balance, control, priorities and where you look for fulfillment in life. It's not about legalism.

Frankenmuth Brewery | Michigan Brewery and Restaurant in Frankenmuth
I have family in the area of Frankenmuth, MI so I've visited the historic brewery there. It's one of the largest Lutheran immigration cities in the US with plenty of LCMS and WELS congregations around the area.

Biblically, alcohol was mixed with water for distillation purposes in sanitizing sustenance. Noah raised a vineyard immediately as the flood resided. Though he did get carried away, whether on purpose or accident. Likewise, Christ Jesus created wine for the wedding feast as well, and was praised for serving the best wine last.

We've all seen how unsanitary things can get after a major flood or hurricane, the government promptly puts out a boil advisory.

My ususal everyday beer is Yuengling Lager. When I want something fancier I usually go for an English, Irish, Scottish, or Belgan ale. Not that supprising given that I'm an Episcopalian of (partial) Scots-Irish descent, right? What is surprising is my love for German wine, particularly off-dry Rieslings. Unfortunately, IRRC most of the German wine country is in Catholic rather than Lutheran parts of Germany.

Edit: I am also fond of Ansbach Uralt German Brandy. It has more character than American brandy but it's a lot less expensive than cognac.

HereIstand.Todd said:

Lutherans, like most Germans love their beer. So what German beer do you like? Have you ever been to OctoberFest in Munich? I have been once in '85 and I like Spaten and others. The local brewery in A-Burg called Heylands was very good. I also like Wiezen (sp).

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I was stationed in Germany while in the US Army. I liked some of the Dunkel (dark) bier's. I remember drinking Hannen Alt at a nearby Guest house.
I liked a lot of the German bier's.

To be honest, America has made huge strides in beer making and in a lot of cases surpassed the European's.

I think we are in the golden years right now.

Having been to Germany, we were able to enjoy biers in Bavaria. I don't know what the brands were, but whatever we had was great.

Daniel Stinson said:

Frankenmuth Brewery | Michigan Brewery and Restaurant in Frankenmuth
I have family in the area of Frankenmuth, MI so I've visited the historic brewery there. It's one of the largest Lutheran immigration cities in the US with plenty of LCMS and WELS congregations around the area.

Biblically, alcohol was mixed with water for distillation purposes in sanitizing sustenance. Noah raised a vineyard immediately as the flood resided. Though he did get carried away, whether on purpose or accident. Likewise, Christ Jesus created wine for the wedding feast as well, and was praised for serving the best wine last.

We've all seen how unsanitary things can get after a major flood or hurricane, the government promptly puts out a boil advisory.

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Luther once wrote jokingly to a fellow professor that 'tomorrow I must lecture on the sin of Noah's drunkenness; so tonight I should drink much so I can speak to that sin first hand'.

Try said:

My ususal everyday beer is Yuengling Lager. When I want something fancier I usually go for an English, Irish, Scottish, or Belgan ale. Not that supprising given that I'm an Episcopalian of (partial) Scots-Irish descent, right? What is surprising is my love for German wine, particularly off-dry Rieslings. Unfortunately, IRRC most of the German wine country is in Catholic rather than Lutheran parts of Germany.

Edit: I am also fond of Ansbach Uralt German Brandy. It has more character than American brandy but it's a lot less expensive than cognac.

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My wife and i often enjoy Theo. Drathen's (sp?) Liebfraumilch; it is our favorite of all wine.

I have not tried Ansbach Uralt; I have drank Ausbach and it is very nice indeed. I found that my favorite brandy though is French, and is available at a reasonable price in the USA; St. Remy VSXO.

My ancestors are from Alsace, so that might explain my affinity for these wines and spirits. I have tracked down probable relatives in Alsace, but despite their having the same surname, they now are all French speaking Catholics. There are still Lutherans in Alsace, but so far I have not found any that bear my name.

HereIstand.Todd said:

Lutherans, like most Germans love their beer. So what German beer do you like? Have you ever been to OctoberFest in Munich? I have been once in '85 and I like Spaten and others. The local brewery in A-Burg called Heylands was very good. I also like Wiezen (sp).

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I've not been to one in Munich, but I have been to one in Cincinnati, which is the largest one this side of the Atlantic and the third largest in the world.

I have a confession to make. I don't like Belgian beers. They have a sourness that doesn't agree with me. Bitter is good, sour is bad.