Bavaria

From shared breweries to shared tables, the zoigl tradition of northeast Bavaria is unlike anything else in modern brewing or hospitality.

The Wyoming-born brewmaster of the Private Landbrauerei Schönram in southeastern Bavaria digs into the details of how they brew their captivating, award-winning lagers.

The idea is simple: an IPA that relies on German ingredients—especially the country’s distinctive aroma hops. Does it exist? Yes. Is it rare? Also, yes. Josh Weikert digs into the German and U.S. beer scenes to find out why—and to get the blueprints.

At Bluejacket, head brewer Ro Guenzel and his team follow the example of the Bavarians and use shallow, open fermentors to get the aromatic expression they want from their weissbier. Here, Guenzel explains the dynamics of how it works and why it matters.

In this clip from his video course on how to brew traditional Bavarian-style weissbier, Bluejacket head brewer Ro Guenzel explains the monikers and origins of the style.

In the foothills of the Alps, Schönramer Brewmaster Eric Toft is a tinkerer and fine-tuner of highly addictive lagers.