Monchshof Schwarzbier

Rating: positive

I tried this initially because BevMo had a big display of 5L mini kegs for $16 each. Very surprised at how good this was, price not even being a factor. When ice cold, it has slightly more of an aftertaste than the Reutberger or Kostritzer, but as it warms up it takes on very rich flavors. Pumpernickel or rye bread came to mind. Tastes best at almost room temperature. The next keg of this I bought, I never refrigerated; the beer was delicious from the start, and even skeptics of drinking warm beer admitted it was tasty. This is not just drinkable, it's great. At $16 per 5 liter, it also gets a higher alculator score than most expensive Schwarzbiers, which is just icing on the cake.

Origin: Germany (Bavaria)

Weihenstephaner Original Premium

Rating: positive

Excellent lager. Golden color, highly carbonated, light and refreshing taste. 5.1% alcohol is a little on the strong side for a summer/barbecue beer, but it's head and shoulders above the typical American macrobrews that try to reproduce exactly this style of beer.

These German lagers are, to me, what things like Budweiser and Miller should have ended up like if they had cared. There's nothing strong nor offensive, in fact what sets them apart is the distinct lack gross metallic flavors and subsequent horrid aftertaste. If Inbev (owners of bud brand) mass-marketed something this good at the same price as Bud, people would be insane not to switch.

Origin: Germany (Bavaria)

Augistinerbrau Munchen Edelstoff exportbier

Rating: positive

A slightly heavier, more alcoholic (5.6%) version of the "vollbier" from the same brewery. Similar characteristics, being light in color and highly carbonated. It has a little stronger flavor.

Name means, roughly, "*good stuff". Though my friend claimed this too was generally unavailable outside Munich, the "exportbier" label suggests that it is shipped outside of Germany, but maybe just not in large quantities. I certainly can't find it in California.

Origin: Germany (Bavaria)

*
Google Translate says of the word "edel":
adjective:
noble
precious
fine
gallant
thoroughbred
gentle
aristocratic
regal
generous

adverb:
nobly
gallantly
generously

Augistinerbrau Munchen Lagerbier Hell (helles vollbier)

Rating: positive

Good example of a light-colored German lager. It's very pale yellow in color, highly carbonated, light flavor. Surprisingly high (to me) alcohol content for this kind of beer at 5.2%.

Name means "pale lager beer (pale full beer)". I'm not sure what the significance of the full part is. Apparently generally unavailable anywhere outside of Munich, this was brought over in a suitcase by a German friend.

Origin: Germany (Bavaria)

Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel

Rating: positive

"Authentic Bavarian Dark Lager"
This is good, but unimpressive compared to Reutberger and Kostritzer. Worth trying.

Origin: Germany (Bavaria)

Reutberger Kloster-Beer Export Dunkel

Rating: positive

Maybe my favorite dunkel lager, even slightly better than the Kostritzer. Black, crisp, highly carbonated. Great for washing down greasy food.

Origin: Germany (Bavaria)

Kostritzer Schwarzbier

Rating: positive

Excellent example of the style. Pitch black in the glass, but light and bubbly taste like a lager. Crisp and refreshing, slightly more flavorful than typical pale pilsners and lagers (as most dunkels I've tried have been). It's available on tap at at least one German restaurant in San Francisco, Suppenkuch, and in bottles at another in Sunnyvale, Hardy's Bavaria. Goes very well with German food.

The brewery provides their own style of beer glass for it, which is tall, thin, painted with the coat of arms. I'm usually not a sucker for presentation, but drinking this beer out of the brewery-sanctioned glass is kind of cool.

Origin: Germany (Thuringia)