Have you ever heard of a "Naked Nun"? Not what you're thinking again. No. This is about my favorite craft beer. Close behind: Chouffle, Leffe Brune and the Trappist brew "Rochefort No.8". All Belgian, all delicious.
But you get the idea: what's most beautiful about the colorful, new brew variety automatically brings with it that stupid agony of choice.
The bigger the beer list, the harder the decision at the bar. And that's exactly why Craft Beer Festivals and tastings are such a fine thing. Here you can try many beers one after the other and discover new things. Which is great for the upcoming barbecue season, I think.
There we go with the beer
One thing is definitely clear: It's a feast for the senses - what beer has to offer today.
Although beer has played a major role in Germany for a long time, craft beer in its current form only made a notable appearance on the German market a few years ago.
Popular are the beer tastings, for example, in the "Naiv", which, in addition to the restaurant at Fischerfeldplätzchen, also has a tasting room around the corner including a shop with a select assortment.
In the "Naiv" beer lovers can taste five to six different types of beer for three evening hours. Sometimes sour beer is offered, which isn't as awful as its reputation, and the in-house Blonde, which the Naiv operators have launched in partnership with a brewery, is also usually on the tasting menu.
Hops and Malt Craft Fermented
During the tastings, you learn quite a bit about the different varieties of hops as well as malt and how they shape the flavor of the beer. Sometimes the craft beer tastes more fruity, sometimes more bitter, sometimes it's delicious, sometimes you pucker your mouth. You learn to taste the difference between a Pale Ale and an India Pale Ale, get to test stouts and are taught how to read the clues on bottle labels.
The tastings, which attract couples as well as entire corporate departments, are rounded out by small meals like tarte flambée.
Often the craft beers have whimsical names, such as "The future looks bright" from Berlin-based Superfreunde, or "Hair in the Mailboxes" from Danish brewery Mikkeller.Or mischievous brewers just create an ode to church-going nuns.
Have you tried craft beer yet? What kind can you recommend?
May is all about craft beer:
· Naiv, Fahrgasse 6, 60311 Frankfurt
· Craft Beer Festival 3rd + 4th. May, Goethe University, Nina-Rubinstein-Weg, Frankfurt am Main
· Bierothek Belgian Beer Tasting, 8. May, Skyline-Plaza