The Ultimate NCAA Tournament Bracket of German Beers

About one year ago, to launch the Schnitzelbahn blog, we took 64 German beers (available in Munich, our home) and arranged them into a bracket like the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  The "regions" were loosely defined as:

16 helles
16 weissbier  (although the "selection committee" had to send a few Oktoberfest beers here)
16 pilsner
16 dunkel & other styles

The starting bracket looked like this (click for larger version):

Some beers were from large firms and are available all over Germany (and beyond).  Others were local.
Some beers were expensive, but one Munich helles costs just € 0.39 a bottle - much cheaper than water! 

For a little background, we wrote posts to introduce some of the styles and specific beers in the bracket:
- This was the very first post to kick things off
- Here we explain the differences between a Munich helles (a lager) and weissbier (an ale)
- In this post and this post we match beers with well-known universities/teams in NCAA basketball

So, with our faithful friends, we would test four beers per evening.  Each of the two pairs was tasted blindly.
The two winners were then pitted against each other -- basically Round 1 and Round 2 run back-to-back.
(In this case, "winner" simply meant "the beer I liked the best" - a subjective voting, but good enough.)

And yes, this tournament also had strong favorites, underdogs, and upsets along the way.
You can relive the action in our posts below:

Rounds 1 and 2

Helles Region                                                                       Weissbier Region

Day 1                                                                                          Day 1

Day 2   (featuring Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr)       Day 2  ("kristall" weissbiers)

Day 3   (featuring Andechs monastery beers)               Day 3  ("naturtrub" style beers)

Day 4                                                                                          Day 4  (weissbier vs. Oktoberfest)

Pilsner Region                                                                     Dunkel / other Region

Day 1                                                                                          Day 1

Day 2  (the "Power Pils")                                                       Day 2

Day 3  (featuring "export"-style beers)                            Day 3  (featuring the higher-alcohol "starkbiers")

Day 4                                                                                          Day 4  (also includes Oktoberfest style beers)

Sweet Sixteen round

Helles  and  Pilsner regions

Weissbier  and  Dunkel/other regions

The Elite Eight, Final Four, and the Final

This is what the final bracket looked like (again, click for full size version):

We had a blast doing this "beer tournament" and hope you enjoyed reading about it.

For more interesting posts about Germany & beer, click our Navigation categories on this page's top/right side.

Thanks for visiting!

Where is Georgetown in the Beer Bracket?

Yesterday, Frau A reminded me, quite clearly, that in my post Understanding the Beer Bracket, Part II, there was an inexcusable omission.  Actually, two.  Without hesitation, she offered a suggestion for the appropriate analogy linking the missing university and beer.

 

Her argument goes like this:

Georgetown is part of the Big East, but lies geographically closer to ACC country, near the heart of the sport.  Franziskaner is located in Munich (beer central) rather than the German northwest like the others in Part II.  Like the brewers in Part II, Franziskaner is big - the 3rd largest producer of weissbier in the world.  The others in Part II produce mainly pilsner, but we can probably agree the Hoyas play a different style of basketball than their Northeast conference mates.  Franziskaner started as a brewery across from a Franciscan monastery (hence the name and friar in the logo).  Georgetown was the first, and is therefore the oldest, Roman-Catholic (Jesuit) university in the U.S., and was founded by the first American bishop, John Carroll.

 

Note:  I'm sure her idea has nothing to do with the fact that Georgetown is her alma mater... or that Franziskaner is probably her favorite weissbier...or that Franziskaner brewed the first Vienna/Märzen style with higher alcohol content for Oktoberfest (in 1872)... or that Franziskaner had a cool carousel-bar at this year's Oktoberfest which rotated to give drinkers a changing view of the fair (see below)... but I had to admit it was a good start.  So I looked further into the matter.

 

Franziskaner Carousel Bar at Oktoberfest, 2010 

 

Munich is the capital of Bavaria, Washington the capital of the U.S..  Franziskaner is not far from the Isar River; Georgetown's main campus is on the Potomac.  In 1683, Bavarian troops stationed at the gates of Vienna to fight the Turks are supplied with weissbier, helping the Austrians achieve a historic victory.  Georgetown had over 1100 students (most of 'em) enlist to preserve the Union in the Civil War.  But there's more.

 

There have always been concerns that beer is unhealthy, whether for physical or spiritual reasons.  (In the year 600, an Irish missionary travelling through Bavaria was mortified to observe beer being sacrificed to a heathen god.  Today our gods are sports teams?)  But in 1602, Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria recognized that weissbier is an "ideal refreshment" for the population. He places every Bavarian brewery that produces weissbier under state ownership... Is this kind of like Obamacare - government medicine for the masses?  Did G-town grads have a hand that legislation?  But that's not all.

In the first decade of the 20th century, Franziskaner started delivering beer to North America.  In the same time frame, Georgetown founded their School of Medicine and School of Nursing.  Well, now that weissbier is available over here, they probably thought they should train healthcare personnel to administer it, right?  Healthy and ideal refreshment, right?  Within the same ten years, Georgetown began its basketball team/program too.  I'm not sure if this was a place to sacrifice the beer to the new god, or simply a central place/events to administer a recurring student healthcare treatment.  In either case, I'm guessing it was quickly followed by the first visit of the police to a campus party, but there is no historical evidance to support this theory.  Overall, the evidence is clear: Frau A's idea really makes sense.

 

A few final thoughts on Georgetown, beer and Franziskaner:

In the year 719, Duke Lantfrit decreed in his code of law, the 'Lex Alemannorum', that all bonded peasants must pay tribute to their lords IN BEER.  Why can't the government-types from Georgetown change U.S. tax laws in this direction???

In 1924, Franziskaner's parent company unveiled a new slogan:  "Lass Dir raten, trinke Spaten" (literally "Let yourself be advised, drink Spaten").  The verb "advised" is interesting... a more influencial approach than just marketing?  Not long after, in 1928, the U.S. Senate passed the first bill that attempted to regulate lobbyists (but it was blocked by the House).  Georgetown is known for government and political affairs... can this just be concidence?  Hoyas in the beer lobby are out of control!

Frau A spent quite some time in Texas, and Franziskaner's web site has most of its marketing events there.  There is Spaten Pint Night at The Libertine Bar in Dallas, Spaten Sundays (Franziskaner is part of the Spaten/Löwenbräu brewery group) at Ginger Man in Fort Worth, and Franziskaner Hefeweisse avaialble at the American Airlines Center.

 

So there we have it.  Franziskaner = Georgetown.  Readers:  any other beers/teams you think should be included?

Franziskaner logo and dried hops, Oktoberfest, 2010

Understanding the Beer Bracket, Part II

This is a continuation of the post where we describe the major German beer regions and brewers by comparing them with their counterparts in NCAA basketball.  It's now time to look at the northern breweries and their NCAA basketball counterparts.

Nordrhein-Westphalia & Rheinland-Palitinate = The Big East

Nordrhein-Westphalia is the state in germany with the greatest population (18 of Germany’s 80 million) and the center of “liberal” politics in the country – think Northeast corridor in the U.S..  The breweries here, like Big East schools, often are located outside the large cities.  The brewing towns may be small, but the production is immense.  Despite having only about 10% of the 1200 breweries in Germany, they crank out 2.7 billion liters of beer each year (25% of German production volume).  Here’s who were talking about:

Warsteiner and Krombacher = Connecticut and Syracuse

These two brewers are located in the region north of Frankfurt (the NYC of Germany) and are the #2 and #1 volume leaders in Germany respectively. Each makes 450 million liters annually, with Warsteiner exporting 80 million of that.  Marketing is the priority here and it is executed to perfection – these brands are always on television with expensive commercials, sponsoring sports teams and events, and reminding everyone how good they are.  Their pilsners are good, though are missing the feeling of tradition and cultural integration like that found in Bavaria.  But it’s consumed and enjoyed in volume by locals and foreigners alike.

Bitburger = Pittsburgh

 

The town of Bitburg is in Rheinland-Palatinate, a state often overshadowed by it’s larger and richer neighbor Nordrhein Westphallen.  (Hello, Pennsylvania.)  The culture here is distinctly more blue collar, and the beer reflects that.  It’s the brew that factory workers grab after their shift.  Bitburger has a stronger presence of hops giving a, well, more bitter taste, and many northerners claim it is the real thing – not like the glossy offerings of Warsteiner and Krombacher.

Veltins = Villanova

Veltins is the seventh largest brewer in Germany and is strongly associated with the soccer team FC Schalke 04 which has a broad base of fans.  Why the match with Villanova?  Both Schalke and Villanova have blue colors. Like Villanova, Schalke is known for an open (rather than defensive) style of play.  Finally, Villanova is a catholic university… and Pope John Paul II became an honorary member of Schalke's Fussball Club after celebrating a mass in the stadium.  God, football and beer. 

Best of all, Schalke plays in the Veltins Arena, which seats 61,000 people, has a slide-out field, a Teflon-coated retractable roof, and was the first stadium with the four screens above the pitch (the new Cowboys stadium super-sized this concept).  More importantly, it has a 5km long beer pipeline, direct from the brewery to the stadium, which pumps 52,000 liters of beer to the concession stands during each home game!  Despite the fact that it’s yet another large sports-oriented beer, I have never actually tried one – but am looking forward to the tasting in our tournament.
 

 

Cologne and Düsseldorf

A final note on Nordrhein-Westphalia:  Are you familiar with the Rheinheitsgebot from 1517?  It defined “what is beer” and anything that did not conform to its definition was not recognized as beer.  Well, Cologne and Düsseldorf are not interested in obeying orders.  They’re like many teams in the Big East that will try any approach to basketball.  Stick to a zone defense (‘Cuse), go with a 4 guard lineup (‘Nova), run & gun (Louisville), or just cut and paste a football offensive line as your starting five (Pittsburgh)?  No problem.  Likewise, Cologne has “kölsch” and Düsseldorf “altbier”, neither of which conform to the RHG, and that’s just how the locals want it.  The are served in special kinds of glasses too, to make sure everyone knows this is not your grandfather’s lager.  In fact, these are not even clearly an ale or a lager, as they use mixed production techniques.

One more metaphor is quite useful for the Schnitzelbahn Beer Tournament: 

Franconia = Midwest/Grain Belt Basketball

              

Franconia is a region, not a state, comprising parts of Baden-Wüttemburg, southern Thuringia, and northern Bavaria.  Small towns, lots of local flavor, purist mentality – I think of kids shooting hoops in the driveway, no showboating or hard fouls, just great passing and accurate jump shots.  The city of Bamberg is the spiritual center of beer here (not sure if I would make this Indiana or Kansas…) and coincidentally has one of the best professional basketball teams in the German league!

Frau A and I have actually heard both Bavarians and northern Germans admit that they think Franconia has truly the best beer in Germany – and one colleague at work actually takes beer tours through the region!  Locals claim that it’s the pure water that makes the difference (water is the main ingredient in beer, after all), and everyone seems to take advantage:  there are more breweries concentrated here than anywhere else in Germany, though typically smaller (often a brewery/bar combo) and with limited or no distribution outside the region.  This is truly the heartland of beer, and Frau A & I are looking forward to a beer tour here – we will post when we do.

Understanding the Beer Bracket, Part I

Obviously, the Schnitzelbahn Bier Tournament was modeled on the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  (Yes, we know the field is now 68 teams.  We’re sticking with tradition.)  But let’s take that further, especially for those that are not familiar with Germany or major German beer brands.  In the spirit of the Sports Guy, let’s match some German beer regions with a athletic conferences, and specific breweries with corresponding basketball teams.  Of course we need to start with…

Bavaria = The ACC

 

Perhaps Bavaria did not invent beer (just like basketball was invented in Massachusetts), but they’ve taken over now.  And within Bavaria, think of Munich as the Research Triangle.   Munich’s breweries created the biergarten tradition, include the most famous beer hall in the world, and are the backbone of largest fair in the world where 6.9 million liters of beer are consumed in just two weeks.  (And yes, tickets to Oktoberfest can be very hard to get.)  Even more, the “barbeque” of choice is pork in both regions, not beef.  Carolina has its pork roasts, and Bavaria loves its pork cracklins too, in the form of schweinehaxe...  Yum.

The major players in Munich:

Augustiner = North Carolina

 

When you ask a Bavarian what the best beer is, Augustiner often is the answer.  It’s in the blood – many Muncheners will only go to Augustiner restaurants and beer gardens, as if no other beer exists.  Plus, check out the flag of Bavaria: Carolina Blue and white.  This brewer has all the tools as well:  fantastic food and desserts to go with the brew.  And yes, despite the we-do-it-better-than-anyone arrogance, when you get a cold one at an Augustiner summer beer garden… yeah, it’s that good.

Hofbräu = Duke

Just as Cameron Indoor Stadium is usually listed as one of the sports venues to see before you die, so too is the Hofbräuhaus on the short list of destinations for beer drinkers.  And like Duke, the entire Hofbräu experience/aura evokes a strong response: you either love-em-or-hate-em.

           

The Hofbrauhaus and Cameron Indoor Stadium 

Ironically, Duke doesn’t really feed the NBA like Carolina – likewise, Hofbräu is a quality beer but never discussed as the “best”.  Maybe both get too much backlash because they sell so many damn sweatshirts and steins to tourists.  But in the end it doesn’t matter, because Hofbräu is a major player year in and year out.

Löwenbräu = North Carolina State

 

Tell a non-fan you attend N.C. State and they say “isn’t that where Michael Jordan played?”.  Again and again you grit your teeth and explain no, that’s UNC, not State.  Same thing here:  Americans think of this, which was a Miller licensed product that uses a completely different recipe, including corn.  The real Löwenbräu biergartens and restaurants in Munich are nice, but between the name confusion and general bullying by the big boys, only locals really go here.  Beer is good, atmosphere nice, and schnitzel excellent, but just doesn’t have the magic of UNC or Duke.

Significant players outside of Munich:

Andechs = Wake Forest

Both were founded to do God’s work, but have grown well past their original roots, although Andechs is still run by the monks, not the Demon Deacons.  Andechs is now a producer of premium beer, schnapps, and dairy products sold throughout Bavaria.  Although the monastary is a 45-minute train ride from Munich and an additional hour hike from the station, its restaurant (in the Cloister) is routinely packed because the food is outstanding.  If it makes the finals, everyone will be rooting for them because it just feels like they deserve it.

Tegernseer = University of Virginia

It’s all about the campus – Tegernsee is gorgeous in summer and winter.  Maybe it’s not a World Heritage Site like UVA, but Thomas Jefferson would approve.  Beer is very good too, just smaller and not located in the triangle of basketball mecca.  Might not win the big event, but behind mostly-empty bottles of their Helles are smug smiles of people who know they’ve got it good.  It’s already in the Sweet 16 in our tournament! 

In the next installment, we’ll look at the northern German brewers and their NCAA counterparts.