I lived for two years in Zweibruecken, Germany, and really enjoyed the beer there even though I didn’t know a pilsner from a dunkel. But ever since I began brewing, I have not brewed a single German beer.

It’s not that I’ve been actively avoiding them. I’ve just been exploring elsewhere. I’ve made mostly American and British styled beers (and the occasional Irish Draught Stout, of course.) The closest I’ve come to a German product would be my smoked beers, made with American ingredients but in a rauchbier style.

So now it’s time!

What sort of German ales would you recommend? I haven’t yet got my lagering setup going, so I’m limited to ales. If I were going to go for a particularly sublime German style… what’s your favorite?